Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
​The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has received enquiries from members of the public about fraudsters posing as HKMA senior staff, issuing forged documents falsely claiming that certain securities or investment companies are “recognised financial institutions”, in an attempt to deceive members of the public into placing funds with these securities companies as a prerequisite for loan approval.
The HKMA wishes to clarify that the above schemes are fraudulent, and the HKMA will not contact individual members of the public regarding personal financial matters.
Should members of the public wish to verify whether an institution is authorized by the HKMA, they should refer to the Register of Authorized Institutions and Local Representative Offices available on the HKMA website.
The HKMA has reported the case to the Hong Kong Police Force.
Members of the public who suspect that they have become victims of any fraudulent acts should contact the Police or the Commercial Crime Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012 for follow-up actions and investigation by the Police.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Import of poultry meat and products from Kirklees District of West Yorkshire County in UK suspendedIssued at HKT 18:12
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (June 13) that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in the Kirklees District of West Yorkshire County in the United Kingdom (UK), the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the area with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.
A CFS spokesman said that according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 210 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat, and about 440 000 poultry eggs from the UK in the first three months of this year.
“The CFS has contacted the British authority over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreak. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation,” the spokesman said.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LegCo to consider Employment (Amendment) Bill 2025Issued at HKT 15:20
The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council (LegCo) will hold a meeting next Wednesday (June 18) at 11am in the Chamber of the LegCo Complex. During the meeting, the Second Reading debate on the Employment (Amendment) Bill 2025 will resume. If the Bill is supported by Members and receives its Second Reading, it will stand committed to the committee of the whole Council. After the committee of the whole Council has completed consideration of the Bill and its report is adopted by the Council, the Bill will be set down for the Third Reading.
On Members’ motions, Mr Sunny Tan will move a motion on “Stimulating the vigorous development of Hong Kong’s small and medium enterprises with new quality productive forces and actively dovetailing with the country’s high-quality ‘going global’ strategy”. The motion is set out in Appendix 1. Mr Erik Yim will move an amendment to Mr Tan’s motion.
Mr Adrian Ho will move a motion on “Boosting the local consumption market to inject impetus into economic development”. The motion is set out in Appendix 2.
Ms Elizabeth Quat will move a proposed resolution under section 34(4) of the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance to extend the period for amending subsidiary legislation. The proposed resolution is set out in Appendix 3.
Members will also ask the Government 22 questions on various policy areas, six of which require oral replies.
The agenda of the above meeting can be obtained via the LegCo Website (www.legco.gov.hk). Members of the public can watch or listen to the meeting via the “Webcast” system on the LegCo Website. To observe the proceedings of the meeting at the LegCo Complex, members of the public may call 3919 3399 during office hours to reserve seats.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected counterfeit mobile phones worth about $1.4 million
Hong Kong Customs on May 28 seized 690 suspected counterfeit mobile phones with an estimated market value of about $1.4 million at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) Hong Kong Port. Through risk assessment, Customs on that day intercepted an incoming lorry at the HZMB Hong Kong Port. After inspection, Customs officers found the batch of suspected counterfeit mobile phones inside the cargo compartment of the lorry. A 24- year-old male lorry driver was subsequently arrested. An initial investigation revealed that the batch of suspected counterfeit mobile phones would have been transhipped to overseas regions. The investigation is ongoing, and the arrested man has been released on bail pending further investigation. Customs will continue to take stringent enforcement action against counterfeit goods and smuggling activities through risk assessment and intelligence analysis. Under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, any person who imports or exports any goods to which a forged trademark is applied commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years. Members of the public may report any suspected counterfeiting activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its 13/06/2025, 11:37 Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected counterfeit mobile phones worth about $1.4 million (with photo) https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202506/13/P2025061300433p.htm 1/2 dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002). Ends/Friday, June 13, 2025 Issued at HKT 12:25 NNNN
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
SFST made positive progress with signing of CDTA with Norway during his visit To unlock new opportunities in the area of maritime finance, Mr Hui met with the Chief Customer Officer, Ms Line Dahle, and Vice President and Head of Analytics, Mr Sigvald Fossum, of Norwegian marine and energy insurance provider Gard, which has a strong presence in Hong Kong’s marine insurance market and provides services to manage maritime risk for clients. He also met with the Vice-President and Director of Group Government and Public Affairs of DNV, Mr Lars Almklov. The global assurance and risk management company DNV has been recognised by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority as an approved external reviewer for the Green and Sustainable Finance Grant Scheme.
Mr Hui told management members of the two companies that Hong Kong and Norway possess complementary strengths that can create a compelling case for financial co-operation. While Norway’s maritime industry is the cornerstone of its economy, Hong Kong’s maritime services industry is also a valued brand in the international arena. Joint ventures in maritime insurance could combine Norway’s expertise in marine risk management with Hong Kong’s accessibility, creating comprehensive solutions for the sector and addressing the new demands arising from geopolitical and climatic challenges. He highlighted that Hong Kong has a sophisticated ecosystem for ship financing and leasing, supported by tax incentives and its strategic location along global trade routes.
On June 12 (Oslo time), Mr Hui paid a courtesy call to the Chinese Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Norway, Ms Hou Yue.
He also had a meeting with the Director of Politics and Society of Finance Norway, Mr Jan Erik Fane, and other management staff. Finance Norway is the industry organisation for the financial sector in Norway, representing banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions on regulatory, policy and industry developments.
Mr Hui noted that the Norwegian sovereign fund is one of the largest funds in the world and is positioned as a pioneer in responsible investing with a strong emphasis on Environmental, Social and Governance principles. He said that the shared focus of Hong Kong and Norway on sustainability creates significant opportunities for collaboration. At a dinner reception co-organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London, and the Norway-Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce on June 11 (Oslo time), Mr Hui said that even though there is a geographical distance of around 8 600 kilometres between Norway and Hong Kong, the two places share more commonalities in the financial market than perceived.
The first one is the commitment to green and sustainable developments. Hong Kong is striving to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050, and the Government launched a roadmap last December to require publicly accountable entities (PAEs) to adopt the International Financial Reporting Standards – Sustainability Disclosure Standards (ISSB Standards) and to provide a well-defined pathway for large PAEs to fully adopt the ISSB Standards no later than 2028.
Just last week, Hong Kong issued a new round of Government green bonds and infrastructure bonds to channel market capital to support green projects and promote sustainable developments in Hong Kong. This round of bonds amounts to a total of around US$3.5 billion, denominated in Hong Kong dollars, Renminbi, US dollars and euros. The offering attracted participation from a wide spectrum of investors from more than 30 markets across Asia, Europe, Middle East, and the Americas, with total orders amounting to an equivalent of around US$30 billion, representing a subscription ratio of almost nine times.
The other commonality is expertise in wealth management. Mr Hui noted that Norway’s expertise in long-term asset management driven by its sovereign fund aligns seamlessly with Hong Kong’s position as Asia’s premier wealth management centre. Capitalising on Hong Kong’s advantages of having a solid financial infrastructure and an extensive international client base, abundant co-investment opportunities are available for Norwegian capital in the Asian markets, particularly in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).
More commonalities lie in fintech and digital finance. Norway is a highly digitalised economy that has fostered advancements in mobile payment systems, blockchain technology, and digital asset management. At the same time, Hong Kong is home to around 1 100 fintech companies and start-ups. The Government endeavours to boost fintech developments through measures such as enhancing fintech infrastructures, nurturing talent, establishing regulatory regimes for digital assets such as the stablecoin regulatory regime to be enacted on August 1. The second edition of a policy statement on digital assets will also be promulgated soon. By combining Norway’s technological innovation with Hong Kong’s access to Asian markets, the partnership could drive cutting-edge solutions that redefine digital finance on a global scale.
Mr Hui has returned to Hong Kong in the evening of June 13. Issued at HKT 18:33
Amboina (Agenzia Fides) – “The geographical difficulties of the vast Moluccas, for example, are no longer an obstacle: thanks to technology, distance is no longer a serious problem; we have a bridge that unites the entire Catholic community of the Diocese of Amboina,” Seno Ngutra, Bishop of Amboyna told Fides. In a diocese made up of countless small islands, he uses mass media and social media as a means of connection in his pastoral work.However, these means do not replace human contact and direct relationships with the various communities, which is why the bishop travels extensively: he celebrates Masses and administers the sacraments in parishes scattered throughout the Moluccas archipelago in eastern Indonesia. On these islands, where evangelization began in 1546 with the work of the Spanish missionary Saint Francis Xavier, the Diocese of Amboina, which encompasses the entire archipelago, has a population of more than three million (Christians and Muslims) and 117,000 Catholics distributed among 64 parishes. Also due to their geographical location, “parish communities are called to maintain their autonomy and independence, not only in terms of administration, but also in pastoral and spiritual life,” Bishop Ngutra emphasized.Each parish, even those in remote areas, the bishop explained, is therefore encouraged, on this path of autonomy—always lived in mutual communion—to become active in the three areas of pastoral care: liturgy, catechesis, and charitable works. And where there are particular needs, the bishop himself becomes active and raises awareness among donors who wish to support the Church in its development. The parish receiving the donations responds to the donors with a message or a video message via smartphone: “Even if it is a simple gesture, the donors are very happy because they feel appreciated and happy,” the bishop notes, adding another useful function of modern technology. Bishop Ngutra is convinced of the “great potential of social media for spreading the faith in an island nation like ours. The media has a profound impact on human life. It can have negative effects, but it can also be an extraordinary means of proclamation,” he says. Bishop Ngutra has been accustomed to using technology in his pastoral ministry, using various digital platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, and TikTok, which is very popular among young people. This habit continues: now the bishop regularly shares his daily faith reflections every morning, known as “Spiritual Morning Dewdrops,” which are viewed by the faithful, priests, religious, and young people throughout the territory. And in the evening, he publishes “the Night Blessing” in the form of short videos that illuminate aspects of the spiritual life. His social media messages are eagerly awaited by many of the faithful of the Diocese of Amboina, who joyfully accept the short daily word from their Pastor. In recent weeks, the bishop has also begun offering content on TikTok about questions of faith and catechesis on specific topics. “Young people spend a lot of time in the digital world. If we do not engage with them on these platforms, we miss the opportunity to share the Good News of the Gospel,” he says. He wants to convey to social media users how close their bishop is. “Even when I was elected Bishop of Amboina, I received the news of my appointment via the Zoom platform,” he recalls. “For me, this is a sign that media and digital technologies will be an important part of the proclamation and service of the new evangelization,” he notes. Today, the faithful call him the “online bishop” because, they say, “even through these platforms the message of Christ can reach the hearts of his people.” (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 13/6/2025)
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by Fabio BerettaPort Moresby (Agenzia Fides) – Peter ToRot, the first Saint of Papua New Guinea (see Fides, 31/3/2025), will be canonized on October 19, 2025, the Sunday during which the 99th World Mission Day will be celebrated. This was decreed today by Pope Leo XIV during the celebration of his first Ordinary Public Consistory. A Consistory, held in the Vatican, which was announced last March by Pope Francis while he was hospitalized at the Gemelli Hospital due to bilateral pneumonia.”The Pope decreed that Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, together with Blessed Carlo Acutis, be inscribed in the Book of Saints on Sunday 7 September 2025, while Blesseds Ignatius Choukrallah Maloyan, Peter To Rot, Vincenza Maria Poloni, María del Monte Carmelo Rendiles Martínez, Maria Troncatti, José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros and Bartolo Longo be inscribed in the Book of Saints on Sunday 19 October 2025″, reads the bulletin released by the Holy See at the end of the Consistory.Catechist-martyr, ToRot represents, as Father Tomas Ravaioli, missionary of the Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE) and vice-postulator, told Fides, “a compass to look at” in these times when “marriage and family are under attack and suffer all kinds of distortion”. And “Pope Francis wanted to canonize him already during the Apostolic Journey of September 2024 in our country”.In the following interview, the vice-postulator also explains the many difficulties encountered in certifying the miracle and why the dispensation was requested.Peter ToRot was martyred with an injection of lethal poison. Why was he killed in prison? What drove his jailers to kill him? During the Japanese invasion of Papua New Guinea in World War II, the Japanese sought to gain the favor and friendship of the local population. To do so, they legalized polygamy, which had previously been forbidden by Catholic missionaries. Consequently, a large number of men began practicing this immoral custom. Peter ToRot, who was barely 30 years old at the time, opposed this infamous law. He preached with all his might about the unity and indissolubility of marriage, emphasizing these as characteristics of marriage willed by God. He successfully convinced many young women who had been taken as “second wives” to escape the men who had taken them and return to living in God’s grace. This, understandably, earned him a great many enemies. Many of these lustful enemies of To Rot were men of power. They managed to imprison him and ultimately assassinate him, silencing his prophetic voice.What does ToRot’s life tell the universal Church today? What can his story teach us? When Pope Francis first heard about Blessed Peter To Rot, he said: “This is the saint the Church needs in these times.” And it’s true: he was a lay man, married, father of 3 children, who died at 33 years old in defense of marriage and family. In these times, where marriage and family are so attacked and suffer all kind of distortions, the figure of this saint is a compass to look to, to remember once again God’s original plan for family and marriage.A dispensation for a miracle was requested for his canonization: what does this mean? Why was this path chosen? There are two important things to say about this point. First, an impressive number of signs and graces are attributed to Peter To Rot’s intercession. We shouldn’t think there are no miracles, although we prefer to call them “signs” because miracles require ecclesiastical approval. In Papua New Guinea, people receive all sorts of signs through the Blessed’s intercession. Second, in Papua New Guinea, there are no hospitals, doctors, or professionals who can testify or show evidence to these signs, nor are there written or documented records. This is because the people in the villages are very simple, and an oral culture is maintained. This lack of resources made it very difficult for us to “demonstrate” or “prove” a miracle. For this reason, we have asked Pope Francis for a dispensation from the miracle requirement, as it would have been almost impossible to fulfill. Even so, it’s necessary to mention and reiterate that the signs attributed to our martyr’s intercession are multiplying.During Pope Francis’ Apostolic Journey, the Church of Papua New Guinea asked for the intervention of the Pontiff to speed up the process… The request for a dispensation from the miracle was made at the beginning of 2024, with the hope that the canonization would take place during the Papal visit in September. While the favorable response regarding the dispensation arrived within a few weeks, there was still much work to be done in preparing the Positio and other matters. During Pope Francis’s visit in September 2024, I had the opportunity to speak with him along with the other Argentinian priests here in Papua for almost one hour, and I thanked him for his help with the Cause of To Rot. He told me: “I want to canonize him myself.”For the missionaries of Papua New Guinea and for catechists around the world, what does the canonization of To Rot represent today, in your opinion? The canonization of To Rot, I believe, is a great encouragement for all Catholics in Papua New Guinea to continue striving on the path of personal holiness. It reminds us that holiness isn’t a luxury, but a necessity, and that if To Rot could achieve it, we can too. Beyond that, To Rot’s testimony loudly proclaims to the entire world that God’s plan for family and marriage is one man and one woman for life, until death separates them. The unity and indissolubility of marriage are constantly attacked, distorted, and ridiculed by the modern world. To Rot, having shed his blood in defense of these truths, reminds us that it’s more important to obey God than men. (Agenzia Fides, 13/6/2025)
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From 10 to 13 June (2025), as part of its pioneering initiative Digital Ocean Vision, NATO offered participants the opportunity to test and compare next-generation systems alongside traditional naval platforms, in a digital wargame.
During the event, participants from across the NATO structures, as well as wargaming experts from the United Kingdom, Sweden, and the Netherlands, were able to test next-generation systems against traditional naval platforms such as frigates, corvettes, maritime patrol aircraft and submarines. The wargame was designed to measure and compare how emerging disruptive technologies perform, with findings directly supporting NATO’s Task Force X and enhancing the Alliance’s overall defensive posture.
NATO’s Digital Ocean Vision initiative aims to enhance NATO’s maritime situational awareness from seabed to space, by strengthening coordination between national and Allied capabilities employed for maritime surveillance. It includes a broad range of assets from satellites to autonomous systems below, on, and above the sea.
Council of Ministers meeting no. 131 was held at Palazzo Chigi today. Following the meeting, Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso, Minister of Labour and Social Policies Marina Elvira Calderone and Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance Maurizio Leo held a press conference to illustrate the measures adopted.
Israel has called its military operation against Iran “Rising Lion”, taking the name from a biblical verse that promises a victorious future for a powerful Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was photographed on Thursday putting a handwritten note into a crack of Jerusalem’s Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest prayer site, which in retrospect pointed to the looming strikes on Iran.
His office on Friday released a photo of the note, which said “the people shall rise up as a lion”.
The expression comes from verse 23:24 of the Book of Numbers in the Bible: “Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.”
This verse is part of the first oracle of Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet and diviner, where he foretells the strength and power of Israel, comparing it to a lion that will not rest until it has satisfied its hunger.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called Israel’s strikes “satanic”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed deep grief over the demise of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who was among the victims of the Air India crash in Ahmedabad a day earlier.
Rupani, 68, was travelling on board flight AI-171 to London when the aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff, claiming the lives of 241 passengers.
In a post on X, the Prime Minister paid tribute to the late leader, describing his passing as “unimaginable” and recalling a long association with him that spanned decades.
“I’ve known him for decades. We worked together, shoulder to shoulder, including during some of the most challenging times. Vijaybhai was humble and hardworking, firmly committed to the Party’s ideology,” PM Modi said in his post.
He went on to highlight Rupani’s journey in public life, mentioning his early work in the Rajkot Municipal Corporation, his tenure as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha, and his leadership as President of the Gujarat BJP.
“In every role assigned, he distinguished himself… as Gujarat BJP President and as Cabinet Minister in the State Government,” the Prime Minister said, adding that Rupani had made lasting contributions during his time as Chief Minister, particularly in initiatives aimed at improving ease of living for citizens.
The Prime Minister also visited the late leader’s family to offer condolences in person. “Will always cherish the interactions we had. My thoughts are with his family and friends in this hour of grief. Om Shanti,” he said.
Rupani served as the 16th Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2016 to 2021.
A week before India begins their five-match Test series against England in Leeds, head coach Gautam Gambhir has flown back home due to a family emergency. Gambhir had been with the Indian team at Beckenham ahead of their intra-squad practice match starting on Friday.
“Yes it came to the light yesterday that Gambhir would be flying back home due to an important family emergency related to his mother. As of now, we believe that Gambhir has already linked up with his family in New Delhi. Keeping in mind the current situation, it’s not known yet about when he would join the India team ahead of the Test series’ commencement,” said sources aware of development to IANS on Friday.
In Gambhir’s absence, alongside batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, bowling coach Morne Morkel, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate and fielding coach T Dilip will help the Indian team prepare for the upcoming Test series against Ben Stokes-led England, which starts at Headingley.
The Test tour of England will also be right-handed batter Shubman Gill’s first assignment as the captain of the Indian team, following the retirement of Rohit Sharma last month. At 25 years and 258 days, Gill will also become the fifth-youngest cricketer to captain India in Tests.
Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant will be India’s vice-captain on the all-important Test series, which runs from June 20 to August 4. India and England will also play matches at Edgbaston in Birmingham, Lord’s in London, Old Trafford in Manchester and The Oval in London.
India are aiming to win a Test series in England for the first time since 2007. The Test series in England will also be India’s first assignment in the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Senior Police Call AGM cum Luncheon held Speaking at the luncheon, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Chow Yat-ming, said the SPC has been established for over ten years, aiming at promoting safety, health and community participation of the elderly. The Government adopted measures to promote the silver economy last month to enhance the quality of life for the elderly. In line with the policy direction, the SPC has launched a wide range of activities and training programmes to help its members achieve physical, mental and spiritual health.
In order to enhance the anti-deception awareness among senior citizens and to tackle the various and emerging deception tactics, the SPC launched the “IT Captain” training programme in May this year. This includes the education on the use of the one-stop scam and pitfall search engine “Scameter+”. Together with the “SPC Wealth Management and Anti-Investment Scam Ambassador” programme, the elderly get familiarised with the latest scam tactics and cyber traps, and are encouraged to spread the message of fraud prevention in the community. Trained “IT Captains” will guide elderly and citizens in the community to use the commonly-used mobile apps of the Government, assisting them to integrate into digital life.
An increase of 28 per cent was recorded in the number of deception cases involving elderly victims, reaching 6 345 cases in 2024 compared to 4 929 cases in 2023. There was also an increase of approximately 20 per cent in related fraud cases from January to April this year compared to the same period last year, to over 1 700 cases. Of these, more than half were classified as online frauds, while around 40 per cent were related to telephone scams.
At the AGM today, 44 SPC members were presented with the “Best SPC Captain” and “Most Active SPC Member” awards in recognition of their enthusiastic participation over the past year.
The newly launched “PALS@SPC” initiative this year represents four key themes of the SPC’s activities, with “P” standing for “Participate”, “A” for “Alert”, “L” for “Learn” and “S” for “Safeguard”. The SPC will continue to collaborate with various organisations to roll out a broader range of programmes, encouraging more senior citizens to become SPC members, and to enhance themselves through recreation and sports activities as well as courses and seminars. Being crime-fighting partners of the Police, SPC members join hands to serve the community and achieve the SPC sprit – “Helping Oneself and Others”.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Immigration Department (ImmD) mounted a series of territory-wide anti-illegal worker operations codenamed “Contribute”, “Lightshadow” and “Twilight”, and a joint operation with the Hong Kong Police Force codenamed “Windsand”, for four consecutive days from June 9 to yesterday (June 12). A total of 12 suspected illegal workers, two suspected employers and one suspected aider and abettor were arrested.
During the anti-illegal worker operations, ImmD Task Force officers raided 81 target locations including commercial buildings, an industrial building, residential buildings, a massage parlour, restaurants and retail stores. Twelve suspected illegal workers, two suspected employers and one suspected aider and abettor were arrested. The arrested suspected illegal workers comprised five men and seven women, aged 21 to 57. Among them, two men and one woman were holders of a recognisance form, which prohibits them from taking any employment. In addition, one woman was also suspected of using and being in possession of a forged Hong Kong identity card; one man was suspected of using and being in possession of a Hong Kong identity card related to another person. One man and one woman, aged 30 and 63, were suspected of employing the illegal workers and were also arrested. One woman, aged 32, who was suspected of aiding and abetting a person who breached the condition of stay in Hong Kong, was also arrested.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Record of discussion of meeting of Exchange Fund Advisory Committee Currency Board Sub-Committee held on April 30 Report on Currency Board Operations (25 December, 2024 – 16 April, 2025) ————————————————————————————
The Currency Board Sub-Committee (Sub-Committee) noted that the Hong Kong dollar (HKD) traded within a range of 7.7555 – 7.7927 against the US dollar (USD) during the review period. The HKD exchange rate moderated in early January 2025 as liquidity tightness subsided at the end of 2024 and global markets reacted to US tariff announcements, but strengthened in mid-February 2025, supported by strong performance of the local stock market amid Mainland China’s recent advancements in artificial intelligence and net inflows from the Southbound Stock Connect. In early April, in response to further US tariffs, the HKD strengthened further as long USD carry trades unwound amid a risk-off sentiment and southbound inflows continued. HKD interbank rates (HIBORs) continued to track the USD rates while shorter-tenor rates were also being affected by local supply and demand. Short-term HIBORs tightened briefly near the year-end but softened thereafter as funding demand faded. The Convertibility Undertakings were not triggered during the review period and the Aggregate Balance was stable at around HK$45 billion. No abnormality was noted in the usage of the Discount Window. Overall, the HKD exchange and interbank markets continued to trade in a smooth and orderly manner.
The Sub-Committee noted that the Monetary Base increased to HK$1,980.99 billion at the end of the review period. In accordance with the Currency Board principles, all changes in the Monetary Base had been fully matched by changes in foreign reserves.
The Report on Currency Board Operations for the review period is at Annex.
Monitoring of Risks and Vulnerabilities ——————————————
The Sub-Committee noted that downside growth risks to the global economy had intensified following the US announcement of imposing reciprocal tariffs that exceeded market expectations. In response, global financial markets had gyrated, although they continued to operate smoothly with no sign of widespread funding stress. While the postponement of reciprocal tariffs had offered some reprieve for export-reliant Asian economies which generally faced higher rates, the prospect of tariffs being implemented further down the road still posed significant growth headwinds.
The Sub-Committee noted that in Mainland China, the economy entered 2025 amid some green shoots and improved equity market sentiment. In particular, at the “two sessions” in March, the authorities sent strong pro-growth signals, including prioritising consumption and strengthening fiscal support. From April onwards, the Mainland economic outlook faced stiffer external headwinds due to the US reciprocal tariffs. It was expected that Mainland China would place increasing emphasis on supporting consumption.
The Sub-Committee noted that in Hong Kong, downside risks to the growth outlook heightened following the imposition of the US reciprocal tariffs. Yet, several factors might help alleviate some of the impact, including the Mainland’s pro-growth policies and its advancement in artificial intelligence, the prospective US rate cuts expected by the markets, and the ongoing recovery of inbound tourism. Meanwhile, housing market transactions gained momentum in March following the Government’s adjustment in stamp duties for lower-value properties, although market sentiment turned conservative in early April amid the global financial market volatility. The commercial real estate markets remained subdued, especially in the office segment.
A Study on “Discount Window Stigma” ——————————————-
The Sub-Committee noted a paper that examined the usage of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s (HKMA) Discount Window and the associated “stigma effect” by banks over time. The results showed that the Discount Window was tapped more frequently and the associated stigma diminished in the current period of tight liquidity, compared with the previous period of tight liquidity in 2018 – 2020. This trend coincided with the HKMA’s proactive communication efforts with banks to alleviate concerns about the “stigma effect” during recent periods. Issued at HKT 16:36
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
27 landlords of subdivided units under regulated tenancies convicted of contravening relevant statutory requirements The offences of these 27 landlords include (1) failing to submit a Notice of Tenancy (Form AR2) to the Commissioner of Rating and Valuation within 60 days after the term of the regulated tenancy commenced; and (2) requesting the tenant to pay money other than the types permitted under the Ordinance (i.e. requiring the tenant to pay an amount of rent for the second-term tenancy exceeding the maximum amount of rent permitted under the Ordinance). One of the landlords committed 16 offences under (1) and (2) and was fined $13,000.
The RVD earlier discovered that the landlords failed to comply with the relevant requirements under the Ordinance. Upon an in-depth investigation and evidence collection, the RVD prosecuted the landlords.
A spokesman for the RVD reiterated that SDU landlords must comply with the relevant requirements under the Ordinance, including prohibiting landlords from doing any act calculated to interfere with the peace or comfort of members of the tenant’s household, with the intention of causing the tenant to give up occupation of the SDU; or requiring the tenant to pay an amount of rent for the second-term tenancy exceeding the maximum amount of rent permitted under the Ordinance, and also reminded tenants of their rights under the Ordinance, including a four-year (i.e. two years plus two years) security of tenure. He also stressed that the RVD will continue to take resolute enforcement action against any contraventions of the Ordinance. Apart from following up on reported cases, the RVD has been adopting a multipronged approach to proactively identify, investigate and follow up on cases concerning landlords who are suspected of contravening the Ordinance. In particular, the RVD has been requiring landlords of regulated tenancies to provide information and reference documents of their tenancies for checking whether they have complied with the requirements of the Ordinance. If a landlord, without reasonable excuse, refuses to provide the relevant information or neglects the RVD’s request, the landlord commits an offence and is liable to a maximum fine at level 3 ($10,000) and to imprisonment for three months. Depending on the actual circumstances, and having regard to the information and evidence collected, the RVD will take appropriate actions on individual cases, including instigating prosecution against suspected contraventions of the Ordinance. In addition, the RVD has started a new round of publicity and education work to enhance public awareness about the key offences and penalties, emphasising that the RVD proactively checks whether landlords have committed the offences under the Ordinance. The RVD reminds that pursuant to the Ordinance, a regulated cycle of regulated tenancies is to comprise two consecutive regulated tenancies (i.e. the first-term tenancy and second-term tenancy) for an SDU, and the term of each regulated tenancy is two years. A tenant of a first-term tenancy for an SDU is entitled to be granted a second-term tenancy of the regulated cycle, thus enjoying a total of four years of security of tenure. The RVD has been issuing letters enclosing relevant information to the landlords and tenants concerned of regulated tenancies in batches, according to the expiry time of their first-term tenancies, to assist them in understanding the important matters pertaining to the second-term tenancy, and to remind them about the procedures that need to be followed about two months prior to the commencement of the purported second-term tenancy as well as their respective obligations and rights under the Ordinance. These landlords and tenants may also visit the dedicated page for the second-term tenancy on the RVD’s website (www.rvd.gov.hk/en/tenancy_matters/second_term_tenancy.html For enquiries related to regulated tenancies, please call the telephone hotline (2150 8303) or visit the RVD’s webpage (www.rvd.gov.hk/en/our_services/part_iva.htmlIssued at HKT 15:48
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
​Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) announced today (June 13) that Runseason World Trade Catering Co Ltd (Runseason), a Mainland catering brand specialising in coconut chicken hot pot, has officially opened its first restaurant in Hong Kong, marking a significant step in its global expansion strategy.
The new restaurant, located in Causeway Bay, will also serve as a regional office and a strategic launch pad for the company’s ambitions to enter European markets and elevate its brand on the global stage, according to Runseason co-founder Mr Huang Guangchun.
Associate Director-General of Investment Promotion at InvestHK Mr Arnold Lau said, “Runseason’s decision to establish its foothold in Hong Kong underscores the city as the premier choice for Mainland brands to go global. It also highlights Hong Kong’s unique advantages as a launch pad for food and beverage companies aiming to expand internationally. We are delighted to support Runseason in leveraging Hong Kong’s vibrant market and international connectivity to achieve its ambitious expansion goals.”
Mr Huang said, “Hong Kong’s status as an international culinary hub, with its mature market and diverse consumers, makes it the ideal base for Runseason to refine its product offerings, strengthen its supply chain resilience, and enhance its digital services. Aligning with the company’s ‘family standards and conscientious quality’ philosophy, the Hong Kong restaurant will develop a replicable model for global expansion, showcasing its signature coconut chicken hot pot and innovative dishes to a global audience.”
He added, “Hong Kong, as an international city where East meets West, provides an unparalleled opportunity for Runseason to introduce our coconut chicken – a delicacy rooted in Eastern dietary wisdom – to international markets. By leveraging Hong Kong’s diverse consumer base and its reputation for culinary excellence, we aim to transform this regional specialty into a global cultural symbol of healthy and sustainable dining.”
Founded in 2009, Runseason is a subsidiary of Shenzhen Runyuan Four Seasons Catering Co Ltd, offering its signature coconut chicken hot pot, in which the brand sources fresh ingredients directly from its own coconut plantations and Wenchang chicken breeding farm in Hainan, ensuring a premium dining experience. It operates over 20 restaurants across Mainland China, bringing its beloved hot pot to an ever-growing customer base.
Pangolins are scaly mammals found across Asia and Africa. They are considered the world’s most trafficked wild mammals and they are exploited in different ways on different continents.
In Asia, mainly China, their scales are used in large-scale therapeutic medicines, despite not having known medicinal properties. Their meat is consumed as a delicacy, so it’s expensive and highly sought after.
Due to the relatively recent rise in international demand, the drivers of African pangolin exploitation remain unclear. However, some conservationists and researchers propose that this exploitation is primarily driven by overseas demand for pangolin scales used in traditional medicine.
My new study challenges this view and suggests that African pangolin exploitation is motivated more by local demand for meat than international demand for scales.
Having grown up in Nigeria, I developed personal connections with many of the hunters and vendors and have spent the past five years building a trustworthy relationship with them in order to research pangolin trade from within the industry.
My colleagues and I sent an anonymous questionnaire to 590 hunters and 219 wild meat vendors in 33 locations in southeast Nigeria. We wanted to find out how many pangolins they caught annually and how they were captured. We also asked what their motivations for hunting were, how much they sold pangolin products for and the subsequent uses of meat and scales.
Given that pangolin meat is eaten as food, we asked another group of 570 hunters, vendors, and other household members to score the palatability (perceived sensory qualities of meat flavour and texture) of 96 meat and fish dishes consumed in Nigerian communities.
Of the approximately 21,000 white- and black-bellied pangolins, which we estimated were killed annually across the hunters in the landscape between 2020 and 2023, 97% were captured opportunistically (that is, while performing activities other than hunting) or during general hunting. Of those, were picked up by hand – these animals weigh just 2-3kg on average and are relatively slow-moving.
Surprisingly, 98% of captured pangolins were caught for their meat, with 71% eaten by the hunters and 27% sold locally. This high rate of personal consumption compared to local sales is likely driven by their exceptional taste. In southeast Nigeria, the three pangolin species eaten scored highest in palatability among 96 wild meats assessed, and were comparable only with the African brush-tailed porcupine.
By comparison, rural southeast Asian communities increasingly forego eating the pangolins themselves and instead sell them to urban centres because they get high prices for meat and scales.
Most of the pangolin scales (70%) were discarded. Less than 30% were traded illegally. We also found that, on a per-animal basis, pangolin scales have been three to four times lower than meat since 2010, when Nigeria’s first pangolin scale seizure was documented.
Beyond Nigeria
While our study focused on pangolin trade in southeast Nigeria, our findings likely apply to other African forest regions where pangolins make up a similar proportion of the hunters’ total catch and where the price of scales is comparable.
Our analysis only applies to white- and black-bellied pangolins; but this is still substantial as they make up approximately 98% of African pangolins trafficked internationally (based on seizure data) and 96% of pangolins caught by hunters across central and west Africa (based on hunter offtake data from six countries).
Securing the future of African pangolins demands a bold shift if they are primarily being hunted for meat rather than scales, as appears to be the case in southeast Nigeria. Anti-trafficking measures alone won’t protect pangolins if hunting for local consumption remains unchecked.
Promoting alternative protein sources or sustainable livelihoods for hunters could help reduce wild meat dependence. As current global trade bans don’t always reflect local hunting motivations, understanding why people hunt protected species and how they get traded both locally and globally will be crucial in developing conservation strategies that will tackle the root of the problem and encourage a transition to more sustainable practices.
Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?
Charles Emogor receives funding from the British High Commission in Nigeria, National Geographic Society, Wildlife Conservation Society, Wildlife Conservation Network, Rufford Foundation, Conservation Leadership Programme, and Save Pangolins. He is the founder of Pangolin Protection Network (aka Pangolino).
Carl Morck is psychologically damaged. He’s socially insufferable. And he’s a departmental embarrassment. Yet this broken man becomes an incredibly effective investigator. Welcome to the brilliant paradox of Netflix’s Dept. Q, where mental trauma doesn’t disable – it supercharges.
Detective Morck’s story begins with catastrophic failure. Ignoring protocol, he and his partner, James Hardy, rush headlong into what they think is a routine murder scene. It’s an ambush. Hardy ends up paralysed for life, a rookie officer dies and Morck survives with crushing survivor’s guilt and severe PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Most detectives would retire. Morck comes back more determined to get his man.
Months later, Morck returns to work. He obsessively replays the rookie’s body camera video hundreds of times as well as the ballistics reconstruction. His colleagues flee his toxic presence. His commander ships him off to the basement with a stack of cold cases, hoping he’ll disappear into bureaucratic obscurity.
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Instead, she accidentally creates the perfect storm.
Morck’s first basement case involves Merritt Lingard, a prosecutor who vanished from a ferry four years earlier. The official conclusion was she fell overboard and drowned. Case closed. But Morck can’t move on from anything anymore. His trauma-rewired brain won’t let him.
He watches the ferry security footage with the same obsessive intensity he brings to replaying his shooting. Frame by frame. Over and over. The same compulsive attention to detail that torments him with endless replays of his failure becomes his investigative superpower. Where normal detectives see a tragic accident, Morck’s damaged neural pathways spot the inconsistencies everyone else missed.
This isn’t nonsense, it’s neuroscience. Research shows that depression fundamentally rewires information processing, creating enhanced sensitivity to negative details and threats. What his therapist calls pathological rumination becomes detective gold.
The banished misfits
Morck is saddled with a team of misfits: Hardy (paralysed and bitter), Akram Salim (a Syrian refugee with mysterious combat skills), and Rose Dickson (battling her own demons). Together, they form a collection of damaged individuals that conventional policing would write off.
But here’s the magic: their shared outsider status creates collective investigative superpowers.
Take their interview with William Lingard, Merritt’s disabled brother. William draws pictures of “a man in a hat with a bird logo” — evidence that conventional investigators would probably set aside because it wouldn’t hold up in court. The series shows this attitude earlier when a young mother recants her witness statement. While other officers dismiss it as useless since it can’t help prosecute a case, Morck argues it’s still valuable investigative information.
This reflects a fundamental difference in approach: most police focus on building prosecutable cases, but Dept. Q’s outsider status frees them to pursue any lead that might reveal truth, regardless of its courtroom value. Taking William’s drawings seriously as investigative intelligence, rather than dismissing them as legally inadmissible, eventually leads them to identify the crucial cormorant logo connection.
Organisational psychology research shows that socially excluded groups are more willing to ask questions that insiders avoid due to workplace politics or social taboos. Operating from their basement exile, Department Q pursues theories that proper procedure would shut down. Their isolation becomes investigative freedom, unencumbered by institutional constraints.
Department Q isn’t just entertainment, it’s a master class in psychological diversity’s investigative value. Real police departments might benefit from understanding how different types of cognitive processing can reveal different types of evidence. The systematic pessimism of depression, the hypervigilance of PTSD, the pattern recognition of anxiety – these aren’t just symptoms to medicate away, they’re investigative tools waiting to be properly deployed.
The series suggests that our most psychologically damaged individuals might see truths that healthy minds systematically miss, which research backs up. It’s a provocative idea: maybe the people we consider “broken” are exactly who we need investigating the cases that have broken everyone else.
Department Q proves that in the right circumstances, psychological damage doesn’t create victims. It creates visionaries.
Edward White is affiliated with Kingston University.
Israel launched widescale strikes against Iran on Friday, saying it targeted nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders during the start of a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon.
Iran, which has denied such intentions, has in the past threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz for traffic in retaliation to Western pressure. Experts have said that any closure of the strait could restrict trade and impact global oil prices.
Below are details about the strait:
The strait lies between Oman and Iran and links the Gulf north of it with the Gulf of Oman to the south and the Arabian Sea beyond.
It is 21 miles (33 km) wide at its narrowest point, with the shipping lane just two miles (three km) wide in either direction.
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
About a fifth of the world’s total oil consumption passes through the strait. Between the start of 2022 and last month, roughly 17.8 million to 20.8 million barrels of crude, condensate and fuels flowed through the strait daily, according to data from Vortexa.
OPEC members Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq export most of their crude via the strait, mainly to Asia.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia have sought to find other routes to bypass the strait.
Around 2.6 million bpd of unused capacity from existing UAE and Saudi pipelines could be available to bypass Hormuz, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said in June last year.
Qatar, among the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporters, sends almost all of its LNG through the strait.
Iran has threatened over the years to block the strait but has never followed through.
The U.S. Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, is tasked with protecting commercial shipping in the area.
HISTORY OF TENSIONS
In 1973, Arab producers led by Saudi Arabia slapped an oil embargo on Western supporters of Israel in its war with Egypt.
While Western countries were the main buyers of crude produced by the Arab countries at the time, nowadays Asia is the main buyer of OPEC’s crude.
The United States more than doubled its oil liquids production in the last two decades and has turned from the world’s biggest oil importer into one of the top exporters.
During the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War, the two sides sought to disrupt each other’s exports in what was called the Tanker War.
In July 1988, a U.S. warship shot down an Iranian airliner, killing all 290 aboard, in what Washington said was an accident and Tehran said was a deliberate attack.
In January 2012, Iran threatened to block the strait in retaliation for U.S. and European sanctions. In May 2019, four vessels – including two Saudi oil tankers – were attacked off the UAE coast, outside the Strait of Hormuz.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
HAIKOU, June 13 (Xinhua) — More than tens of thousands of residents in south China’s Hainan Province have been evacuated to safe areas as Typhoon Wutip (Butterfly), the first typhoon of the year, approaches.
As of 8:00 p.m. Thursday, a total of 16,561 people had been evacuated from construction sites, low-lying areas threatened by flooding and areas at risk from mountain torrents in the province.
All 30,721 fishing vessels in the province have either returned to ports or taken shelter elsewhere, with more than 40,000 people working on them evacuated to shore.
As Typhoon Wutip continues to intensify, the provincial meteorological office extended the typhoon alert to Level 3 at 11 a.m. Friday.
Typhoon Wutip strengthened into a severe tropical storm at 8 p.m. Thursday. As of 10 a.m. Friday, its epicenter was located near Ledong Li Autonomous County on Hainan Island, with maximum wind speeds of about 28 meters per second near the epicenter. Heavy rainfall is expected in many parts of the province by 8 p.m.
According to meteorologists’ forecasts, the typhoon is moving in a northwesterly direction at a speed of 5-10 km/h.
On Friday, Wutip may make landfall or pass near the coastal area between Ledong County and Dongfang City as a severe tropical storm with wind gusts of 25 to 28 meters per second. -0-
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
NANJING, June 13 (Xinhua) — An international team of paleontologists led by Chinese scientists has discovered two previously unknown species of parasitic fungi preserved in two pieces of amber from Myanmar’s Kachin region, which are about 100 million years old, according to the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
The new discovery provides important evidence for the study of fungi and insects’ coevolution. The study also suggests that the parasitic fungi group Ophiocordyceps evolved about 30 million years earlier than previously thought.
As the head of the research project, senior researcher at the institute Wang Bo, explained, the fungi do not have a solid structure and are easily decomposed. Research into the origin and evolution of Ophiocordyceps is hampered by the extreme limitation of fossil evidence.
The two pieces of amber have well-preserved mushroom structures, making it possible to compare them with modern analogues. Using computer microtomography, the researchers discovered their insect hosts.
The scientists also obtained and analyzed genetic data on 120 modern Ophiocordyceps species. Using these fossils as a reference, they reconstructed the phylogenetic relationships of Ophiocordyceps and revised the data on the origin of this group of fungi.
“The results suggest that the origin of Ophiocordyceps must have occurred around 130 million years ago, in the Early Cretaceous, which is 30 million years earlier than previously thought,” he said.
The results of the study were published Wednesday in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. -0-
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
LOS ANGELES, June 13 (Xinhua) — A federal judge on Thursday issued a temporary order ordering U.S. President Donald Trump to return control of the state’s National Guard to California authorities.
Trump’s deployment of the California National Guard and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles was unlawful because it violated the Tenth Amendment and exceeded the president’s statutory powers, according to the order, which will go into effect Friday at 12 p.m.
US District Judge Charles Breyer said Trump overstepped his authority when he ordered about 4,000 National Guard troops to be deployed to Los Angeles, where immigration protests have erupted.
California Governor Gavin Newsom challenged the measure in court. California later filed an emergency motion asking a judge to bar the National Guard from assisting immigration enforcement raids.
Breyer’s injunction was “a sharp rebuke of President Trump’s efforts to deploy thousands of National Guard troops to the streets of an American city, which has led to nearly a week of political standoffs and protests across the country,” the New York Times writes.
During an hour-long hearing in San Francisco, a Justice Department official said courts do not have the authority to review the president’s decisions regarding the National Guard and Marines, which Trump sent to Los Angeles despite objections from state and local officials.
C. Breyer expressed doubt that D. Trump fulfilled the conditions of the law determining when National Guard units, which are usually commanded by the state governor, can be federalized.
The judge stayed the order until Friday afternoon to allow an appeal, but he set a June 20 hearing on whether to make the restrictions permanent. The Trump administration has appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. –0–
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday offered condolences to Indian President Draupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the deaths of many people in the crash of an Air India plane.
In his message, Xi Jinping said he was shocked to learn of the plane crash that claimed many lives. On behalf of the Chinese government and people, he expressed deep condolences over the loss of life, sympathized with the victims and the families of the deceased, and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang also sent a message of condolences to Modi on Friday. –0–
In South Africa, most long-term care for older people happens at home through the efforts of family members, largely female kin, not through government services.
With South Africa’s population growing older, combined with reduced funding for community care, higher levels of disability in old age, and widespread poverty and unemployment, family care has become more important than ever and more challenging. But government and policy makers don’t know how it happens, and we can’t just assume it happens.
The Family Caregiving Programme is the first major programme dedicated to understanding family care of older persons in southern Africa. As part of the research team for this programme we are looking at how family care works and how it can be better supported. The five-year programme aims to improve our understanding of how family care is experienced in South Africa, Malawi, Namibia and Botswana.
For the latest research report, we worked with 103 caregivers and 96 older persons in 100 family units across seven locations in three South African provinces: the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal. We worked in two rural areas, one peri-urban area and four urban areas including two townships.
Three quarters of the sample of older persons required constant care or supervision.
We found that all the care needs were being met – but at a significant cost for caregivers, older persons and society.
Care needs go beyond physiological and cognitive issues and are shaped by the physical and social environment. The environment can make care more challenging and create more dependency. Lack of access to water, sanitation and electricity adds to care work.
For care needs to be met, older persons need supported caregivers, access to care services and basic services.
The gaps
South Africa’s long term care policy encourages “ageing in place”, meaning older people should live in their homes, supported by community-based services. But the reality is that support is limited.
Of the 5.5 million older people in South Africa, around 4 million receive the Older Person’s Grant, and at least 1.5 million need help with daily activities. Very few receive home-based care or subsidised meals. Even fewer receive assistive devices and materials such as wheelchairs or incontinence products.
It’s a common assumption that if an older person lives with family, they’re being cared for. But this isn’t always true. Sometimes the available family member isn’t able – physically, emotionally, or financially – to provide proper care. Mental health support is also largely missing. Many older people experience loneliness and depression, but help is hard to find. In our study, one in five older persons experienced feelings of loneliness, anxiety and despair.
Many older people don’t have running water, proper toilets, wheelchairs, or incontinence products. If basic services are missing, the older person needs more help. Older black people in rural areas and in under-resourced townships are most affected.
Family Caregiving Programme
Older people also need help accessing healthcare. High levels of diabetes, hypertension and arthritis in many cases lead to disability in later life. But getting help to access care isn’t always available.
Mary Mwebu (we have used pseudonyms), who lives in the rural Eastern Cape and has TB of the spine and mobility challenges, has no running water in her home. She also has no accessible and affordable transport, so she hasn’t been to the clinic in 10 years and struggles to manage her pain.
Care needs of older persons include basic provision of food. Our findings show that older persons and their households spend way below what is needed for a healthy diet.
The older person’s grant, at R2,315 (US$130) a month in 2025 and similar to the cost of incontinence products for the month, is often the main income in the household and is used to cover the costs for everyone, especially in a context where 64% of people living with an older person are unemployed.
Food is the biggest cost, often up to two thirds of income. It is the first thing to cut when there’s not enough money.
Money is particularly tight in black low-income households. In many cases expenditure exceeds income, and older people are left vulnerable. If any unexpected costs like medical needs or hygiene products arise, the older person will often have to sacrifice food.
Others will obtain loans and so many fall into debt. Borrowing from loan sharks is a way to buy food but high interest rates put people in a worse position the following month.
Limiting spending, eating less, and limited help from family members are the only other ways to meet their needs.
Why care is depleting
The average older person household has five people in it. Large households have many care needs, not just elder care. We found that women – especially daughters and female relatives – are the main caregivers.
But the findings show that due to HIV/Aids and migration, older people can’t always rely on their children. In such instances care is also provided by nieces, neighbours, and adult granddaughters.
Looking after an older person often requires caregivers to relocate. Our findings showed that one in five caregivers had to move, often with young children or leaving spouses behind.
Sometimes older persons need to move to get care. This happened in one in 10 older persons in our sample. Many are reluctant to move from their homes and the process can take years.
The findings show that family caregiving is not an endless supply of “free” labour. It is physically, emotionally and financially costly, especially for black low-income women.
Some answers
The report proposes three key recommendations.
Firstly, family caregivers and careworkers should be adequately compensated for their work.
Secondly, we call for expanding home-based care services to ease the load and give caregivers breaks and mental health support.
And thirdly, care-related items, such as wheelchairs, incontinence products and healthy food, should be made more easily available.
Supporting family caregivers means supporting the wellbeing of millions of older South Africans. It’s time the country took elder and family care seriously and backed it with real investment and action.
– Older South Africans need better support and basic services – and so do their caregivers – https://theconversation.com/older-south-africans-need-better-support-and-basic-services-and-so-do-their-caregivers-258409
IEC to host the first Symposium on Political Funding in SA
The Electoral Commission is preparing to host a symposium on Political Funding in South Africa.
This follows four years of implementing the Political Funding Act of 2018. This law took effect on 1 April 2021.
The symposium will be held in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, on 18 and 19 June 2025.
The symposium will be held under the theme: “Sustaining Multi-Party Democracy through Enhancing Political Funding Regulation in South Africa”.
The aim of the symposium is to foster informed dialogue on matters related to the use of money in politics, the required transparency and accountability models, as well as possible reforms to ensure an effective political finance regulatory regime in South Africa.
The key highlights of the programme of the symposium include opening remarks by the chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mosotho Moepya.
The Chief Electoral Officer, Sy Mamabolo, and the political funding unit will outline the experience of implementing the law since its promulgation. This aspect will involve the points of success and areas of challenge.
The Human Sciences Research Council will outline the preliminary outcomes of a research study which, amongst others, gathered the views and perspectives of stakeholders and the public on political financing in the country. Several scholars will also present their work in this area.
The Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, is also scheduled to address the symposium. The Minister is expected to provide a perspective on the public funding of elected representatives to enhance multi-party democracy.
Highlights of the programme include the following:
• A global perspective on political funding and campaign finance.
• The role and mandate of the political funding framework in strengthening democratic governance.
• Assessing the capacity and commitment of key stakeholders in improving the regulation of political funding.
• Transparency in public and private political party funding.
The symposium will convene a wide range of stakeholders, including representatives from political parties, Members of Parliament, academia, civil society, media, the business sector, as well as international and intergovernmental organisations.
Speaking ahead of the symposium, Mamabolo said a collective commitment to enhancing transparency in the political funding landscape is important to foster a vibrant system of multiparty democracy.
“By convening diverse stakeholders, we aim to critically assess our progress and explore avenues for strengthening the current regulatory framework and thus ensure that our democracy remains robust and resilient,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za
Government is implementing comprehensive measures to support small-scale farmers, especially in rural and underdeveloped provinces like the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, and KwaZulu-Natal.
This is according to Deputy President Paul Mashatile who outlined key strategies during a parliamentary question-and-answer session. At Thursday’s session, the Deputy President emphasised the importance of enhancing agricultural productivity and improving access to funding.
Addressing the National Assembly, he stated that the government is improving agricultural productivity through the Agriculture Agro-Processing Master Plan (AAPP) and various support programmes, including the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP) and the Blended Finance Scheme.
WATCH | Deputy President addresses the National Assembly
He explained that the Master Plan aims to enhance agricultural products, promote agro-processing, and improve market access by building capacity, accelerating land reform, and providing financial assistance to farmers.
“We need to support it to promote economic growth, ensure food security and employment creation, particularly in rural areas. “Government is playing a crucial role in ensuring that small farmers become sustainable and thriving enterprises aligned to the country’s land reform and rural development objectives,” he said.
He announced that government is assisting farmers by offering grants and loans through partnerships with financial institutions like the Land Bank, Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC).
According to the Deputy President, the state is providing blended finance schemes targeting black-owned agricultural enterprises.
“We are enhancing collaboration between government and private entities to boost productivity, service delivery and sustainability growth. Infrastructure and technology adoption depend on these collaborations,” he said.
He told Members of Parliament that efforts are being made to address the challenge of accessing funding from commercial banks by de-risking investments and mobilising Development Finance Institutions (DFIs).
Meanwhile, the Deputy President said government is also leveraging trade agreements, such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), to boost regional trade.
“If we effectively utilise regional structures like the African Continental Free Trade Area, our smallholder farmers will have a platform to access larger regional markets and potentially benefit from increased demand for their products.
“In this regard, continuous industry consultation and reporting are taking place through the agricultural trade forum.”
Export opportunities
He announced that South Africa is exploring export opportunities in strategic markets like Japan and focusing on products such as citrus fruits and avocados.
In the meantime, arrangements are currently in place with the European Union and the country’s BRICS partners to fast-track export protocols, enhance biosecurity to meet international standards and ensure international outreach is professional, responsive and strategic.
BRICS is an intergovernmental organisation comprising 10 countries, including Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
Funding and market access
The country’s second-in-command also took the time to acknowledge the challenges, including commercial banks’ reluctance to fund small farmers due to a lack of collateral.
However, he stated that the government is intervening to reduce investment risks and encourage bank participation.
According to Deputy President Mashatile, government aims to transform small-scale farming into sustainable enterprises, which will promote economic growth, food security, and job creation in rural areas.
“We are actively seeking to expand agricultural market access to countries like Japan, particularly for our citrus fruits and avocados.”
The Deputy President also took the time to extend his condolences to the families of the people affected by the severe weather conditions in the Eastern Cape.
“Our hearts are with you. Government will do everything in its power to assist you. The President will be visiting the Eastern Cape tomorrow,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za
EThekwini Municipality Mayor, Cyril Xaba has welcomed significant progress on the Southern Aqueduct project, a vital initiative designed to meet the growing water demand in the southern and central parts of the city.
Xaba conducted an oversight visit on Wednesday, to assess construction progress on a section of the pipeline at Mosely Park.
Xaba said he was excited with the progress he has seen, highlighting the team’s commitment to work around the clock to ensure its completion.
“This is one of the major water infrastructure projects we embarked on in 2024. Once completed, the 24-kilometre pipeline will substantially improve water supply to communities, including Shallcross, Chatsworth, Umlazi, Folweni, and Queensburgh,” Xaba said.
The R1.2 billion Southern Aqueduct upgrade will serve approximately 1.2 million residents through 33 reservoirs.
The project replaces a pipeline that is more than 70 years old and had exceeded its 50-year lifespan, and was frequently leaking, necessitating partial decommissioning.
“We are now upgrading it to meet the growing population. This includes restoring it to be two pipelines which will allow us to continue to provide water, even if we conduct maintenance work on the other pipeline,” Xaba explained.
The project upgrade involves the replacement of 975mm (millimetre) diameter concrete pipes with new steel pipes ranging from 1000mm to 1600mm in diameter.
The project is split into eight work packages, with packages 1 and 2 already at 50% complete since they started in 2024.
Work package 1 involves the construction of a new 1200mm steel watermain from Shallcross Road to the Chatsworth Reservoir, while package 2 includes the construction of 8 kilometres pipeline, ranging from 1200mm to 1400mm in diameter from Shallcross to Northdene.
Work packages 3 to 6, which commenced in April this year, cover the construction of the pipeline running from Northdene through Paradise Valley Nature Reserve and Westville, ending at Durban Heights Water Treatment Works in Reservoir Hills.
Xaba reaffirmed the municipality’s commitment to uninterrupted water provision and pledged regular site visits to assess progress.
“I want teams to meet their timelines so that my commitment to the community is honoured,” Xaba said- SAnews.gov.za
Government is embarking on a multi-pronged approach to address gang-related crime and its underlying socio-economic causes, Deputy President Paul Mashatile said.
Speaking on the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cabinet Committee’s strategy, the Deputy President emphasised that combating crime requires more than traditional policing.
He further highlighted several key points of the strategy, which include the development of a national anti-gang initiative, the enhancement of anti-gang units within the South African Police Service (SAPS), the implementation of Operation Shanela to focus on strategic law enforcement efforts, and an emphasis on community engagement and collaboration with stakeholders.
The need for a multi-disciplinary approach involving various government departments to address crime effectively was also emphasised.
“This strategy, supported by the anti-gang action plan, focuses on gangsterism through intelligence gathering, proactive policing, community engagement and stakeholder collaboration in this regard,” he said during a question-and-answer session in Parliament on Thursday.
WATCH | Question and answer session in the National Assembly
Additionally, the country’s second-in-command said the SAPS is working around the clock to investigate and finalise gang-related cases, including drug trafficking, shootings and murders.
“As a result, according to the latest statement released by SAPS, ongoing operations, which are focusing on combating and preventing crime, including gender-based violence and femicide [GBVF], have led to the arrest of more than 13 000 suspects.”
He believes that the latest statistics show a significant decrease in most crime categories compared to the previous financial year but added that more efforts are needed.
As the Chair of the JCPS, he stated that he will continue to engage with the Minister of Police, the National Police Commissioner, and the MECs of Safety in all provinces.
Their goal is to enhance efforts in combating organised crime and gang-related killings, particularly in provinces like KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape, where these issues are prevalent.
“Our goal is to eliminate immediate threats posed by crime and gangs in identified high crime areas, while fostering a safe and secure environment for long-term stability.”
The Deputy President emphasised a multidisciplinary approach, engaging various government departments to tackle root causes such as poverty and unemployment.
He noted that economic growth and job creation are crucial in preventing youth from turning to criminal activities.
Water issues
The Deputy President discussed the Water Task Team’s efforts to address water shortages, with a focus on 105 non-performing municipalities and enhancing municipal service management.
The team was established by President Cyril Ramaphosa last year under the leadership of the Deputy President to address water challenges in various areas in the country.
The Deputy President told the Members of Parliament that the Department of Water and Sanitation has established oversight structures and a specialised unit for priority projects and that a comprehensive water debt management plan is recommended.
“We are going to carefully look at the resolutions of the Water Indaba because it does address, particularly these issues, because some of the municipalities can’t be water authorities,” he said.
In addition, he stated that consequence management for underperforming municipal managers is being considered. “So, we are going to look at how we can, where possible, assist them to be effective in generating revenue. We have realised that poor maintenance of facilities is one of the biggest problems.
“If you visit many of our cities, you’ll find that there are problems with leakages and that non-revenue water is a significant issue. So, we’re going to work with them to try and deal with those challenges.”
HIV and AIDS
Shifting focus to HIV and AIDS, he said the withdrawal of US$8 billion in the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) funding for the HIV/AIDS programme will be offset by increased government spending and engagement with other markets. This as funding by the United States Government has been withdrawn. – SAnews.gov.za
