Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Digitally empowered governance, trust-based cooperation, and security as a foundation for growth were highlighted at a summit as key pillars in the future development of cities across the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
The Global Mayors Dialogue: SCO Summit Cities was held in Tianjin from Sunday to Wednesday. The event brought together nearly 20 representatives of SCO member states and cities to engage in two thematic dialogues focused on urban governance and cooperation.
Urban governance was a central theme throughout the discussions. As smart city development becomes a global priority, China’s experience in enhancing governance through digital technologies drew broad attention and recognition from visiting delegates.
Parvina Mukhamadalievna Nematova, a city councilor from Dushanbe in Tajikistan, noted that Dushanbe has drawn on Chinese experience for more than 20 smart city projects.
“We have witnessed the autonomous management system of the Tianjin Port, including its digital and unmanned operations. These practices provide valuable references for both urban governance and enterprise management. We plan to carry out cooperation with Tianjin in this regard,” she said.
China’s emerging low-altitude economy also attracted considerable attention as a potential innovative solution to ease urban congestion and improve transportation management.
Aleksandra Voronova, a counselor at the Moscow Center for International Cooperation, expressed strong interest in China’s current exploration of “air taxis” and drone-based traffic monitoring.
This interest, she said, is driven by the significant pressure on urban mobility in Moscow, where a public transport system handles over 16.6 million trips daily — amounting to 6 billion trips annually.
In May, a delegation from Moscow visited the southern Chinese metropolises of Shenzhen and Guangzhou to participate in thematic exchanges, and to tour several urban planning and transportation design institutions. This provided crucial insights for the enhancement of Moscow’s transportation infrastructure and population mobility monitoring systems, Voronova said.
Beyond hardware and technological connectivity, trust remains the invisible infrastructure of the digital age. Participants were in broad agreement that trust among SCO countries is not only built on transparent, open interactions, but is also deeply rooted in cultural affinity and mutual understanding.
In an interview, Sheradil Baktygulov, director of Kyrgyzstan’s Institute for World Policy Study, said that China and Kyrgyzstan share not only borders but also cultural ties dating back over 2,000 years, and this has laid a solid foundation for ongoing exchange and cooperation between the countries’ younger generations.
In 2024, China announced plans to offer 1,000 youth exchange places for young people from SCO countries over the next five years.
“Understanding each other’s culture leads to trust. And with trust comes the possibility of joint development and shared prosperity,” said Zhazgul Madinova, a media expert at Kyrgyz national Kabar news agency.
Ensuring security as the foundation for development became a key concern among participants. Discussions covered long-standing issues like combating international crime, the emerging challenges of artificial intelligence, and protecting public health and personal safety.
As important centers for economic cooperation and regional growth within the SCO, cities are increasingly seeing security not as a cost but as a core asset for sustainable development.
Attendees called for the creation of a broader, stronger platform under the SCO to enable city leaders to discuss and coordinate on security matters regularly, enhancing joint decision-making and responses.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
German auto parts giant ZF is intensifying its technology cooperation with Chinese automakers, the company said on Thursday.
In a press release, ZF said it is benefiting from the increasing importance of chassis technology, driven by the future trends of e-mobility, software-defined vehicles, and automated driving.
During its Chassis Tech Day, the company showcased its modular “Chassis 2.0” approach, which integrates smart actuators, system expertise, and software know-how to unlock new avenues for growth.
Peter Holdmann, member of ZF’s Board of Management and head of Division Chassis Solutions, said the company is targeting 33 percent of the global chassis technology market by the end of the decade.
At the core of Chassis 2.0 is the industrialization of by-wire technologies, which have already been implemented in vehicles from Chinese brands. The NIO ET9 is the first mass-produced car in China equipped with ZF’s pure steer-by-wire system.
“This is a prime example of how Chinese and German companies can leverage their respective strengths for collaborative innovation,” said Zhang Hui, vice president of NIO Europe. He added that China-Germany cooperation thrives on the agility and innovation capacity of Chinese firms, paired with the engineering, safety, and industrial expertise of German manufacturers.
ZF also revealed that it has received two additional orders from Chinese automakers for its latest chassis technologies and has secured a contract with luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz.
The company has been doubling down on its investment in China, which has gone into a new R&D centre and 10 newly-built or expanded factories in the past two years. Today, nearly one-third of ZF’s 161 global production sites are located in China.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
German auto parts giant ZF is intensifying its technology cooperation with Chinese automakers, the company said on Thursday.
In a press release, ZF said it is benefiting from the increasing importance of chassis technology, driven by the future trends of e-mobility, software-defined vehicles, and automated driving.
During its Chassis Tech Day, the company showcased its modular “Chassis 2.0” approach, which integrates smart actuators, system expertise, and software know-how to unlock new avenues for growth.
Peter Holdmann, member of ZF’s Board of Management and head of Division Chassis Solutions, said the company is targeting 33 percent of the global chassis technology market by the end of the decade.
At the core of Chassis 2.0 is the industrialization of by-wire technologies, which have already been implemented in vehicles from Chinese brands. The NIO ET9 is the first mass-produced car in China equipped with ZF’s pure steer-by-wire system.
“This is a prime example of how Chinese and German companies can leverage their respective strengths for collaborative innovation,” said Zhang Hui, vice president of NIO Europe. He added that China-Germany cooperation thrives on the agility and innovation capacity of Chinese firms, paired with the engineering, safety, and industrial expertise of German manufacturers.
ZF also revealed that it has received two additional orders from Chinese automakers for its latest chassis technologies and has secured a contract with luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz.
The company has been doubling down on its investment in China, which has gone into a new R&D centre and 10 newly-built or expanded factories in the past two years. Today, nearly one-third of ZF’s 161 global production sites are located in China.
At Galaxy Unpacked 2025 on July 9, Samsung Electronics unveiled its latest Galaxy Z series devices and wearables — pushing the boundaries of foldable design and connected wellness experiences. These innovations mark the next step in the company’s mission to deliver meaningful, user-centered technology, with Galaxy AI and digital health emerging as key pillars of the journey ahead.
To explore these themes further, Samsung hosted two panels at the Galaxy Tech Forum on July 10 in Brooklyn. Samsung Newsroom joined industry leaders and executives to examine how ambient intelligence and advanced health technologies are shaping the future of mobile innovation.
(Panel One) The Next Vision of AI: Ambient Intelligence
▲ (From left) Moderator Sabrina Ortiz, Jisun Park, Mindy Brooks and Dr. Vinesh Sukumar
The first panel, “The Next Vision of AI: Ambient Intelligence,” explored how multimodal capabilities are enabling the continued evolution of AI in everyday life — blending into user interactions in ways that feel intuitive, proactive and nearly invisible. Panelists discussed the smartphone’s evolving role, the importance of platform integration and the power of cross-industry collaboration to deliver secure, personalized intelligence at scale.
Jisun Park, Corporate Executive Vice President and Head of Language AI Team, Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics, opened the conversation by reflecting on Galaxy AI’s rapid adoption. Since the launch of the Galaxy S25 series in January, more than 70% of users have engaged with Galaxy AI features. He then turned the discussion to the next frontier, ambient intelligence — AI that is deeply personal, predictive and ever-present.
▲ Jisun Park from Samsung Electronics
Samsung sees ambient intelligence as AI that is so seamlessly integrated into daily life it becomes second nature. The company is committed to democratizing Galaxy AI to 400 million devices by the end of 2025.
This vision builds on insights from a yearlong collaboration with London-based research firm Symmetry, which revealed that 60% of users want their phones to anticipate needs without prompts — based on daily habits.
“Some see AI as the start of a ‘post-smartphone’ era, but we see it differently,” said Park. “We’re building a future where your devices don’t just respond — they become smarter to anticipate, see and work quietly in the background to make life feel a little more effortless.”
Mindy Brooks, Vice President of Android Consumer Product and Experience at Google, discussed how multimodal AI is moving beyond reactive response to deeper understanding of user intent across inputs like text, vision and voice. Google’s Gemini is designed to be intelligently aware and anticipatory — tuned to individual preferences and routines for assistance that feels natural.
▲ Mindy Brooks from Google
“Through close collaboration with Samsung, Gemini works seamlessly across its devices and connects with first-party apps to provide helpful and personalized responses,” she said.
Dr. Vinesh Sukumar, Vice President of Product Management at Qualcomm Technologies emphasized that as AI becomes more personalized, there is more information than ever that needs to be protected.
“For us, privacy, performance and personalization go hand in hand — they’re not competing priorities but co-equal standards,” he said.
▲ Dr. Vinesh Sukumar from Qualcomm Technologies
Both Brooks and Dr. Sukumar reinforced the importance of tight integration across platforms and hardware.
“Our work with Samsung prioritizes secure, on-device intelligence so that users know where their data is and who controls it,” said Dr. Sukumar.
▲ The AI panel at Galaxy Tech Forum
Moderator Sabrina Ortiz, senior editor at ZDNET, closed the session with a discussion on AI privacy. Panelists agreed that trust, transparency and user control must underpin the entire AI experience.
“When it comes to building more agentic AI, our priority is to ensure we’re fostering smarter, more personalized and more meaningful assistance across our device ecosystem,” said Brooks.
(Panel Two) The Next Chapter of Health: Scaling Prevention and Connected Care
The second panel, “The Next Chapter of Health: Scaling Prevention and Connected Care,” focused on how technology can bridge the gap between wellness and clinical care — making health insights more connected, proactive and usable for individuals, healthcare providers and digital health solution partners. Panelists explored how the convergence of clinical data, at-home monitoring and AI is reshaping the modern healthcare experience.
▲ (From left) Moderator Dr. Hon Pak, Mike McSherry, Dr. Rasu Shrestha and Jim Pursley
Health data is often siloed across systems, resulting in inefficiencies and gaps in care. Combined with rising rates of chronic illness, an aging population and ongoing clinician shortages, the result is a system under pressure to deliver timely, effective care.
▲ Dr. Hon Pak from Samsung Electronics
“Patients and consumers around the world are asking us to hear them, to know them, to truly understand them,” said moderator Dr. Hon Pak, Senior Vice President and Head of Digital Health Team at Samsung Electronics. “And I believe this is the opportunity we have with Samsung, Xealth and partners like Hinge and Advocate. Together, we are creating a connected ecosystem where healthcare can truly make a difference — not just in the life of a patient, but in the life of a person.”
Samsung is addressing this challenge through technological innovation and its recent acquisition of Xealth, a leading digital health platform with a network of more than 500 hospitals and 70 digital health solution providers. Through Xealth, Samsung plans to connect wearable data and insights from Samsung Health into clinical workflows — delivering a more unified and seamless healthcare experience.
▲ Mike McSherry from Xealth
“This [phone], plus your devices — the watch, the ring — are going to replace the standalone blood pressure monitor, the pulse oximeter, a variety of different devices,” said Mike McSherry, founder and CEO of Xealth. “It’s going to be one packaged solution, and that’s going to simplify care.”
This collaboration is designed to empower hospitals with real-time insights and help prevent chronic conditions through early detection and continuous monitoring with wearable devices.
▲ Dr. Rasu Shrestha from Advocate Health
“The reality is that with all of the challenges that exist in healthcare, it is not any one entity that can heroically go in and save healthcare. It really takes an ecosystem,” said Dr. Rasu Shrestha, Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation & Commercialization Officer at Advocate Health. “That’s part of the reason why I’m so excited about Xealth and Samsung — and partners like us — really coming together to solve for this challenge. Because it is about Samsung enabling it. It’s more of an open ecosystem, a curated ecosystem.”
The panel spotlighted the growing shift from hospital-based care to care at home — and the opportunities enabled by Samsung’s expanding ecosystem of connected devices. Data from wearables, including those equipped with Samsung’s BioActive Sensor technology, can provide high-quality input for AI-driven insights.
Paired with Samsung’s SmartThings connectivity and wide portfolio of smart home devices, the company is uniquely positioned to support remote health monitoring and treatment from home.
AI is expected to play a role in reducing clinician workload by streamlining administrative tasks and surfacing the most relevant insights at the right time. Platforms like Xealth offer users a personalized, friendly interface to access necessary information from one place for a more connected healthcare experience.
▲ The health panel at Galaxy Tech Forum
Across both sessions, one theme was clear — realizing the potential of ambient intelligence and scaling prevention and connected care requires deep, cross-industry collaboration.
From on-device privacy solutions like Knox Matrix to expanded integration across Galaxy devices, Samsung and its partners are building an ecosystem that’s not only intelligent but simple, secure and future-ready.
We are living through a defining moment in history. Technology has become a central force in our daily lives like never before, and the pace of innovation and change is truly extraordinary. In this rapidly evolving world, the human element — our thoughts, emotions, aspirations and needs — matters more than ever. Even as technology takes the lead, we believe our greatest strength lies in empathy and care.
As designers, our mission goes beyond creating innovative products. We aim to elevate people’s lives — to design tools and experiences that help them live better, longer and more meaningfully, by taming technology in service of humanity.
Samsung Electronics is a worldwide leader in tech and already plays an essential role in the lives of billions around the globe. Through our products, we help you clean your home, wash your clothes and dishes, preserve your food, store your memories, stay entertained, stay connected and express yourself — whether at home, on the move or in public spaces. This reach is both a tremendous privilege and, in the age of AI and accelerated technological change, an incredible opportunity and an immense responsibility.
That sense of purpose is what inspired me to join Samsung this year, after more than two decades as a designer and business leader across industries and cultures. I was drawn by the possibility to help reimagine the relationship between people and technology — putting humans at the heart of our product universe, to create a world where innovation truly supports and enhances our lives, unlocking, amplifying and elevating the human side of technology.
Rewriting the Code of a Design-Driven Company
To me, design is far more than a product or a user interface. It’s more than the interplay of form and function. I like to define design as the art of dreaming, crafting and taking to life distinctive solutions, meaningful experiences and authentic stories that deeply resonate with people’s needs and aspirations. In this sense, form and function follow meaning. Design becomes a force for purposeful innovation — one that begins and ends with people.
Across Samsung’s product portfolio, design serves as a language — one that understands people and interprets the complexity of the world around us. It has the power to humanize technology, transforming algorithms into emotion, features into feelings. In a time of accelerating complexity, design is how we restore clarity and foster deeper connections — with ourselves, our cultures and our lives.
Samsung’s commitment to design thinking dates back to 1996, when it declared the “Year of Design Revolution.” That year marked a turning point, with design officially recognized as a core strategic asset. With a “human-centered design philosophy” at its heart, Samsung laid the foundation for a design ethos that continues to evolve and grow.
Now, in the era of AI, our challenge is to build upon that legacy — to amplify its intent, refine its spirit and redefine what design means in a new cultural and technological landscape. Products can be copied, but a design philosophy — its purpose and point of view — cannot be replicated. This is why culture matters. For individuals and for organizations alike, consistency, authentic creativity and genuine care at every touchpoint are what set great companies apart.
A New Challenge to Everyday Innovation
Today, Samsung innovations are already transforming everyday life. Robot vacuum cleaners quietly maintain our homes. Smartwatches provide real-time insights into our health. Intelligent appliances, from washing machines to dishwashers, offer greater efficiency, performance and ease of use. Smart refrigerators adapt to our habits to keep food fresher for longer. Our screens deliver breathtaking visuals, our audio systems fill rooms with immersive soundscapes, and our smartphones, tablets and wearables keep us connected through intuitive design and purposeful features.
All of this is remarkable. Yet, the real frontier lies in something greater: the seamless integration of all these devices into a coherent, human-centered journey. We’re not just designing individual products — we’re designing an ecosystem of experiences. We’re redefining what “smart” really means by infusing technology with empathy, meaning and emotional resonance.
Samsung’s design now goes beyond the object. It places thoughtful connections, insightful information, and intentional emotions at the center. Through a cohesive design experience across our entire ecosystem — from mobile to TV to home appliances — we’re committed to enriching every interaction.
Our vision is a future where design brings warmth to innovation, and where technology helps us not only do more — but live longer, live better, and live more connected, and more meaningfully, creating an empathetic layer between people and their environments. This personal field of emotionally attuned, physiologically aware, and ethically governed technologies interconnects to form constellations of care — enabling shared rhythms and deeper connection across the home, family and community.
The Future Is Emotional, Meaningful, Connected Intelligence
The next frontier of smart technology must offer more than just functionality. With Samsung’s advancements in AI, empowered by hardware and software, we are unlocking a new dimension of emotional intelligence — where technology doesn’t just work for us, but resonates with us.
What excites me most about AI in product design is how it enables us to listen, learn and craft experiences that feel deeply personal. As intelligence becomes ambient — woven seamlessly into our everyday devices — design takes on a greater responsibility: to ensure that intelligence feels warm, human and caring. We’re shifting from devices that demand our attention to those that pay attention, anticipating needs, adapting preferences and forming meaningful relationships with users.
We’re envisioning an ecosystem where intelligence isn’t confined to one device, but exists around you — quiet, empathetic, always present when needed, and gracefully invisible when not. Samsung’s holistic approach to AI spans across the entire ecosystem — from smartphones to TVs, wearables to home appliances — transforming each product into a thoughtful companion in your daily life.
Imagine a TV that mirrors your mood. A refrigerator that understands your dietary goals. A watch or ring that knows when you need rest, and gently guides you toward better mental and physical wellbeing. This is not just innovation — it’s a design philosophy where intelligence surrounds you, senses you, learns from you and ultimately adapts to serve you better. Each product becomes part of a larger, unified story, grounded in empathy, awareness and care.
Design as a Force for Meaning — And for a Better Tomorrow
Technology will always continue to evolve. But what truly matters is the meaning it brings — to individuals and to society. At Samsung, we innovate not just because we can, but because we care. It starts with a sincere commitment to people and a deep sense of responsibility for the impact we create.
What has always inspired me about Samsung is its belief in openness — not just as a platform strategy, but as a cultural principle. Openness to collaboration. Openness to bold, unconventional ideas. Openness to meeting people where they are. This spirit of openness removes barriers, fuels connection and sets the stage for truly meaningful innovation.
These are the values that have shaped my career and the principles I believe will drive our industry forward. They reflect a shared mission: to build technology that enriches human life, with empathy at its core.
Through our love for humanity and our clear vision for the future, we invite you to join us on this journey — one shaped by Samsung Design, and guided by purpose, care and imagination.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Julia Brownley (D-CA)
Camarillo, CA – Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26) released the following statement in response to recent immigration enforcement activities and large federal agent presence at a farm in Ventura County. This raid comes amid a broader escalation of immigration enforcement actions across Ventura County, Los Angeles County, and Southern California.
“I am aware of the recent immigration enforcement activities and large federal agent presence on Laguna Road in Camarillo and have been closely monitoring the situation. I’m deeply frustrated by the lack of transparency from ICE and the Department of Homeland Security, and I will be demanding answers to find out who they detained and where the detainees are being taken.
“These militarized raids are not routine immigration enforcement. They are part of a deliberate, disruptive, and ongoing campaign of cruelty that is an unacceptable assault on our way of life. ICE should be focused on individuals who pose real threats to public safety, not carrying out broad sweeps that destabilize entire communities.
“The farmworkers being targeted in these operations are the same individuals who break their backs day in and day out to feed this country. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they were rightly declared essential workers who were vital to sustaining our nation’s food supply. To turn around and target them is wrong and profoundly immoral.
“These raids are a misuse of federal resources, and they are not how we keep our neighborhoods safe. In fact, this kind of chaos only makes our communities more insecure. And as these actions continue to traumatize families and tear communities apart, they are also tearing at the fabric of our humanity.
“I am continuing to work to hold this administration accountable and ensure that all Ventura County families, regardless of immigration status, feel safe. We can, and we must, enforce our immigration laws while upholding the rule of law and respecting due process.”
More than 36,000 Te Whatu Ora nurses, midwives, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora have voted to strike for 24-hours after Health NZ failed to address their safe staffing concerns.
New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) Chief Executive Paul Goulter says there was strong support from members to take strike action after a new offer from Te Whatu Ora last week was worse than a previous one in May.
“This latest offer from Te Whatu Ora fails to address concerns about safe staffing despite them being raised continually throughout the collective agreement bargaining process.
“Patients are at risk because of short staffing. Nurses, midwives and health care assistants are stretched too thin and can’t give patients the care they need. This is heartbreaking for our exhausted members who became health care workers because they want to help people.
“Te Whatu Ora data obtained by NZNO under the Official Information Act shows between January and November last year, 50% of all days shifts were understaffed across hospital wards in 16 health districts,” Paul Goulter says. (see table in editor’s notes)
To “add insult to injury” members have again been offered a wage increase which doesn’t meet cost of living increases and will see them and their whānau go backwards financially, he says.
“There were 30,000 New Zealanders who moved to Australia in the past year. We know some of them are burnt out nurses moving for better conditions and wages.
“Te Whatu Ora needs to do more to retain our nursing workforce, employ graduate nurses and ensure patients get the care they need. This is about the health and wellbeing of real people and their whānau, not the need to meet some arbitrary budget set by the Government.
“It looks like this Government has lost control of health,” Paul Goulter says.
Notes:
-The nationwide strike will be held from 9am on Wednesday 30 July until 9am on Thursday 31 July.
-The strike will be a complete withdrawal of labour at every place in New Zealand where Te Whatu Ora provides health care or hospital care services.
-Life preserving services will continue to be provided.
Outcrops of shocked rocks from the Miralga impact structure.Aaron Cavosie
Ever been late because you misread a clock? Sometimes, the “clocks” geologists use to date events can also be misread. Unravelling Earth’s 4.5-billion-year history with rocks is tricky business.
Case in point: the discovery of an ancient meteorite impact crater was recently reported in the remote Pilbara region of Western Australia. The original study, by a different group, made headlines with the claim the crater formed 3.5 billion years ago. If true, it would be Earth’s oldest by far.
As it turns out, we’d also been investigating the same site. Our results are published in Science Advances today. While we agree that this is the site of an ancient meteorite impact, we have reached different conclusions about its age, size and significance.
Let’s consider the claims made about this fascinating crater.
One impact crater, two versions of events
Planetary scientists search for ancient impacts to learn about Earth’s early formation. So far, nobody has found an impact crater older than the 2.23-billion-year-old Yarrabubba structure, also in Australia. (Some of the authors from both 2025 Pilbara studies were coauthors on the 2020 Yarrabubba study.)
The new contender is located in an area called North Pole Dome. Despite the name, this isn’t where Santa lives. It’s an arid, hot, ochre-stained landscape.
The sun sets on the arid landscape of North Pole Dome in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Alec Brenner
The first report on the new crater claimed it formed 3.5 billion years ago, and was more than 100 kilometres in diameter. It was proposed that such a large impact might have played a role in forming continental crust in the Pilbara. More speculatively, the researchers also suggested it may have influenced early life.
Our study concludes the impact actually happened much later, sometime after 2.7 billion years ago. This is at least 800 million years younger than the earlier estimate (and we think it’s probably even younger; more on that in a moment).
We also determined the crater was much smaller – about 16km in diameter. In our view, this impact was too young and too small to have influenced continent formation or early life.
So how could two studies arrive at such different findings?
Subtle clues of an impact
The originally circular crater is deeply eroded, leaving only subtle clues on the landscape. However, among the rust-coloured basalts are unique telltale signs of meteorite impact: shatter cones.
Outcrop photo of shatter cones in basalt at the Miralga impact structure. The black pen cap is 5cm long. Alec Brenner
Shatter cones are distinctive fossilised imprints of shock waves that have passed through rocks. Their unique conical shapes form under brief but immense pressure where a meteorite strikes Earth.
Both studies found shatter cones, and agree the site is an ancient impact.
This new crater also needed a name. We consulted the local Aboriginal people, the Nyamal, who shared the traditional name for this place and its people: Miralga. The “Miralga impact structure” name recognises this heritage.
Determining the timing of the impact
The impact age was estimated by field observations, as neither study found material likely to yield an impact age by radiometric dating – a method that uses measurements of radioactive isotopes.
Both studies applied a geological principle called the law of superposition. This states that rock layers get deposited one on top of another over time, so rocks on top are younger than those below.
Example of the law of superposition, known as Hutton’s unconformity, at Siccar Point Scotland. The gently dipping layered rocks at the top left were deposited onto – and are therefore younger than – the nearly vertical layered rocks at the bottom right. Anne Burgess/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA
The first group found shatter cones within and below a sedimentary layer known to have been deposited 3.47 billion years ago, but no shatter cones in younger rocks above this layer. This meant the impact occurred during deposition of the sedimentary layer.
Their observation seemed to be a “smoking gun” for an impact 3.47 billion years ago.
As it turns out, there was more to the story.
Our investigation found shatter cones in the same 3.47 billion-year-old rocks, but also in younger overlying rocks, including lavas known to have erupted 2.77 billion years ago.
Outcrop of shatter cones in 2.77-billion-year-old basalt at the Miralga impact structure. These lavas are the youngest rocks in the area we found to have shatter cones. They have distinctive holes (vesicles) representing trapped gas bubbles. The pen is 15cm long. Aaron Cavosie
The impact had to occur after the formation of the youngest rocks that contained shatter cones, meaning sometime after the 2.77-billion-year-old lavas.
At the moment, we don’t know precisely how young the crater is. We can only constrain the impact to have occurred between 2.7 billion and 400 million years ago. We’re working on dating the impact by isotopic methods, but these results aren’t yet in.
Smaller than originally thought
We made the first map showing where shatter cones are found. There are many hundreds over an area 6km across. From this map and their orientations, we calculate the original crater was about 16km in diameter.
A 16km crater is a far cry from the original estimate of more than 100km. It’s too small to have influenced the formation of continents or life. By the time of the impact, the Pilbara was already quite old.
Artist’s depiction looking northwest across the Pilbara, over the 16km-wide Miralga crater. The crater is shown 3km above the modern land surface to account for the deep erosion that has since erased it. The crater size is based on the distribution of shatter cones (inset). The cones point up and back towards the original ‘ground zero’ of the impact. Maps produced using Google Earth Studio. Alec Brenner
A new connection to Mars
Science is a self-policing sport. Claims of discovery are based on data available at the time, but they often require modification based on new data or observations.
While it’s not the world’s oldest, the Miralga impact is scientifically unique, as craters formed in basalt are rare. Most basalts there formed 3.47 billion years ago, making them the oldest shocked target rocks known.
Prior to impact, these ancient basalts had been chemically altered by seawater. Sedimentary rocks nearby also contain the earliest well-established fossils on Earth. Such rocks likely covered much of early Earth and Mars.
This makes the Miralga impact structure a playground for planetary scientists studying the cratered surface (and maybe early life) of Mars. It’s an easily accessible proving ground for Mars exploration instruments and imagery, right here on Earth.
Aaron J. Cavosie receives or has received funding from the Australian Research Council, the US National Science Foundation, and NASA.
Alec Brenner does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Mireille Rebeiz, Chair of Middle East Studies and Associate Professor of Francophone and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Dickinson College. Adjunct Professor of Law at Penn State Dickinson Law., Dickinson College
Hezbollah, Tehran’s main ally in Lebanon, had already lost a lot of its fighters, arsenal and popular support during its own war with Israel in October 2024.
Now, Iran’s government has little capacity to continue to finance, support and direct Hezbollah in Lebanon like it has done in the past. Compounding this shift away from Hezbollah’s influence, the U.S. recently laid down terms for a deal that would see the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon in return for the total disarmament of the paramilitary group – a proposal seemingly backed by the Lebanese government.
As an expert on Lebanese history and culture, I believe that these changing regional dynamics give the Lebanese state an opening to chart a more neutral orientation and extricate itself from neighboring conflicts that have long exacerbated the divided and fragile country’s chronic problems.
The Iranian Revolution of 1978-79 toppled the widely reviled and corrupt Western-backed monarchy of Shah Mohammad Reza and led to the establishment of an Islamic republic. That revolution resonated among the young Shiite population in Lebanon, where a politically sectarian system that was intended to reflect a balanced representation of Muslims and Christians in the country had led to de facto discrimination against underrepresented groups.
At the same time, Lebanon for decades had been irreparably changed by the politics of its powerful neighbor in Israel.
In the course of founding its state in 1948, Israel forcibly removed over 750,000 Palestinians from their homeland – what Palestinians refer to as the Nakba, or “catastophe.” Many fled to Lebanon, largely in the country’s impoverished south and Bekaa Valley, which became a center of Palestinian resistance to Israel.
In 1978, Israel invaded Lebanon to push Palestinian fighters away from its northern borders and put an end to rockets launched from south Lebanon. This fighting included the massacre of many civilians and the displacement of many Lebanese and Palestinians farther north.
In 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon again with the stated purpose of eliminating the Palestinian Liberation Organization that had moved its headquarters to the country’s south. An estimated 17,000 to 19,000 Lebanese and Palestinian civilians and armed personnel were killed during the conflict and the accompanying siege of Beirut.
It was in this cauldron of regional and domestic sectarianism and state abandonment that Hezbollah formed as a paramilitary group in 1985, buoyed by Shiite mobilization following the Iranian revolution and Israel’s invasion and occupation.
Hezbollah’s domestic spoiler status
Over time and with the continuous support of Iran, Hezbollah become an important player in the Middle East, intervening in the Syrian civil war to support the Assad regime and supporting the Kata’ib Hezbollah, a dominant Iraqi pro-Iranian militia.
With Tehran’s support, Hezbollah was effectively able to operate as a state within a state while using its political clout to veto the vast majority of Lebanese parliamentary decisions it opposed. Amid that backdrop, Lebanon endured three long presidential vacuums: from November 2007 to May 2008; from May 2014 to October 2016; and finally from October 2022 to January 2024.
It would be an understatement, then, to say that Hezbollah’s and Iran’s weakened positions as a result of their respective conflicts with Israel since late 2023 create major political ramifications for Lebanon.
Meanwhile, despite the threat of violence, the Lebanese opposition to Hezbollah, which consists of members of parliament and public figures, has increased its criticism of Hezbollah, openly denouncing its leadership and calling for Lebanon’s political neutrality.
These efforts to keep Lebanon out of the circle of violence are not negligible. In the past, they would have been attacked by Hezbollah and its supporters for what they would have considered high treason. Today, they represent new movement for how leaders are conceiving of politics domestically and diplomacy across the region.
But none of that means that Hezbollah is defeated as a political and military force, particularly as ongoing skirmishes with Israel give the group an external pretext.
Amid these violations, Hezbollah continues to refuse to disarm and still casts itself as the only defender of Lebanon’s territorial integrity, again undermining the power of the Lebanese army and state.
Lebanon’s other neighbor, Syria, will also be critical. The fall of the Assad regime in December 2024 diminished Hezbollah’s powers in the region and land access to Iraq and Iran. And the new Syrian leadership is not interested in supporting the Iranian Shiite ideology in the region but rather in empowering the Sunni community, one that was oppressed under the Assad dictatorship.
While it’s too early to say, border tensions might translate into sectarian violence in Lebanon or even potential land loss. Yet the new Syrian government also has a different approach toward its neighbors than its predecessor. After decades of hostility, Syria seems to be opting for diplomacy with Israel rather than war. It is unclear what these negotiations will entail and how they will impact Lebanon and Hezbollah. However, there are real concerns about new borders in the region.
The U.S. as ever will play a major role in next steps in Lebanon and the region. The U.S. has been pressing Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah, and the U.S Ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack said he was “unbelievably satisfied” by Lebanon’s response thus far. But so far, there has been no fundamental shift on that front.
Meanwhile, despite the calls for neutrality and the U.S pressure on Lebanon, it is hard to envision a new and neutral Lebanon without some serious changes in the region. Any future course for Lebanon will still first require progress toward peace in Gaza and ensuring Iran commits not to use Hezbollah as a proxy in the future.
Mireille Rebeiz is affiliated with American Red Cross.
Reality TV series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives follows a number of social media influencers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who rose to prominence through social media, and particularly TikTok.
The show is based in Utah, United States, where the church has its headquarters. But it stands in stark contrast with the stereotypical perception of Mormons – and especially Mormon women – the church has promoted for more than a century.
Through its exploration of traditionally “taboo” topics such as sex, marital issues, mental illness and sexual abuse, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives clashes against the church’s carefully curated public image.
Historical pariahs
Historically, the church’s practice of polygamy placed it at odds with the mainstream sexual and familial norms of 19th century America.
Polygamy had been practised by Mormons since at least the 1830s, and was officially announced as permissible by the church in 1852. The church now acknowledges its founder, Joseph Smith, married almost 40 women and teenage girls before his death in 1844.
When Mormon missionaries began to proselytise throughout the world, newspapers criticised the practice, and Mormons were framed as sexual deviants and racialised “pariahs”. In other words, Mormons were presented as being racially different to the rest of white American society. This claim was even supported by doctors at the time.
To Mormons, however, polygamy was a reintroduction of the correct form of marriage, and they pointed to biblical prophets to justify it.
In 1862, the US congress passed a series of laws aimed at abolishing polygamy. This resulted in the arrest of church leaders and the confiscation of church-owned funds and properties in Utah.
Then, in the 1870s, exposés written by former Mormons (particularly women) decried polygamy as evil, increasing hostility against Mormon leaders.
Ann Eliza Webb Young, ex-wife of Mormon prophet Brigham Young, wrote the exposé ‘Wife No. 19, Or The Story of Life in Bondage’. Internet Archive Open Library
In 1890, church leader Wilford Woodruff announced in a revelation known as the Manifesto that polygamy would cease. The Manifesto was accepted by most Mormons as the government’s harassment increased. However, breakaway groups called “fundamentalists” continued the practice.
Today, Mormon scriptures continue to state polygamy is the correct form of marriage, and will exist in the afterlife.
The stereotypical Mormon
Since the ending of polygamy, the church has sought to establish itself as a moral equal to mainstream Christian norms, especially sexual norms. In 1995, it released a document titled Family: A Proclamation to the World which emphasised the view that heterosexual marriage and strict gender roles are divinely ordained.
The 1995 official Mormon document, ‘The Family: A Proclamation to the World’. BYU Scholar Arcive
In doing so, it has promoted unique doctrines and practices, such as sexual abstinence before marriage, and a particular health code called the Word of Wisdom which bars alcohol, tea, coffee and tobacco.
These doctrines, and existing stereotypes of Mormons, are examined in The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
Before the show was released, the church published a general statement saying media portrayals of Mormons “often rely on sensationalism and inaccuracies that do not fairly and fully reflect the lives of our Church members”. It has yet to directly comment on the show.
Nonetheless, the representation of Mormons in The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is problematic for the church, because it transgresses its highly curated image of Mormonism.
As the influencers put it, there is a desire to push back against stereotypes around Mormonism, and particularly Mormon women. These stereotypes have been crystallised by the church to combat perceptions of Mormons as sexually abhorrent, due to past practices of polygamy.
There is also a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement that while the church prohibits stimulants such as tea, coffee and alcohol, Mormons within Utah and surrounds still consume other, somewhat surprising, substances. For instance, the use of ketamine in therapy is allowed when administered by a healthcare professional.
The series also engages with topics considered taboo in the church, such as marital issues, mental health struggles and consensual sex. Even if these are being played up by the cast or producers, such discussions are lacking in broader Mormon circles.
Importantly, there are admissions by some cast members, including one of the husbands, of being sexually abused as children. According to the cast members themselves, these disclosures are intended to empower viewers who may have had similar experiences.
This is a powerful critique, because the Mormon church has come under intense scrutiny for its failure to properly respond to child sexual assault, both in the US and globally.
The next steps
The show is having a marked impact on perceptions of Mormonism, despite the church’s stance it doesn’t represent the beliefs and lifestyle of Mormons more broadly.
For many viewers, it might be their introduction to the religion. This is concerning for adherents, and particularly for the church’s leadership.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives reunion special aired earlier this month. Hulu
There are internal tools the church could use against the show’s cast members, such as disciplinary councils or excommunication. But these would be ineffective since only about half the members consider themselves “faithful” Mormons.
It’s interesting the church has yet to condemn the show. Perhaps maintaining an image of reluctant acceptance is more important, as in recent years the church has been criticised for overreach against its own members.
In this case, the show would be an uncomfortable reality the church will just have to live with. Either way, the damage to the stereotypical Mormon image is done.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is available to stream on Disney+.
Brenton Griffin was raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but is no longer a practising member of the church. His research is focused on the religion’s place in Australian and New Zealand popular culture, politics, and society from the 19th century to present.
During the recent conflict between Iran and Israel, Iran threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s major shipping routes.
Would that be possible, and what effects would it have?
The Strait of Hormuz is a choke point at the entrance to the Persian Gulf. It is used to transport about 20% of global daily oil consumption.
Iran effectively controls this crucial shipping route because it is a coastal state bordering this narrow stretch of water. The strait is too narrow to avoid navigating waters claimed by Iran. This raises thorny legal questions about whether it is really possible for Iran to block the strait, and what recourse other states have if it does.
This geographical reality is far from new, and the legal frameworks governing international maritime activity have developed over centuries. At its heart is the lex mercatoria — the “law of merchants” — a body of transnational commercial law that emerged organically from the practices of traders operating across borders.
Within this broader framework sits the lex maritima, or customary maritime law, which has long adapted to the hazards of shipping across vast oceans.
The lex maritima originated from the shared practices of seafarers and merchants. Its purpose? To manage the unpredictable nature of maritime trade that demands coherent and stable rules.
One of the most enduring principles of this legal tradition is the idea of mare liberum, or “the free sea”, set out by Dutch jurist Hugo Grotius in 1609. He argued the high seas should remain open to all for peaceful navigation and trade. This conveniently legitimised the ambitions of European colonial powers, granting them unfettered access to global maritime routes at a time when control over sea-based trade promised immense economic and strategic advantage.
The shifting boundaries of maritime law
One of the most fundamental questions in maritime law is: where do a nation’s territorial waters end, and the high seas begin?
After the second world war, a series of conferences culminated in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), where the customary 3 nautical miles (5.56km) of territorial waters states could claim as their own was extended. This narrow limit was rooted more in historical naval range – the so-called “cannon shot rule” – than in modern geopolitical or environmental realities.
In 1959, Iran took the unusual step of unilaterally extending its territorial sea to 12 nautical miles, despite not being a party to UNCLOS. Two decades later, following the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the US Embassy hostage crisis, Washington grew increasingly anxious about the security of oil flows from the Persian Gulf. These concerns intensified during the Iran-Iraq War, especially as Iran began using small islands in the Strait of Hormuz to deploy military forces and threaten commercial shipping.
UNCLOS and the new rules of the sea
One of the key compromises of UNCLOS was an extension of territorial waters for states that ratified the treaty. In exchange, UNCLOS replaced the older concept of “innocent passage” – which allowed only surface navigation through territorial seas – with the broader notion of “transit passage”. Under this regime, vessels and aircraft from other states are granted the right to travel not only on the surface, but also under the sea and through the air above straits used for international navigation.
While 169 states have ratified UNCLOS, both Iran and the United States remain notable holdouts. This means Iran does not enjoy the broader 12-nautical-mile limit recognised under UNCLOS, and the US cannot claim the agreement’s protections for transit passage through strategic choke points.
While the geopolitical and legal tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz may seem far removed from the world of private commerce, the global economy continues to function thanks to a powerful legal tool: the contract. Contracts offer a predictable framework that allows trade across borders without parties needing to trust one another personally.
The Strait of Hormuz is bordered by active, assertive states such as Iran, which means the potential for interstate conflict is relatively high. This doesn’t mean commercial contracts are irrelevant to the recent dispute in the Strait of Hormuz — far from it. But their influence is more indirect.
What can be learned?
Without significant political change in Tehran, it’s unlikely either Iran or the US will shift its position on adopting UNCLOS. Yet despite Iran’s repeated threats to close the strait, it has never followed through — and the US Navy continues to maintain a steady presence in the region. For now, a fragile but persistent equilibrium holds.
Belinda Clarence does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The widely held view among rugby players, coaches and officials is that headgear can’t prevent concussion. If so, why wear it? It’s hot, it can block vision and hearing, and it can be uncomfortable.
Headgear was originally designed to protect players from cuts and abrasions. But players still hope it will offer them a degree of protection against the collisions they experience in the game. Some players adopt it after previous concussions.
We’re now seeing increasing numbers of professional players opting in. The Irish men’s team, for example, field up to five players each match sporting headgear. In Japan, it’s mandatory for juniors. And more parents in New Zealand are making their children wear it, too.
The exact specifications for rugby match kit – boots, shorts, shoulder pads and
headgear – are regulated through World Rugby’s Law 4 and Regulation 12. In 2019, the governing body launched a trial enabling players to wear headgear with new technical specifications in training and matches.
The specifications have meant manufacturers can take advantage of novel “isotropic” materials that can potentially reduce the impact forces experienced by players.
Conventional headgear is composed of soft foams that flatten when a player’s head collides with the ground or another player. As such, they can only minimally absorb those collision forces.
Isotropic materials behave differently. They can absorb impacts from multiple directions and may offer a level of protection against the effects on a player’s head of a tackle or other collision event.
Given these changes, and in light of recent research, we may need to change the narrative around rugby headgear: while it may not prevent concussion, it might reduce the total contact “burden” experienced by players in a game and over a whole season. And this could have benefits for long-term brain health.
Impacts across seasons and careers
Contact in rugby – through tackles, at the breakdown, and in scrums and lineouts – leads to players experiencing a number of collisions or “head acceleration events”. This contact is most commonly head to ground, head to body or head to head.
By having players use “smart” mouthguards with embedded micro-accelerometers and gyroscopes to capture head movements, researchers can now measure each collision and each player’s contact load in a game – and potentially over a career.
A player’s total contact load is found by adding together the magnitude of the impacts they experience in a game. These are measured as “peak linear accelerations” or “peak rotational accelerations”.
While past research and media attention has focused on concussion, it has become clear the total contact burden in training and matches – the total “sub-concussive knocks” through head acceleration events – may be as important, if not more so.
One of our own research projects involved following 40 under-16 players wearing smart mouthguards for all training and matches across one season. Peak Linear accelerations are measured as a g-force (g). Activities such as such as running, jumping and shaking the head would measure under 8g, for example, whereas heading a soccer ball might measure 31g.
The results of our study showed the players differed greatly in their cumulative exposure over a whole season, from 300g to nearly 14,000g. These differences would be amplified further over an entire rugby career.
Some of the variation is likely due to a player’s team position, with loose forwards having a greater burden than others. But it also seems some players just enjoy the contact aspects of the game more than others.
Rugby is an impact sport: the Ireland and England women’s teams clash in 2025. Getty Images
Potential benefits of new headgear materials
Researcher Helen Murray at the University of Auckland has highlighted the need for more research into the burden of collisions, rather than just concussions, over a rugby career. In particular, we need to know more about its effect on future brain health.
We hope to contribute to this by following our existing cohort of players through their careers. In the meantime, our research has examined the potential of existing rugby headgear and new isotropic materials to mitigate peak accelerations in rugby collisions.
Using the field data collected from male and female players over the past four seasons, we have designed laboratory testing protocols to compare the conventional and newer materials.
The results suggest the new forms of headgear do have the potential to reduce the impact burden for players.
We found 55–90% of head acceleration events do involve direct contact with the head. As such, collision-mitigation headgear could be beneficial. And our laboratory testing produced an estimated 30% reduction in peak linear accelerations with the headgear compared to without.
The nature of concussion is complex and related to the size of an impact as well as its direction and angle. For instance, we observed the concussions experienced by the junior players occurred between 12g and 62g – well below the male threshold of 70g requiring professional players to be removed from the field for a head injury assessment.
Currently, it seems unlikely headgear can prevent concussion. But it does appear new headgear materials could significantly reduce the total impact burden for players during their careers. And this may help safeguard their future brain health.
Nick Draper receives funding from the Health Research Council, Cure Kids, the Neurological Foundation, Canterbury Medical Research Foundation, Pacific Radiology Group, the Maurice and Phyllis Paykel Trust, and the UC Foundation.
There’s been much talk recently – especially among politicians – about productivity. And for good reason: Australia’s labour productivity growth sits at a 60-year low.
To address this, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has convened a productivity round table next month. This will coincide with the release of an interim report from the Productivity Commission, which is looking at five pillars of reform. One of these is the role of data and digital technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI).
But what do we really know about how AI impacts productivity?
What is productivity?
Put simply, productivity is how much output (goods and services) we can produce from a given amount of inputs (such as labour and raw materials). It matters because higher productivity typically translates to a higher standard of living. Productivity growth has accounted for 80% of Australia’s income growth over the past three decades.
Productivity can be thought of as individual, organisational or national.
Your individual productivity is how efficiently you manage your time and resources to complete tasks. How many emails can you respond to in an hour? How many products can you check for defects in a day?
Organisational productivity is how well an organisation achieves its goals. For example, in a research organisation, how many top-quality research papers are produced?
National productivity is the economic efficiency of a nation, often measured as gross domestic product per hour worked. It is effectively an aggregate of the other forms. But it’s notoriously difficult to track how changes in individual or organisational productivity translate into national GDP per hour worked.
AI and individual productivity
The nascent research examining the relationship between AI and individual productivity shows mixed results.
A 2025 real-world study of AI and productivity involved 776 experienced product professionals at US multinational company Procter & Gamble. The study showed that individuals randomly assigned to use AI performed as well as a team of two without. A similar study in 2023 with 750 consultants from Boston Consulting Group found tasks were 18% faster with generative AI.
A 2023 paper reported on an early generative AI system in a Fortune 500 software company used by 5,200 customer support agents. The system showed a 14% increase in the number of issues resolved per hour. For less experienced agents, productivity increased by 35%.
But AI doesn’t always increase individual productivity.
A survey of 2,500 professionals found generative AI actually increased workload for 77% of workers. Some 47% said they didn’t know how to unlock productivity benefits. The study points to barriers such as the need to verify and/or correct AI outputs, the need for AI upskilling, and unreasonable expectations about what AI can do.
A recent CSIRO study examined the daily use of Microsoft 365 Copilot by 300 employees of a government organisation. While the majority self-reported productivity benefits, a sizeable minority (30%) did not. Even those workers who reported productivity improvements expected greater productivity benefits than were delivered.
AI and organisational productivity
It’s difficult, if not impossible, to attribute changes in an organisation’s productivity to the introduction of AI. Businesses are sensitive to many social and organisational factors, any one of which could be the reason for a change in productivity.
Nevertheless, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has estimated the productivity benefits of traditional AI – that is, machine learning applied for an industry-specific task – to be zero to 11% at the organisational level.
A 2024 summary paper cites independent studies showing increases in organisational productivity from AI in Germany, Italy and Taiwan.
In contrast, a 2022 analysis of 300,000 US firms didn’t find a significant correlation between AI adoption and productivity, but did for other technologies such as robotics and cloud computing. Likely explanations are that AI hasn’t yet had an effect on many firms, or simply that it’s too hard to disentangle the impact of AI given it’s never applied in isolation.
AI productivity increases can also sometimes be masked by additional human labour needed to train or operate AI systems. Take Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology for shops.
More generally, think about the unknown number (but likely millions) of people paid to label data for AI models.
AI and national productivity
The picture at a national level is even murkier.
Clearly, AI hasn’t yet impacted national productivity. It can be argued that technology developments take time to affect national productivity, as companies need to figure out how to use the technology and put the necessary infrastructure and skills in place.
The common narrative around AI and productivity is that AI automates mundane tasks, making us faster at doing things and giving us more time for creative pursuits. This, however, is a naive view of how work happens.
Just because you can deal with your inbox more quickly doesn’t mean you’ll spend your afternoon on the beach. The more emails you fire off, the more you’ll receive back, and the never-ending cycle continues.
Imagine a world in which AI isn’t simply about speeding up tasks but proactively slows us down, to give us space to be more innovative, and more productive. That’s the real untapped opportunity with AI.
Jon Whittle works at CSIRO which receives R&D funding from a wide range of government and industry clients.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has formally nominated United States President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. He says the president is “forging peace as we speak, in one country, in one region after the other”.
Trump, who has craved the award for years, sees himself as a global peacemaker in a raft of conflicts from Israel and Iran, to Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
With the conflict in Gaza still raging, we ask five experts – could Trump be rewarded with the world’s most prestigious peace prize?
Emma Shortis is Director of International and Security Affairs at The Australia Institute, an independent think tank.
Jasmine-Kim Westendorf has received funding from the Australian Research Council.
Shahram Akbarzadeh receives funding from Australia Research Council.
Ali Mamouri and Ian Parmeter do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The ABC dodged a bullet in the Australian election. The Albanese government supports the ABC. In the United States, however, the 2024 presidential election severely wounded public media in America.
Fresh from his decisive victory in Congress – passage of the One Big Beautiful bill that locks in the legislation to prosecute Trump’s domestic policy agenda – Trump is demanding Congress cancel funding for public media, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR). Hardliners in the US House of Representatives have already voted to end all federal funding for public media. The Senate will vote on this issue in mid-July.
We have tale of two vital and powerful media institutions in Australia and the US. What happens over there can affect what happens here.
Towards the end of Australia’s election campaign, Peter Dutton, then leader of the Liberal Party, opened up on the ABC. He looped in The Guardian for good measure. And he implied other media deserved his words:
Forget about what you have been told by the ABC, The Guardian and the other hate media.
Dutton’s words embellished previous policies under Coalition governments, with budget cuts to the ABC of over $500 million, and several inquiries into the degree of ABC’s neutrality and objectivity in its coverage of news and current affairs.
Kim Williams, chair of the ABC, said the network would “perform well” under any scrutiny from a Dutton government. Dutton himself, shortly before the election, demanded the ABC show “excellence” in order to prove to taxpayers that its almost $1.2 billion annual budget was justified.
The Coalition’s defeat aided the ABC’s victory in its longstanding quest for financial stability and future growth. The ABC can continue to build on the commitments established by the Albanese Labor government in 2023 – even though there are choppy waters for the ABC as its new leadership makes programming and staffing decisions for the years ahead.
With a new Coalition shadow cabinet in place, we will see as future budgets play out whether they have changed their tune on their approach to the ABC.
We will see how both the government and the Coalition react to Kim Williams’ powerful case he recently presented for “more investment for much-needed renewal” in the ABC.
Public media in Trump’s America
In America today, public media are facing Trump’s wrath.
Trump’s hatred of mainstream media is legendary. For the past decade, Trump has called the major media outlets the “enemy of the people” – the same label that Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin used against those who dared to oppose him.
In his second term, Trump is engaged in aggressive muscling of the enemies he sees in the media. The Associated Press is barred from the pool of journalists covering the president. Trump has silenced the Voice of America. The US ABC and CBS television networks have both settled lawsuits filed by Trump to seek damages for their broadcast coverage of him and the 2024 presidential campaign. The price to help avoid regulatory punishment by the government of those two networks: $US16 million (A$24.5 million) each.
For a country that established freedom of the press under its Constitution, Trump’s attacks on news media are an ongoing assault on America’s democracy.
Trump’s attacks on PBS and NPR show the existential threat they face.
In 1967, Congress established and funded the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to bring to life public television and radio across America. Money from CPB supports the stations. The stations contract with PBS and NPR to help produce the programming they air, from the PBS NewsHour, Frontline and Sesame Street on PBS to Morning Edition and All Things Considered on NPR – and much more.
Trump holds the same sentiment that Dutton expressed against the ABC – that the public broadcasters are biased toward the “extreme woke Marxist left”. Trump wrote on Truth Social that:
Jim Jordan of Ohio, one of the most influential Republican leaders in the House of Representatives, was in-your-face direct on the case against public media:
This bill’s real simple. Don’t spend money on stupid things, and don’t subsidize biased media.
In late April, Trump ordered the firing of three of CPB’s five directors. On May 1, Trump issued an executive order that will savage public media’s existence:
At the very least, Americans have the right to expect that if their tax dollars fund public broadcasting at all, they fund only fair, accurate, unbiased, and nonpartisan news coverage […] The CPB fails to abide by these principles to the extent it subsidizes NPR and PBS.“
Public media has filed red-hot lawsuits against Trump and his officials for crushing the First Amendment free-speech rights of public televion and radio stations, and for cancelling funds appropriated by Congress. The court rulings in these cases will be crucial to the outcome.
The last near-fatal threat to public broadcasting was in 1981, when President Ronald Reagan sought Congress’ approval to decimate its funding. Under Reagan conservatism, media belong in the private sector. The conservative’s political bias against public broadcasting framed the push to cancel government funding.
But Congress rose up successfully against the Reagan cuts – led not only by Democrats but with Senate Republicans from rural states who understood how important public broadcasting was to their communities. Their budgets were trimmed, but PBS and NPR were not decapitated.
Lessons for the ABC
The same is true here: ABC stations in country areas are similarly held in high regard.
The cuts to public media passed the US House by one vote on June 12.
The Senate will vote in the coming days. We will see if some Senate Republicans who voted against Trump’s One Big Beautiful bill last week will stand up again and vote to buck Trump on this issue and protect public media in their states.
If Trump succeeds in silencing public media in America, the Trump echo chamber in Australia will take note. Some hard conservatives in Canberra and the Murdoch media will likely leverage Congress’ approval of Trump’s order that PBS and NPR be punished for their left-wing bias and that public media should become the province of the private sector. Defunding public media in the US will sustain the sentiment that one day, under a future government here, the scythe will be wielded at the ABC.
If the US Senate supports Trump, the fight for the ABC in Australia – not just over money, but over its role, responsibilities and standing in Australia – may not be over.
Bruce Wolpe is a (non-resident) Senior Fellow at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. The views expressed herein are his own. Wolpe served on the staff of Prime Minister Julia Gillard. He worked on the Democratic staff in Congress on public broadcasting issues and was an executive with NPR. He is the author of two books on Trump and Australia.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
China section of China-Russia east-route natural gas pipeline transports over 100 bln cubic meters
Updated: July 11, 2025 08:39Xinhua
Engineers check facilities at a gas transmission pipeline station in Heihe, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, July 9, 2025. As of July 10, the cumulative gas transmission volume of the China-Russia east-route natural gas pipeline’s China section has surpassed 100 billion cubic meters. The pipeline’s China section begins in Heihe, a city in the country’s northeast bordering Russia, and transports natural gas from Siberia all the way south to Shanghai, China’s economic and financial hub. [Photo/Xinhua]This photo taken on July 9, 2025 shows a view of a gas transmission pipeline station in Heihe, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 — China has always been the most reliable stabilizing force in a turbulent world and the most dependable partner for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members to address challenges, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Thursday.
Noting that China and ASEAN share similar development concepts, common demands and integrated interests, Wang said when attending the China-ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held here that China regards ASEAN as a priority direction for neighborhood diplomacy and a pioneer area for promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
“We should support and achieve success for each other in promoting the modernization process of Asia,” said Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.
Wang briefed the achievements of China-ASEAN cooperation and put forward four proposals.
Firstly, to be a model in defending international fairness and justice. Wang said that China and ASEAN must resolutely safeguard the global system with the United Nations at its core and the international order based on international law.
China supports ASEAN’s central position in the regional architecture and its greater role in regional and international affairs. China is willing to work with ASEAN countries to practice open regionalism and true multilateralism and make greater contributions to regional and global governance.
Secondly, to be a model for maintaining regional peace and stability. Wang said that the peace and stability in the region are extremely precious and should be firmly safeguarded, and geopolitical conflicts or bloc confrontations should not be introduced into Asia, adding that China is willing to take the lead in signing the Protocol to the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone.
Wang said that the South China Sea is the common home of regional countries, rather than a “gladiatorial arena” for major powers, and China is willing to expand cooperation with ASEAN countries in areas such as marine environmental protection, navigation safety, maritime law enforcement and key marine infrastructure, and fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, advance consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, and always keep the initiative on the South China Sea issue in our own hands.
Thirdly, to set an example of conducting mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation. Wang said that China is willing to work with ASEAN to build the Version 3.0 China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, implement the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement to a high quality, and create a high-level free trade network.
China is willing to continue to take the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation as the main platform, strengthen connectivity and cooperation in production and supply chains with ASEAN, and create highlights of cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence, digital transformation and clean energy.
China speaks highly of ASEAN’s firm commitment to free trade and the multilateral trading system and believes that it is necessary to resolve economic and trade differences through equal dialogue and mutual benefit, safeguard own dignity and the bottom line of principles, and must not do so at the expense of the interests of third parties, Wang said.
Fourthly, to set an example for promoting inclusiveness and mutual learning. China is willing to continue to advocate dialogue, exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations with ASEAN countries, Wang said, adding that both sides should jointly well organize the “Year of People-to-People Exchange,” enhance exchanges in education, youth, think tanks, media and other fields, take concrete actions to implement the Global Civilization Initiative, and promote mutual understanding, friendship and integration among the people.
The participating countries said that China-ASEAN cooperation is the most dynamic and fruitful. China has always been one of the most important dialogue partners of ASEAN, expressing gratitude to China for its support of ASEAN’s central position.
They said that they are willing to accelerate the alignment of development strategies with China, cooperate under the Belt and Road Initiative at a high quality, deepen all-round cooperation in trade, investment, connectivity, digital transformation, clean energy and transnational crime, and look forward to the signing of the ASEAN-China free trade area 3.0 protocol within this year to continuously promote regional economic integration.
Appreciating China’s willingness to take the lead in signing the Protocol to the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone, they said they look forward to the early conclusion of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea by all parties.
They also said that they are willing to work with China to safeguard multilateralism and the multilateral trading system and jointly address global challenges, further strengthen unity and cooperation with China, jointly advance the modernization process in Asia, and promote regional peace, stability and prosperity.
During the meeting, Wang also met with foreign ministers of relevant countries.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Cruising event held in Qingdao to celebrate 20th anniv. of establishment of Maritime Day of China
Updated: July 11, 2025 09:09Xinhua
An aerial drone photo taken on July 10, 2025 shows yachts and sailboats participating in a sea cruising event in Laolong Bay area in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province. A sea cruising event was held in the coastal city of Qingdao on Thursday to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Maritime Day of China and the 620th anniversary of Chinese explorer Zheng He’s maritime voyages. [Photo/Xinhua]A drone photo taken on July 10, 2025 shows citizens and tourists participating in a sea cruising event in Laolong Bay area in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province. [Photo/Xinhua]An aerial drone photo taken on July 10, 2025 shows yachts and sailboats participating in a sea cruising event in Laolong Bay area in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province. [Photo/Xinhua]A drone photo taken on July 10, 2025 shows citizens and tourists participating in a sea cruising event near Xiaomai Island in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province. [Photo/Xinhua]A drone photo taken on July 10, 2025 shows citizens and tourists participating in a sea cruising event in Laolong Bay area in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province. [Photo/Xinhua]An aerial drone photo taken on July 10, 2025 shows yachts and sailboats participating in a sea cruising event in Laolong Bay area in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province. [Photo/Xinhua]An aerial drone photo taken on July 10, 2025 shows motorboats participating in a sea cruising event in Laolong Bay area in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
More than 80 young people and representatives from 12 countries gathered in Beijing on July 7 for the launch of the “Youth Development for a Shared Future” Summer Camp, organized by the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation (CSCLF).
The seven-day event brings together participants from Armenia, Gambia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Oman, the Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Spain, Thailand and Uzbekistan to experience Chinese culture.
Participants pose for a group photo at the launch of the “Youth Development for a Shared Future” Summer Camp organized by the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation in Beijing, July 7, 2025. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]
CSCLF Vice Chairperson Zhang Jiming said the event aims to create a platform for youth from different countries to engage, enhance understanding and friendship, and promote unity and cooperation.
He expressed hope that the participants will strengthen their appreciation of the richness of different civilizations, uphold the spirit of the Silk Road, and contribute to building a global community of shared future.
China Soong Ching Ling Foundation Vice Chairperson Zhang Jiming delivers a speech at the launch event of the “Youth Development for a Shared Future” Summer Camp in Beijing, July 7, 2025. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]
During the opening ceremony, students from several countries introduced themselves and thanked the foundation for the opportunity.
They said the camp is a valuable way to learn more about Chinese culture, wisdom and heritage, and they looked forward to building lasting friendships.
The summer camp runs from July 6 to 12 and features visits and cultural exchanges in Beijing and Shaanxi province, an area with historical significance to the ancient Silk Road.
Rolleston Police investigating a series of vehicle break-ins in the community are appealing for information from the public.
Senior Constable Matt Barraclough says Police are aware of multiple reports of vehicles having been allegedly broken into in the early hours of Monday 8 July and Friday 11 July.
“These have occurred in the Arbor Green, Harrison Drive, Marcoola Crescent, and Brenley Drive areas.”
Police are appealing for any information in relation to these incidents including CCTV or dashcam footage in the surrounding areas.
“Specifically, we would like to hear from anyone who may have seen a person riding a scooter in the Brenley Drive, Marcoola Crescent, and Harrison Drive areas at around 4am on Friday.”
To ensure their vehicle is not targeted, Police would like to remind the public to lock their vehicles, park in off-street parking or in a well-lit area, remove any valuables that may attract thieves, invest in a steering lock or wheel clamp, and install cameras around and in their vehicle.
If you have any information that may assist us in our enquiries, please contact Police online at 105.police.govt.nz, clicking “Update Report” or call 105.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Education Bureau (EDB) today (July 11) announced the reappointment of Dr Anissa Chan Wong Lai-kuen as the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR) for two years with effect from July 1, 2025.
The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, said, “Under Dr Chan’s outstanding leadership over the past four years, SCOLAR continues to collaborate with various stakeholders to organise and support a wide range of activities promoting biliteracy and trilingualism. These efforts are dedicated to enhancing local language strengths at various levels of the community, developing Hong Kong’s language and talent capital, and creating a more conducive language learning environment for the community. “
The EDB also reappointed eight serving members and appointed four new members to SCOLAR, with their terms ending on June 30, 2027.
Dr Choi also thanked the outgoing members, Ms Joanne Fong Yee-man, Professor Anthony Fung Ying-him, Mr Armstrong Lee Hon-cheung, and Dr Tse Wai-lok, for their sterling service and contributions to the work of SCOLAR.
“The Government will continue to work closely with SCOLAR to create and cultivate an environment conducive to language learning, with a view to enhancing the public’s biliterate and trilingual proficiency,” she said.
The updated membership list of SCOLAR is as follows:
Chairperson ————— Dr Anissa Chan Wong Lai-kuen
Reappointed members —————————- Mr Kenny Chan Ngai-sang Ms Katherine Cheung Marn-kay Ms Cheung Shin-yee Mrs Cindy Chow Lok Mei-ki Mr Mohan Datwani Professor Lo Yuen-yi Mr Pang Chor-fu Professor Zhu Xin-hua
Newly appointed members ———————————- Ms Ip Wan-ting, Belinda Ms Lam Chui-ling, Nancy Mr Kenneth Ng King-tsun Professor Tam Kar-yan
Ex-officio members ———————— Deputy Secretary for Education Chairperson of Curriculum Development Council’s Committee on Chinese Language Education Chairperson of Curriculum Development Council’s Committee on English Language Education Chairperson of Curriculum Development Council’s Committee on Early Childhood Education Chairperson of the Committee on Professional Development of Teachers and Principals Secretary-General of Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority or representative
SCOLAR was set up in 1996 to advise the Government on language education issues in general and on the use of the Language Fund.
Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo
Washington, D.C.–U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) joined U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) to introduce the Say No to Indoctrination Act to codify President Trump’s executive order preventing taxpayer dollars from funding radical gender ideology in K-12 schools.
“Children should not be radicalized, indoctrinated or taught gender ideology in public elementary or secondary schools funded by federal tax dollars,” Crapo said. “This legislation places commonsense guardrails around the use of these dollars in public education, which will ensure schools are providing foundational instruction in subjects like mathematics and reading rather than divisive concepts of gender ideology.”
“Schools should prepare our children for the future, not promote radical gender ideology,” said Risch. “The Say No to Indoctrination Act puts an end to woke education practices in K-12 schools and makes President Trump’s commonsense policy permanent.”
The bill is also cosponsored by U.S. Senators Ted Budd (R-North Carolina), Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama). It has received support from Concerned Women for America and American Principles Project.
“For far too long, radical left-wing ideology has preyed on K-12 students in our nation’s school systems. It’s high time we put a stop to these woke lesson plans that take advantage of children and undermine parental rights,” said Budd. “I am proud to join Senator Risch and my colleagues to prevent taxpayer dollars from funding public schools that teach gender ideology.”
“As American students lag behind globally in math, reading and writing, the last thing our taxpayer-funded teachers and schools should be doing is teaching radical leftist nonsense like so-called gender theory,” said Marshall. “I’m proud to support this legislation to codify President Trump’s executive order, and ensure our children’s education is focused on meaningful, future-ready skills, not woke ideology.”
“Parents send their kids to school to learn the skills they need to succeed later in life, not to be indoctrinated with radical gender ideology. There are only two genders—male and female, and not a single penny of federal funds should go to schools that teach anything different,” said Schmitt.
“Our children go to school to be educated, not indoctrinated,” said Tuberville. “I’ve always said that education is the key to unlocking opportunity. But under Joe Biden, Democrats turned our children’s classrooms into woke propaganda HQ. Schools should focus on teaching kids to read, write and do math. I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the Say No to Indoctrination Act to get woke politics out of the classroom.”
The Say No to Indoctrination Act codifies the Executive Order President Trump issued on January 20, 2025, declaring that no taxpayer dollars be sent to K-12 schools that teach or promote radical gender ideology.
Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo
Washington, D.C.–U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee and former Chairman of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, congratulated Jonathan Gould on his confirmation to be the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) by a vote of 50-45.
“Jonathan’s extensive background, including his firsthand experience at the OCC, means he’ll be ready to hit the ground running as Comptroller. I am confident in his ability to carry out the agency’s critical mission to ensure the safety and soundness of our banking system, and to ensure banks provide fair access to financial services. He has the experience, quality of character and demeanor to be an effective leader of the agency, and I look forward to working with him in this new role.”
Albanese released a damning report identifying companies complicit in Israel’s mass killing and mass starvation of civilians in Gaza, provoking the US to sanction her.
PSNA Co-Chair Maher Nazzal says it is unacceptable for the US to bully the UN and for New Zealand to stay silent.
“Anyone who stands up for Palestinians is attacked and menaced by the US. New Zealand claims to support the United Nations and the so-called ‘rules-based international order’ but we stay cowardly mute when the Trump administration does Israel’s bidding and attacks United Nations representatives and UN agencies such as the United Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).”
“New Zealand’s silence is eerily reminiscent of western silence as the Nazi regime in 1930s Germany targeted Jews, socialists, communists, gays, and gypsies, and took over country by country through Europe.”
“New Zealanders are calling on the government to sanction Israel, but our government remains cowardly complicit” says Nazzal. “Our silence represents the weakest and worst of human nature.”
“Silence is what empowers racism, genocide and imperial thuggery as personified in US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio’s attack on Albanese.
PSNA, last week, referred four New Zealand government ministers and two business leaders to the International Criminal Court for investigation over their criminal support for Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
Source: New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa PEN NZ Inc
Calling for applications from writers of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and drama with a literary track record, who are currently working on a new project.
The Peter and Dianne Beatson Fellowship is awarded each year to a mid-career or senior writer to work on a project that shows a high level of literary merit and national significance and is donated by Peter Beatson. We thank Peter for his continuing and generous support of New Zealand writers.
In 2024, the fellowship was awarded to Dr Jacqueline Leckie, who used the funding to work on her biography with the working title Meg Campbell (1937–2007): Aroha and Resistance.
Dr Jacqueline Leckie told us she was honoured to be the recipient of the 2024 Peter and Dianne Beatson Fellowship and the Fellowship would enable her to research and write the first book length biography of one of Aotearoa’s most original and memorable poets, Meg Campbell (1937–2007), provisionally titled ‘Meg Campbell (1937–2007): Aroha and Resistance.’ Meg’s story has remained within the shadows of her renowned creative husband, Alistair Te Ariki Campbell.
Other previous recipients include: Laurence Fearnley, Tim Jones, Siobhan Harvey, Whiti Hereaka, Emma Neale, Michael Harlow, Tina Makereti, Jillian Sullivan, Sue Wootton, and Frankie McMillan.
Deadline for applications: Thursday 18 September 2025
To apply for the fellowship you need to be a member of the NZ Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc). Membership is open to all developing and established writers. New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa (PEN NZ Inc) was established in 1934 and is the principal organisation representing writers’ interests in NZ. A national office oversees 8 branches and hubs, administers prizes and awards, runs professional development programmes, advocates for the sector and to raise the visibility of NZ writers and NZ writing. It works in partnership with Ngā Kaituhi Māori and its developing Youth writer’s network.
The New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa PEN NZ Inc is the principal organisation representing writers in Aotearoa. Founded in 1934, it advocates for the right to fair reward and creative rights, administers prizes and awards, works closely with the literary sector and runs professional development programmes for writers among other activities. authors.org.nz
The Government’s Temporary Accommodation Service has been activated today to support people affected by severe weather in the Tasman and Nelson Region, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE) Temporary Accommodation Service is accepting registrations from displaced residents in Tasman and Nelson who need assistance finding temporary accommodation.
“With further rainfall expected, it’s essential people are swiftly supported into secure temporary accommodation, whether that be hotels, motels or otherwise.
“MBIE is working closely with Civil Defence Emergency Management, the National Emergency Management Agency, local councils, and the Ministry of Social Development to ensure a seamless transition for people in need to access safe, appropriate accommodation,” Mr Potaka says.
“Agencies are also working together to provide wrap-around support including social services, mental health support, financial support and others.”
MBIE has a responsibility to coordinate temporary accommodation following an emergency, as per the National Civil Defence Emergency Management Plan Order 2015.
People affected by the Tasman and Nelson severe weather who have a current, or expected future need for temporary accommodation, are encouraged to register via the TAS website:www.tas.mbie.govt.nz or email:TemporaryAccommServ@mbie.govt.nz or phone 0508 754 163.
Note to editor:
As TAS has only been taking registrations for a short time, it is too early to confirm numbers at this stage.
With weather warnings for the top of the South Island escalated, local drivers are being urged to keep a close eye on road and weather conditions.
The Metservice has issued a Red Heavy Rain Warning for Tasman district about and southeast of Motueka and north of Lake Rotoroa.
Orange Heavy Rain Warnings are also in force for Tasman District northwest of Motueka, Nelson, and Marlborough northwest of the Awatere Valley.
This weather will affect:
State Highway 60 – Richmond to Collingwood
State Highway 6 – Nelson to Murchison
State Highway 6 – Nelson to Blenheim
State Highway 1 – Picton to Seddon
State Highway 63 – Renwick to Kawatiri Junction
Emma Speight, Director Regional Relationships says Red Warnings must be taken seriously.
“There is no room for complacency. Keep an eye on the weather and avoid unnecessary travel. If you’re in a safe place, stay there and don’t put yourself at risk by driving on flooded roads.”
“It’s also about reducing danger to others too. Respect and obey any road closures that are in place. They are there to keep people safe. Ignoring them not only risks your own safety, but also that of anyone who may be called on to help rescue you,” Ms Speight says.
She also asks people to avoid driving through floodwaters.
“Flood waters can obscure hidden dangers. You just don’t know what is below the surface.”
“Also, driving through flooded areas creates bow waves that can cause more damage to homes and properties. Please, don’t do this,” Ms Speight says.
Contractors are on call and ready to respond to events as they arise and will do their best to keep state highways open.
However, Ms Speight says safety is the priority.
“We are keeping a close eye on areas that suffered damage over the past two weeks – SH6 Kohatu to Kawatiri, SH63 Renwick to Saint Arnaud, and SH6 Rocks Road.”
“If public safety is at risk, roads will be closed. This is why it is critical people keep a close eye on road and weather conditions, and Civil Defence updates. Make sure you know what is happening and how it may affect you,” Ms Speight says.
Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii – Pacific Partnership 2025 (PP-25) officially kicks off with the arrival of the Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, led by Rear Admiral Todd F. Cimicata, U.S. Pacific Fleet Executive Agent for Pacific Partnership, and the mission commander, U.S. Navy Captain Mark B. Stefanik.
The PP-25 team, embarked aboard the Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52), arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam to make final preparations ahead of its upcoming port visits throughout the Indo-Pacific region. The PP-25 team will conduct medical exchanges, engineering projects, community outreach, and disaster preparedness engagements with host nation partners.
“Pacific Partnership is a testament to what we can achieve together,” said Cimicata. “By working alongside our allies and partners, we strengthen regional capacity and resilience and lay the foundation for a collective response to crises. It’s about preparing in calm to respond in crisis.”
This year’s PP-25 mission will include mission stops in Papua New Guinea, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Samoa, and Vanuatu. Prior to the USS Pearl Harbor’s departure, separate fly-in missions were conducted in the Philippines, Fiji, and Tonga in June.
“This enduring mission provides us the opportunity to build on our relationships, share expertise, and learn from one another,” said Stefanik. “Our shared experiences help create more resilient communities, and I’m proud to lead a team committed to strengthening partnerships across the Indo-Pacific.”
Pacific Partnership brings together more than 1,500 personnel from the United States and participating nations including Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Activities will include engineering projects at schools and clinics, medical subject matter expert exchanges, and performances by the Pacific Partnership Band, composed of musicians from the U.S. Pacific Fleet and partner nations.
The mission team will work alongside allies and partners to strengthen relationships, bolster host nation capacity to provide essential humanitarian services, and support efforts to reduce the risk of, prepare for, and respond to disasters.
Every day, the U.S. Pacific Fleet operates to protect the security, freedom, and prosperity for the U.S. and our allies and partners. The U.S. Pacific Fleet continues to advance a shared vision, alongside our allies and partners, of a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific.
Now in its 21st iteration, the Pacific Partnership series is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster management preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. Pacific Partnership works collaboratively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase security and stability in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships in the Indo-Pacific.
Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed
WASHINGTON, DC – After President Trump threatened Brazil – a significant U.S. trading partner that does $92 billion in trade with American companies annually and with which the U.S. has a trade surplus — with a 50 percent tariff rate and linked the levy in large part to the prosecution of disgraced former Brazilian president and Trump ally Jair Bolsonaro, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) strongly condemned Trump’s move, stating:
“President Trump’s chaotic tariffs are recklessly raising costs for Americans, putting the U.S. economy at risk, and sending a dangerous signal that he will put his own personal grievances ahead of America’s economic interests. Let’s be clear: Trump is threatening to financially harm millions of Americans in order to benefit one disgraced foreign radical who is charged with corruption. President Trump lacks the legal authority for this partisan gambit, which would damage U.S. interests and only serve to drive Brazil into the arms of adversaries like China.”
Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
RUIDOSO, N.M. – U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) released the following joint statement, welcoming President Donald Trump’s granting of an emergency declaration for Chaves, Lincoln, Otero, and Valencia Counties, while renewing their call for President Trump to grant a Major Disaster Declaration in the wake of severe flooding that took the lives of three people and damaged homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure.
“The loss of life and devastation in Ruidoso as a result of this catastrophic flooding is horrific and heartbreaking, with three confirmed fatalities and dozens of homes and businesses already destroyed. Our thoughts are with the families of those who have been lost to this flooding and the hundreds of New Mexicans who have had to flee their homes. And our gratitude is with the first responders, local leaders, medical providers, and rescue teams helping respond to this disaster. We’re grateful that this approval will unlock funding needed for immediate disaster response, and we will continue to push President Trump to grant the state’s Major Disaster Declaration request to make sure that all New Mexicans impacted by this disaster are provided with the federal support necessary to rebuild.”
The emergency declaration opens up access to specific FEMA funds for immediate disaster response, including support for search and rescue and incident management efforts. An emergency declaration does not preclude a subsequent Major Disaster Declaration. Therefore, the N.M. Delegation will continue to push President Trump to approve a Major Disaster Declaration request from Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.
Through a Major Disaster Declaration request, the State of New Mexico has requested Public Assistance, Category A through G, including Direct Federal Assistance for Lincoln County, Chaves County, Otero County, and Valencia County, as well as Individual Assistance, including Housing Assistance, Small Business Administration Disaster Assistance, Disaster Case Management, Transitional Sheltering Assistance, Serious Needs Assistance, Crisis Counseling, Disaster Legal Services, Disaster Unemployment, and Displacement Assistance for Lincoln County and Valencia County. The State also requested Hazard Mitigation statewide, as facilitated by New Mexico’s Natural Disaster Hazard Mitigation Plan.
This news comes on the heels of the New Mexico Congressional Delegation urging the Trump Administration to approve a Major Disaster Declaration request from Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.
