A journalist who was on the Rainbow Warrior voyage to Rongelap last night condemned France for its “callous” attack of an environmental ship, saying “we haven’t forgotten, or forgiven this outrage”.
David Robie, the author of Eyes of Fire: The Last Voyage and Legacy of the Rainbow Warrior, said at the launch that the consequences of almost 300 US and French nuclear tests – many of them “dirty bombs” — were still impacting on indigenous Pacific peoples 40 years after the bombing of the ship.
French saboteurs had killed “our shipmate Fernando Pereira” on 10 July 1985 in what the New Zealand prime minister at the time, David Lange, called a “sordid act of international state-backed terrorism”.
Although relations with France had perhaps mellowed over time, four decades ago there was a lot of hostility towards the country, Dr Robie said.
“And that act of mindless sabotage still rankles very deeply in our psyche,” he said at the launch in Auckland Central’s Ellen Melville Centre on the anniversary of July 10.
About 100 people gathered in the centre’s Pioneer Women’s Hall for the book launch as Dr Robie reflected on the case of state terrorism after Greenpeace earlier in the day held a memorial ceremony on board Rainbow Warrior III.
“One of the celebrated French newspapers, Le Monde, played a critical role in the investigation into the Rainbow Warrior affair — what I brand as ‘Blundergate’, in view of all the follies of the bumbling DGSE spy team,” he said.
Plantu cartoon “And one of the cartoons in that newspaper, by Plantu, who is a sort of French equivalent to Michael Leunig, caught my eye.
“You will notice it in the background slide show behind me. It shows François Mitterrand, the president of the French republic at the time, dressed in a frogman’s wetsuit lecturing to school children during a history lesson.
“President Mitterrand says, in French, ‘At that time, only presidents had the right to carry out terrorism!’
Tahitian advocate Ena Manurevia . . . the background Plantu cartoon is the one mentioned by the author. Image: Asia Pacific Report
He noticed that in the Mitterrand cartoon there was a “classmate” sitting in the back of the room with a moustache. This was none other than Edwy Plenel, the police reporter for Le Monde at the time, who scooped the world with hard evidence of Mitterrand and the French government’s role at the highest level in the Rainbow Warrior sabotage.
Dr Robie said that Plenel now published the investigative website Mediapart, which had played a key role in 2015 revealing the identity of the bomber that night, “the man who had planted the limpet mines on the Rainbow Warrior — sinking a peace and environmental ship, and killing Fernando Pereira.”
Jean-Luc Kister, a retired French colonel and DGSE secret agent, had confessed to his role and “apologised”, claiming the sabotage operation was “disproportionate and a mistake”.
“Was he sincere? Was it a genuine attempt to come to terms with his conscience. Who knows?” Dr Robie said, adding that he was unconvinced.
Hilari Anderson (right on stage), one of the speakers, with Del Abcede and MC Antony Phillips (obscured) . . . the background image shows Helen Clark meeting Fernando Pereira’s daughter Marelle in 2005. Image: Greenpeace
French perspective Dr Robie said he had asked Plenel for his reflections from a French perspective 40 years on. Plenel cited three main take ways.
“First, the vital necessity of independent journalism. Independent of all powers, whether state, economic or ideological. Journalism that serves the public interest, the right to know, and factual truths.
“Impactful journalism whose revelations restore confidence in democracy, in the possibility of improving it, and in the usefulness of counterbalancing powers, particularly journalism.”
Secondly, this attack had been carried out by France in an “allied country”, New Zealand, against a civil society organisation. This demonstrated that “the thirst for power is a downfall that leads nations astray when they succumb to it.
“Nuclear weapons epitomise this madness, this catastrophe of power.”
Eyes of Fire 10 years ago . . . same author, same publisher. Video: Pacific Media Centre
Finally, Plenel expressed the “infinite sadness” for a French citizen that after his revelations in Le Monde — which led to the resignations of the defence minister and the head of the secret services — nothing else happened.
“Nothing at all. No parliamentary inquiry, no questioning of François Mitterrand about his responsibility, no institutional reform of the absolute power of the president in a French republic that is, in reality, an elective monarchy.”
‘Elective monarchy’ trend Dr Robie compared the French outcome with the rapid trend in US today, “a president who thinks he is a monarch, a king – another elective monarchy.”
He also bemoaned that “catastrophe of power” that “reigns everywhere today – from the horrendous Israeli genocide in Gaza to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, from Trump to Putin to Netanyahu, and so many others.”
The continuous Gaza massacres were a shameful indictment of the West that had allowed it to happen for more than 21 months.
Dr Robie thanked many collaborators for their help and support, including drama teacher Hilari Anderson, an original crew member of the Rainbow Warrior, and photographer John Miller, “who have been with me all the way on this waka journey”.
He thanked his wife, Del, and family members for their unstinting “patience and support”, and also publisher Tony Murrow of Little Island Press.
Eyes of Fire: The Last Voyage and Legacy of the Rainbow Warrior . . . published 10 July 2025. Image: David Robie/Little Island Press
Launching the book, Greenpeace Aotearoa programme director Niamh O’Flynn said one thing that had stood out for her was how the legacy of the Rainbow Warrior had continued despite the attempt by the French government to shut it down 40 years ago.
“We said then that ‘you can’t sink a rainbow’, and we went on to prove it.
“When the Rainbow Warrior was bombed in Auckland harbour, it was getting ready to set sail to Moruroa Atoll, to enter the test exclusion zone and confront French nuclear testing head-on.”
So threatened The French government had felt so threatened by that action that it had engaged in a state-sanctioned terror attack to prevent the mission from going ahead.
“But we rebuilt, and the Rainbow Warrior II carried on with that mission, travelling to Moruroa three times before the French finally stopped nuclear testing in the Pacific.
“That spirit and tenacity is what makes Greenpeace and what makes the Rainbow Warrior so special to everyone who has sailed on her,” she said.
“It was the final voyage of the Rainbow Warrior to Rongelap before the bombing that is the focus of David Robie’s book, and in many ways, it was an incredibly unique experience for Greenpeace — not just here in Aotearoa, but internationally.
“And of course David was a key part in that.”
O’Flynn said that as someone who had not even been born yet when the Rainbow Warrior was bombed, “I am so grateful that the generation of nuclear-free activists took the time to pass on their knowledge and to build our organisation into what it is today.
“Just as David has by writing down his story and leaving us with such a rich legacy.”
Greenpeace Aotearoa programme director Niamh O’Flynn . . . “That spirit and tenacity is what makes Greenpeace and what makes the Rainbow Warrior so special to everyone who has sailed on her.” Image: APR
Other speakers Among other speakers at the book launch were teacher Hilari Anderson, publisher Tony Murrow of Little Island Press, Ena Manuireva, a Mangarevian scholar and cultural adviser, and MC Antony Phillips of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.
Anderson spoke of the Warrior’s early campaigns and acknowledged the crews of 1978 and 1985.
“I have been reflecting what these first and last crews of the original Rainbow Warrior had in common, realising that both gave their collective, mostly youthful energy — to transformation.
“This has involved the bonding of crews by working hands-on together. Touching surfaces, by hammer and paint, created a physical connection to this beloved boat.”
She paid special tribute to two powerful women, Denise Bell, who tracked down the marine research vessel in Aberdeen that became the Rainbow Warrior, and the indomitable Susi Newborn, who “contributed to naming the ship and mustering a crew”.
Manuireva spoke about his nuclear colonial experience and that of his family as natives of Mangareva atoll, about 400 km from Muroroa atoll, where France conducted most of its 30 years of tests ending in 1995.
He also spoke of Tahitian leader Oscar Temaru’s pioneering role in the Nuclear-Free and Independent Pacific (NFIP) movement, and played haunting Tahitian songs on his guitar.
Ahead of the appeal hearing of 13 people – among 45 individuals convicted in a mass trial last year of “conspiring to subvert state power” under Hong Kong’s National Security Law – Amnesty International’s China Director Sarah Brooks said:
“The Hong Kong 47 case stands as one of the most shocking examples of the crackdown on human rights in the city. This appeal hearing is a chance for the courts to start righting the wrongs of this unprecedented mass prosecution.
“Research findings we released earlier this month show that the vast majority of convictions under the National Security Law have targeted legitimate expression. It is appalling that Hong Kong courts could condone a crackdown that leaves more than 80% of defendants wrongfully languishing behind bars.
“This appeal is a pivotal test—not just for these 13 individuals, but for the future of freedom of expression in Hong Kong. Only by overturning these convictions can Hong Kong’s courts begin to restore the city’s global standing as a place where rights are respected and where people are allowed to peacefully express their views without fear of arrest.”
Over the past six months, the headlines have been dominated by stories of fear, division and hatred.However, activists around the world are working away to ensure hope prevails. Here are some of the human rights wins we can be proud of from January to June 2025.
January
Afghanistan
In 2023, Amnesty International released a report on the Taliban’s war on women. Following its findings, the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor filed a request for arrest warrants against the Taliban’s Supreme Leader and their Chief Justice, citing crimes against humanity.
The request charges the Taliban’s Supreme Leader and their Chief Justice for gender persecution against women, girls, and LGBTI people since their return to power in August 2021. Although the warrants are still subject to the approval of ICC judges these are the first public arrest warrants sought by the ICC in Afghanistan since the country became a member of the court in 2003.
Cameroon
Dorgelesse Nguessan was released on 16 January after spending more than four years in prison for participating in a protest. The hairdresser and single mother had never been politically active yet joined a protest after growing concerned about the high cost of living. She was charged with insurrection, tried by a military court and sentenced to five years in prison on 7 December 2021.
I thank those who directly or indirectly work for your organization and contributed to my release.
Dorgelesse Nguessan
Dorgelesse was part of Amnesty International’s 2022 Write for Rights campaign, where thousands of supporters called for her release. Amnesty also provided short-term relief support to assist Dorgelesse and her family through the difficult moments of her detention. On 16 January, the Court of Appeal reduced her sentence.
“I thank you for all the efforts you have devoted as I was arbitrarily detained,” said Dorgelesse. “I thank those who directly or indirectly work for your organization and contributed to my release.”
Chile
On 2 January, two police [Carabineros] officers were sentenced to prison for shooting activist Renzo Inostroza and blinding him in one eye. The court concluded that their actions violated both Chile’s national regulations and international obligations. This conviction set a judicial precedent in the struggle to ensure the Chilean justice system pursues criminal responsibility for the unlawful actions of the Carabineros. This conviction follows Amnesty’s landmark Eyes on Chile report, which analyzed patterns and individual cases of police violence during the social unrest that broke out in Chile in October 2019. Renzo’s case was part of the report.
Saudi Arabia
From January to February, Amnesty successfully campaigned for the release of several human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia. On 7 January, human rights defender and former prisoner of conscience, Mohammed al-Qahtani, was conditionally released after spending 12 years in prison for his human rights work. On 13 February, 47-year-old teacher Asaad bin Nasser al-Ghamdi was released from prison following an unfair trial before the notorious Specialized Criminal Court (SCC). Asaad was arrested in 2022 and initially sentenced to 20 years in prison for social media posts criticizing the government’s Vision 2030 programme. On 10 February 2025, Leeds University PhD student and mother of two, Salma al-Shehab, was released from prison after completing a four-year prison term following an unfair trial before the SCC. Following a grossly unfair trial, the SCC had convicted Salma al-Shehab of terrorism-related offences for publishing tweets in support of women’s rights.
USA
The United States sanctioned a number of companies involved in the transfer of weapons into Sudan and Darfur. These sanctions follow Amnesty’s innovative briefing, published in July 2024, that combined business trade data and video analysis to show how the constant import of foreign-manufactured arms into Sudan was fuelling relentless civilian suffering.
Amnesty International members long campaigned for the release of Native American activist Leonard Peltier and most recently called on President Biden to grant Leonard Peltier clemency on humanitarian grounds and as a matter of justice.
USA
Leonard Peltier, a Native American activist, was imprisoned for nearly 50 years in the USA for a crime he maintains he did not commit. There were serious concerns about the fairness of his trial and conviction. Tribal Nations, Nobel Peace Laureates, former FBI agents, numerous others, and even the former U.S. Attorney, James Reynolds, whose office handled the prosecution, have called for Leonard Peltier’s release. Amnesty International members had long campaigned for his release, and most recently called on President Biden to grant Leonard Peltier clemency on humanitarian grounds and as a matter of justice. In the final hour of his presidency, former President Biden commuted Peltier’s life sentence to home confinement. Amnesty recently offered him short-term relief support as he works to rebuild his life after his release.
February
Algeria
Thanks to sustained advocacy work from Amnesty International Algeria and several national women’s rights organizations, Algeria’s president Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced a series of concrete measures to combat violence against women – moving from commitment to action.
The Ministry of Solidarity has since launched a national toll-free helpline, available 24/7 across the country, enabling victims to report abuse, be referred to appropriate support services, and receive emergency assistance when in danger. It is already proving effective. A Guide for Women Victims of Violence has been published in Arabic and English and is currently being distributed nationwide. New legal measures, including the possibility of issuing an immediate restraining order against perpetrators of violence, have also been announced.
Benin
Thousands of Beninese families living in coastal areas have been living an endless nightmare, victims of forced evictions orchestrated in the name of tourism development. However, in February the authorities issued a public call for people awaiting proper compensation to come forward so their case can be followed up. The National Agency for Land and Property’s direct also asked Amnesty International for a list of people who have not received appropriate reparations.
The move follows the release of an Amnesty International report on forced evictions in Benin in December 2023 and a subsequent campaign calling for proper compensation for those who have been unfairly evicted, which proved vital in securing this positive outcome.
Thank you all very much. Without your help, we could not have saved my husband.
Zaynura Hasan
Amnesty International had been campaigning for his freedom since he was initially detained in July 2021. Zaynura Hasan, Idris’ wife, thanked the organization for the relentless support.
“Thank you all very much. Without your help, we could not have saved my husband.”
Serbia
Recent research by Amnesty International’s Security Lab and European Regional Office documented how Serbian police and intelligence authorities are using advanced phone spyware alongside mobile phone forensic products to unlawfully target journalists, environmental activists and other individuals in a covert surveillance campaign.
In a significant human rights win, Cellebrite (a company specialising in digital intelligence and forensics) announced it will stop the use of its digital forensic equipment for some of its customers in Serbia as a direct result of Amnesty’s research. Simultaneously, Serbia’s Prosecutor for High Technological Crime, the Ombudsman and Data Protection Commissioner started separate investigations based on the research findings.
Senegal
In a positive step forward, the Senegalese government invited Amnesty International to provide support and assistance for people who have been arrested for participating in protests, as well as former detainees.
Since 2021, Amnesty International has denounced the unlawful use of force by security forces during protests, compiled a list of those who have been killed, and condemned the arbitrary detention of hundreds of people for having called for or participated in protests. According to figures gathered by Amnesty International and other civil society organizations, at least 65 people were killed, the majority by firearms, with at least 1,000 wounded. A further 2,000 people were arrested.
Amnesty International continues to call for the repeal of the amnesty law adopted by the former government, for justice and reparation for the victims and their family members.
Taner Kılıç, a refugee rights lawyer and former Chair of Amnesty International’s Türkiye section, was finally acquitted after nearly eight years of judicial proceedings.
Türkiye
Taner Kılıç, a refugee rights lawyer and former Chair of Amnesty International’s Türkiye section, was finally acquitted after nearly eight years of judicial proceedings.
Arrested in June 2017 and imprisoned for over 14 months, he was unjustly convicted in 2020 despite no credible evidence. He faced more than six years in prison for “membership of a terrorist organization”. Amnesty provided relief support to him and his family as they navigated the difficulty of his imprisonment.
Reflecting on the case, Taner said: “This nightmare that has gone on for almost eight years is finally over… The only thing I was sure of throughout this process was that I was right and innocent, and the support from all over the world gave me strength. I thank each and every one who stood up for me.”
In a landmark ruling, Brazilian actor Juan Darthés was found guilty for the rape of Argentinian actress Thelma Fardin. Amnesty provided legal and psychosocial support to Thelma.
Latin America
In a landmark ruling for women’s rights in Latin America, a Brazilian court convicted actor Juan Darthés of sexual violence against Argentine actress Thelma Fardin, who accused him in 2018 of abusing her when she was 16. Amnesty provided support for transport related costs, and psychosocial support for Thelma throughout her case. The sentence sets an important precedent for sexual violence cases in the region.
After a five-year legal battle across three countries, Thelma stated: “Today I can look my 16-year-old self in the eye and say we did it.”
Philippines
Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by police on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity.
Thousands of people, mostly from poor and marginalized communities, were unlawfully killed by the police – or by armed individuals suspected to have links to the police – during Duterte’s so-called “war on drugs”. Amnesty has been calling for his arrest for a number of years and described it as “a long-awaited and monumental step for justice”. He is now due to stand trial at the ICC.
Sierra Leone
Hawa Hunt, a reality TV star, was freed from detention on 4 March and cleared of all the cybercrime related charges against her. She was arrested on live television in December 2024 and charged with insulting the President and First Lady in a social media video.
Amnesty International called on authorities to release her and to ensure her rights were upheld.
Her daughter Alicia said: “In one of the very few phone calls I was able to have with my mother as she was in jail, I told her how Amnesty International spoke up for her. She and our whole family were very touched by the support. We believe it played a very key role in her being released.”
Since May 1995, the Saturday Mothers have held peaceful weekly protests demanding justice for relatives forcibly disappeared in the eighties and nineties.
Türkiye
Since May 1995, the Saturday Mothers have held regular peaceful protests at Galatasaray Square every Saturday, demanding justice for relatives forcibly disappeared in the eighties and nineties. Their 700th vigil on 25 August 2018 was banned and violently dispersed by police using tear gas and water cannons.
Forty-six people were detained and later released, but in 2020, they were prosecuted for “attending illegal meetings and marches without weapons and not dispersing despite warnings”.
Thanks to the determination of the Saturday Mothers and their supporters – including Amnesty International who provided legal aid – all were acquitted in March 2025.
USA
On March 17, US immigration authorities detained Alberto, the father of a Venezuelan family of four, separating him from his wife and two children. Despite the family having pending asylum applications, he was charged with “illegal” entry to the United States. His case was an example of the Trump administration’s use of a provision of immigration law to target individuals and families that have been in the United States for years, rather than recent arrivals at the US-Mexico border. On April 21, 2025, Alberto was granted bond and released from ICE detention, following calls from Amnesty International and reunited with his wife and two children.
May
Chile
Romario Veloz was shot and killed by an army captain during social unrest in La Serena, Chile, in 2019. The police officer who shot Romario Veloz was imprisoned in May 2025 – setting a precedent in cases of human rights violations committed by state agents. Despite the victory, widespread impunity for police violence continues. Romario was also part of Amnesty’s Eyes on Chile investigation (2020). Amnesty provided support to Romario’s young child, helping her access education as well as covering the legal expenses for the family’s quest to seek justice.
Alongside the report, Amnesty was part of the Advisory Unit for Police Reform, wrote letters to the Chilean president and gave numerous media interviews on police violence. Amnesty Chile’s relentless campaigning paid off and helped to stop the implementation of the use of tasers by Chilean police forces.
Côte d’Ivoire
On 7 May, Ghislain Duggary Assy, Communications Secretary of the Movement of Teachers for the Dignity Dynamic union, was provisionally released pending his trial, due to international pressure from Amnesty International. A month earlier, he had been sentenced to two years’ imprisonment solely for having called for strike action in primary and secondary schools.
Amnesty International condemned the flagrant violation of workers’ rights, in particular the right to strike and freedom of association and will continue to call for his unconditional release.
Greece
Two years ago, the Pylos shipwreck led to the death of more than 600 people. Now, 17 Greek coastguard officers face charges in connection with it, including causing a shipwreck, exposure to danger and failure to provide assistance. These developments may pave the way towards accountability for the worst shipwreck in the Mediterranean in recent years.
Amnesty has been calling for justice through sustained advocacy and campaigning.
Türkiye
Afghan asylum seeker Tabriz Saifi is blind due to chronic diabetes and relies on dialysis three times a week. However, his international protection application was rejected by the Turkish authorities on 28 February, which meant he no longer had access to life-saving healthcare. Amnesty International immediately launched an urgent action, calling for the decision to be reversed.
On 2 May, his family was informed that the decision had been reversed and that his asylum seeker status had been reinstated, along with full access to free healthcare.
Girls and women support the right to abortion in Argentina.
Argentina
An Argentine private health insurer was fined over $4,000 USD for denying a legal abortion to a woman whose pregnancy posed serious health risks — a clear violation of the country’s reproductive rights law.
Amnesty International Argentina provided legal advice and stressed that rulings like this reinforce the need to guarantee access to legal abortion as a right, not an exception subject to individual or institutional discretion.
Council of Europe
Following sustained advocacy by Amnesty International and the Omega Research Foundation, the Council of Europe’s Steering Committee for Human Rights (CDDH) adopted a report on measures against the trade in goods used for death penalty, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Georgia
After months of public pressure, protests and legal action, the Georgian Ministry of Justice announced it would end the humiliating practice of fully stripping detainees during body searches.
The decision followed a lawsuit from the Public Defender in February, a report from Amnesty International condemning the practice as degrading and unlawful, as well as a video featuring Georgian artist and activist Kristina Botkoveli, who was subjected to a forced strip search, harassment, and threats after participating in protests.
Following calls from Amnesty International and other organizations, the revised Sámi Parliament Act has now been approved by the Finnish parliament.
Finland
The Sámi are a group of Indigenous people that come from the region of Sápmi, which stretches across the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola peninsula in Russia.
For a number of years, they have been subjected to human rights violations. However, following calls from Amnesty International and other organizations, the revised Sámi Parliament Act has now been approved by the Finnish parliament.
The amended Act strengthens Indigenous Sámi people’s right to self-determination and improves the way in which the Sámi Parliament operates. It also corrects human rights violations highlighted by international human rights treaty bodies.
Hungary
On 28 June, Budapest Pride proceeded despite restrictive anti-Pride laws and police targeting the march. Around 200,000 people, including over 280 Amnesty International activists and staff from Hungary and 22 other countries, peacefully demanded equality and assembly rights. This was Budapest’s largest Pride in 30 years, symbolizing strong public resistance to discrimination and highlighting the resilience of Hungary’s LGBTI community. Amnesty’s Let Pride March campaign helped raise awareness, mobilize activists, and urged police to respect peaceful protest. With over 120,000 global actions supporting the event – it demonstrated that solidarity can overcome oppression, though challenges for LGBTI rights in Hungary persist.
Activists and speakers – including King Okabi of the Ogale community – call for an end to Shell’s pollution of the Niger Delta and compensation outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, on day one of the Ogale and Bille communities vs Shell trial, 13 February 2025.
Nigeria/UK
After a decade-long fight for justice, a UK court ruled that Shell can be held liable for the oil spills and leaks it has failed to clean up in the Niger Delta – regardless of how long ago they happened.
The judgement is an important step towards justice for communities in the Niger Delta and a vital opportunity to make Shell pay for the devastating pollution it has caused to the Ogale and Bille communities’ lands.
In parallel with this decision, the Nigerian government also pardoned the Ogoni Nine. The group of activists, led by Ken Saro-Wiwa, Nigerian author and campaigner, were executed 30 years ago by a government that wanted to hide the crimes of Shell and other oil companies that were destroying the lives and livelihoods of tens of thousands of people across the Niger Delta.
Amnesty has been supporting and campaigning for justice for the Ogoni Nine for years and documenting the destruction Shell has left behind through a series of powerful reports. While these are positive outcomes, much more needs to be done to ensure justice is achieved for communities in the Niger Delta, including holding Shell and other oil companies to account for the damage they have done and continue to do – and Amnesty will be there every step of the way!
Ukraine
On 24 June, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset signed an agreement establishing a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine in Strasbourg, following calls from Amnesty International and others. It is hoped this will help hold perpetrators of the crime of aggression accountable.
Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and student organizer who recently graduated from Columbia University, was targeted for his role in student protests at Columbia University.
USA
On March 9, US immigration authorities unlawfully arrested and arbitrarily detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist, lawful permanent resident of the USA, and student organizer who recently graduated from Columbia University. Mahmoud was targeted for his role in student protests at Columbia University, where he was exercising his rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. He was not charged with a crime yet was held in a detention centre, told that his permanent residency status was “revoked”, and placed in deportation proceedings. Amnesty International demanded that authorities release Mahmoud immediately and respect his rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and due process. After 104 days in a Louisiana immigration detention centre, Mahmoud Khalil was released on bail in June 21, however he’s still facing threats of deportation by US authorities. He has since filed a $20 million USD lawsuit against the Trump administration.
“The Hong Kong 47 case stands as one of the most shocking examples of the crackdown on human rights in the city. This appeal hearing is a chance for the courts to start righting the wrongs of this unprecedented mass prosecution.
“Research findings we released earlier this month show that the vast majority of convictions under the National Security Law have targeted legitimate expression. It is appalling that Hong Kong courts could condone a crackdown that leaves more than 80% of defendants wrongfully languishing behind bars.
“This appeal is a pivotal test – not just for these 13 individuals, but for the future of freedom of expression in Hong Kong. Only by overturning these convictions can Hong Kong’s courts begin to restore the city’s global standing as a place where rights are respected and where people are allowed to peacefully express their views without fear of arrest.”
Dramatic deterioration of human rights
In Hong Kong’s largest prosecution under the National Security Law, which came into force in June 2020,47 opposition figures were jointly chargedwith “conspiracy to commit subversion”. Thirty-one of the 47 pleaded guilty to the charge while 16 pleaded not guilty, two of whom were acquitted.
On 14 July, Hong Kong’s Court of Appeal will hear the appeal of 13 of those convicted. In the same hearing, Hong Kong’s Department of Justice will also appeal against the acquittal of one of the defendants, Lawrence Lau.The charges against the ‘Hong Kong 47’ relate to their organisation and participation in self-organised ‘primaries’ for the 2020 Legislative Council elections that were ultimately postponed by authorities on Covid-19 grounds before the Chinese government brought in a new electoral system that strictly vetted who could stand for office.
Research published last month by Amnestyon the fifth anniversary of the National Security Law’s enactment, found that more than 80% of people convicted under the law have been wrongly criminalised and should never have been charged in the first place.Human rights in Hong Kong have deteriorated dramaticallysince 2020, with Amnesty identifying more than 250 people arrested for violating the National Security Law or a colonial-era “sedition” law.Last year, the Hong Kong parliament itself enacted further national security legislation – the so-called ‘Article 23’ law – whichhas further deepened repression and silenced opposition voices in the city.
Global warming has picked up pace since around 2010, leading to the recent string of record warm years. Why this is happening is still unclear, and among the biggest questions in climate science today. Our new study reveals that reductions in air pollution – particularly in China and east Asia – are a key reason for this faster warming.
Cleanup of sulphur emissions from global shipping has been implicated in past research. But that cleanup only began in 2020, so it’s considered too weak to explain the full extent of this acceleration. Nasa researchers have suggested that changes in clouds could play a role, either through reductions in cloud cover in the tropics or over the North Pacific.
One factor that has not been well quantified, however, is the effect of monumental efforts by countries in east Asia, notably China, to combat air pollution and improve public health through strict air quality policies. There has already been a 75% reduction in east Asian sulphur dioxide emissions since around 2013, and that cleanup effort picked up pace just as global warming began accelerating.
Our study addresses the link between east Asian air quality improvements and global temperature, building on the efforts of eight teams of climate modellers across the world.
We have found that polluted air may have been masking the full effects of global warming. Cleaner air could now be revealing more of the human-induced global warming from greenhouse gases.
In addition to causing millions of premature deaths, air pollution shields the Earth from sunlight and therefore cools the surface. There has been so much air pollution that it has held human-induced warming in check by up to 0.5°C over the last century.
With the cleanup of air pollution, something that’s vital for human health, this artificial sunshade is removed. Since greenhouse gas emissions have kept on increasing, the result is that the Earth’s surface is warming faster than ever before.
Modelling the cleanup
Our team used 160 computer simulations from eight global climate models. This enabled us to better quantify the effects that east Asian air pollution has on global temperature and rainfall patterns. We simulated a cleanup of pollution similar to what has happened in the real world since 2010. We found an extra global warming of around 0.07°C.
While this is a small number compared with the full global warming of around 1.3°C since 1850, it is still enough to explain the recent acceleration in global warming when we take away year-to-year swings in temperature from natural cycles such as El Niño, a climate phenomenon in the Pacific that affects weather patterns globally.
Based on long-term trends, we would have expected around 0.23°C of warming since 2010. However, we actually measured around 0.33°C. While the additional 0.1°C can largely be explained by the east Asian air pollution cleanup, other factors include the change in shipping emissions and the recent accelerated increase in methane concentrations in the atmosphere.
Air pollution causes cooling by reflecting sunlight or by changing the properties of clouds so they reflect more sunlight. The cleanup in east Asian air pollution influences global temperatures because it reduces the shading effect of the pollution over east Asia itself. It also means less pollution is blown across the north Pacific, causing clouds in the east Pacific to reflect less sunlight.
The pattern of these changes across the North Pacific simulated in our models matches that seen in satellite observations. Our models and temperature observations also show relatively strong warming over the North Pacific, downwind from east Asia.
The main source of global warming is still greenhouse gas emissions, and a cleanup of air pollution was both necessary and overdue. This did not cause the additional warming but rather, removed an artificial cooling that has for a time helped shield us from some of the extreme weather and other well-established consequences of climate change.
Global warming will continue for decades. Indeed, our past and future emissions of greenhouse gases will affect the climate for centuries. However, air pollution is quickly removed from the atmosphere, and the recent acceleration in global warming from this particular unmasking may therefore be short-lived.
Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?
Laura Wilcox receives funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the Research Council of Norway, the Clean Air Fund, and Horizon Europe.
Bjørn H. Samset receives funding from the Research Council of Norway, the Clean Air Fund, and Horizon Europe.
India’s wholesale inflation slipped into negative territory for the first time in 2025, with the Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation falling to -0.13% in June, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Monday. The decline was primarily driven by a drop in food and fuel prices.
Food prices, which account for 24.38% of the WPI basket, fell 0.26% year-on-year, while fuel and power prices, comprising 13.15% of the index, dropped by 2.65% compared to June 2024.
On the other hand, manufactured products, which represent the largest share of the index at 64.23%, rose by 1.97% year-on-year. However, the pace of increase moderated, down from 2.04% in May and 2.62% in April.
This wholesale disinflation aligns with the recent moderation in retail inflation. Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation cooled to 2.82% in May, its lowest level since February 2019.
Responding to the softer inflation outlook, the RBI in its monetary policy review last month cut the repo rate by 50 basis points, from 6.0% to 5.5%, in a bid to stimulate economic growth.
Additionally, the central bank announced a phased reduction in the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR), from 4% to 3%, to be implemented in four tranches of 25 basis points each.
With headline CPI well below the RBI’s medium-term target of 4%, the central bank also revised its inflation forecast for 2025–26 down from 4.0% to 3.7%.
More than 30 people were killed and 100 injured in armed clashes in Syria’s predominantly Druze city of Sweida, the Syrian interior ministry said early on Monday, in the latest bout of sectarian clashes.
The violence erupted after a wave of kidnappings, including the abduction of a Druze merchant on Friday on the highway linking Damascus to Sweida, witnesses said.
This is the first time sectarian fighting has erupted inside the city of Sweida itself, the provincial capital of the mostly Druze province.
Last April saw clashes between Sunni fighters and armed Druze residents of Jaramana, southeast of Damascus, which later spread to another district near the provincial capital.
“This cycle of violence has exploded in a terrifyng way and if it doesn’t end we are heading toward to a bloodbath,” said Rayan Marouf, a Druze researcher based in Sweida who runs the Suwayda24 website.
The clashes involving Bedouin tribal fighters and Druze militias were centered in Maqwas neighborhood east of Sweida, which is inhabited by Bedouin tribes, and was encircled by armed Druze groups and later seized.
The Syrian ministry of interior said that its forces will begin direct intervention in Sweida to resolve the conflict, calling on local parties in the Druze city to cooperate with the security forces.
Armed Bedouin tribesmen also launched attacks on Druze villages on the western and north outskirts of the city, residents said.
A medical source told Reuters that at least 15 bodies had been taken to the morgue at Sweida’s state hospital. Around 50 people were injured, with some transported to Deraa city for medical care.
The violence marked the latest episode of sectarian bloodshed in Syria, where fears among minority groups have surged since Islamist-led rebels toppled President Bashar al-Assad in December, installing their own government and security forces.
Those concerns intensified following the killing of hundreds of Alawites in March, in apparent retaliation for an earlier attack carried out by Assad loyalists.
It was the deadliest sectarian flare-up in years in Syria, where a 14-year civil war ended last December with Assad fleeing to Russia after his government was overthrown by rebel forces.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi distributed over 51,000 appointment letters to newly appointed youth during the 16th Rozgar Mela held on Saturday. The event was conducted at 47 locations across the country, marking yet another milestone in the government’s commitment to generate employment opportunities for the nation’s youth.
Addressing the new recruits, Prime Minister Modi congratulated them and highlighted the importance of their role in shaping a stronger, more self-reliant India. The newly inducted employees have joined various Central Government Ministries and Departments, including the Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Posts, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Department of Financial Services, and Ministry of Labour and Employment, among others. The Rozgar Mela continues to reflect the government’s vision of equitable and inclusive development by bringing employment closer to the youth across the nation.
Organised under the aegis of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), an initiative of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), the Rozgar Mela aims to bridge the gap between job seekers and employers, particularly in the private sector. NSDC works in close coordination with Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) and Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras (PMKKs) to source reputable private companies for participation in the Melas, ensuring a wide array of employment opportunities for youth.
A Rozgar Mela typically functions as a half-day employment fair, where employers and job seekers interact directly. Targeting youth aged between 18 and 35 years, the initiative accommodates a wide spectrum of educational qualifications—ranging from candidates with 8th, 10th, and 12th-grade certifications to those holding ITI, diploma, and graduate degrees. It also includes trained and certified individuals who meet the standards of the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF).
To ensure the broadest possible outreach, job seekers are informed about the events through print advertisements, SMS campaigns, social media, and workshops at educational institutions. Besides job interviews and recruitments, the Rozgar Melas also offer career counseling sessions for youth and their families, Kaushal Melas to register for new skill development programs under PMKVY and PMKK, Mudra Loan Facilitation Counters, and skill exhibitions showcasing training modules and job roles.
Rozgar Melas are not limited to NSDC-led events alone. Affiliated organisations like SSCs, PMKKs, and training partners under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) also organise these events on various scales throughout the year, extending the benefits of job matchmaking and skill awareness across multiple districts.
The Rozgar Mela initiative, launched nationally on 22nd October 2022, has seen consistent expansion. The inaugural edition saw over 75,000 appointment letters distributed. Subsequent editions have continued to strengthen the momentum, with appointment letters ranging from 51,000 to over 1 lakh being distributed in each event. Notably, the 12th edition in February 2024 marked a record, with the Prime Minister distributing over one lakh appointment letters and laying the foundation stone for Phase I of the Integrated Complex “Karmayogi Bhavan” in New Delhi.
India continues to witness an active monsoon phase, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting extremely heavy rainfall (over 21 cm ) at isolated places in Rajasthan on Monday and Tuesday. Similar intense showers are likely over Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, and southeast Jharkhand on July 14, and Chhattisgarh on July 15.
Very heavy rainfall is also expected at isolated places across Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand on July 14 and 15.
West Rajasthan may receive heavy showers on July 16, while west Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat Region are likely to experience similar conditions on July 14.
Eastern Madhya Pradesh is forecast to receive heavy rainfall on July 16 and 17.
Gangetic West Bengal and Odisha will continue to receive heavy rain on July 15, while Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh are set for heavy rainfall between July 14 and 16.
Bihar is expected to receive heavy rainfall during July 14 and 16, while eastern Uttar Pradesh is likely to experience heavy showers on July 17.
Southern states including Kerala & Tamil Nadu, and coastal Karnataka are likely to receive continuous heavy rainfall through the week from July 14 to 20.
This weather activity is being driven by a well-marked low-pressure area currently over northeast Rajasthan and adjoining northwest Madhya Pradesh, and another system over southeast Gangetic West Bengal and adjoining Bangladesh.
In the past 24 hours, Odisha has already recorded extremely heavy rainfall, while very heavy rain (7–20 cm) was observed at isolated places in Jharkhand, East Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and West Madhya Pradesh.
Several other regions – including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Assam, and Tripura – reported heavy rainfall (7–11 cm).
Weather forecast for Delhi-NCR
In Delhi-NCR, the IMD has predicted generally cloudy skies and light to moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning over the next four days.
On Monday, the city is likely to experience strong surface winds between 20–30 kmph, gusting up to 40 kmph. Maximum temperatures are expected to remain in the range of 31–33°C, which is 3–5°C below normal.
On July 15, very light to light rain is forecast, with similar wind patterns and temperatures ranging between 32–34°C (maximum) and 24–26°C (minimum), both slightly below normal.
The weather will remain partly cloudy on July 16 and 17, with occasional light rain and thunderstorms. Daytime temperatures will hover between 33–35°C, and nighttime temperatures between 24–26°C. Winds will predominantly blow from the southeast, with moderate speeds in the afternoon, easing by evening.
Overall, Delhi is expected to see relatively cooler and wet weather this week, while the rest of northern, eastern, and central India remains on alert for heavy rainfall and potential flooding in vulnerable regions.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The following is issued on behalf of the Major Sports Events Committee:
The Major Sports Events Committee (MSEC) has awarded “M” Mark status to the FIBA 3×3 World Tour – Hong Kong 2025 (July 19 and 20), Hong Kong Football Festival – Liverpool FC vs AC Milan – The Standard Chartered Trophy (July 26), and Hong Kong Football Festival – Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur – The Herbalgy Trophy (July 31).
The Chairman of the MSEC, Mr Wilfred Ng, said today (July 14), “The FIBA 3×3 World Tour – Hong Kong 2025 will gather top 3×3 basketball teams from around the world to Hong Kong, providing spectators with a thrilling viewing experience. The highlights of July will certainly be the two football friendly matches held at Kai Tak Stadium at the end of the month, featuring Liverpool FC versus AC Milan and Arsenal versus Tottenham Hotspur. These two exhibition matches will bring fans a world-class football experience. These three sporting events will not only bring high-level competitions to the spectators but also stimulate the local economy, enhancing Hong Kong’s international image and strengthening its status as an events capital.”
The “M” Mark System aims to encourage and help local National Sports Associations and private or non-government organisations to organise more major international sports events and nurture them into sustainable undertakings. Sports events meeting the assessment criteria will be considered for “M” Mark status by the MSEC. Funding support will also be provided to some events.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Highways Department (HyD) will hold briefing sessions on July 25, August 1 and 7 in Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hong Kong respectively to introduce the details of the Hong Kong section of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Rail Link (Hung Shui Kiu-Qianhai) (HSWRL) project and the upcoming invitation to the industry for submission of expressions of interest (EOIs).
The HyD invites representatives from relevant organisations of the industry (including contractors, operators, consultants, railway system suppliers and rolling stock manufacturers, etc) which are interested in participating in the project to attend the briefing sessions. The registration details and forms are in the Annex. Industry representatives interested in attending the briefing sessions, please enrol on or before July 18 (Friday).
The construction of the HSWRL is a crucial initiative in support of the thorough implementation of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). It will enhance the infrastructure connectivity in the GBA and facilitate Hong Kong’s integration into national development. Coupled with the co-location customs clearance arrangement, the HSWRL will connect the metro networks in the western regions of Hong Kong and Shenzhen. A trip from Hung Shui Kiu to Qianhai will only take approximately 15 minutes, which will help to foster the “one-hour living circle” in the GBA and enable convenient cross-boundary commerce, work, living, study and travelling activities of the residents of the two places. The HSWRL is also an important transport infrastructure promoting the development of the Northern Metropolis, catering to the local travelling demand in the Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen New Development Area as well as Lau Fau Shan, Tsim Bei Tsui and Pak Nai areas.
The Government is conducting the investigation and design of the Hong Kong section of the HSWRL, including undergoing statutory processes such as an environmental impact assessment and gazettal. The goal is to have the project ready for tendering in 2027, striving to complete the construction works in 2034, followed by integrated testing and commissioning to realise the common goal of the governments of Hong Kong and Shenzhen to commission the HSWRL in 2035. Through the briefing sessions, the HyD hopes to attract the attention and interest of more Mainland, local and even overseas organisations of the industry towards the project, thereby actively submitting EOIs, which will enable the HyD to gain a better grasp of the industry’s views on the scheme, procurement and financial arrangements of the Hong Kong section of the HSWRL, to formulate appropriate tender terms and details.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Sydney (Sydney ETO) supported the Hong Kong Children’s Choir (HKCC) in presenting a series of performances and cultural exchange programmes across Australia and New Zealand in July to promote Hong Kong’s vibrant art and culture scene and showcase the artistic excellence of Hong Kong’s youth.
Following its previous appearance in Australia in 2017, the HKCC commenced its concert tour in Hobart, Australia, where it participated as the guest choir at the “Festival of Voices” from July 3 to 7. The tour continued with a charity concert in Sydney on July 9, in support of CanRevive’s cancer support service. The tour concluded in Auckland, New Zealand, with two performances: the “Dreams to Dream” concert yesterday (July 11) and the “Echoes of Culture” choral concert today (July 12).
To mark the Sydney leg of the tour, the Sydney ETO hosted a pre-performance reception at Hong Kong House on July 9. About 100 guests from various sectors, including leaders from the local arts and cultural community, politicians and business leaders attended the event.
In his welcoming remarks, the Director of the Sydney ETO, Mr Ricky Chong, welcomed the HKCC and highlighted the longstanding ties between Hong Kong and Australia. “Events like these resonate far beyond the concert hall. They remind us that our relationships are not only built on trade and economic exchange, but also on shared values, artistic collaboration, and community spirit,” he said.
Mr Chong said that the National 14th Five-Year Plan has expressed clear support for Hong Kong to develop into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange. The Government is committed to further strengthening Hong Kong’s role as Asia’s events capital. “With the official opening of the state-of-the-art Kai Tak Sports Park, we are welcoming a diverse array of large-scale international events, from major concerts and rugby matches to world-class football,” he added.
In celebration of the HKCC’s debut visit to New Zealand, the Sydney ETO also hosted a pre-performance reception yesterday (July 11) ahead of the “Dreams to Dream” concert in Auckland, further fostering cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and New Zealand.
Founded in 1969, the HKCC has grown into a diversified arts organisation for children. The HKCC has gained international acclaim for its performances and is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading children’s choirs.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Sydney (Sydney ETO) supported the Hong Kong Children’s Choir (HKCC) in presenting a series of performances and cultural exchange programmes across Australia and New Zealand in July to promote Hong Kong’s vibrant art and culture scene and showcase the artistic excellence of Hong Kong’s youth.
Following its previous appearance in Australia in 2017, the HKCC commenced its concert tour in Hobart, Australia, where it participated as the guest choir at the “Festival of Voices” from July 3 to 7. The tour continued with a charity concert in Sydney on July 9, in support of CanRevive’s cancer support service. The tour concluded in Auckland, New Zealand, with two performances: the “Dreams to Dream” concert yesterday (July 11) and the “Echoes of Culture” choral concert today (July 12).
To mark the Sydney leg of the tour, the Sydney ETO hosted a pre-performance reception at Hong Kong House on July 9. About 100 guests from various sectors, including leaders from the local arts and cultural community, politicians and business leaders attended the event.
In his welcoming remarks, the Director of the Sydney ETO, Mr Ricky Chong, welcomed the HKCC and highlighted the longstanding ties between Hong Kong and Australia. “Events like these resonate far beyond the concert hall. They remind us that our relationships are not only built on trade and economic exchange, but also on shared values, artistic collaboration, and community spirit,” he said.
Mr Chong said that the National 14th Five-Year Plan has expressed clear support for Hong Kong to develop into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange. The Government is committed to further strengthening Hong Kong’s role as Asia’s events capital. “With the official opening of the state-of-the-art Kai Tak Sports Park, we are welcoming a diverse array of large-scale international events, from major concerts and rugby matches to world-class football,” he added.
In celebration of the HKCC’s debut visit to New Zealand, the Sydney ETO also hosted a pre-performance reception yesterday (July 11) ahead of the “Dreams to Dream” concert in Auckland, further fostering cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and New Zealand.
Founded in 1969, the HKCC has grown into a diversified arts organisation for children. The HKCC has gained international acclaim for its performances and is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading children’s choirs.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, at the Student of the Year Awards 2024/25 Presentation Ceremony today (July 12):
Catherine (Chief Executive Officer of the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Ms Catherine So), Dr Lake Wang (Executive Director, People and Organisational Development of the Hong Kong Jockey Club), Tammy (Editor-in-Chief of the South China Morning Post, Ms Tammy Tam), Advisory Board members, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning. And what a great morning this is for Hong Kong. Today, we celebrate our secondary schools and the exceptional professionalism and dedication of principals, teachers and support staff. We also thank parents for their endless support. And, most importantly, we honour the students among us today – the winners and finalists of this 44th annual Student of the Year Awards.
This year, over 840 students from 177 schools were nominated. And that, I’m delighted to say, is a new record high for the Awards.
Rewarding excellence is no easy task, yet Hong Kong is fortunate to have so many deserving students.
The judging panel had the tough task of bringing all those impressive nominations down to 40 finalists for the Awards’ 10 student categories, including the Grand Prize.
The Government is firmly committed to youth development.
The Youth Development Blueprint for Hong Kong, released in late 2022, outlines our guiding principles for promoting long-term youth development. Its original 160-plus measures have been expanded, since then, to about 250, in an ongoing effort to ensure that the Blueprint evolves to meet the changing needs of our youth.
Our vision is to raise a new generation of youth instilled with a global perspective, a positive mindset and a deep love for our city and our country.
That demands a community-wide effort, including valued partnerships with organisations like the SCMP and the Jockey Club, working closely with educational institutions and families, to create an enabling environment for the youth of Hong Kong.
This year’s theme, “Building Tomorrow: Growth Through Action”, reflects that shared vision.
My congratulations to each and every one of this year’s awardees and finalists. Remember, this city, together with your proud parents, your school, teachers and mentors, and so many others who have helped you along the way, believe in you and look forward to your future with great expectations.
I am grateful to the South China Morning Post and the Hong Kong Jockey Club for organising this prestigious event year after year and, in doing so, putting a brilliant spotlight on education, our youth and Hong Kong.
My thanks, too, to the Awards’ judges, nearly 40 in all, for their invaluable time and expertise, and their compelling commitment to excellence.
Ladies and gentlemen, I know you will all enjoy this memorable day in the life.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, at the Student of the Year Awards 2024/25 Presentation Ceremony today (July 12):
Catherine (Chief Executive Officer of the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Ms Catherine So), Dr Lake Wang (Executive Director, People and Organisational Development of the Hong Kong Jockey Club), Tammy (Editor-in-Chief of the South China Morning Post, Ms Tammy Tam), Advisory Board members, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning. And what a great morning this is for Hong Kong. Today, we celebrate our secondary schools and the exceptional professionalism and dedication of principals, teachers and support staff. We also thank parents for their endless support. And, most importantly, we honour the students among us today – the winners and finalists of this 44th annual Student of the Year Awards.
This year, over 840 students from 177 schools were nominated. And that, I’m delighted to say, is a new record high for the Awards.
Rewarding excellence is no easy task, yet Hong Kong is fortunate to have so many deserving students.
The judging panel had the tough task of bringing all those impressive nominations down to 40 finalists for the Awards’ 10 student categories, including the Grand Prize.
The Government is firmly committed to youth development.
The Youth Development Blueprint for Hong Kong, released in late 2022, outlines our guiding principles for promoting long-term youth development. Its original 160-plus measures have been expanded, since then, to about 250, in an ongoing effort to ensure that the Blueprint evolves to meet the changing needs of our youth.
Our vision is to raise a new generation of youth instilled with a global perspective, a positive mindset and a deep love for our city and our country.
That demands a community-wide effort, including valued partnerships with organisations like the SCMP and the Jockey Club, working closely with educational institutions and families, to create an enabling environment for the youth of Hong Kong.
This year’s theme, “Building Tomorrow: Growth Through Action”, reflects that shared vision.
My congratulations to each and every one of this year’s awardees and finalists. Remember, this city, together with your proud parents, your school, teachers and mentors, and so many others who have helped you along the way, believe in you and look forward to your future with great expectations.
I am grateful to the South China Morning Post and the Hong Kong Jockey Club for organising this prestigious event year after year and, in doing so, putting a brilliant spotlight on education, our youth and Hong Kong.
My thanks, too, to the Awards’ judges, nearly 40 in all, for their invaluable time and expertise, and their compelling commitment to excellence.
Ladies and gentlemen, I know you will all enjoy this memorable day in the life.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Attention TV/radio announcers:
Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:
Here is an item of interest to swimmers.
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (July 12) that according to the Beach Water Quality Forecast System of the Environmental Protection Department (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/water/beach_quality/forecast_system.html), the Beach Water Quality Forecast Index for Golden Beach in Tuen Mun District is 4, which means the predicted water quality at this beach is “Very Poor” due to potential transient water quality fluctuations caused by heavy rain. The red flag has been hoisted, and beachgoers are advised not to enter the water to safeguard their health.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Hong Kong Customs detected two drug trafficking cases involving baggage concealment at Hong Kong International Airport yesterday (July 12) and seized a total of about 47 kilograms of suspected ketamine with an estimated market value of about $21 million and about 4 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine with an estimated market value of about $2.2 million.
The first case involved a female passenger, aged 58, who arrived in Hong Kong from Frankfurt, Germany, yesterday. During Customs clearance, the suspected ketamine, weighing about 47 kg in total, were found inside her check-in suitcases. The woman was subsequently arrested.
In the second case, an 18-year-old male passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia yesterday. During Customs clearance, a total of about 4 kg of suspected methamphetamine were seized in his carry-on suitcase. The man was subsequently arrested.
The investigation of the first case is ongoing. For the second case, the arrested man has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. The case will be brought up at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court tomorrow (July 14).
Customs will continue to step up enforcement against drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis. The department also reminds members of the public to stay alert and not participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary return. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. They are also reminded not to carry unknown items for other people.
Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.
Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.
Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/en).
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Hong Kong Customs detected two drug trafficking cases involving baggage concealment at Hong Kong International Airport yesterday (July 12) and seized a total of about 47 kilograms of suspected ketamine with an estimated market value of about $21 million and about 4 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine with an estimated market value of about $2.2 million.
The first case involved a female passenger, aged 58, who arrived in Hong Kong from Frankfurt, Germany, yesterday. During Customs clearance, the suspected ketamine, weighing about 47 kg in total, were found inside her check-in suitcases. The woman was subsequently arrested.
In the second case, an 18-year-old male passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia yesterday. During Customs clearance, a total of about 4 kg of suspected methamphetamine were seized in his carry-on suitcase. The man was subsequently arrested.
The investigation of the first case is ongoing. For the second case, the arrested man has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. The case will be brought up at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court tomorrow (July 14).
Customs will continue to step up enforcement against drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis. The department also reminds members of the public to stay alert and not participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary return. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. They are also reminded not to carry unknown items for other people.
Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.
Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.
Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/en).
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, will depart for Hainan Province and Harbin, Heilongjiang Province tomorrow morning (July 14) to meet with local leaders to discuss matters of mutual concern and explore ways to strengthen exchanges and co-operation.
During the visit, Mr Chan will also join activities of Mainland study tours under the Strive and Rise Programme to interact with participating mentees.
Mr Chan will return to Hong Kong in the afternoon on July 16. During Mr Chan’s absence, the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, will be the Acting Chief Secretary for Administration.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, will depart for Hainan Province and Harbin, Heilongjiang Province tomorrow morning (July 14) to meet with local leaders to discuss matters of mutual concern and explore ways to strengthen exchanges and co-operation.
During the visit, Mr Chan will also join activities of Mainland study tours under the Strive and Rise Programme to interact with participating mentees.
Mr Chan will return to Hong Kong in the afternoon on July 16. During Mr Chan’s absence, the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, will be the Acting Chief Secretary for Administration.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Transport Department today (July 13) reminded members of the public that the 57th round of computer ballot registration for submitting applications for Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles (the scheme) will be open from 10am tomorrow (July 14) to 11.59pm on July 17, and the ballot result will be announced on July 18.
Eligible applicants for the scheme can register for computer balloting through the designated website (www.hzmbqfs.gov.hk). Successful balloting applicants are required to submit applications for the scheme within the designated application period.
The Highways Department will hold briefing sessions on July 25, August 1 and August 7 – in Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, respectively – to outline details of the Hong Kong section of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Rail Link (HSWRL) project and an upcoming invitation of expressions of interest in it.
A crucial initiative in implementing the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the HSWRL will run from Hung Shui Kiu to Qianhai, in Shenzhen, enhancing the Greater Bay Area’s infrastructure connectivity and facilitating Hong Kong’s integration into national development.
Coupled with customs clearance co-location, the project will connect metro networks in Hong Kong’s western regions and those of Shenzhen. A trip from Hung Shui Kiu to Qianhai will take only 15 minutes, approximately, helping to foster a “one-hour living circle” in the bay area and enable convenient cross-boundary commerce, work, residency, study and travel.
The project will also boost the Northern Metropolis and cater to demand for transportation in Lau Fau Shan, Tsim Bei Tsui, Pak Nai and the Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen New Development Area.
The Government is undertaking preparations, including design work, for the Hong Kong section of the link. This includes statutory processes such as an environmental impact assessment and publication of plans in the Government Gazette.
The aim is to have the project ready for tendering in 2027. The shared goal of the governments of Hong Kong and Shenzhen is to commission the HSWRL in 2035.
Contractors, operators, consultants, railway system suppliers and rolling stock manufacturers are invited to attend the briefing sessions. The deadline for enrolment is July 18.
– having regard to its previous resolutions on China,
– having regard to the upcoming EU-China summit planned for 24 and 25 July 2025,
– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2024/1252 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 establishing a framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials and amending Regulations (EU) No 168/2013, (EU) 2018/858, (EU) 2018/1724 and (EU) 2019/1020(1), also known as the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA),
– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2024/1735 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 on establishing a framework of measures for strengthening Europe’s net-zero technology manufacturing ecosystem and amending Regulation (EU) 2018/1724(2)(Net-Zero Industry Act),
– having regard to the G7 Leaders’ statement on the G7 Critical Minerals Action Plan,
– having regard to the Commission communication of 26 February 2025 entitled ‘The Clean Industrial Deal: A joint roadmap for competitiveness and decarbonisation’ (COM(2025)0085),
– having regard to the clean trade and investment partnerships being negotiated by the EU, and to the EU’s critical raw material partnerships,
– having regard to the joint communication from the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 20 June 2023 on ‘European Economic Security Strategy’ (JOIN(2023)0020), and to the speeches about de-risking given by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the European Policy Centre on 30 March 2023 and in Parliament on 18 April 2023,
– having regard to the 13th EU-China Strategic Dialogue, held between the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, and the Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, in Brussels on 2 July 2025,
– having regard to the statements made by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the G7 summit held in Kananaskis, Canada from 16 to 17 June 2025,
– having regard to World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, in particular the principles of non-discrimination and of transparency regarding export restrictions,
– having regard to WTO dispute settlement rulings DS431, DS432 and DS433 on China’s rare earth export restrictions,
– having regard to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights,
– having regard to Rule 136(2) and (4) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas on 4 April 2025, China started to enact export restrictions on 7 of the 17 rare earth elements (REEs) and on permanent magnets produced from these, introducing a system for non-automatic licences, and cited dual-use and security considerations as justification; whereas the list of items covered by the restrictions includes medium and heavy REEs (samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium and yttrium);
B. whereas critical raw materials are essential inputs for a wide array of industrial products and processes, including in critical sectors such as clean technologies, digital technologies, healthcare and defence; whereas a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials is fundamental to achieving the Union’s climate, digital, competitiveness and defence objectives;
C. whereas export volumes have reportedly decreased by as much as 80 %, having a heavy impact on a wide range of sectors, including electronics and consumer tech, green energy and renewables, the automotive industry, aerospace and healthcare;
D. whereas the EU’s dependence on China for critical raw materials has continued to grow or, at best, remains stubbornly high; whereas the global REE supply chain is heavily concentrated in China, which has control of around 75 % of mining output and of 85 % of processing capacity, reaching more than 95 % in the case of some REEs such as terbium, yttrium and dysprosium; whereas the EU remains overly reliant on non-EU countries for the supply of critical raw materials (CRMs) and is almost entirely dependent on China for the supply of heavy REEs; whereas the EU covers 98 % of its demand for permanent magnets, and 92 % of its demand for NdFeB magnets, with imports from China;
E. whereas China has significantly expanded its dominance in the global mining, processing and refining of CRMs and intermediate products, creating strategic dependences along key value chains, , which have, at times, been deliberately leveraged through restrictive trade measures; whereas China first restricted the export of REEs in 2010 over a territorial dispute with Japan, and this restriction was declared incompatible with WTO rules by the Appellate Body; whereas China has also applied extensive restrictions on the export of raw minerals classified as strategic and/or critical by the EU, including gallium and germanium since 1 August 2023, graphite since December 2023, antimony products since 15 September 2024, tungsten and bismuth since 4 February 2025, and scandium since 17 April 2025;
F. whereas the implementation of these export restrictions has already started to cause severe disruptions to industry in the EU, including the automotive industry, with as many as 17 assembly lines experiencing temporary shutdowns in May 2025; whereas a wide array of sectors could face disruption, such as healthcare, space and defence – including fighter jets, frigates, drones and precision-guided weapons systems – wind turbines and batteries, as could the green and digital transitions more generally;
G. whereas China’s licensing procedure requires applicants to disclose sensitive information to the Chinese authorities, which breaches economic secrecy; whereas China’s updated export control framework of December 2024 gives greater discretionary powers to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, the State Council and the Central Military Commission to subject items not formally listed as dual-use goods to export controls; whereas these new regulations include measures with extraterritorial applications;
H. whereas the EU applies export controls to certain types of critical and advanced materials, but these controls are clearly focused on material types, with precise technical parameters relating to their use in specific military applications, do not affect trade in commercial non-sensitive products and account for only a small share of total exports of the materials in question;
I. whereas China has deliberately pursued a strategy of undercutting global market prices while keeping its domestic market closed, generally to the benefit of state-owned enterprises, and couples this with huge subsidy schemes, leading to significant distortions in global competition and jeopardising recent efforts by the EU and the Member States to keep the EU’s remaining mining sectors afloat;
J. whereas the EU adopted the CRMA in April 2024 as the starting point of efforts towards improving the resilience and autonomy of the EU’s supply of CRMs and strategic raw materials (SRMs); whereas the CRMA addresses both the supply side and the demand side, including through production targets, through resource efficiency aimed at moderating consumption, and through the substitution of SRMs; whereas circularity is at the core of the CRMA, which aims to cover 25 % of the Union’s SRM needs through recycling by 2030 and has the objective of recycling substantially larger amounts of each SRM from waste, including for permanent magnets;
K. whereas the upcoming EU-China summit is an opportunity to engage in dialogue while continuing to stand strong against coercion;
L. whereas China still has sanctions in place against a former MEP, members of Member State parliaments and European think tanks;
1. Strongly condemns China’s decision to enact REE export restrictions, which has halted exports and significantly disrupted supply chains vital for the automotive industry, defence manufacturers, semiconductor companies, green technologies, healthcare applications and many other sectors in the EU and across the world; considers that China’s action is unjustified and has a coercive intent, building on the enormous leverage its quasi-monopolistic position on the global market provides;
2. Believes that China is using these export restrictions to strengthen its negotiating position; stresses that the EU must firmly reject any attempts by China to use these restrictions to force concessions on other ongoing trade irritants, and believes that any concessions to China in this respect would harm the EU’s ability to protect itself from current and future coercion;
3. Underlines the importance of expressing concern regarding China’s export restrictions on REEs and the broader implications of these restrictions for global supply chains at the upcoming EU-China summit; is convinced that export controls should be part of a multilateral approach designed to protect international security and ensure a global level playing field, insists that unilateral controls must be limited to those made strictly necessary by national security considerations, with transparent and clearly defined rules, and therefore stresses that making China’s actions run counter to multilateral rules and practices, and calls on the Commission and the Member States to take a firm and unified stance, engage with China to find a structural solution and continue dialogue with China in this regard;
4. Urges the Chinese authorities to follow up tangibly on their proposal and fully lift the export restrictions; takes note, in the meantime, of the recent proposal by the Chinese authorities to establish so-called ‘green lanes’ aimed at simplifying procedures for European companies;
5. Stresses the urgent need for the EU to enhance its strategic leverage and indispensability by identifying, operationalising and strengthening areas in which it holds critical advantages over China in essential goods and technologies, with the objective of strengthening the EU’s strategic autonomy, or by limiting access to the EU internal market for high-risk Chinese vendors in accordance with EU and international trade law;
6. Considers China’s measures to be an unjustified weaponisation of its CRM supply lines, rendering it an untrustworthy source of input for critical sectors and a threat to the Union’s economic and essential security interests;
7. Expresses deep concern over the requirements, imposed by Chinese authorities, that applicants must disclose sensitive data when applying for export permits, and over the considerable risk of technology leaks associated with this as regards the defence industrial base value chain and national security secrets, stressing that this may be used for future coercion; considers it essential for the Commission and the Member States to assess and mitigate the security implications of such data transfers, in line with the European economic security strategy;
8. Urges the Commission and the Member States to accelerate the implementation of the CRMA; stresses the important role of the European Raw Materials Board and its sub-groups for the rapid and efficient implementation of the CRMA; recalls the clear and ambitious targets set to reinforce EU capacities to extract, process and recycle SRMs domestically by 2030; highlights the selection of the first 60 strategic projects under the CRMA;
9. Regrets the fact that the CRMA was not accompanied by a dedicated EU budget, despite the lack of funding being the main bottleneck; stresses the urgent need to secure investments in the strategic projects approved under the CRMA and in other projects to boost extraction, refining, processing and recycling that contribute to de-risking from China and to achieving the CRMA benchmarks; urges the Commission to dedicate further EU-level support to the diversification of the REE and CRM supply, and to guarantee that the forthcoming multiannual financial framework will include a budget line to foster investment in extraction, processing, circularity, research and innovation, including for the substitution of CRMs;
10. Underlines the need for the EU to mine domestically and re-establish processing capacity; underlines that increasing the efficiency of resource use through technological innovation is one of the objectives of the CRMA; emphasises the potential of recycling and urban mining to alleviate supply constraints in the short term and asks the Commission to take immediate measures to improve the collection and retention of REEs in the internal market;
11. Underlines the need to ensure the long-term business case for and the viability of investments in CRM value chains, including through financial support such as price floors, offtake support and strategic stockpiling; calls on the Member States to request that large companies producing technologies in strategic sectors duly and regularly carry out risk-preparedness activities and measures to mitigate supply shortages, including via stockpiling;
12. Calls on the Commission, together with the Member States, to assess the minimum level for the EU of strategic stocks of REEs listed as SRMs (neodymium, praseodymium, terbium, dysprosium, gadolinium, samarium and cerium) and the corresponding end-use applications, including those linked to the defence industry;
13. Calls, furthermore, for stronger engagement to conclude clean trade and investment partnerships (CTIPs) and bilateral strategic partnerships on raw materials that are based on true win-win partnerships and meet high sustainability and human rights standards; insists on the need to move towards binding agreements on CRMs to ensure the long-term security of the EU’s supplies, guarantee more transparency and ensure that Parliament has scrutiny powers; underlines the importance of free trade agreements and the Global Gateway initiative in enhancing access to CRMs;
14. Encourages the use of preference clauses for sourcing REEs from EU suppliers and trusted partners in relevant procurement legislation; calls for greater coordination with like-minded international partners, particularly within the G7 and NATO frameworks and with the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security, in order to improve knowledge transfer, align supply chain security, joint investments and stockpiling strategies, and develop trusted-source standards for strategic sectors and projects;
15. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States and the Government and Parliament of the People’s Republic of China.
Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation and the NDB Governor for Russia
H.E. Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman
Minister of Finance of the Republic of India and the NDB Governor for India
H.E. Mr. LAN Fo’an
Minister of Finance of the People’s Republic of China and the NDB Governor for China
Dr. David Masondo
Deputy Minister of Finance of the Republic of South Africa and the NDB Alternate Governor for South Africa
Mr. Md. Shahriar Kader Siddiky
Secretary, Economic Relations Division, Ministry of Finance of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and the NDB Alternate Governor for Bangladesh
Mr. Ali Sharafi
Acting Assistant Undersecretary for International Financial Relations Sector, Ministry of Finance of the United Arab Emirates and the NDB Temporary Alternate Governor for the United Arab Emirates
Mr. Atter Hannoura
Director of the PPP Central Unit, Ministry Director of the PPP Central Unit, Ministry of Finance of Egypt of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the NDB Temporary Alternate Governor for Egyptof Finance of Egypt of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the NDB Temporary Alternate Governor for Egypt
H.E. Mr. Abdelaziz Benali Cherif
Ambassador of Algeria to Brazil
H.E. Mr. Fernando Haddad
Minister of Finance of the Federative Republic of Brazil and the NDB Governor for Brazil
Diplomacy in the digital age: Foreign Secretary’s speech, July 2025
Foreign Secretary David Lammy delivered a speech on diplomacy in the digital age whilst in Singapore.
It’s great to be here today.
As you have heard, I recently marked 25 years as a member of Parliament and this week one year as Foreign Secretary. It’s a pleasure to visit your great country following your sixtieth birthday as a nation.
Whenever I’ve come to Singapore and the wider ASEAN region, I’m struck by the innovative spirit, the creativity and the optimism.
Sixty years ago, Prime Minister Harold Wilson talked of the “white heat of technology” transforming British society and industry. Today, the whole world is being radically reconfigured by technology, but nowhere faster, or more successfully, than here.
I’m particularly pleased to be here after my second ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Malaysia. In Laos last year, I promised to reconnect Britain to the Indo-Pacific and that is well underway.
In just over a year, I’ve made 5 visits spanning 10 countries to the region. I’ve no doubt this will rise during my time in this job.
The Indo-Pacific matters to the UK. ASEAN will be the world’s fastest-growing economic bloc over the next decade. Your investments into Britain like Malaysian firm SMD Semiconductor’s new R&D hub in Wales, your market of 700 million consumers are a huge part of our growth ambitions.
Over the past year, we have been delivering on our promise to bring our economies closer together. Our CPTPP membership now ratified, our free trade agreement with India now signed our Industrial and Trade Strategies now published all speak to a hugely ambitious future for Britain in the Indo-Pacific.
But we want to go much further. We’re working with ASEAN on their Power Grid and economic resilience. We support CPTPP widening, deepening, and starting dialogues with trading blocs like ASEAN and the EU.
We are exploring other agreements, too, like a deeper FTA with South Korea or accession to the Digital Economic Partnership Agreement which Singapore co-founded. Today’s ‘digital trade’ will tomorrow simply be ‘trade’, and Britain is committed to making it faster, cheaper and easier.
As you in Singapore know very well this region is the crucible for global security. Partner countries like Britain must stand up for an open, stable and rules-based international system because our region’s security and your region’s security are inextricably linked.
Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine drove market turbulence in Asia. Any major supply chain disruption in Asia could push prices up in Britain. If we have learnt one lesson over the past decade, it is that economic security does not respect borders.
That is why Britain’s new National Security Strategy recommitted to the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Our Carrier Strike Group recently sailed through your waters – a deployment involving 12 other nations.
We’re deepening our many regional security partnerships including AUKUS and the Five Power Defence Arrangements.
HMS Prince of Wales, as we’ve heard, is participating in Exercise Bersama Lima in September and the Malaysian chair kindly invited me to the ASEAN Regional Forum just yesterday, where I underlined British support for ASEAN centrality and our growing cooperation against transnational crime and illicit finance.
In Singapore, you have proven over generations that it is not size which determines success it is strategic clarity. This is true of technology more than any other area. Singapore has shown what’s possible when digital innovation is matched with long-term thinking and national purpose.
Back in 1981, when most of us were still working out what a computer was, your leaders set up a National Computerisation Committee. In 2014, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong launched the whole-of-government Smart Nation initiative. Then in 2019, Teo Chee Hean unveiled a National AI Strategy.
Each time, your leaders were ahead of the game. Each time there was a broader lesson. Singapore didn’t get ahead by throwing money at the private sector and hoping for the best.
Instead, you built serious public capability like SingPass, thanks to deep technical expertise inside government and investments in areas like compute and data infrastructure.
Starting in this job, I said that Britain needed to do more listening and less lecturing. A huge part of my trip this week has been to listen and, I hope, learn lessons on how we can pursue a similarly long-term strategy embracing technology. That vision must include specific focus on the intersection of AI and diplomacy.
This is not yet a staple of foreign ministry and foreign ministers’ discussions at least in my experience. But I believe that unless we lift our heads above the rat-race of crises and summits and examine the longer-term trends reshaping our world we will be boiled like the proverbial frog.
AI is not just the next rung in the technological ladder. It will deliver a paradigm shift in the distribution and exercise of power. It will redefine how nations project influence how threats emerge and how we defend ourselves. It will therefore transform how diplomacy is conducted.
As Prime Minister Wong said earlier this year: “The once-rising tide of global cooperation that defined the past decades is giving way to one of growing competition and distrust. As a result, the world is becoming more fragmented and disorderly”.
There is much evidence of emerging technology catalysing the deterioration of both domestic and international norms. AI is at the spearhead of hybrid threats like disinformation. It is not enough for responsible states to complain about others’ reckless behaviour.
If we do not invest in gaining technological edge then our influence will inevitably decline. So today I want to outline a more hopeful vision of a sovereign, AI-enabled foreign policy.
I am proud of the role British diplomacy played at the Bletchley AI Safety Summit, our creation of the AI Security Institute, our plans for a new counter-hybrid taskforce in the FCDO to ready us for this new age.
I’m pleased also to see our work with Singapore in areas such as Responsible AI in the Military Realm and with ASEAN on AI for development.
But there has been little discussion between Britain and partners in the Indo-Pacific and beyond on how to use AI and advanced technology to make our diplomacy more effective.
I am determined to address this gap as Foreign Secretary, bringing AI to the centre of the FCDO’s policy machine. Like most foreign ministries, too many Foreign Office practices have changed little over the past half century. But the old levers of government – briefings, memos, lengthy debates on drafting – are too slow and cumbersome for the pace of modern statecraft.
In an age of ever-accelerating speed and complexity we need the tools to match. Let me be clear: AI will obviously not solve foreign policy. It will not eliminate risk, nor remove the need for careful human judgement and the ability of people to build trusting relationships, as I have been doing with ASEAN partners this week.
Diplomacy in 2025 needs machine speed and a human touch. It can help us to make better decisions amidst rising uncertainty. It can improve our ability to detect early signals of crisis, to simulate the likely effects of policy choices and to respond with speed and confidence.
Imagine for a moment an AI-powered unit at the heart of a foreign ministry. That could catalyse patterns of military movement, energy flows, and online narratives, model how a diplomatic crisis in one part of the world will have ripple effects elsewhere, red-team our response to a crisis – attacking our own policies before others can. Or flag emerging risks that human analysts might miss, especially when they emerge in grey zones favoured by adversaries.
These capabilities are not science fiction. They are already being employed. The United States’ DARPA and KAIROS projects already simulate complex political developments and anticipate conflict escalation. Estonia’s STRATCOM Centre uses AI-enabled systems to detect disinformation campaigns in real time.
Of course, Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry uses predictive analytics to flag risks to critical supply chains.
The question before us is not whether AI will shape foreign policy. It is who will shape it, and how.
In the British Foreign Office, this government is investing £290 million in reforming our Department, helping to equip our teams with the capabilities and technologies that the modern era demands.
But outside of the United States and China, no country has the scale to deliver all the capabilities we need independently.
My call today is therefore for more collaboration, more AI diplomacy within a perimeter of values. I want partners such as Britain and Singapore to align standards, share tools and develop models that reflect our shared principles.
Deep bilateral partnerships will be at the core of Britain’s approach. For us, our special relationship with the United States will remain foundational rooted in particular on our deep security links.
With the European Union, we can pursue AI cooperation through the prism of foreign policy and security, not just regulation, and I will be discussing this with Kaja Kallas as part of our recently agreed Security and Defence Partnership.
With India through the ‘Technology Security Initiative’ we agreed last year, we will focus collaboration more sharply in critical and emerging technologies.
And with other Indo-Pacific partners I hope that we can build on initiatives like the UK-ASEAN AI Innovation Summit later this year and extend cooperation to AI-enabled foreign policy.
I said that you in Singapore have shown the power of long-term thinking. The importance of a long-term vision, and I hope we can apply that same approach to breaking down the silos between foreign policy and technology.
We live in a volatile world. Technology is reshaping our societies, making power more diffuse. Nations like Britain and Singapore need to equip ourselves with the tools to navigate these shifts and that means fusing AI and diplomacy, focusing on a long view of change and doubling down on our shared interests.
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
A key meeting of the Council of the Consortium of Educational and Scientific Organizations was held, dedicated to the approval of candidates for the honorary title of “Ambassador of Russian Education and Science”. In February 2023, an agreement was signed on the consortium for the implementation of the “Ambassadors of Russian Education and Science” program, among its participants is the Polytechnic University. The session considered 21 submissions from 12 Russian universities. The Polytechnic nominated Liu Wei (China) and Issa Togo (Mali).
The activities of both candidates have been promoting Russian education abroad for decades. Secretary General of the Institute of Russia at Tsinghua University Liu Wei has been overseeing scientific and technical cooperation with the Russian Federation since 2002. Dozens of projects have been implemented under her leadership, including Russian-Chinese dialogues on innovation, the creation of Russian language testing centers, and youth competitions.
A 1985 graduate of the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute, associate professor at SPbPU and Honorary Consul of Mali in St. Petersburg, Issa Togo coordinates academic ties with African universities, participates in the reform of higher education in Mali and heads a large-scale hydroelectric project.
The consortium council unanimously approved the candidates, sending the documents for final approval to the Russian Ministry of Education and Science. If successful, Liu Wei and Issa Togo will join the ranks of 24 current ambassadors from 22 countries.
“Liu Wei and Issa Togo are not just allies, but living bridges between cultures. Their dedication to education is the polytechnic spirit in action: when a graduate, wherever he is, continues to carry the banner of his alma mater. We are proud that it is our candidates who set the tone in promoting Russian values abroad. Their recognition is an investment in the future, where science and education know no boundaries,” commented Dmitry Arsenyev, Vice-Rector for International Affairs at SPbPU.
Under the program “Ambassadors of Russian Education and Science”, which unites 44 universities of the country, since 2023, 24 experts from Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America have been awarded the title. Polytechnic University is traditionally among the most active participants in the initiative.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
World news story
UK Trade Policy updated to benefit citizens and allies
Boost for British consumers and Developing Countries as UK launches new trade measures
New measures will make it easier for developing countries to trade, supporting jobs and economic growth in the UK overseas.
UK businesses and consumers to benefit from more competitively priced imports as part of upgrades to the Developing Countries Trading Scheme.
Part of the UK’s Plan for Change and recently launched Trade Strategy to grow trade with markets of the future, strengthen global partnerships and deliver for British households.
British consumers and businesses are set to benefit from a package of new trade measures unveiled today (10 July), which will simplify imports from developing countries — helping to lower prices on everyday goods while supporting jobs and growth in some of the world’s poorest nations.
The measures will give UK consumers greater access to competitively priced imports — from clothes to food and electronics — as upgrades to the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) make it easier for businesses to trade with the UK, helping to lower prices on the high street.
Upgrades include simplified rules of origin, enabling more goods from countries like Nigeria, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines to enter the UK tariff-free — even when using components from across Asia and Africa. They also ensure countries such as Bangladesh and Cambodia continue to benefit with zero tariffs on products like garments and electronics.
This will open up new commercial opportunities for UK businesses to build resilient supply chains, invest in emerging markets, and tap into fast-growing economies.
Ministers briefed British business leaders and Ambassadors from around the world on the changes at a joint Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) reception in London today.
Minister for International Development Jenny Chapman, said:
The world is changing. Countries in the Global South want a different relationship with the UK as a trading partner and investor, not as a donor.
These new rules will make it easier for developing countries to trade more closely with the UK. This is good for their economies and for UK consumers and businesses.
Minister for Trade Policy Douglas Alexander, said:
No country has ever lifted itself out of poverty without trading with its neighbours.
Over recent decades trade has been an essential ingredient in lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty around the globe.
The DCTS allows some of the world’s poorest countries to export to the UK duty and quota-free, with over £16 billion in UK imports benefiting from tariff savings since its launch in June 2023.
In addition to the DCTS changes, the UK will:
offer targeted support to help exporters in developing countries access the UK market and meet import standards; and
make it easier for partner countries to trade services — such as digital, legal, and financial services — by strengthening future trade agreements. This will create new opportunities for UK businesses to collaborate and invest in fast-growing sectors.
The reforms will support trade with emerging markets in Asia and Africa, strengthening the UK’s global partnerships, with major retailers such as M&S and Primark expected to benefit.
Director of Sourcing, Marks & Spencer PLC, Monique Leeuwenburgh said:
We are supportive of changes to the DCTS rules of origin for garments.
The ongoing collaboration between the government and retail industry has provided clarity and certainty for businesses in good time.
This change will enable us to maintain our long-standing and trusted relationships with our key partners in Bangladesh, to deliver the same great quality Clothing & Home products at great value for our customers.
Interim Chief Executive at Primark, Eoin Tonge said:
We welcome the changes to the DCTS rules of origin for garments which remove the potential cliff edge when a country graduates from Least Developed Country status.
This will help us to maintain our existing supply chain strategy in our key sourcing markets in Asia, such as Bangladesh and Cambodia.
We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with the government on these changes and their responsiveness to the concerns of UK retailers in this very technical area of trade policy.
Adam Mansell, CEO, The UK Fashion & Textiles Association said said:
UKFT welcomes these additional changes to the Rules of Origin under the DCTS, which will bring real benefits to the fashion industry in the UK and in DCTS countries.
The new rules demonstrate a genuine commitment from the government to modernise trade policy to support global economic growth.
At a time of such uncertainty in international trade, these reforms are especially welcome.
Yohan Lawrence, Secretary General of the Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF), Sri Lanka, said:
We warmly welcome the UK’s Trade Strategy.
The new rules allowing greater regional sourcing for garments while retaining duty-free access to the UK are a game-changer.
With the UK as our second-largest apparel market, this will boost exports, support livelihoods, and help us compete more fairly with global competitors.
The updated rules are part of the UK’s wider Trade for Development offer which aims to support economic growth in partner countries while helping UK businesses and consumers access high-quality, affordable goods.
And just last month, the UK’s Trade Strategy was published in further support of the Plan for Change to grow the economy, strengthen international ties, and deliver for households across the UK.
Notes to editors:
Launched in 2023, following the UK’s exit from the EU, the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) is the UK’s flagship trade preference scheme, covering 65 countries and offering reduced or zero tariffs on thousands of products.
The UK is committed to growing services trade with developing countries, supporting digital trade and professional services.
The announcement follows engagement with UK businesses and international partners, major importers and trade associations.
SINGAPORE, July 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — UFLY Capital is proud to report a strong performance for the first half of 2025, achieving a net return of 6.25% (after management fees) and an annualized internal rate of return (IRR) of 20.05% as of June 30. This performance notably outpaced key benchmarks, including the S&P 500 (+4.21%) and Bitcoin (~+7.5%).
Founded by the co-founders of UXLINK along with a group of seasoned investors and entrepreneurs, UFLY Capital—through its venture arm UFLY Labs—is committed to supporting the UXLINK ecosystem and advancing early-stage innovation across blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI).
H1 2025 Highlights:
Successfully completed full regulatory compliance and CIMA registration
Maintained high-conviction, long-term positions in Bitcoin (BTC), AI, and UXLINK
Employed a barbell strategy across traditional finance, including strategic allocations to U.S. and Hong Kong equities, USD-denominated bonds, and gold
Invested in 23 high-potential Web3 and AI projects—with 60% having conducted token generation events (TGEs) and 40% currently listed on top-tier exchanges such as Binance, OKX, Bybit, UPbit, and Bithumb
Leveraged the UXLINK global community to provide a robust ecosystem advantage and accelerate portfolio growth
Strategic Outlook for H2 2025:
Continued strategic exposure to Bitcoin and UXLINK, with a focus on selective primary market opportunities
Increased allocations toward Nasdaq-listed technology stocks and high-growth Hong Kong tech equities
Strengthened support for XerpaAI, a next-generation AI platform designed to scale emerging tech ventures
Ongoing investments in high-yield, long-duration USD bonds to ensure stable cash flow, coupled with expanded gold holdings to mitigate inflation risk
“UFLY Capital remains committed to disciplined investing with a focus on innovation, compliance, and sustainable value creation,” said Neal Wong,Co founder and Limited Partner, uflycapital “We continue to position ourselves at the intersection of blockchain, AI, and traditional finance, leveraging global communities and market insight to drive long-term performance.”
Disclaimer: This content is provided byUFLY Capital. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice.Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector—including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining—complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed.Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility. Globenewswire does not endorse any content on this page.
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SINGAPORE, July 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — UFLY Capital is proud to report a strong performance for the first half of 2025, achieving a net return of 6.25% (after management fees) and an annualized internal rate of return (IRR) of 20.05% as of June 30. This performance notably outpaced key benchmarks, including the S&P 500 (+4.21%) and Bitcoin (~+7.5%).
Founded by the co-founders of UXLINK along with a group of seasoned investors and entrepreneurs, UFLY Capital—through its venture arm UFLY Labs—is committed to supporting the UXLINK ecosystem and advancing early-stage innovation across blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI).
H1 2025 Highlights:
Successfully completed full regulatory compliance and CIMA registration
Maintained high-conviction, long-term positions in Bitcoin (BTC), AI, and UXLINK
Employed a barbell strategy across traditional finance, including strategic allocations to U.S. and Hong Kong equities, USD-denominated bonds, and gold
Invested in 23 high-potential Web3 and AI projects—with 60% having conducted token generation events (TGEs) and 40% currently listed on top-tier exchanges such as Binance, OKX, Bybit, UPbit, and Bithumb
Leveraged the UXLINK global community to provide a robust ecosystem advantage and accelerate portfolio growth
Strategic Outlook for H2 2025:
Continued strategic exposure to Bitcoin and UXLINK, with a focus on selective primary market opportunities
Increased allocations toward Nasdaq-listed technology stocks and high-growth Hong Kong tech equities
Strengthened support for XerpaAI, a next-generation AI platform designed to scale emerging tech ventures
Ongoing investments in high-yield, long-duration USD bonds to ensure stable cash flow, coupled with expanded gold holdings to mitigate inflation risk
“UFLY Capital remains committed to disciplined investing with a focus on innovation, compliance, and sustainable value creation,” said Neal Wong,Co founder and Limited Partner, uflycapital “We continue to position ourselves at the intersection of blockchain, AI, and traditional finance, leveraging global communities and market insight to drive long-term performance.”
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Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
National economic development zones play key role in attracting foreign investment
BEIJING, July 14 — Since their establishment over 40 years ago, China’s national economic development zones have made opening up a top priority, and have been at the “first echelon” in promoting foreign trade and attracting foreign investment, said Ji Xiaofeng, an official with the Ministry of Commerce.
Over the four decades, these zones have made continuous efforts in self-improvement and have been committed to creating a high-quality, law-based business environment, Ji said on the latest episode of the China Economic Roundtable, the all-media talk show hosted by Xinhua News Agency.
By the end of 2024, China had established 232 national economic development zones, which together host more than 60,000 foreign-invested companies.
Among these, Japanese electronics giant Panasonic was one of the earliest foreign investors in the Chinese market. Today, it has three subsidiaries in Suzhou Industrial Park, located in east China’s Jiangsu Province.
According to an annual ranking released by the commerce ministry, Suzhou Industrial Park ranked first among all national economic development zones in China in terms of development level at the end of 2024, maintaining its leading position for the ninth consecutive year.
“The industrial park’s location, industrial chain, and policy support make it very attractive to us and have greatly benefited our investment and development not only in Suzhou, but across China as a whole,” said Zhao Bingdi, president of Panasonic China.
By offering highly professional services, such as facilitating government-business exchanges, the industrial park is dedicated to helping companies improve operational efficiency and stay informed about the latest policy measures, Zhao said.
In May, the commerce ministry unveiled a work plan to further deepen reform and innovation in national economic development zones, marking one of China’s latest moves to strengthen the role of these zones in promoting high-level opening up.
“We have been a witness to and a beneficiary of China’s reform and opening up. As the country shifts toward high-quality development, we remain committed to our ongoing growth here,” Zhao said.
