Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) reintroduced their bipartisan Bridging Agency Data Gaps & Ensuring Safety (BADGES) for Native Communities Act to support the recruitment and retention of Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) law enforcement officers, bolster federal missing persons resources, and give Tribes and states tools to combat violence.
“It’s time that we passed this commonsense, bipartisan bill into law, and I’m committed to getting it done,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “The Bureau of Indian Affairs needs more resources to recruit and retain officers, solve missing persons cases, and combat crime in Indian Country. I urge my colleagues to work with me to move this critical bill forward.”
“Our legislation is a significant step toward enhancing resources for Tribal law enforcement,” said Senator Hoeven. “It authorizes the BIA to conduct background checks on law enforcement applicants, providing Tribes with the tools they need to address critical staffing shortages and infrastructure challenges. This not only strengthens public safety within Tribal communities but also ensures that offenders are held accountable, empowering Tribes to better protect their citizens and uphold justice.”
“Every Arizonan deserves to feel safe, and that includes those living on Tribal lands,” said Senator Gallego. “Too often, cases go unsolved or uninvestigated because Tribal law enforcement lack the staffing and resources they need. This commonsense, bipartisan bill will go a long way in addressing those needs, and I hope to see it signed into law this Congress.”
“Tribal officials in South Dakota have been dealing with public safety issues for several years, and they need more support,” said Senator Rounds. “Our legislation would give tribal leaders and law enforcement officers more tools to assist with investigating crimes, recruiting additional law enforcement personnel and keeping their communities safe.”
Senator Cortez Masto is a strong supporter of Tribal communities and passed two bipartisan bills, the Not Invisible Act and Savanna’s Act, to combat the missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) crisis during President Trump’s first term. The commission created by the Not Invisible Act specifically called for passage of Cortez Masto’s BADGES for Native Communities Act to help law enforcement better serve Native communities. This legislation passed the Senate unanimously last year. The BADGES for Native Communities Act would:
Increase Tribal access to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) by requiring Tribal facilitators to conduct ongoing Tribal outreach and serve as a point of contact for Tribes and law enforcement agencies, as well as conduct training and information gathering to improve the resolution of missing persons cases.
Require a comprehensive report on Tribal law enforcement needs.
Allow the BIA to conduct its own background checks for law enforcement officer applicants in order to speed up and improve officer recruitment.
Establish a grant program to help states, Tribes, and Tribal organizations coordinate efforts related to missing and murdered persons cases and sexual assault cases.
Ensure BIA officers and Tribal police have access to culturally appropriate mental health and wellness programs.
Senator Cortez Masto has repeatedly called on the both the Trump and Biden administrations to do more to address the epidemic of violence against Native women and girls, and has secured federal funding to protect Native communities. She urged the Biden Administration to draft a plan to address this issue, and requested the Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigate the federal response to this crisis. She’s also fought to ensure that law enforcement officers across the country have the support they need, securing historic funding for the Byrne JAG grant program, which she champions every year. The program is the leading source of criminal justice funding for state, local, and Tribal governments and provides support for programs related to crime prevention, law enforcement, prosecution, corrections, and mental and behavioral health.
New Zealand Police is pleased to announce that recruit wing 381 will graduate from their initial training course on Friday morning 7 February.
Attending the ceremony will be Commissioner Richard Chambers and members of the Police executive, Hon Mark Mitchell, Minister for Police, Hon Casey Costello, Associate Minister for Police along with Wing Patron, Glenn Dunbier ONZM.
Wing 381’s prize-winners are spread across four police districts, namely Auckland City, Bay of Plenty, Wellington and Tasman.
More details about statistics, prize winners and other recruits will be shared after graduation on Friday.
The 381 Wing Patron former police officer Glenn Dunbier was Bay of Plenty District Commander from 2010 to 2014. He was then appointed Deputy Commissioner: Resource Management in 2014, a role he held until he took a three-year secondment in 2017 to work with the Australian Defence Department. On returning to New Zealand Police in 2020 he took up the role of Deputy Commissioner: Districts and then Deputy Commissioner: Operations. While in Police, Glenn was awarded two Silver Merit Awards for his work in covert policing. He was recognised in the 2022 New Year Royal Honours, appointed as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to policing and the community. He retired from Police in April 2023.
Media are welcome to attend the graduation parade which takes place at 10am on Friday 7 February at The Te Rauparaha Arena, Porirua.
Media will need to be in place by 9.45am, however will need to RSVP to Police Media Centre as soon as possible: media@police.govt.nz
Police are appealing for information to reunite a number of service medals with their rightful owners after being stolen during a burglary in Waihi.
The selection of medals were among a range of property taken from an address on Trig Road North between 6pm on Sunday 1 February and 2pm on Monday 3 February.
The seven service medals are of extreme sentimental and historical value, and are of great importance to the victims and their family.
Other items stolen during the burglary include two Stihl chainsaws, a hedge cutter, a cordless drill, an angle grinder and battery, wedding rings, and other personal jewellery.
Police would like to hear from anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity in the Trig Road North area between Saturday evening and Monday afternoon.
Police are also appealing for any CCTV or dashcam footage in the area that may assist in our investigation locating the service medals and holding the alleged offenders to account.
If you have any information that may assist Police in our investigation, please contact Police online at 105.police.govt.nz, clicking “Update Report” or by calling 105.
You can also provide information in person at the Waihi Police Station or anonymously through Crime Stoppers via 0800 555 111.
Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and 36 Senate colleagues sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressing their deep concern regarding the growing chaos and dysfunction at the U.S. Department of State and the Trump Administration’s illegal attempt to destroy the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
USAID is a critical pillar of U.S. national security strategy, providing lifesaving aid and development support around the world to help ensure stability. Yesterday, personnel at USAID were not permitted to enter the agency’s headquarters, and Elon Musk announced that President Donald Trump agreed to close the agency and move it under the State Department – which Trump has no legal authority to do. The Trump Administration, led by Musk, has also furloughed thousands of senior career civil servants, including two top security officials who denied Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency access to classified documents and systems.
“…We are deeply concerned by reports of not only growing chaos and dysfunction at the Department of State, but the Administration’s brazen and illegal attempts to destroy the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Mass personnel furloughs of dubious legality and abrupt, blanket stop-work orders without regard to relevant appropriations laws are causing immediate harm to U.S. national security, placing U.S. citizens at risk, disrupting life-saving work and breaking the U.S. government’s contractual obligations to private sector partners,” Heinrich and colleagues wrote.
The senators continued, “The Administration’s failure to consult with Congress prior to taking these steps violates the law and impedes Congress’s constitutional duty to conduct oversight of funding, personnel and the nation’s foreign policy. The Administration’s failure to expend funds appropriated on a bipartisan basis by Congress would violate the Impoundment Control Act.”
“Foreign assistance is critical to supporting U.S. strategic interests around the world. Foreign assistance protects U.S. national security, advances U.S. values, and ensures the U.S. is the partner of choice for everything from defense procurement to cutting edge scientific research. China, Russia and Iran are already moving rapidly to exploit the vacuum and instability left by the U.S.’s sudden global retreat,” wrote the senators.
They continued, “Every Administration has the right to review and adjust ongoing assistance programming. However, attempting to arbitrarily turn off core functions of a critical U.S. national security agency, without Congressional consideration or any metric-based review and absent legal authority to do so, is unprecedented and deeply disturbing.”
The letter is led by U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.). Alongside Heinrich, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Angus S. King (I-Maine), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), and Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.).
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%.
“The Government is continuing to take Māori backwards in every possible way,” Labour spokesperson for Māori Development Willie Jackson said.
“Christopher Luxon has no plan for Māori to support whanau into meaningful employment. The Prime Minister had every opportunity to front up to Māori at Waitangi to provide a positive plan for all of us to work together. Instead, he left it to David Seymour to speak and further divide our nation.
“The reality is, when National took power the Māori unemployment rate was 8.2%. They have had more than a year to deliver results, and instead we see rising unemployment, shocking health disparities, and tragic poverty rates,” Willie Jackson said.
Unemployment among Pacific People is now 10.5%, up from 6.1% when National took office. Across all groups, unemployment reached 5.1%—a four-year high.
“The Government’s failure to deliver real results for Pacific People is shameful and shows their complete lack of attention to this community,” Labour Pacific People’s spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni said.
“That is a huge increase in Pacific unemployment, 1 in 10 Pacific people in New Zealand are now unemployed. This is bordering on a crisis for our people.
“Instead of supporting our people into work, this Government chooses to slash funding for frontline services, cut public sector jobs, and has left a total of 33,000 more people out of work,” Carmel Sepuloni said.
On 28 January, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency conducted an honorable carry ceremony to honor service members from World War II at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
An honorable carry ceremony is a tradition that honors unknown service members as they return to American soil for the first time in over 80 years.
The 18 U.S. flag-draped transfer cases contained the potential remains of 36 unknown World War II service members who were interred at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines. The cases were repatriated to the DPAA’s laboratory in Hawaii for identification and analysis.
“Thirty-five of these brave individuals perished in captivity at the Cabanatuan prison camp, while one gave their life in the Tokyo Prison Fire during World War II,” said John M. Figuerres, the DPAA’s acting deputy director for operations.
These service members were among those who fought bravely at the battles of Bataan and Corregidor in 1942. With no supplies, reinforcements or hope of relief, they held their ground longer than any Allied force against the Imperial Japanese army’s initial attacks.
“After being forced to surrender, many of these service members suffered through the brutal 65-mile Bataan Death March and lost their lives while being held as prisoners,” Figuerres explained.
The DPAA launched the Cabanatuan Project in 2014 and has since accounted for more than 90 personnel. However, more than 900 individuals remain unaccounted for. “As part of its ongoing efforts, the agency’s annual goal is to conduct two Philippine disinterments and repatriate about 70 transfer cases”, said U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Jordan Underwood, DPAA team leader for the disinterment.
Additionally, the DPAA continues working to identify service members who perished in the Tokyo Military Prison in May 1945, initiating the Tokyo Prison Fire Project in 2022. Dozens of American Airmen who were being held in the Tokyo Military Prison died during the Allied firebombing of the Japanese capitol in March 1945, trapped amidst the blaze engulfing the city.
The agency identifies potential remains using a wide variety of methods, some examples include anthropological testing, dental analysis and DNA testing in partnership with the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System.
“The DPAA’s mission is to account for missing personnel from past conflicts. We hope to identify these service members and return them home. One family member once told me that it’s not about providing closure, but about closing a chapter of their family history, and I think that’s a great way to describe it”, said Dr. Carrie LeGarde, a DPAA scientific recovery expert. “We cannot achieve this without bringing these remains back to the DPAA laboratory.”
For the men and women of the DPAA, an honorable carry is both a solemn occasion, and a triumph.
“Today, after more than 84 years away from their homeland, we honor their return to the United States,” Figuerres said. “Their sacrifice stands as a testament to the extraordinary courage and resilience of the Greatest Generation. Our mission to identify these heroes continues, ensuring their legacy is preserved and their sacrifice to our nation is never forgotten.”
For more information about the DPAA’s efforts to recover POW/MIA remains, visit https://www.dpaa.mil.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti met with Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) Adm. Jirapol Wongwit, at the Pentagon today.
The two leaders outlined plans to enhance interoperability and capabilities, with a focus on expanding maritime domain awareness with robotic and autonomous systems, cyber security improvements, and a commitment to military modernization to address shared challenges.
Franchetti also shared the Navigation Plan for America’s Warfighting Navy with Jirapol, which underscores her priorities of warfighting, warfighters, and the foundation that supports them, as well as building relationships with Allies and partners. Franchetti expressed appreciation for Thailand’s continued support for U.S. ship and aircraft visits, highlighting the recently concluded USS Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group port visit to Laem Chabang.
The leaders also discussed future opportunities to enhance collaboration through participation in bilateral and multilateral exercises, including the Cobra Gold multinational exercise held in Thailand, Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), and CARAT Thailand (Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training).
Thailand is a major non-NATO ally, one of five U.S. treaty allies in the Indo-Pacific, and a leader within the Association of Southern Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The National Children’s Commissioner has expressed alarm about the impact of rising antisemitism in Australia on the wellbeing of Jewish children and young people.
A recent spate of antisemitic attacks on Jewish schools, synagogues, a daycare centre and other locations has resulted in high-visibility policing at Jewish schools in Sydney, and reports of Jewish parents moving children to non-denominational schools and preschools for fear their children will be unsafe in Jewish institutions.
National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds: “Every child has a right to be safe, to have opportunities to learn and flourish, and to live in communities which respect and support cultural diversity and expressions of faith.
“The shocking racism that has affected Jewish communities over recent months is deeply concerning, especially the impact on Jewish children.
“The targeting of schools and childcare centres by the perpetrators of this violence is particularly alarming.
“The fear and distress experienced by Jewish children because of this surge in antisemitism may increase feelings of anxiety, isolation and vulnerability.
“We want all children to live in a peaceful, caring and inclusive society in which they can thrive. Ending all forms of racism, including antisemitism, is vital to achieving this.
“I’d like to echo the words of my colleague Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman: “Rising antisemitic incidents in Australia are abhorrent and serve as a call to action for people across the country to stand together in unity for an anti-racist Australia. Everyone should feel free to live their true selves and practice their faith without fear of persecution, intimidation, violence or discrimination”
On January 21, Samsung Electronics invited 90 Samsung Members Stars from 19 countries to San Jose, California, for the Samsung Members Connect event. Samsung Members is a Galaxy app that provides product information, exclusive benefits and a platform for users to interact. Meanwhile, Samsung Members Stars are community leaders who create high-quality content and actively engage in discussions within the app.
For this exclusive event, Samsung designed various programs to ensure that participating Members could share their firsthand experiences of the new Galaxy products with the wider community. These Members were among the first to explore the upgraded Galaxy AI features and collaborated on exclusive missions with #TeamGalaxy, Samsung’s dedicated Galaxy influencers. Their real-time updates allowed Members in different regions to experience the excitement of the event as it happened.
Samsung Newsroom highlighted vibrant moments from Samsung Members Connect.
Members Orientation: A Hub Connecting Samsung Members Around the World
At the “Members Orientation,” Members from different countries gathered to share their unique experiences and journeys within the community. Exchanging insights on how they effectively utilize Galaxy devices and engage with others in their respective regions, Members from diverse cultural and social backgrounds connected through meaningful discussions and fostered deeper connections within the network.
▲ Members present their contributions during the networking session.
Galaxy AI Evolves With Greater Innovation
At Galaxy Unpacked 2025, Members had the exclusive opportunity to get a sneak peek at the newly unveiled Galaxy S25 series — powered by an enhanced Galaxy AI.
“It is truly an honor to participate in a global event hosted by Samsung. I was particularly impressed by how effortlessly I could summarize YouTube videos with just a single tap,” said Hyun-seo Chae, a Members from South Korea. “The ongoing evolution of Galaxy AI always exceeds expectations, and its groundbreaking advancements demonstrate limitless opportunities and possibilities.”
▲ Members experience the Galaxy S25 series at the Experience Zone.
Following Galaxy Unpacked 2025, Sung Chang, Executive Vice President of Marketing Team, and Minseok Kang, Head of Smartphone Product Planning Team, from Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics held a Q&A session to discuss key features of the Galaxy S25 series.
▲ (From left) Sung Chang and Minseok Kang from Samsung Electronics
Members Workshop: Samsung Members Stars and #TeamGalaxy Unite Through Galaxy
For the first time, Samsung Members Connect featured a unique collaboration between Members and #TeamGalaxy. These workshops provided Members with an opportunity to develop key influencer skills, helping them more effectively share their experiences using Galaxy devices with the global community.
During the workshop, Members and #TeamGalaxy fostered mutual growth by exchanging their strengths — deep Galaxy knowledge and content creation expertise, respectively. They actively discussed content themes and explored new features of the Galaxy S25 series to incorporate into their projects for the following day. Through these collaborative missions, Members in different countries had the opportunity to indirectly experience the Galaxy S25 series for two days.
“Engaging with #TeamGalaxy has allowed me to take my content to the next level and expand the reach of Galaxy-related content,” said Sebastián Sebas, a Members from Colombia.
▲ Members and #TeamGalaxy influencers collaborate on a filming mission.
An Epic Tour of San Francisco With Next-Level Galaxy AI
On the final day of the event, Members embarked on a tour of San Francisco with the Galaxy S25 series. Participants visited iconic landmarks in San Francisco and completed individual and group missions that showcased the advanced features of Galaxy AI. Using the upgraded AI capabilities of the Galaxy S25 series, Members captured dynamic moments, experimented with various camera modes, and creatively applied Galaxy AI to produce high-quality content for the larger community.
After an exciting day of exploration, the event concluded with a gala dinner and a Mission Awards ceremony — marking the successful completion of the four-day journey.
▲ The results of the collaborative Member missions
Samsung Members Connect provided a unique opportunity to be among the first to experience the Galaxy S25 series, a product line showcasing a new AI paradigm that will seamlessly integrate into users’ daily lives. Through various programs, the diverse Members exchanged their experiences and shared the excitement of Galaxy Unpacked 2025 to the wider community. Samsung looks forward to seeing how Galaxy AI will continue to drive endless innovation, enhance the daily lives of users and shape the future ahead.
Thailand will cut electricity, fuel supply, and internet services to five areas in Myanmar along the Thai-Myanmar border starting on Wednesday morning, Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai announced on Tuesday.
Phumtham, who also serves as the defense minister, made the announcement after chairing a meeting of the National Security Council on Tuesday afternoon.
Speaking to reporters, he said that online fraud has caused serious harm to Thai citizens and become a national security issue. The Thai government’s investigation found that these five connection points are linked to online scam activities.
“Starting from 9 a.m. on Wednesday, electricity, fuel supply, and internet services will be cut off to Myanmar-based power distributors at all five connection points,” he said, adding that Thai authorities have notified their Myanmar counterparts of the decision.
According to Thai media reports, the five affected supply points are located within Myanmar’s border regions, including Myawaddy in Shan State.
Thailand first approved electricity exports to Myanmar in 1992 and 1994, with power supplied by the Provincial Electricity Authority. Under the agreements, Thailand reserves the right to unilaterally terminate electricity supply if the recipient violates regulations, without bearing liability for compensation.
Thailand’s cabinet on Tuesday approved the second phase of the high-speed rail project that will connect the Southeast Asian country with China through Laos, with completion expected in 2030.
Spanning five stations, the 357-km second phase of the railway will extend an under-construction segment linking the Thai capital Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima province to Nong Khai at the border with Laos, said Thai government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub.
The second phase also includes the construction of a logistics hub in the northeastern Nong Khai province, which will facilitate freight movement between Thailand’s 1-meter gauge railway and the 1.435-meter standard gauge used in the China-Laos Railway, offering a one-stop service for cargo transfer, Jirayu said in a statement.
Following the cabinet approval, the project will proceed, taking into account the opinions of relevant agencies and complying with legal and regulatory requirements, with construction of the second phase set to begin in fiscal year 2025, the spokesperson said.
A scene in The War of the Rohirrim. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
As Warner Bros’ animated film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim debuts globally, a company from Guizhou province has left its mark, having contributed keyframe animation, coloring and cinematography to the movie.
At the helm is Xu Chenyin, manager of Junzi Qianxing Technology Media. Xu, who was a former animation professional in Japan, runs the company in Guiyang, the provincial capital. He also serves as a member of the Guizhou Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
During the provincial legislative session in January, Xu submitted a proposal on promoting the development of Guizhou’s service outsourcing industry.
“Guizhou has the potential to attract high-value outsourcing projects such as digital services and creative design,” he said. “With the increasing specialization of international labor, developed countries are outsourcing non-core services to regions with lower costs and higher efficiency.”
Guiyang has already seen growth in the industry. According to local authorities, service outsourcing execution in the city grew 16.58 percent year-on-year in 2024, with offshore outsourcing surging 59.18 percent and domestic outsourcing increasing 12.67 percent.
Beyond direct benefits, Xu said he believes that service outsourcing can accelerate industrial upgrades.
However, he also pointed out a major challenge: a shortage of skilled talent.
“In today’s decentralized production landscape, geographical barriers are no longer an issue in joining the global industry. The real challenge lies in addressing the talent gap.”
This year, Xu recommended “partnering with universities, research institutes and enterprises to optimize academic programs based on market demands, introduce globally recognized certification courses and strengthen practical training”.
He also suggested launching targeted recruitment initiatives in fields such as big data, artificial intelligence and business negotiations while offering competitive incentives.
Xu highlighted the collaboration between Guizhou’s big data and service outsourcing sectors.
“In animation, for example, big data offers a wealth of image, audio and video resources that serve as valuable references for production,” Xu said.
One key example is rendering – the process of converting 3D scenes into 2D images. This resource-intensive animation step often demands costly hardware.
“Cloud computing resources, developed through its data industry, offer a cost-effective solution. Cloud rendering platforms reduce production cycles and costs,” Xu explained.
Residents watch a dragon dance performance in Xinghua, Jiangsu province, on Sunday during Spring Festival celebrations. Various events, including folk activities and intangible cultural heritage displays, have been held across China to celebrate Spring Festival. [Zhou Shegen / XINHUA]
Surrounded by crowds and patting the head of a fish-shaped lantern for good luck, 27-year-old Tian Jialiang immersed himself in the rich, festive vibes of Spring Festival in Zhanqi village of Shexian, Anhui province.
Tian, who is a native of Nanchang in the neighboring province of Jiangxi, was on a four-day self-driving tour to Huangshan, Anhui, with four friends.
“Spring Festival is one of the most important traditional holidays to the Chinese people. We came here for the village’s strong new year atmosphere and celebrations, where the performers mimic fishes’ movements to bring good luck and fortune. I think it is the essence of the festival,” Tian said.
Spring Festival, which was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in December, has seen people’s passion skyrocket for tourism destinations highlighting cultural vibes or folk customs.
This year’s Spring Festival fell on Jan 29, the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar, and marked the beginning of the Year of the Snake. People in China enjoyed an eight-day break, from Jan 28 to Tuesday.
Reports from travel agencies showed that cultural tourism destinations were in vogue during the holiday.
Travel portal Qunar said that cities with festive celebrations or folk customs, including Huangshan in Anhui, Chaozhou and Shantou in Guangdong province, and Quanzhou in Fujian province, were among the most sought-after destinations by its users during the holiday. These places are well known for folk events, including fish-shaped lantern shows, lion dances and hairpin flowers.
Huangshan saw its hotel room bookings double year-on-year during the holiday.
Another travel portal, Fliggy, said travelers have shown an increasing interest in immersive tourism events featuring Chinese cultural elements, including visiting temple fairs, wearing traditional Chinese hanfu attire for photo shoots, and appreciating lantern shows. It said that sales of tourism products related to folk custom performances grew 36 percent year-on-year on its platform.
Liu Gengshuo, 30, who is from the northeastern province of Jilin, booked photo-shooting services featuring traditional hanfu clothing for his wife in Datong, Shanxi province, for the Spring Festival holiday.
“It has long been our wish to embrace Chinese New Year in Datong, a city that enjoys a long-standing history and is home to much historical architecture, including temples,” Liu said. “The city is filled with a festive atmosphere and beautiful decorations. We will come again for another visit.”
Qi Chunguang, vice-president of online travel agency Tuniu, said the addition of Spring Festival to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list has greatly increased people’s enthusiasm for traditional Chinese culture, and this turned places with intangible cultural events into hot tourism destinations over the holiday period.
Some history and culture museums have also been popular, Qi said.
“People have shown great demand and interest in high-quality travels, as they wish to explore the destination’s cultural and social practices with immersive events. I think the trend will keep the tourism industry developing this year,” he said.
Chinese travelers also showed strong consumption power and a desire for overseas tourism destinations during the Spring Festival holiday. Figures from Fliggy showed that international cruise bookings surged 229 percent at its platform for the holiday period, and overseas destinations such as the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, as well as countries in Southeast Asia, were top choices for people from the Chinese mainland.
Cai Muzi, an analyst at travel portal Qunar, said that Thailand continues to rank near the top of Chinese people’s favorite overseas destinations because of the shorter travel hours, visa-free policy, milder climate and cheaper travel costs.
According to Qunar, Chinese travelers set foot in more than 2,100 cities worldwide during the holiday, with the number increasing 50 percent year-on-year. In addition to Southeast Asian countries and regions, destinations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, ranging from Hungary and Norway to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, saw an increase in tourism visits by Chinese.
South Korea’s constitutional court on Tuesday held the fifth hearing of impeachment trial on President Yoon Suk-yeol, with the arrested president being present for the third time.
Yoon presented himself at the courtroom in central Seoul at about 2:00 p.m. local time (0500 GMT) after attending the third and fourth hearings last month.
During the fifth hearing, Yoon said that “nothing really happened” on the night of Dec. 3 last year when he declared an emergency martial law, denying allegations that he ordered martial law troops to drag lawmakers out of the hall of the National Assembly that revoked the martial law hours later.
Throughout the midnight hours, military helicopters landed at the National Assembly and hundreds of armed special forces troops broke into the parliamentary building, TV footage showed.
Under the constitution, a president is required to report the martial law imposition to the National Assembly, the sole body with the right to repeal martial law.
Yoon claimed that he intended to appeal to people in the form of martial law and lift it when the parliament voted against it, but he noted that such intention was shared only with former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, not with other cabinet members.
According to the prosecution’s indictment, Yoon urged military commanders over phone to push martial law troops into the parliamentary chamber, where the lawmakers gathered to lift the martial law, by “firing guns” and “using axes” to break the door open.
Lee Jin-woo, former chief of the Capital Defense Command accused of his involvement in the martial law imposition, refused to testify during the hearing, saying he was restricted in testimony as his own criminal case was underway.
Lee only admitted that he talked with Yoon on the phone on the night of the martial law declaration.
Yeo In-hyung, former head of the Defense Counterintelligence Command, also refused to testify that he had received orders from the former defense minister to arrest and detain politicians, including chiefs of the ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party.
Officially confirming Yoon’s direct order to arrest the politicians, Hong Jang-won, former first deputy director of the National Intelligence Service, said in the hearing that Yoon gave him orders to help the defense counterintelligence command “round up all” of the politicians.
Hong told lawmakers last month that he was given the orders over phone around 20 minutes after the martial law declaration.
Yoon testified that his instructions to assist the defense counterintelligence command had nothing to do with the martial law imposition.
Next hearings were scheduled to be held on Feb. 6, 11 and 13.
The motion to impeach Yoon was passed through the National Assembly on Dec. 14 last year and was delivered to the constitutional court to deliberate it for up to 180 days, during which Yoon’s presidential power is suspended.
Yoon was apprehended in the presidential office on Jan. 15, becoming the country’s first sitting president to be arrested.
Yoon, who was named as a suspected ringleader of insurrection, was indicted under detention on Jan. 26, becoming the country’s first incumbent president to be put on trial in custody.
The South Korean president was accused of conspiring with the former defense minister, who had already been indicted under detention, to declare unconstitutional, illegal martial law and dispatch armed forces into the National Assembly.
From left: UNDP Team Leader for Inclusive Growth Patrick Tuimalealiifano, ADB Head of Office of Markets Development and Public–Private Partnerships F. Cleo Kawawaki, Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Sivendra Michael, Permanent Secretary for Local Government Seema Sharma, and ADB Regional Director for the Pacific Subregional Office Aaron Batten.
News from Country Offices | 05 February 2025
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SUVA, FIJI (5 February 2025) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a Transaction Advisory Services Agreement with Fiji’s Ministry of Local Government (MLG) to support the development of a new sanitary landfill and the rehabilitation of four open dumpsites in the Western District of Fiji. The project, envisioned as a public–private partnership (PPP), aims to address critical urban waste management challenges while ensuring environmental and public health benefits. The project will be implemented by MLG together with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change.
Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Local Government Seema Sharma and the Head of ADB’s Office of Markets Development and Public–Private Partnerships Cleo Kawawaki signed the agreement in Suva in the presence of the Regional Director of ADB’s Pacific Subregional Office in Fiji, Aaron Batten, and the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Sivendra Michael.
“This project is a crucial step toward sustainable waste management in Fiji,” said Mr. Batten. “By leveraging public–private partnerships, we can bring innovative solutions to improve infrastructure, protect the environment, and support healthier communities.”
The project envisions the construction of a sanitary landfill, including engineered cells, and leachate collection. The rehabilitation of existing open dumpsites will mitigate pollution and health risks, while paving the way for sustainable urban development.
ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 69 members—49 from the region.
Milo Hartill is “Black, fat and f**gy”, according to the title of her new cabaret work.
Actor, model, influencer and one helluva singer, 24-year-old Hartill shines. Black, Fat and F**gy is an autobiographical show, tracing defining moments of Hartill’s life as a Black, fat and queer person who grew up in Western Australia and now works in show biz.
Centred in its name, the performance wades through aspects of her intersectional identity. This itself serves as a loose structure for the production: Blackness to fatness to queerness, with clear overlaps.
The unapologetic self
Hartill leans into stereotypes and tropes so hard she ultimately upends them.
An early moment has her teasing an audience member – importantly, a white audience member – with an invitation to touch her hair. It’s a stunning moment within the work as it plays out, an image potentially loaded with racism interjected into performance with subversive, tongue-in-cheek humour and support for the chosen audience member.
It leads immediately into a rendition of Solange’s Don’t Touch My Hair. Other featured songs include Chaka Khan’s I’m Every Woman, Frank Sinatra’s Something Stupid (performed with puppetry) and Whitney Houston’s I Have Nothing, with notable changes to the lyrics to fit the themes and tone of the show.
Hartill is supported onstage by Lucy O’Brien on piano, who regularly chimes in with commentary and humour. The duo share a strong bond, their rapport is apparent and endearing. Within the first minute of the show we are eating from the palm of their hands.
The duo read out examples of real, fat-phobic hate mail sent to Hartill’s social media inboxes.
As an artist and researcher in fat-centred performance, for me, this is one of the more interesting moments in the show. It unapologetically adopts a didactic mode of delivery, revealing to audiences the kinds of despicable, violent language directed at fat people.
Black, Fat and F**gy is an entirely unique, memorable and vital performance work. Matto Lucas/UMAC/Midsumma
Theatre audiences (and makers, especially) tend to despise these kinds of didactic moments, especially pertaining to identity politics, as it marks a shift from “showing” (with metaphor) to “telling” in its messaging.
But how else can performance give contextual significance to something without this kind of direct telling, especially when most audiences will not have an embodied experience of fatness to draw on and make inferences?
Unless you have directly seen or heard the unrelenting, unmitigated hate speech directed at fat bodies, it is difficult to capture or convey. The “unique” aspect of this language, laid bare by Hartill in performance, is that it is delivered with a sense of righteousness: that this person is in a way helping the fat person by shaming them.
Moments like this serve a vital function in how performance can, broadly, capture both actual experiences and associated feelings related to a topic, while aiming to impart some new knowledge or finding for its audience to take away, to sit with, to talk about and maybe go on to learn more on.
A beautiful mixed bag
This didactic mode of delivery is only fleeting within the show. Adopting a cabaret-style delivery (but with standard theatre seated rows), Black, Fat and F**gy weaves together aspects of musical theatre (songs), stand-up (humour) and drag performance (aesthetic): it is a queerly hybrid form.
The show is rough around the edges. The performance allows for a high level of improvisation and audience engagement, which can lead to stalled moments and interruptions of laughter. Performance scholar T.L. Cowan writes the improvisatory nature of cabaret informs a “cabaret consciousness” that “allows an audience to enjoy a show not in spite of the mixed-bag-ness of cabaret, but because of it”.
The mixed-bag-ness of Black, Fat and F**gy is its charm, and Hartill complements this style with a mixed-bag delivery of tricks from her deep repertoire of skills.
The show weaves together songs, stand-up and drag: it is a queerly hybrid form. Matto Lucas/UMAC/Midsumma
Black, Fat and F**gy is an entirely unique, memorable and vital performance work you should move to the top of your list of must-see Midsumma events. The production is a 70-minute-plus romp which will leave you crying, both from laughter and by acknowledging the current climate against Black, fat f*gs everywhere.
Black Fat and F**gy is at the Guild Theatre, University of Melbourne, for Midsumma Festival until February 6.
Jonathan Graffam-O’Meara 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: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations and Banking Committees, today joined Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) in introducing the Small Business Disaster Damage Fairness Act of 2025. The bill would allow borrowers to get a Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster assistance loan for up to $50,000, rather than the current $14,000, without pledging collateral.
“Too many small business owners can’t put up collateral for a loan when disaster strikes. As a result, they can’t re-open their doors. My bill would make sure small businesses can get back to serving their communities after disasters hit,” said Kennedy.
The SBA’s Disaster Loan Program is designed to help homeowners, renters, businesses and nonprofits repair, rebuild and recover from disaster-related losses. In 2024, there were 27 weather-related disasters that caused at least $1 billion in damage.
“New Jerseyans are unfortunately too familiar with the impacts of extreme weather, from hurricanes to major flooding events. The last thing homeowners and small businesses should need to worry about is how they will access the funding they need to rebuild after a storm. This bill will help ensure small businesses everywhere have the support they need to recover in the wake of a disaster,” said Booker.
The bill also codifies the Government Accountability Office (GAO)’s recommendation to distinguish between rural and urban communities for outreach and instructs the GAO to further report the Disaster Loan Program’s default rate.
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) cosponsored the bill.
A collective predator control effort over the past 15 months has helped to lower rat and stoat numbers – a positive sign for native birds in the area.
The collaborative efforts by conservation groups Southern Lakes Sanctuary, Department of Conservation, and Central Otago Lakes branch of Forest and Bird have curbed the ‘rat plague’ of the 2023/24 summer by installing over 700 bait stations, servicing more than 1400 traps, and undertaking a 1080 operation by DOC, across the Makarora area over the past 15 months.
And, much to the delight of all involved, a family of endangered whio (blue duck) with five youngsters have been observed on the southern end of the Young River over recent months.
Southern Lakes Sanctuary project director Paul Kavanagh says the whio sighting is excellent news following the localised conservation work.
“The presence of whio in the Young River is an optimistic sign that indicates good stoat control in the area, which comes down to the great collaborative effort last summer,” he says. “These endemic manu (birds) nest on the banks of rivers, in caves or in dense vegetation, and nesting whio are very vulnerable to stoats.”
Central Otago Lakes Forest and Bird chairman Andrew Penniket says extensive trapping is one of the factors for the increased presence of the birds.
“The whio family has been seen over the space of a month by several groups and is the largest number seen on this river, or in our catchments, in our collective memories,” he says. “The sightings are a wonderful reward, coinciding with the work undertaken to put an extra 20 traps into the southern end of the Young River, specifically for the protection of rock wren and whio.
“It has been heartening that we have had very low catch rates of rats and stoats on all our trapping lines. It is probably the lowest ever, that I can recall,” Penniket adds.
In the summer of 2023/24 rat numbers exploded due to a ‘mast season’ of native beech trees, where a larger number of tree seeds are produced. A mast season generally occurs every two to six years and results in a dramatic increase in rat numbers, and then stoats.
The collaborative predator control effort has achieved positive results for other species in the area.
“We were concerned about the survival of the endangered mohua (yellowhead) with the siege of rats swarming to the area last spring and summer,” Kavanagh explains. “However, in the core trapping and bait station areas, most of the mohua chicks that we have monitored have survived in both this year’s and last year’s breeding seasons.”
This area is a priority site for the Department of Conservation’s National Predator Control Programme and as such received landscape scale predator control via aerial 1080 in March 2024, in response to rodent plagues following beech masts. Working in partnership with DOC ensures the best outcome for predator control.
“The mohua and whio survival shows the power of working together,” Kavanagh says. “The amazing efforts of volunteers and staff, who strapped on their tramping boots and frequently checked and cleared thousands of traps and bait stations. Collectively, they contributed thousands of hours towards this important mahi to protect wildlife in Makarora.”
Introduced predators such as rats and stoats kill more than 25 million native birds and wildlife every year in New Zealand. An estimated 1382 rats were dispatched in traps and an estimated 3600 rats from the bait station network alone, in Makarora between November 2023 – November 2024.
About Southern Lakes Sanctuary The Southern Lakes Sanctuary Trust that oversees this project is a consortium of six local groups that collectively represent 84 community groups, landowners, and businesses, who in turn have been working for many years to protect and restore the declining biodiversity of the Southern Lakes region. The consortium relies on the mahi of hundreds of committed and dedicated volunteers, throughout the district. Their tireless work, which has been quietly ploughing on for many years, is the foundation upon which the Southern Lakes Sanctuary is built. Donations to the Trust can be made at https://southernlakessanctuary.org.nz/get-involved/
Some 75 highly skilled science staff at Callaghan Innovation are being left high and dry and without a job by the Government’s decision to axe funding for Callaghan Innovation in June it has been revealed today.
TheNZ Herald has reportedthat new Science Minister Shane Reti wrote to Callaghan Innovation last month saying funding will end in June and detailing the transfer of functions to other existing agencies following the recent science system restructure.
Callaghan Innovation is being scrapped under plans to merge other agencies into three new Public Research Organisations (PRO) over the next 12 – 18 months, alongside the establishment of a fourth, new PRO looking at Advanced Technology. But at least 75 science and research staff at Callaghan risk being lost to the science system.
“The Minister should order MBIE to immediately set up a process to retain these specialist scientists until the fourth PRO focused on their skills is set up or they will be lost to countries overseas which value science,” said Fleur Fitzsimons Acting National Secretary for the Public Service Association for Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
“There are people working in medical technology, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and other areas of technology which are of great value to New Zealand.”
The Government announced last month it will set up a new Advanced Technology Public Research Organisation, focused on the same areas of science, but this will not be established until next year.
“The Government risks no-one being able to do this job and be forced to recruit offshore,” said Fitzsimons. “So much for science growing the economy that it talks about. It’s astonishing that the Government is pressing ahead with closure without a plan for these dedicated science staff.
PSA delegate and Callaghan Innovation scientist Ben Wyle van Eerd said; “We’re not even being given the chance to apply for a position – it’s so upsetting given all we have done for science. It just feels like the Government is saying there’s no future here in New Zealand for me or my colleagues.”
Fleur Fitzsimons said the new Ministers appeared not to have read the advice of the Science System Advisory Group which recommended that ‘actions will be needed at multiple levels to develop and retain a high calibre workforce of researchers, scientists, innovators and entrepreneurs’
“This will be a brain drain of the Government’s own making – how can the Government expect these people to hang around with no income waiting for the new research organisation to be set up?
“The PSA calls on new Minister Shane Reti to do what was recommended and retain this highly skilled workforce before lasting damage is done to our science system by losing this talented workforce.”
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahiis Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.
Attributable to Detective Senior Sergeant Karen Simmons:
Christchurch Police investigating a serious assault in the city are seeking help from the public.
The female victim was found seriously injured at the Richmond Village Green on Stanmore Road about 9:20am today.
She remains in a critical condition in hospital.
A scene examination of the area is underway.
As part of our inquiries, Police would like to speak to anyone who may have information that would help us determine what happened.
Information can be passed to Police via our 105 phone service, or by going online to https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105 and using ‘Update Report’, referencing file number 250205/8067.
Wellington drivers need to be ready for major maintenance works on Wellington’s urban motorway next week.
Full night closures, north and southbound, are planned from Sunday 9 February to Thursday 13 February, between 9pm and 4:30am.
The works are weather-dependent, so closures may be delayed into the following week if required.
While the resurfacing and maintenance work is underway, the motorway will be closed to northbound traffic between Karo Drive and Ngauranga Interchange.
It will also be closed to southbound traffic between the Terrace offramp and Vivian Street.
Drivers will have to use alternate routes to get in and out of Wellington city, and it means it will take drivers a little longer to get in and out of the central city.
Road users must plan ahead and allow extra time for their trips– particularly if they are heading to Wellington Hospital or Wellington Airport.
Planned works
Resurfacing work is planned for around five lane kilometres of the motorway’s northbound lanes between Aotea Quay onramp and the Ngauranga Interchange. This will help make the road’s surface safer and smoother.
To make the most of the closure and ensure as much work can be completed as possible, the Terrace Tunnel will also be closed for its annual Building Warrant of Fitness (BWoF) inspection. Because it is a vital piece of infrastructure, the tunnel must be inspected, tested, and maintained regularly.
Road crews will also complete other essential maintenance work during the closures. This includes renewing digital signs, streetlight maintenance, sign gantry assessments, carrying out structural inspections on overbridges and on and offramps, assessing safety barriers, clearing drains, removing graffiti, and clearing rubbish.
Works schedule and detour routes
Sunday, 9 February to Thursday 13 February. 9pm – 4:30am.
Traffic management set up from 7 pm – drivers can expect delays during this time.
Northbound closure
SH1 Urban Motorway closed between Karo Drive and Ngauranga Interchange
All northbound on and offramps will be closed – Clifton onramp, Tinakori onramp, Tinakori offramp, May Street onramp and Aotea Quay onramp.
Drivers should detour via Karo Drive – Willis Street – Customhouse/Waterloo/Aotea Quay – Hutt Road – Ngauranga Interchange. See the detour map below.
Southbound closure
SH1 Urban Motorway closed to southbound traffic between The Terrace offramp and Vivian Street
Drivers should detour via The Terrace offramp and Ghuznee/Victoria/Vivian Streets. See the detour map below.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) is advising motorists travelling between Turangi and National Park on SH4 to drive to the conditions following a bitumen spillage.
NZTA has received a number of reports today on SH47 of bitumen sticking to vehicle tyres.
Crews are currently on site applying loose grit to the road to cover the spillage while NZTA investigates the cause.
Traffic management is in place, in addition to a temporary lower speed.
Please drive to the conditions while the traffic management is in place and expect some delays while the traffic moves through the site.
NZTA National Journey Manager Helen Harris is reassuring motorists that SH47 is still open and that it’s vital people adhere to the traffic management in place.
A spokesperson for the Chinese military on Tuesday said that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is on high alert for any destabilizing military activities in the South China Sea. On the same day, the Air Force of the PLA Southern Theater Command conducted a routine patrol in the airspace of China’s Huangyan Dao. During the patrol, the Philippines has been colluding with countries outside the region to organize the so-called “joint patrols” to deliberately undermine peace and stability in the South China Sea, according to Li Jianjian, spokesperson for the PLA Southern Theater Command. Li said the Air Force will remain on high alert to resolutely defend China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. “Any military activities that disrupt the South China Sea are fully under control,” said the spokesperson.
Estee Lauder, the U.S. multinational cosmetics company manufacturing and marketing makeup, skincare, perfume and hair care products, may trim as many as 7,000 jobs by fiscal 2026, more than 11 percent of its workforce, after it lost money in its most recent quarter as reported a 6 percent sales slump.
“The New York-based company behind such brands as MAC, La Mer and Aveda tempered its profit outlook as the economies of China and Korea slow, in addition to global geopolitical uncertainty,” reported The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Estee Lauder expects to book restructuring and other charges related to the job cuts of between 1.2 billion U.S. dollars and 1.6 billion dollars, before taxes.
As of June 30, 2024, Estee Lauder had roughly 62,000 employees worldwide, according to the company’s latest annual filing.
Elections for the Teaching Council are now open. Seven of the 13 Governing Council members are elected by the profession during elections held every three years. Election voting opens on Wednesday 5 February 2025.
PPTA Te Wehengarua encourages members to vote in these elections and we support members stepping up to these positions. Four PPTA Te Wehengarua members are putting themselves forward to be the secondary teachers’ representative.
Ava Asby
Science and Chemistry teacher, Western Heights High School, Rotorua
Profile statement:
I am a dedicated educator driven to help secondary students reach their fullest potential in New Zealand’s education system. Since arriving in NZ over 20 years ago, I have become a fully qualified and experienced science teacher in Rotorua, committed to fostering lifelong learning. If elected, I will prioritize policies that empower middle management to lead effectively, enhancing team communication and collaboration to improve student outcomes, particularly in applied sciences. My goal is to link modern, relevant science education with everyday experiences, preparing students for today’s job market. I am also passionate about advancing teacher training policies, supporting high-quality classroom management, and efficient resource planning across schools to ensure the best educational experience possible. Let’s work together to make meaningful, positive changes for our students and educators.
Simon Curnow
Curriculum Leader Languages at Marlborough Girls’ College, Blenheim
Profile statement:
Kia ora koutou, no Kernowek oku tipuna. I would like to use this position to advocate for a reduction in fees for Teacher Registration. There must be creative ways for doing this through the Ministry of Education and School Boards. If budgeted for, the real costs for the average school would not be prohibitive on a yearly basis. A simplification of the Standards for the Teaching Profession and the Educational Leadership Capability Framework is needed. Too often these documents are used in a pedantic manner to create a rod for hard-working teachers’ backs. Accountability needs to go both ways – bottom up as well as top down. The Teacher’s Council should work, in conjunction with NZQA, to attract teachers from different parts of the world to the profession. Recognition of overseas qualifications needs to be re-examined and expanded.
Exciting news! A permanent bronze statue to honour the legacy of pioneering cricketer Barbara Rae will be installed in Greater Bendigo later this year.
It follows the City of Greater Bendigo’s successful submission for funding from the Victorian Women’s Public Art Program to commemorate the 19 year old cricketer.
It is the first statue to honour a female cricketer in Victoria and only the second in Australia.
Bendigo is the birthplace of women’s cricket in Australia and the first match between the ‘Blues’ and the ‘Reds’ occurred as part of the Easter Fair in 1874 to raise funds for the Bendigo Hospital and Benevolent Asylum.
Primary school teacher Barbara Rae was pivotal in organising the inaugural match, recruiting players and running coaching sessions at local cricket grounds. At that time, women required permission to play in ‘male-only’ sports in public.
As captain of the winning Blues team, Barbara was the top scorer and named player of the match.
The inaugural match was initially deemed a success and attended by thousands. It was during the following days that match players faced hostility in many Victorian newspapers for what was considered ‘deplorable’ and ‘unseemly’ behaviour for women to play public sport.
Now, almost 151 years since that first match, Barbara Rae’s leadership and legacy lives on as women’s cricket in Australia thrives, with record-breaking crowds and participation levels.
The City made a submission to the Victorian Women’s Public Art Program last year and was shortlisted with 12 others from across the state. The program honours legacies of those who have forged a path for all Victorian women – reflecting diversity, and highlighting leadership, excellence, and service to the community across a range of fields.
The program’s aim is to address the under-representation of women and their achievements by funding six public artworks in Victoria.
Public engagement on the submissions attracted more than 10,000 submissions before a final decision was made by the Minister for Women. The statue of Barbara Rae is the first of the six successful projects to be announced publicly.
The artist involved in the project will be revealed soon and the statue is expected to be installed in the latter half of 2025 in Bendigo.
Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf said it was fantastic news for the cricketer to be immortalised in this way.
“Barbara Rae paved the way for women’s cricket in Australia and it happened right here in Greater Bendigo,” Cr Metcalf said.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the community for getting behind the campaign for Barbara.
“Barbara was a trailblazer who challenged the values of 19th century society.
“This new statue will be an important landmark for Greater Bendigo and Australia’s cricketing history and a fitting tribute to Barbara’s legacy to women’s sport.”
Barbara Rae’s great granddaughter Diane Robertson said she was delighted to see Barbara honoured in this way.
“It has been such a thrill to see our great grandmother’s contribution recognised for what has now become an established and vibrant sport. Barbara set a wonderful example for women and girls in sport,” Ms Robertson said.
Last year’s Easter Festival marked the 150th anniversary of Australia’s first women match with a commemorative celebration at the Queen Elizabeth Oval and a representative T20 match between Bendigo and Ballarat. The anniversary event was supported by the City, the Bendigo Easter Fair Society, the Bendigo Historical Society, the Bendigo District Cricket Association and Cricket Victoria.
The Bendigo Historical Society held its inaugural exhibition, Frisky Matrons & Forward Spinsters to honour Barbara and women’s cricket in the region. The City’s Heritage Collections Officer Simone Ewenson curated the stunning exhibition.
Bendigo Easter Fair Society President Simon Mulqueen said the statue was a wonderful celebration of women’s cricket which began at the Bendigo Easter Fair in 1874.
“The Bendigo Easter Fair Society is extremely proud and excited about the Barbara Rae statue which represents the women who played the first game during the Bendigo Easter Fair in 1874. It was not easy for women to play the game that they loved as there was a lot of adversity. This is a wonderful acknowledgment,” Mr Mulqueen said.
Bendigo Historical Society President Euan McGillivray said it was important for Greater Bendigo.
“The Bendigo Historical Society is thrilled with the news. It’s a wonderful way to mark this moment in our history and pay tribute to Barbara Rae with a permanent statue,” Mr McGillivray said.
Species fall swiftly and silently to extinction. The language of bird-song collapses. For many peoples, and for many species, apocalypse is past tense.
For climate risk researchers Laurie Laybourn and James Dyke, politics illustrates a doom loop, a political diving-towards apocalypse.
Artists in this year’s Sydney Festival imagine exit strategies from this doom loop – and dream of taking root in its post-apocalyptic rubble.
Anito
Phasmahammer is the alter-ego and ongoing creative project of artist Justin Talplacido Shoulder. Anito is the latest in a series of their theatre-scale works that blend live performance with mythology, story-telling, costume and ceremony.
We begin in the cavernous Carriageworks foyer with a living miniature fig tree.
Damun (as it is known in the Gadigal language), Ficus rubingosa (Latin), the Port Jackson fig, is known for establishing itself insurgently in the pavements and gutters of the city’s colonial (apocalyptic) architecture.
Here, the bonsai sits like a welcome party, stifled and vibrant in its little pot.
In an introductory speech, Shoulder’s collaborator Matthew Stegh acknowledges the city of Sydney as “a theatre and a prison” – tripling in reference to both the experience of producing theatre for institutions, and the stunted experience of our little fig.
Anito blends live performance with mythology, story-telling, costume and ceremony. Sarah Walker/Sydney Festival
He pays homage to the ecological and cosmological traditions of Gadigal Country, and to the ancestral Philippines of Shoulder. In the next breath Stegh shifts his homage to Sydney’s histories of queer and counter-cultural performance, to sex workers, strippers, clowns, club kids and drag queens.
He offers reflections on apocalypse and ruin, referring to the “cultish suicide pact” of white supremacy, capitalism, imperialism and colonialism – to doom loops.
We are led into the auditorium, where Shoulder and fellow performer Eugene Choi animate a series of hallucinatory images.
Using their bodies, costume pieces, puppetry and inflatable set design, they work with immaculate sound (Corin Ileto) and lighting (Fausto Brusamolino).
A ghostly hologram of the buttress of a great tree fills the stage. Metallic roots writhe at its foundation. Shoulder and Choi emerge, and from there, eruptions: the first man and woman, a pair of thunder-lizards, bickering, a quadruped. A scale-bending colonial ghost smothered in lace searches tragically for something among planetary ruins. A stony reef of polyps and anemones blooms and dances. A single clap by three pairs of hands. The Big Bang.
It is often hard to discern exactly how the images are performed. They are both magic and bewildering. Liz Ham/Sydney Festival
By design, it is often hard to discern exactly how these images are performed. They are both magic and bewildering.
For philosopher Ben Ware, thinking about the horizon of the extinction of all biological life on Earth poses a paradoxical opportunity. The only thing that can thwart the end of this world – “a world of converging and multiplying catastrophes” – is the recognition that the politics of this time have one outcome: “the slow unravelling of intimately entangled forms of life”.
The fantasy theatre of Anito makes those intimate entanglements visual. We must begin from understanding that the way the world is organised produces its own end.
Like Shoulder, artist communities of the Pacific know this intimately.
Re-Stor(y)ing Oceania
Re-Stor(y)ing Oceania is an exhibition led by artists of the South Pacific Ocean.
Originally conceived for the Venice Biennale, and curated by Taloi Havini, the exhibition comprises two commissions by Elisapeta Hinemoa Heta and Latai Taumoepeau.
This is a space for conversation, performance, song and activism. Giacomo Cosua/Sydney Festival
The rooms of a freshly-renovated Artspace in Woolloomooloo are transformed by Heta’s architectural interventions. In one, a mass of bricks creates an altar-like structure, on which bowls of coconut milk sit in concentric circles. In another, pavers form a platform for a circle of seats. They function as stages or gathering places for conversation, performance, song and activism.
Within these happenings, Havini and her artists speak to the narrative and politics that have produced and compounded catastrophe in the South Pacific.
Taumoepeau’s interactive installation Deep Communion sung in minor (ArchipelaGO, THIS IS NOT A DRILL) requires visitors to row on standing-paddle-board-like treadmills, which activate immersive songs sung by Taumoepeau and her collaborators.
The physical exacerbation and the ecological trauma on the screens coalesce in our bodies. Giacomo Cosua/Sydney Festival
In conversation with Heta’s installation, these songs rise and fall, the edges of the artworks and activations become blurry. Visitors paddle towards projections visualising the rubble of marine-ecological wastelands produced by regional deep-sea extraction.
The physical exacerbation and the ecological trauma on the screens coalesce in our bodies. To drop the oar enacts the fading of the song from the speakers. We are left with reflections of the connections between bodies and calamity, and the labour of working towards futures beyond ruin.
Plant a Promise
Henrietta Baird’s Plant a Promise, like Anito and Re-Stor(y)ing Oceania, is a performance with blurry edges. Its roots spread out of Bangarra’s Studio Theatre to incorporate installation, in-situ yarns (storytelling and conversation) and tree-planting projects across the city.
Inside the theatre, three contemporary dancers animate recorded stories of Indigenous experiences of bushfires beside frustrations with the surrounding political footballing. The sentiment is clear: less talk, more action.
Plant a Promise beckons audiences into attentiveness to the lives of trees, fire and people. Stephen Wilson Barker/Sydney Festival
At its finale, audience members are invited to the stage to collaborate in the transformation of the set. We are led to take handfuls of verdant eucalyptus and acacia leaves and implant them into large woven columns that have functioned theatrically as abstracted tree-forms. The stage is transformed into a forest of our making together.
Through its many stories, Plant a Promise beckons audiences into attentiveness to the lives of trees, fire and people.
In the shadows of catastrophe, the roots of Indigenous knowledge systems and environmental science cross-pollinate to share and enact care for Country.
The stage is transformed into a forest of our making together. Stephen Wilson Barker/Sydney Festival
Generously, we receive a gift as we exit the theatre. The exchange of a native sapling invites us into casual conversation – into reflections on Country, and how we might, all of us, commit to it.
Again, we begin, from the recognition of an end. More rubble. More roots.
Putricia
At the time of writing, Sydneysiders are enamoured with the life of another plant, gathered around livestreams and making excited trips to the city’s Botanic Gardens.
Putricia, the resident titan arum, or corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanium), has thrown her immense flower spike into the air. She has commenced her slow strip-tease after a week of tantalising her admirers.
In a few weeks we have become attentive to her story of life and renewal. She will likely have bloomed, wilted and returned to the soil before this text goes live.
Performances like Putricia’s blooming, Anito, Re-Stor(y)ing Oceania and Plant a Promise offer new vantage points from which to understand ourselves in relation to the natural world, and to glimpse myriad alternatives to what feels like a diving towards our own demise.
Performances of aliveness beside and within the ecologies we inhabit move us beyond what Ben Ware sees as a naïve sense of “hope”. Instead, these stories make material, make cultural, make real, the impossible task of imagining what comes next.
Amid the smell of rotting corpses, the pillowy puppetry of a theatrical coral spawning event, the planting of a forest or the singing of invocations for the protection of the planet’s oceans, we might yet find ourselves. This is not a drill.
Blake Lawrence 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.
