Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
OpenAI on Tuesday announced the launch of o3-pro, the company’s most advanced reasoning artificial intelligence (AI) model to date.
O3-pro is a version of OpenAI’s o3, a reasoning model first introduced earlier this year. Reasoning models solve problems step by step, making them more reliable in fields such as physics, mathematics, and computer programming.
The o3-pro model is available starting Tuesday for ChatGPT Pro and Team users, replacing the previous o1-pro model. Enterprise and Edu users will gain access the following week, according to OpenAI. O3-pro is also now live in OpenAI’s developer API as of Tuesday afternoon.
The model is priced at 20 U.S. dollars per million input tokens and 80 dollars per million output tokens in the API. One million input tokens are approximately equivalent to 750,000 words.
“In expert evaluations, reviewers consistently preferred o3-pro over o3 in every tested category — especially in key areas like science, education, programming, business, and writing assistance,” OpenAI stated. “Reviewers also rated o3-pro consistently higher for clarity, comprehensiveness, instruction-following, and accuracy.”
O3-pro has access to a range of tools, including web browsing, file analysis, visual reasoning, Python execution, and personalized memory-based responses, according to the company.
In internal testing, o3-pro achieved impressive results in widely used AI benchmarks. On AIME 2024, which assesses mathematical ability, o3-pro outperformed Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro. It also surpassed Anthropic’s Claude 4 Opus on GPQA Diamond, a benchmark for PhD-level science knowledge, the company reported.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Uncertainty remained high among U.S. small businesses in May, according to data released Tuesday from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).
“Although optimism recovered slightly in May, uncertainty is still high among small business owners,” said NFIB chief economist Bill Dunkelberg. “While the economy will continue to stumble along until the major sources of uncertainty are resolved, owners reported more positive expectations on business conditions and sales growth.”
According to the small business optimism index, a net 1 percent of small business owners viewed current inventory stocks as “too low” in May, up 7 points from the month prior and the highest reading since August 2022.
This was the largest monthly increase in the survey’s history.
The net percent of owners expecting better business conditions rose 10 points from April to a net 25 percent.
The net percent of owners expecting higher real sales volumes rose 11 points from April to a net 10 percent. This component contributed the most to the small business optimism index’s improvement.
This occured amid President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
With young talents honed and some tough lessons learned, China’s new-look women’s volleyball team kicked off its comeback to international contention with a hard test at the Volleyball Nations League showpiece.
Despite a tearful ending at the hands of its bitter rival Turkiye, China’s fresh-faced squad signed off its first major international event in the new Olympic cycle at the VNL’s Beijing leg with quite a positive takeaway, leaving fans and pundits alike buoyed by the young unit’s growth potential in the build-up to the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
But even with the home crowd clapping on their feet to acknowledge their effort, Chinese players left the court unsatisfied with an opportunity wasted to avenge their quarterfinal loss to Turkiye at Paris 2024, after they let slip a 24-20 advantage in the fourth set, having led 2-1 overall, to lose 3-2 to the European champion on Sunday in the final match at the Beijing tournament.
Zhang Zixuan sets up the ball for Wang Yuanyuan during Sunday’s Volleyball Nations League match against Turkiye in Beijing. XINHUA
It wasn’t a disgrace at all for the rebuilt team to be narrowly defeated by the women’s world No 3 and VNL’s 2023 season winner, which provided a steep, yet helpful, learning curve for China’s young hopefuls to grow.
“Given the gap between us and the Turkish team at the moment, expectations were not that high (before the match), but I think we proved tonight that we can at least put up a fight against them and make them work,” China’s outside hitter Zhuang Yushan said after the match at Beijing’s National Indoor Stadium.
“We lost the match, but boosted our confidence. I think we will be braver facing world-class opponents in the next event,” said Zhuang, who scored 24 points (21 kills, two blocks and one service ace) to lead the host on Sunday.
China’s other outside hitter Wu Mengjie, despite walking off the court in tears, summed up the near-miss as a painful step forward.
“A loss like tonight stings for sure, but an experience like this is invaluable. We learned that we have to take care of the process better,” said a weeping Wu, who scored 18 points in the match against Turkiye, which played in Beijing without its star spikers Melissa Vargas and Ebrar Karakurt.
Team China, led by new head coach Zhao Yong, eventually capped off the home VNL leg with two wins (over Belgium and France) and two losses (the other to Poland) to finish in seventh place after the first week of the 18-nation preliminary phase.
The next prelim stage takes place from June 16-22 in Hong Kong, where Team China will take on Japan, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Italy.
Citing the lack of international experience, Zhao calls for patience and support for his players to mature through ups and downs to gradually live up to fans’ high demands for the celebrated national program.
“I think our players have stood up to the grind and made solid progress after four matches,” said the 49-year-old former coach of domestic league team Liaoning, who was appointed the national squad’s new boss in April.
“It’s the first international meet at the senior level for a lot of our players. They do need a process to develop, in terms of handling key points under pressure and making the right adjustment mentally.”
Zhao’s appointment, replacing the squad’s long-term mentor Cai Bin, and his call-up of 12 new players, who made their national team debut in Beijing, reflect the national governing body’s resolve to revitalize the once glorious program, following a series of international flops in recent years, and bring it back into medal contention in time for the Olympic campaign at LA 2028.
Since winning its first World Cup in 1981, the Chinese women’s team has collected a total of 10 world titles, including three Olympic gold medals (1984, 2004 and 2016) and two world championships (1982,1986), emerging as a source of inspiration for almost all walks of life across the country.
The home VNL event has served up a high-profile stage for some of the host’s best young guns, particularly teen combo Zhang Zixuan and Wang Aoqian, to make their presence felt.
As the Chinese women’s team’s youngest starter in history, the 16-year-old setter Zhang stole the show in the host’s opening game against Belgium by nicely setting up the offense play for four teammates to score in double digits in China’s 3-0 win over the European team on last Wednesday.
“I was a little bit nervous at first, but the home fans’ enthusiasm inspired me and helped me get myself into the game very quickly,” said Zhang, who led China to win the FIVB Volleyball Girls’ U17 World Championship in 2024.
Another teen prospect who turned heads at the Beijing meet was 17-year-old middle blocker Wang, who impressed coach Zhao and her senior teammates with composure and aggressiveness beyond her years.
“When coach Zhao asked me to warm up, I was so nervous that I felt like I was shaking, but my teammates helped calm me down,” Wang said of her debut on Saturday in Team China’s 3-0 victory over France where she contributed six points off the bench. “When attacking, I think I can contribute. Since the coach trusted me, I just gave it my all.”
Zhao, a renowned mentor of young talents with his Liaoning team at the club level, took pride from the performances of the fresh blood.
“We needed to improve our middle attack, and Wang Aoqian has good chemistry with our setter Zhang Zixuan. For a 17-year-old playing her first big international match and being called upon during a tough moment she did really well,” Zhao said.
Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins on the harmful impacts of the “Department of Government Efficiency’s” (DOGE) actions on the United States Forest Service (USFS). The letter stresses the USFS’ operational failures that are occurring due to new layers of red tape required by DOGE, such as accumulating garbage at recreational sites and a lack of firefighting equipment in preparation of wildfires.
“I write to express deep concern regarding the devastating impact of the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) actions at the United States Forest Service (USFS). New layers of red tape installed by DOGE have created dysfunction, confusion, and uncertainty at the agency,” Heinrich began. “Elon Musk and DOGE promised to make government more efficient and to root out waste. Instead, their actions have made the agency less efficient, and as a result, critical supplies are missing and garbage is piling up across the National Forest System.”
USFS manages more than 30,000 recreation sites around the country. Recreation on the National Forest System draws in 160 million visitors annually, which contributes over $13 billion to the economy and supports more than 160,000 jobs. As a result of President Trump’s Executive Order 14222, DOGE is now required to approve new or extended contracts at the Forest Service, even for routine activities or critical supplies.
Heinrich continued, “Contracts for janitorial services that previously received approval in mere days are now reportedly taking a month or longer to complete. The delay has led to garbage piling up at recreation sites and toilets going uncleaned or unemptied. The threat to public health and safety from contracting delays is not limited to custodial services. The additional levels of review mandated by DOGE have also reportedly slowed down or halted wildfire preparedness efforts, including the acquisition of firefighting equipment and helicopters.”
“Despite your assurances, it is clear that massive staff reductions, coupled with operational delays at USFS, have left the agency ill-prepared to meet the many challenges brought on by the summer months,” Heinrich pressed, citing Rollins’ recent comments at an event with Secretary Burgum, where she expressed that her agency is taking the fire season very seriously, and that federal wildland firefighters are ready to respond.
Heinrich concluded the letter by requesting detailed answers from Rollins on the Forest Service’s current contracting and procurement procedures, including approval timelines, personnel involved, and the status or justification for contract modifications, terminations, or denials related to firefighting and support services.
Read the full letter here and below:
Dear Secretary Rollins:
I write to express deep concern regarding the devastating impact of the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) actions at the United States Forest Service (USFS). New layers of red tape installed by DOGE have created dysfunction, confusion, and uncertainty at the agency. Elon Musk and DOGE promised to make government more efficient and to root out waste. Instead, their actions have made the agency less efficient, and as a result, critical supplies are missing and garbage is piling up across the National Forest System.
As you know, USFS manages more than 30,000 recreation sites around the country where Americans hike, bike, picnic, camp, fish, and engage in other recreational activities. Nearly 160 million people visit the National Forest System annually. A visit to our public lands not only improves visitors’ physical and mental health, but also provides access to cultural and heritage opportunities that build community and a sense of national pride. The economic benefits associated with the National Forest System are equally as pronounced. Outdoor recreation on the Nation Forest System alone contributes over $13 billion to the economy and supports more than 160,000 jobs. Despite the clear benefits of a fully-functioning USFS, DOGE has undermined the agency at every turn and prevented USFS from carrying out its core responsibilities.
According to a recent report, USFS has suffered significant operational failings since DOGE personnel arrived at the agency. New processes instituted by DOGE have led to lengthy approval times for contracts, significantly diminishing the agency’s ability to meet basic functions and needs. Contracts for janitorial services that previously received approval in mere days are now reportedly taking a month or longer to complete. The delay has led to garbage piling up at recreation sites and toilets going uncleaned or unemptied.
The threat to public health and safety from contracting delays is not limited to custodial services. The additional levels of review mandated by DOGE have also reportedly slowed down or halted wildfire preparedness efforts, including the acquisition of firefighting equipment and helicopters. Firefighting operations are extremely equipment intensive and must often set up in remote locations. Operational flexibility and contracting speed are therefore critical to successful firefighting efforts and public safety.
You appeared with Secretary Burgum at an event last month and said, “[w]e are taking this fire season very seriously, and our federal wildland firefighters are prepared to respond.” Despite your assurances, it is clear that massive staff reductions, coupled with operational delays at USFS, have left the agency ill-prepared to meet the many challenges brought on by the summer months.
In light of these concerns, I request responses to the following questions by June 24, 2025:
1. According to recent reporting, the process for getting new procurements or contracts approved has changed several times. Please describe in detail the process for getting new procurements approved at the agency. In responding to this question, please include the following:
a. The amount of time typically needed to receive approval.
b. How many personnel are required to approve procurements or contracts related to routine equipment replacement or maintenance.
c. Whether the approval chain includes the General Services Administration or other personnel outside the Forest Service.
2. Please describe in detail the process for getting modifications to existing contracts approved.
a. The amount of time typically needed to receive approval.
b. How many personnel are required to approve procurements or contracts related to routine equipment replacement or maintenance.
c. Whether the approval chain includes the General Services Administration or other personnel outside the Forest Service.
3. In February 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order (EO) 14222 establishing requirements for new and existing contracts.9 Please provide the following information:
a. The EO states, “[e]ach Agency Head, in consultation with the agency’s DOGE Team Lead, shall conduct a comprehensive review of each agency’s contracting policies, procedures, and personnel. Each Agency Head shall complete this process within 30 days of the date of this order and shall not issue or approve new contracting officer warrants during the review period, unless the Agency Head determines such approval is necessary.” Have you completed this process? Did you determine any contract approvals were necessary during the review period? b. The EO states, “[f]ollowing the review specified in subsection (c) of this section, and prior to entering into new contracts, each Agency Head shall, in consultation with the agency’s DOGE Team Lead, issue guidance on signing new contracts or modifying existing contracts to promote Government efficiency and the policies of my Administration. The Agency Head may approve new contracts prior to the issuance of such guidance on a case-by-case basis.” Did you approve any new contracts or modifications prior to the issuance of guidance?
4. Please provide a list of all Department contracts for goods and services DOGE has identified for termination or renegotiation. In responding to this question, please provide the following information:
a. A description of each contract DOGE has identified for termination or renegotiation and the current status.
b. DOGE’s justification for terminating or renegotiating the contract.
5. Since January 20, 2025, has the Department terminated or recompeted any contract for goods and services? If so, please provide the following information for each contract terminated or recompeted:
a. A description of the contract terminated or recompeted.
b. The reason the Department terminated or recompeted the contract.
6. Since January 20, 2025, has the Department entered into any new contracts for goods and services? If so, please provide detailed information.
7. Since January 20, 2025, has the agency received any complaints from staff about lengthy times to get janitorial services contracts approved or awarded? If so, please explain.
8. DOGE reportedly denied funding to continue using smoke detection devices called “sniffers.” The agency also reportedly got rid of support for a platform used by firefighters to acquire equipment and track critical supplies.10 Are these reports accurate? If so, please explain your rationale.
9. Is DOGE approval required each time contracted fire aviation assets are mobilized for water or fireretardant drops?
10. Is DOGE approval required for each contract for locally-owned equipment that the Forest Service can mobilize through individual contracts with farmers and ranchers, such as bulldozers and backhoes?
11. Is DOGE approval required for fire camp contractors, such as caterers, medical personnel, or providers of portable toilets and showers?
Thank you for your attention to this important matter. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact my staff at (202) 224-4971.
Sincerely,
Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) joined the New Mexico Congressional Delegation and Tina Cordova, Co-Founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, to mark the one-year anniversary since the Radiation Exposure Compensation (RECA) Reauthorization Act, legislation to compensate Americans exposed to radiation by government nuclear programs, expired after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives failed to reauthorize RECA in June 2024.
Heinrich has reintroduced legislation to extend and expand RECA since his first Senate term, starting in 2013.
“In the year since the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act expired, thousands of Americans lost compensation for health conditions caused by radiation exposure on behalf of our national security. And thousands of additional victims, victims who were never adequately compensated under the original bill, lost their chance to finally be included,” said Heinrich. “Our federal government has a moral responsibility to support Americans that helped defend our country– and it has a moral responsibility to include all people who were exposed. That begins with reauthorizing RECA and amending it to include those who have been left out for far too long. To the families impacted: keep telling your stories. Keep raising your voices. Together, that’s how we’ll reintroduce RECA, and it’s how we will make it the law of the land.”
In January, Heinrich joined U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), along with U.S. Senators Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) to reintroduce their Radiation Exposure Compensation (RECA) Reauthorization Act to compensate Americans exposed to radiation by government nuclear programs.
Despite the Senate passing this bill last Congress, the House of Representatives failed to pass RECA reauthorization before its expiration deadline in June 2024.
Last fall, Heinrich joined Luján and U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.), and advocates and survivors who traveled all the way across the country from New Mexico for a press conference calling on Speaker Mike Johnson to hold a vote on a Senate-passed bill that would strengthen RECA.
Heinrich also pressed Speaker Mike Johnson to immediately take up the Senate-passed and fully comprehensive RECA extension in a bipartisan, bicameral letter.
In March 2024, Heinrich delivered remarks on the Senate floor urging his colleagues to reauthorize and expand RECA. Later that day, Heinrich secured Senate passage of bipartisan legislation to reauthorize and expand RECA to compensate individuals exposed to radiation while working in uranium mines or living downwind from atomic weapons tests.
Heinrich’s remarks from today, as prepared for delivery, are below:
It’s been one full year since the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act expired.
And not only have thousands of Americans lost compensation for health conditions caused by radiation exposure on behalf of our national security.
But thousands of additional victims, victims who were never adequately compensated under the original bill, also lost their chance to finally be included.
These victims include Tularosa Downwinders who were exposed to the Trinity Test in New Mexico;
All of the uranium workers who were exposed to radiation in service to our nation’s defense, not just the miners;
And all Americans who were directly impacted by our nation’s nuclear testing program, across the country and around the world.
Those Americans include people like my father. When he served in the Navy, my dad witnessed two above-ground nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands.
It was only later in life that we began to understand how much his health challenges were tied to those tests.
Our federal government has a moral responsibility to support Americans that helped defend our country– and it has a moral responsibility to include all people who were exposed.
That begins with reauthorizing RECA and amending it to include those who have been left out for far too long.
To the families impacted: keep telling your stories. Keep raising your voices.
Together, that’s how we’ll reintroduce RECA, and it’s how we will make it the law of the land.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
According to China Railway Harbin Group, more than 2,000 trains have traveled along the Eastern Corridor in the first five months of 2025, accounting for 26.3% of the national total. The proportion of return trips is 31.9% of the national total. This is conducive to the further implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative.
The Eastern Corridor includes the Manzhouli, Suifenhe and Tongjiang railway crossings. There are currently 27 routes in operation, connecting 14 countries including Poland, Germany and the Netherlands with more than 60 cities in China such as Changsha, Zhengzhou, Chengdu and Suzhou. It is an important element of connectivity and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and countries along the Belt and Road.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
In 2024, the State Immigration Administration of the People’s Republic of China issued a total of 2.597 million visas and residence permits to foreigners. One of the recipients of such a document was an Italian woman, Carolina Di Condio from Milan. Since she was responsible for working with Asian markets in the company, the girl began to study Chinese. While studying at a three-month language course in Milan, fate gave her an “international fateful meeting” – meeting a guy from Xiamen (Fujian Province). And after getting married, the girl moved to China to her husband’s small homeland.
“When I first came to Xiamen in 2019, I fell in love with the city at first sight: the sea breeze, the alleys along the streets, the harmony of nature and modernization,” she recalls. The city, in her opinion, perfectly embodies the Swedish philosophy of “lagom” – nothing more, nothing less, just right. “I like late evening walks, but in Italy I could never dare to do this. These moments of calm changed my idea of home.”
Pictured: Carolina in China (Source: personal archives)
However, Xiamen has become truly home for her not only because of her love for food or language, but because of the relationships between people: “The people here are very friendly. I have made friends who have become my family. My parents-in-law invite me to the Spring Festival, and the vendors remember my favorite fruits. These little things make me feel like part of the community.”
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, June 11 (Xinhua) — The opening ceremony of the 12th International Youth Conference was held at Heihe University in Heihe, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, on Tuesday, the university’s website reported.
The event, which will last five days, attracted more than a thousand students and teachers from 10 higher education institutions in China and Russia. According to the plan, the first stage of the gathering will be held from June 9 to 11 in Heihe, and the second from June 11 to 13 at Blagoveshchensk State Pedagogical University.
The holding of various scientific, educational and cultural events has become a good tradition for the Chinese city of Heihe and the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk, which are separated from each other by the Heilongjiang River (Amur).
The International Youth Gathering, which first took place in 2010, has gained great popularity among young people in both countries.
The organizers of the 12th International Youth Gathering were the Heilongjiang Provincial Education Department, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Amur Region and other departments. -0-
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Xinhua | 11.06. 2025
Key words: China-USA
Source: Xinhua
Lightning: China’s international trade negotiator hopes progress made at London meeting will boost trust between China and the US, better develop economic, trade ties Lightning: China’s international trade negotiator hopes progress made at London meeting will boost trust between China and the US, better develop economic, trade ties
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
LONDON, June 11 (Xinhua) — China and the United States have had professional, rational, in-depth and frank exchanges of views over the past two days, a senior Chinese official said Tuesday.
Li Chenggang, China’s international trade negotiator and vice minister of commerce, made the remarks at a press briefing after the first meeting of the China-US Economic and Trade Consultation Mechanism held in London.
The two sides agreed on a fundamental framework for implementing the consensus reached by the two heads of state during their telephone talks on June 5 and during the talks in Geneva, Li Chenggang said.
He said it is hoped that the progress made at the London meeting will help strengthen trust between China and the United States and further promote the sustainable and healthy development of economic and trade ties between the two countries. –0–
Energy Minister Simon Watts has announced the Government’s new Solar on Farms initiative, which will support farmers in taking the next step towards installing solar and battery systems, helping them reduce energy costs, increase on-farm resilience, and allow farmers to gain greater control over their power use, leading to increased efficiency and productivity.
The Solar on Farms package includes:
Independent and practical tools and advice to assist farmers
A dedicated help function to guide farmers through the opportunities
Feasibility studies and technology demonstrations tailored to various farm types
Real-life energy data for different farm types, showing how solar energy works in practice
Independent advice on progressing consents and applications with local and regional bodies and Electricity Distribution Businesses
A partnership with the Centre for Sustainable Finance to accelerate access to finance, making it quicker, simpler and easier.
“Kiwi farmers have a long history of adapting, problem-solving and finding ways to be smart with land and resources. Real progress comes from the ground up, from people who understand the land, the seasons, and how to run a business,” Mr Watts says.
“That’s why we want to give farmers more choices and the ability to unlock the cost savings that come with on-farm solar, batteries, and flexible energy systems. However, to achieve this, farmers require the correct information, evidence, tools, and trusted advice.
“That’s where Solar on Farms comes in. It’s a practical support package that helps farmers determine if solar and battery systems are right for them by working with them to navigate the details of installing and leveraging this technology for their businesses. The package provides farmers with direct access to independent advice. It offers solutions tailored to various farm types and energy profiles.
“Farms across New Zealand, especially those using irrigation and other energy-intensive systems, are facing increasingly high and unpredictable energy costs. This adds real pressure to already tight margins.
“On-farm solar and batteries can help reduce that pressure by improving self-sufficiency and lowering exposure to rising energy prices, especially in rural and remote areas. Generating electricity on-farm also creates opportunities to receive revenue from solar electricity back to the grid.
“Early modelling tells us that if 30 per cent of Kiwi farms installed larger systems – of the size we see on some farms already – they could generate as much as 10 per cent of New Zealand’s current electricity demand. This is a real win for the security of our energy supply.”
EECA is leading the delivery of Solar on Farms in collaboration with farmers, sector bodies, and technical experts, and the package of initiatives will be available soon.
Fieldays 2025 also celebrated the launch of Farmlands Flex, a complementary solar on farms product from Farmlands and energy innovator Blackcurrent, with the support of Ara Ake, New Zealand’s energy innovation centre. The product combines solar, batteries and smart software in a fully managed system that enables users to generate, store and manage their energy on-site.
“The Farmlands Flex product includes equipment, flexible demand management software, and takes care of the installation and application processes on behalf of the farmer,” says Mr Watts.
“It is an excellent demonstration of how solar purchasing and installation can be made more efficient.”
Mr Watts also welcomed ASB’s recent announcement of a new 0 percent solar loan aimed at helping farmers secure long-term energy resilience and cost savings.
“I look forward to seeing how products like Farmlands Flex, the ASB SMART solar loan, and our Solar on Farms initiative help set the farming sector up for long-term success.”
Source: State Care survivor and advocate, Ihorangi RewetiPeters
The outcomes for tamariki and rangatahi Māori and their whānau in the Oranga Tamariki system report, found that tamariki and rangatahi Māori and their whānau are still over-represented and drastically let down within the system.
The first report on the performance of the Oranga Tamariki system for Māori was published today by Aroturuki Tamariki the Independent Children’s Monitor. State Care survivor and advocate, Ihorangi Reweti Peters, who grew up in the Oranga Tamariki system, says this report shines a light on the performance of the Oranga Tamariki system and that Māori tamariki and rangatahi are still being failed by the very system that is supposed to be caring for them.
“The Independent Children’s Monitor found that Oranga Tamariki and NZ Police have strategies in place to address inequality and over-representation but there are barriers to making progress. It is crucial that both Oranga Tamariki and the New Zealand Police invest in adequate partnerships with Iwi, Māori and community initiatives that support tamariki and rangatahi Māori that are in care of Oranga Tamariki and with care experience,” Mr Reweti Peters says.
“These partnerships need to be increased so that our whānau, tamariki and rangatahi Māori have a safe and reliable organisation to raise concerns with. Oranga Tamariki is known to have multiple partnerships, sometimes these partnerships are not the best.
“The report also found that Oranga Tamariki is not always taking action to respond to reports of concern at the earliest opportunity. They found that almost half of the reports of concerns, resulted in a decision to take no further action. The reporting period 2023/24 showed that 52% of the reports of concerns received by Oranga Tamariki were for tamariki and rangatahi who identified as Māori.
“Early intervention is key to responding to reports of concern and supporting these whānau and making sure that our tamariki and rangatahi Māori remain out of Oranga Tamariki care. Ngā Maata Waka and Oranga Tamariki were working in partnership to provide community-led initiatives that responds to reports of concern. This successful initiative no longer operates due to a lack of funding and the roll-out of a new National Contact Centre localised response.
“This initiative was crucial for Māori whānau as it was a by Māori for Māori approach – where tamariki, rangatahi and whānau can engage in the ways that they want to respond to the report of concern. If this service is not reinstated our whānau will continue to fall through the cracks and not receive the right support that they are entitled too.“I welcome the report today by the Independent Children’s Monitor and I hope that Oranga Tamariki, in the interim, will improve the outcomes for tamariki and rangatahi Māori. However, Oranga Tamariki is still in no place to care for some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most vulnerable children and young people. I echo the calls from survivors, academics and whānau, that Oranga Tamariki needs to be dismantled and Iwi, Hāpū and Whānau need to take over the provisions of caring for our tamariki and rangatahi,” says Mr Reweti Peters.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Attention TV/radio announcers:
Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:
The Civil Engineering and Development Department today (June 11) announced that as the Standby Signal No. 1 has been issued by the Hong Kong Observatory, the Chai Wan Public Fill Barging Point has been closed at 8.30am until further notice.
Source: US Defense The Joint Staff (video statements)
General Mark A. Milley, US Army, is sworn in as the twentieth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph F. Dunford Jr., during a ceremony presided over by President Donald J. Trump at Summerall Field, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia, on September 30, 2019.
Research credit: Joint History and Research Office (http://www.jcs.mil/about/joint-staff-history)
Source: US Defense The Joint Staff (video statements)
General Richard B. Myers, US Air Force, is welcomed as the fifteenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in a ceremony presided over by President George W. Bush at Conmy Hall, Fort Myer, Virginia, on October 15, 2001.
Go to: https://www.c-span.org/video/?166677-1/joint-chiefs-chairman-welcoming-ceremony . This link does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.
Research credit: Joint History and Research Office (http://www.jcs.mil/about/joint-staff-history)
Source: US Defense The Joint Staff (video statements)
General Joseph F. Dunford Jr., US Marine Corps, is sworn in as the nineteenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin E. Dempsey, during a ceremony presided over by President Barack H. Obama at Summerall Field, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia, on September 25, 2015.
Research credit: Joint History and Research Office (http://www.jcs.mil/about/joint-staff-history)
Source: US Defense The Joint Staff (video statements)
General John M. Shalikashvili, US Army, is welcomed as the thirteenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by Secretary of Defense Leslie Aspin Jr., during a ceremony at the Pentagon parade field, Arlington, Virginia, on November 9, 1993.
Go to: http://www.c-span.org/video/?52179-1/joint-chiefs-welcoming-ceremony . This link does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.
Research credit: Joint History and Research Office (http://www.jcs.mil/about/joint-staff-history)
Source: US Defense The Joint Staff (video statements)
General Peter Pace, US Marine Corps, is sworn in as the sixteenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard B. Myers, during a ceremony presided over by President George W. Bush at Summerall Field, Fort Myer, Virginia, on October 1, 2005.
Go to: https://www.c-span.org/video/?189118-1/joint-chiefs-chairman-retirement-ceremony . This link does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.
Research credit: Joint History and Research Office (http://www.jcs.mil/about/joint-staff-history)
In the first of a new annual report series – Outcomes for tamariki and rangatahi Māori and their whānau in the oranga tamariki system – Aroturuki Tamariki | Independent Children’s Monitor found tamariki (children) and rangatahi (young people) Māori and their whānau are over-represented in the oranga tamariki system and the system is letting them down. While Oranga Tamariki has a pivotal role, the system includes NZ Police and the Ministries of Health, Education and Social Development.
Most tamariki and rangatahi Māori have no involvement in the oranga tamariki system. But when they do, there are increasing levels of over-representation – almost 50 percent of reports of concern made to Oranga Tamariki are about tamariki and rangatahi Māori, they make up two-thirds of those in care, and more than three quarters of those in youth justice custody.
Aroturuki Tamariki Chief Executive Arran Jones says the report is a story of consequence – of needs not addressed by a system that is not always able to work together to get the right support in place at the right time. “The needs of tamariki and rangatahi then multiply as they escalate through the system,” Mr Jones said.
Data shows 92 percent of rangatahi referred to a youth justice family group conference in 2023/24 had concerns raised about their safety and wellbeing when they were younger.
“Tamariki and rangatahi come to the attention of Oranga Tamariki because someone has raised concerns about alleged abuse, or their wellbeing. This is the moment to get the right services and supports in place so tamariki and rangatahi don’t escalate through the system,” says Mr Jones
Escalation through the system can eventually mean involvement with the Police – and Police data shows a difference in the severity of proceedings against tamariki and rangatahi Māori in 2023/24:
tamariki Māori aged 10–13 are less likely to be referred to alternative action or given a warning and more likely to be prosecuted or referred to a youth justice FGC than others rangatahi Māori aged 14–17 are less likely to get a warning or be referred to alternative action and more likely to be prosecuted than others.
The outcomes for tamariki and rangatahi Māori currently involved with the oranga tamariki system are less positive than those for Māori with no involvement. In 2022, tamariki and rangatahi Māori:
in care or custody, achieved education qualifications at almost half the rate of Māori with no involvement in the oranga tamariki system, were significantly more likely to be hospitalised for self-harm than those with no involvement in care, used mental health and addiction services at nearly five times the rate of Māori with no involvement. Rangatahi Māori in youth justice custody used these at 15 times the rate – 60 percent of rangatahi Māori in youth justice custody used mental health and addiction services. Considering 92 percent of these rangatahi had reports of concern made about their safety and wellbeing when they were younger, this is no surprise.
“The outcomes for young Māori adults, aged 27–30, who were involved in the oranga tamariki system as children are sobering. The data paints a stark picture of the consequence of the oranga tamariki system not doing more to help. Māori adults who had been in the system as children are less likely to be employed, less likely to have a driver licence, more likely to be on a benefit, more likely to be in emergency housing, and more likely to be hospitalised for self-harm than Māori who had no involvement. Mortality rates are double or triple those of Māori with no involvement in the oranga tamariki system for vehicle accidents and for self-harm (including suicide),” says Mr Jones.
The report also identifies the importance of breaking the cycle. For Māori parents (aged 27–30 years) who had previously been in care themselves, 68 percent have children involved with Oranga Tamariki in some way and one in eight have had one or more children in care at some point.
“This report highlights initiatives and ways of working that provide a pathway ahead for all government agencies. Working with tamariki and rangatahi alongside their whānau, building trusted long-term relationships, looking outside of organisational silos to understand their wider needs and providing services across government and community agencies. To paraphrase one of the providers we heard from, this is where the magic happens,” says Mr Jones.
The initiatives highlighted in the report include a statutory youth justice delegation from Oranga Tamariki to Whakapai Hauora by Rangitāne o Manawatū. Whakapai Hauora provides wraparound support to rangatahi Māori who have offended, reporting only one referral proceeding to a court order. Some rangatahi who have completed programmes have returned as mentors and one rangatahi is now employed by the retailer he offended against.
In Auckland, Kotahi te Whakaaro, brings together government and non-government organisations. It works alongside whānau to support tamariki and rangatahi who have offended, to prevent further offending. They look across housing, schooling, health and financial challenges and put supports in place. We heard about significant reductions in reoffending, with one rangatahi telling us “I think stealing is just an idiot move now”.
In Porirua, Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira has built a strong relationship with Oranga Tamariki. They reported that a combination of early intervention initiatives for whānau who come to the attention of Oranga Tamariki has resulted in a 21 percent reduction in renotifications (reports of concern) – to the lowest rate in Porirua in four years.
“Before tamariki and rangatahi come to the attention of Oranga Tamariki they will have been seen by education and health staff and the parents may be known to social housing and welfare. It should not take offending, or an incident of abuse or neglect to get the support that was always needed,” says Mr Jones.
For this report, we looked at the performance under the Oranga Tamariki Act – this Act places specific obligations on Police and Oranga Tamariki. It is clear there are opportunities to do better and this report highlights some of those.
“Data shows that tamariki and rangatahi Māori in the system today have similar hopes and aspirations for their future as those not in system. As one rangatahi we met with told us they’d ‘just like to grow up successful and, if I find the right person, to give my kids what I couldn’t have’,” Mr Jones said.
Aroturuki Tamariki – the Independent Children’s Monitor checks that organisations supporting and working with tamariki, rangatahi and their whānau, are meeting their needs, delivering services effectively, and improving outcomes. We monitor compliance with the Oranga Tamariki Act and the associated regulations, including the National Care Standards. We also look at how the wider system (such as early intervention) is supporting tamariki and rangatahi under the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System Act. Aroturuki Tamariki works closely with its partners in the oversight system, Mana Mokopuna – Children and Young People’s Commission, and the Office of the Ombudsman.
Company Announcement P. East Trading Corp. of Bronx, NY is recalling Salted Smoked Split Herring because the product was found to be over 5″ in length and uneviscerated, as such having potential to be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium which can cause life-threatening illness or death. Consumers are warned not to use the product even if it does not look or smell spoiled. The sale of uneviscerated fish over 5″ in length may contain Clostridium botulinum spores as they are more likely to be concentrated in the viscera than any other portion of the fish. Botulism, a potentially fatal form of food poisoning, can cause the following symptoms: general weakness, dizziness, double-vision and trouble with speaking or swallowing. Difficulty in breathing, weakness of other muscles, abdominal distension and constipation may also be common symptoms. People experiencing these problems should seek immediate medical attention. The recalled “Salted Smoked Split Herring” was distributed to retail locations in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut in 18 lbs. wooden boxes with container code Lot 1 PRC5073. The “Salted Smoked Split Herring” is a product of Canada manufactured by Sea Star Seafood Ltd. The product was likely to be repacked by these retail locations in deli-style or other retail packaging. Retail packaging and coding will vary based on location of purchase. A list of locations that received and potentially sold the recalled products can be found below. The “Salted Smoked Split Herring” was sampled by a New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Food Inspector and subsequent analysis of the product by New York State Food Laboratory personnel confirmed the herring was not properly eviscerated prior to processing. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem. Consumers that have purchased “Salted Smoked Split Herring”, from the following stores below, are advised not to eat it and should return it to the place of purchase for a full a refund. Consumers with questions may contact P. East Trading Corp. at (718) 991-6070 or Email at peastl@gmail.com or contact Jay Hong, Office Manager. **Retail Locations: PIONNER SUPERMARKET, Newark NJJOE’S MARKET #3, Irvington NJKEYFOOD SUPERMARKET, Laurelton NYHAPPY FRUIT MARKET, Teaneck NJEXTRA SUPER MARKET, East Orange NJSUPER FRESH, Irvington NJFOOD BAZAAR SUPERMARKET, North Bergen NJFOOD WORLD SUPER FRESH, Middlesex NJFOOD BAZAAR SUPERMARKET, Fairview NJTROPICAL SUN SUPERMARKET, East Orange, NJIDEAL FOOD BASKET, Brooklyn NYWILLIAM’S FARM #2, Yonkers NYS & H FRUITS and VEGETABLES, Bronx NYFOOD BAZAAR SUPERMARKET(Myrtle), Brooklyn NYC TOWN SUPERMARKET, Brooklyn NYKEY FOOD SUPERMARKET, Brooklyn NYAMERICAS FOOD BASKET, Brooklyn NYFOOD BAZAAR SUPERMARKET, Westbury NYMK NY FISH & VEGETABLES, Bronx NYTROPICAL DAIRY FARM CORP., Bronx NYFOOD BAZAAR SUPERMARKET(161 ST), Bronx NYVALUE FRESH MARKET INC, Hollis NYIDEAL FOOD BASKET, Brooklyn NYKEY FOOD FRESH, Brooklyn NYLULUCOCO, INC, Spring Valley NYCHOP SHOP FRESH MEAT MARKET, Brooklyn NYMARKET FRESH, Newburgh NYC TOWN SUPERMARKET, Hempstead NYFAMILY BEST FARM, Brooklyn NYROSEDALE FRUIT, Jamaica NYS WON PROVISION INC, Bronx NYFOOD BAZAAR SUPERMARKEL Hempstead NYSUPER FRESH, Baldwin NYFRUIT TREE FARM, Copiague NYBROTHER’S PRODUCE CO., Bronx NYGOLDEN CITRUS MARKET INC, Brooklyn NYSHOP FAIR SUPERMARKET, Bronx NYY & R FARM INC., Brooklyn NYJOHNS FARM MARKET, Queens NYFOOD BAZAAR SUPERMARKET, New York NYKEY FOOD SUPERMARKET, Far Rockaway NYNEW UTICA FOOD MARKET CORP., Brooklyn NYIDEAL FOOD BASKET, Brooklyn NYJOY BEST FRUIT BROOKLYN NYIDEAL FOOD BASKET SUPERMARKET, BROOKLYN NYZ & H MINI MARKET, BROOKLYN NYYELLOW MARKET, BROOKLYN NYSK FARM EP CORP, BROOKLYN NYK – SUPER MARKET, JAMAICA NYFOOD BAZAAR SUPERMARKET(Mt Vernon), BRONX NYBEST H&H, INC, BRONX NYDK FAMILY PRODUCE, BROOKLYN NYCO CO MARKET INC, BROOKLYN NYMARKET FRESH, MIDDLETOWN NYFOOD BAZAAR SUPERMARKET, BRIDGEPORT CTFOOD BAZAAR SUPERMARKET(JUNIUS), BROOKLYN NYBOGOPA FARMBRIA, QUEENS NYBEST FARM MARKET, BROOKLYN NYGREEN POINT, JAMAICA NYJ & D FARM MARKET CORP., JAMAICA NYFOOD BAZAAR SUPERMARKET(MANHATTAN AVE), BROOKLYN NYMANGO KING FARMERS MARKET, BROOKLYN NYSUPER FRESH SUPERMARKET, BROOKLYN NYGREEN FRUIT – SUTPHIN, JAMAICA NYMERRICK COUNTRY FOODS, QUEENS NYKINGSBRIDGE FARM, BRONX NYASIA SUPERMARKET INC / JD PRODUCE, SYRACUSE NYFOOD BAZAAR SUPERMARKET(57), CORONA NYLIBERTY PRODUCE CORP., RICHMOND HILL NYGOLDEN MANGO FARM, OZONE PARK NYKEY FOOD SUPERMARKET, BROOKLYN NYFOOD BAZAAR SUPERMARKET(163), BRONX NYFOOD BAZAAR SUPERMARKET, TRENTON NJWEST INDIAN FARM MARKET, QUEENS NY
Company Contact Information
Consumers: P. East Trading Corp, or contact Jay Hong, Office Manager (718) 991-6070 peastl@gmail.com
Source: United States Small Business Administration
ATLANTA –The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding eligible private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Florida of the July 7 deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by Hurricane Helene occurring Sept. 23-Oct. 7, 2024.
The disaster declaration covers the counties in Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Charlotte, Clay, Citrus, Collier, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Nassau Pasco, Pinellas, Putnam, Sarasota, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Wakulla and Union.
Under this declaration, PNPs providing non-critical services of a governmental nature are eligible to apply for both business physical disaster loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) from the SBA. Examples of eligible non-critical PNP organizations include, but are not limited to, food kitchens, homeless shelters, museums, libraries, community centers, schools, and colleges.
PNPs may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets. Applicants may also be eligible for a loan increase of up to 20% of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes.
EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.
“SBA loans help eligible small businesses and private nonprofits cover operating expenses after a disaster, which is crucial for their recovery,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “These loans not only help business owners get back on their feet but also play a key role in sustaining local economies in the aftermath of a disaster.”
Interest rates are as low as 3.25%, with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.
To apply online visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
The deadline to return economic injury applications is July 7, 2025.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
SEATTLE – The Attorney General’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People (MMIWP) Cold Case Unit today announced it has charged its first case since the unit was established in 2023.
On May 21, 2025, Attorney General Nick Brown filed second-degree murder charges against Tina Marie Alcorn for the 2016 death of George David, a resident of Neah Bay and a member of the Clayoquot Indian Band of Vancouver Island, B.C. The Clallam County Superior Court issued a warrant for Alcorn’s arrest based on the charge.
On June 3, Alcorn was arrested on the warrant in West Helena, Ark., with the assistance of the Phillips County Sheriff’s Office. On Monday, Alcorn arrived in Washington to face charges and appeared in Clallam County Superior Court on Tuesday.
“I want to commend our cold case team for their work on behalf of victims and families,” Brown said. “This is a milestone on a long path toward accountability. The Legislature funded this work because so many people would not give up the pursuit of justice for their loved ones.”
The case was initially investigated by the Port Angeles Police Department. David, 65, was found deceased on March 28, 2016, in a Port Angeles apartment where he had been staying temporarily. He had traveled from Neah Bay just days earlier, intending to visit family in British Columbia and attend a funeral.
Alcorn, who has ties to Clallam County, was identified early in the investigation as the primary suspect. On April 19, 2016, Port Angeles detectives arrested her in Mount Vernon on an outstanding warrant issued by Arkansas authorities. Charges in the David homicide were not filed, and Alcorn was extradited to Arkansas and incarcerated for violating probation on an unrelated felony theft conviction.
In 2024, Port Angeles police requested the assistance of the new cold case team. Supported by the MMIWP Cold Case Team, the department conducted additional investigation into evidence collected in 2016, including additional DNA analysis performed by the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab.
At the request of the Port Angeles Police Department and with the support of the Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, the Attorney General’s Office will be prosecuting the case.
Alcorn made her first appearance in Clallam County Superior Court this afternoon. The charge in this case is an allegation only and Alcorn is presumed innocent unless proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Washington’s Attorney General serves the people and the state of Washington. As the state’s largest law firm, the Attorney General’s Office provides legal representation to every state agency, board, and commission in Washington. Additionally, the Office serves the people directly by enforcing consumer protection, civil rights, and environmental protection laws. The Office also prosecutes elder abuse, Medicaid fraud, and handles sexually violent predator cases in 38 of Washington’s 39 counties.
Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.
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Samsung Electronics announced today that it has started rolling out a software update to introduce new features for its Bespoke AI Refrigerators with screens,1 which is launching in 2025. Designed to enhance the user experience, the update includes the Voice ID feature provided by Bixby, which was unveiled at Welcome to Bespoke AI global launch event in March.
“Our primary goal for this year is to realize an AI Home that adapts intuitively to the user,” said Jeong Seung Moon, EVP and Head of the R&D Team for Digital Appliances Business at Samsung Electronics. “We aim to enhance the user experience through continuous software upgrades for existing products, taking us one step closer to a true AI Home experience.”
New Update: Bixby and Samsung TV Plus
The Voice ID feature2 is a new multi-voice recognition function provided by Bixby.3 It identifies users’ voices registered either on the refrigerator or a Galaxy mobile device, enabling personalized features based on the recognized user. This allows consumers to personalize shared home appliances for individual use, offering greater convenience and functionality.
For example, Bixby intelligently switches to each user’s Samsung account based on the recognized user. Users can check their registered schedules on the calendar,4 or their photos5 using simple voice commands. Also, they can trigger an alarm on their phone to check its location, even when the device is set to silent mode.6
The Voice ID feature also enables seamless interactions with the refrigerator screen for users who utilize vision enhancements on their Galaxy mobile phones. Even without a request to switch accounts, Bixby automatically switches accounts with general conversations for these users. It then synchronizes the appliance’s display modes with the settings on the user’s mobile phone, such as color inversion or grayscale.7
Additionally, Samsung has introduced a new way to activate Bixby on the screen. Previously, users could activate Bixby by clicking the Bixby icon on the screen or through voice commands. When the screen is off, an additional option has been added to activate Bixby by double-tapping the display. Users can make the most of this feature by selecting their preferred method in the settings.
The update is being applied to Bespoke AI Refrigerators with AI Family Hub launching in 2025 first,8 with availability coming after the completion of the latest software update on AI Family Hub screens or SmartThings.
Additionally, Samsung plans to gradually apply this update to the Bespoke AI refrigerators with AI Home9 in the second quarter of 2025. For refrigerators with AI Home, the update expands the service area for Samsung TV Plus, as well. Previously available in only South Korea and the United States, the service will extend to Canada, Brazil, Australia, Mexico and India. Thanks to the update, it is expected that consumers will be able to easily enjoy entertainment features right from their kitchen with Samsung TV Plus.
1 Refers to the refrigerators with AI Family Hub, and 9-inch AI Home screens
2 Each user must register for a Samsung Account on screen appliances in advance. Voice ID should be registered either on the refrigerator, or Galaxy mobile devices and then transferred to the refrigerator. (Limited to Galaxy S24 and subsequent models where Voice ID can be registered.)
3 Bixby is Samsung’s brand of Internet of Things (IoT) voice assistant. Bixby service availability may vary depending on the country. Bixby recognizes certain accents/dialects of English (US, UK, Indian), Chinese, Korean, French, German, Italian, Spanish (Spain, Latin America) and Portuguese (Brazil). User interface may change and differ by device. Availability of Bixby features and content providers may vary depending on the country/carrier/language/device model/OS version. A Samsung account log-in and network connection (Wi-Fi or data network) are required.
4 To use calendar feature, users need to either register their schedule directly on the refrigerator or link their mobile phone calendar in advance. Only Google or Microsoft calendars saved under a Google or Microsoft account can be synced with the Bespoke AI Refrigerator with AI Family Hub. (Refrigerators with AI Home support Google Calendar only.)
5 Gallery feature is supported only for users who have saved photos to OneDrive cloud storage via the Samsung Gallery app on a Samsung mobile phone.
6 To enable the service, a preset is required in the SmartThings Find.
7 When a user registers a device through the SmartThings app, a one-time sync notification may appear via a plug-in. If the user signs into their Samsung account on a refrigerator and related settings are stored in the cloud, this data may be transmitted once to the device. Screen settings can be modified at any time, and any changes will be saved and remain in effect unless manually updated.
8 Timeline may vary depending on the service region or model.
9 AI Home refers to the 7’’ or 9’’ LCD screen on the product. Does not mean all services available on the AI Home are AI or generate information or outcome using AI. Certain functions accessible through the AI Home utilize AI-based algorithms, which can be updated periodically to improve accuracy. AI-based algorithms may generate incomplete or incorrect information.
Taieri MP Ingrid Leary reflected on her years in Fiji as a television journalist and media educator at a Fiji Centre function in Auckland celebrating Fourth Estate values and independence at the weekend.
It was a reunion with former journalism professor David Robie — they had worked together as a team at the University of the South Pacific amid media and political controversy leading up to the George Speight coup in May 2000.
Leary, a former British Council executive director and lawyer, was the guest speaker at a gathering of human rights activists, development advocates, academics and journalists hosted at the Whānau Community Centre and Hub, the umbrella base for the Fiji Centre, Auckland Rotuman Fellowship, Asia Pacific Media Network and other groups.
She said she was delighted to meet “special people in David’s life” and to be speaking to a diverse group sharing “similar values of courage, freedom of expression, truth and tino rangatiratanga”.
“I want to start this talanoa on Friday, 19 May 2000 — 13 years almost to the day of the first recognised military coup in Fiji in 1987 — when failed businessman George Speight tore off his balaclava to reveal his identity.
She pointed out that there had actually been another “coup” 100 years earlier by Ratu Cakobau.
“Speight had seized Parliament holding the elected government at gunpoint, including the politician mother, Lavinia Padarath, of one of my best friends — Anna Padarath.
Hostage-taking report “Within minutes, the news of the hostage-taking was flashed on Radio Fiji’s 10 am bulletin by a student journalist on secondment there — Tamani Nair. He was a student of David Robie’s.”
Nair had been dispatched to Parliament to find out what was happening and reported from a cassava patch.
“Fiji TV was trashed . . . and transmission pulled for 48 hours.
“The university shut down — including the student radio facilities, and journalism programme website — to avoid a similar fate, but the journalism school was able to keep broadcasting and publishing via a parallel website set up at the University of Technology Sydney.
“The pictures were harrowing, showing street protests turning violent and the barbaric behaviour of Speight’s henchmen towards dissenters.
“Thus began three months of heroic journalism by David’s student team — including through a period of martial law that began 10 days later and saw some of the most restrictive levels of censorship ever experienced in the South Pacific.”
Leary paid tribute to some of the “brave satire” produced by senior Fiji Times reporters filling the newspaper with “non-news” (such as about haircuts, drinking kava) as an act of defiance.
“My friend Anna Padarath returned from doing her masters in law in Australia on a scholarship to be closer to her Mum, whose hostage days within Parliament Grounds stretched into weeks and then months.
Whanau Community Centre and Hub co-founder Nik Naidu speaking at the Asia Pacific Media Network event at the weekend. Image: Khairiah A. Rahman/APMN
Invisible consequences “Anna would never return to her studies — one of the many invisible consequences of this profoundly destructive era in Fiji’s complex history.
“Happily, she did go on to carve an incredible career as a women’s rights advocate.”
“Meanwhile David’s so-called ‘barefoot student journalists’ — who snuck into Parliament the back way by bushtrack — were having their stories read and broadcast globally.
“And those too shaken to even put their hands to keyboards on Day 1 emerged as journalism leaders who would go on to win prizes for their coverage.”
Speight was sentenced to life in prison, but was pardoned in 2024.
Taieri MP Ingrid Leary speaking at the Whānau Community Centre and Hub. Image: Nik Naidu/APMN
Leary said that was just one chapter in the remarkable career of David Robie who had been an editor, news director, foreign news editor and freelance writer with a number of different agencies and news organisations — including Agence France-Presse, Rand Daily Mail, The Auckland Star, Insight Magazine, and New Outlook Magazine — “a family member to some, friend to many, mentor to most”.
Reflecting on working with Dr Robie at USP, which she joined as television lecturer from Fiji Television, she said:
“At the time, being a younger person, I thought he was a little bit crazy, because he was communicating with people all around the world when digital media was in its infancy in Fiji, always on email, always getting up on online platforms, and I didn’t appreciate the power of online media at the time.
“And it was incredible to watch.”
Ahead of his time She said he was an innovator and ahead of his time.
Dr Robie viewed journalism as a tool for empowerment, aiming to provide communities with the information they needed to make informed decisions.
“We all know that David has been a champion of social justice and for decolonisation, and for the values of an independent Fourth Estate.”
She said she appreciated the freedom to develop independent media as an educator, adding that one of her highlights was producing the groundbreaking 1999 documentary Maire about Maire Bopp Du Pont, who was a Tahitian student journalist at USP and advocate for the Pacific community living with HIV/AIDs.
She became a nuclear-free Pacific campaigner in Pape’ete and was also founding chief executive of the Pacific Islands AIDS Foundation (PIAF).
Leary presented Dr Robie with a “speaking stick” carved from an apricot tree branch by the husband of a Labour stalwart based in Cromwell — the event doubled as his 80th birthday.
In response, Dr Robie said the occasion was a “golden opportunity” to thank many people who had encouraged and supported him over many years.
Massive upheaval “We must have done something right,” he said about USP, “because in 2000, the year of George Speight’s coup, our students covered the massive upheaval which made headlines around the world when Mahendra Chaudhry’s Labour-led coalition government was held at gunpoint for 56 days.
“The students courageously covered the coup with their website Pacific Journalism Online and their newspaper Wansolwara — “One Ocean”. They won six Ossie Awards – unprecedented for a single university — in Australia that year and a standing ovation.”
He said there was a video on YouTube of their exploits called Frontline Reporters and one of the students, Christine Gounder, wrote an article for a Commonwealth Press Union magazine entitled, “From trainees to professionals. And all it took was a coup”.
Dr Robie said this Fiji experience was still one of the most standout experiences he had had as a journalist and educator.
Along with similar coverage of the 1997 Sandline mercenary crisis by his students at the University of Papua New Guinea.
He made some comments about the 1985 Rainbow Warrior voyage to Rongelap in the Marshall islands and the subsequent bombing by French secret agents in Auckland.
But he added “you can read all about this adventure in my new book” being published in a few weeks.
Taieri MP Ingrid Leary (right) with Dr David Robie and his wife Del Abcede at the Fiji Centre function. Image: Camille Nakhid
Biggest 21st century crisis Dr Robie said the profession of journalism, truth telling and holding power to account, was vitally important to a healthy democracy.
Although media did not succeed in telling people what to think, it did play a vital role in what to think about. However, the media world was undergoing massive change and fragmentation.
“And public trust is declining in the face of fake news and disinformation,” he said
“I think we are at a crossroads in society, both locally and globally. Both journalism and democracy are under an unprecedented threat in my lifetime.
“When more than 230 journalists can be killed in 19 months in Gaza and there is barely a bleep from the global community, there is something savagely wrong.
“The Gazan journalists won the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize collectively last year with the judges saying, “As humanity, we have a huge debt to their courage and commitment to freedom of expression.”
“The carnage and genocide in Gaza is deeply disturbing, especially the failure of the world to act decisively to stop it. The fact that Israel can kill with impunity at least 54,000 people, mostly women and children, destroy hospitals and starve people to death and crush a people’s right to live is deeply shocking.
“This is the biggest crisis of the 21st century. We see this relentless slaughter go on livestreamed day after day and yet our media and politicians behave as if this is just ‘normal’. It is shameful, horrendous. Have we lost our humanity?
“Gaza has been our test. And we have failed.”
Dr Robie praised the support of his wife, social justice activist Del Abcede, and family members.
Other speakers included Whānau Hub co-founder Nik Naidu, one of the anti-coup Coalition for Democracy in Fiji (CDF) stalwarts; the Heritage New Zealand’s Antony Phillips; and Multimedia Investments and Evening Report director Selwyn Manning.
Ponsonby’s post office is shutting shop next month despite push back from the local community.
A sign on the storefront, which is at the College Hill end of Ponsonby Road, said the closure would take place on 4 July but the post boxes would be “staying put”.
Ponsonby local and author John Harris said New Zealand Post’s decision to close the store was “ill-considered” and it should “try harder” to cater for the people who use the shop’s services.
“They’ve got to be mindful of the vital role that post shops like this one play in glueing the community together,” Harris said.
“If you go down to the post shop you’ll see it’s buzzing with activity; people popping in to post parcels or to get forms filled out and so forth . . . they’ve got to think about the effect on small communities and this is like gutting the Ponsonby community.”
Viv Rosenberg, a spokesperson for the Ponsonby Business Association, said the group is saddened by the decision to close the shop.
”Our local post office has been part of the fabric of our community in Three Lamps for several years and we regard the team there as part of our Ponsonby family. We are working alongside others to try and keep it open.”
NZ Post general manager consumer Sarah Sandoval said customer data and service patterns were analysed to determine where NZ Post services were best placed.
“The Ponsonby area is well serviced by existing postal outlets, and to remove duplications of services, we’ve decided to make this change.”
The Asia Pacific Report story about the impending Ponsonby post office shop closure published earlier this month. Image: Asia Pacific Report
She also said that there were nearby options available, including on Hardinge Street 1.4km away, and NZ Post Herne Bay, 1km away.
The NZ Post website said “store closures are given very careful consideration”.
“[Reasons for closure] can include a decline in customer numbers or services which significantly affect the economic viability of the store,” NZ Post said.
Harris emailed NZ Post CEO David Walsh expressing his disapproval of the decision to close the shop and requesting it be reconsidered.
He said a response by the NZ Post general manager consumer stated the closure followed a close look at customer data and that there were other stores serving the Ponsonby community, which was an unsustainable way for the business to operate.
“Herne Bay, Hardinge Street and Wellesley Street are either a challenging walk or you hop in the car and add to the grid,” Harris said.
“They’re only thinking about the sustainability of the New Zealand Post itself not the community.”
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
As Australian cities heat up and dry out, street trees are emerging as frontline defenders of urban liveability.
Street trees make city life more bearable during heatwaves. They also improve human health and wellbeing, filter pollutants and support biodiversity.
But as climate change intensifies droughts and dials up more extreme heat, can urban forests survive in a hotter, drier future?
To find out, we studied how ten of Australia’s most common non-native street trees grow and tolerate drought across seven cities. The familiar species we chose are the well-loved jacaranda and widely planted London plane tree as well as box elder, European nettle tree, honey locust, sweetgum, southern magnolia, callery pear, black locust and Chinese elm.
Unexpectedly, our new research shows several species tolerate drought better than predicted, including jacaranda and London plane. Some even put on growth spurts during droughts of unprecedented duration and heat. But others showed greater sensitivity than we had anticipated, including honey locust and black locust.
As cities plan for a hotter future, our research will help urban planners choose the toughest, most resilient street trees.
Penrith street trees faced the hottest conditions. Author provided
What did we do?
Street trees cool cities both through their shade and by giving off water through transpiration. These effects can lower local temperatures by several degrees, which helps offset the extra heat trapped by roads, rooftops and hard surfaces.
But the trees we rely on for cooling are vulnerable to mounting pressures from climate change. Drought, heatwaves and limited soil and water availability in cities can all threaten tree health, growth and survival.
To test how these species were coping, we chose over 570 street trees in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, as well as Mildura in regional Victoria, Mandurah south of Perth and Parramatta and Penrith in Western Sydney.
We extracted small cores of wood from the trunk, in a process that leaves the tree alive and largely unaffected. The oldest tree we sampled was a 70-year-old southern magnolia in Sydney.
Growth rings in these cores let us reconstruct their growth histories and assess how they responded both to long-term climate patterns and extreme events such as the Black Summer of 2019–20 and the Millennium Drought from 1997–2009.
How resilient are these trees?
What we found was both reassuring and surprising.
Across all seven cities, the fastest average growth for all species was recorded in Mildura in northern Victoria. Overall, the slowest growth was found in the warmest location – Penrith.
Some species behaved predictably. The black locust grew faster in cooler, wetter cities such as Melbourne, as expected, while honey locust and Chinese elms grew more slowly in hotter cities.
But others defied expectations. Species such as London plane and southern magnolia showed consistent growth trends across cities despite the difference in heat, while others varied depending on local conditions.
Crucially, the growth records showed many street trees responded positively to wetter conditions during the warmest months, most likely due to the longer growing season and increased access to water.
Surprisingly, species such as box elder and Callery pear actually increased their growth during the very hot periods over the Black Summer of 2019–20 as well as during wetter La Niña periods in 2021–22. This suggests these species have adapted to warm urban environments – or that care and watering was provided.
During drought, street trees generally demonstrated strong resistance. This means they maintained their growth during dry periods.
But their resilience – measured by their ability to bounce back to pre-drought growth rates – was often limited, especially in drier cities.
While many street trees can withstand short-term stress, this suggests repeated or prolonged droughts can still take a toll on their long-term health.
Interestingly, species identified as vulnerable in climate models did not always show greater sensitivity to drought or climate extremes in our real-world study.
Why? Local conditions and species-level characteristics such as leaf size, wood density and water use strategy may play a significant role in determining which individual trees will thrive as the climate changes.
We also know care provided by council staff or local residents is extremely useful. When trees are irrigated during stressful conditions, they can help get the tree through tough times.
Why no eucalypts?
During their growing season each year, many northern hemisphere trees produce growth rings. These rings make it possible to reliably reconstruct their growth histories using our methods.
But most eucalypts don’t form clear annual growth rings. This is why we didn’t include spotted gums and other common eucalypts seen on city streets.
Eucalypts tend to grow whenever conditions are favourable rather than being constrained by a strict annual cycle. Only a few native species reliably produce datable annual rings, such as snow gums and alpine ash. This is because they live in cold, high elevation areas, where winter consistently limits growth each year. These conditions aren’t found in any major Australian city.
What does this mean for city planners?
Our research shows that species selection matters a great deal.
Some street trees such as jacarandas, London plane and the European nettle tree can thrive even under extreme heat and drought, while honey locust and Chinese elms are more sensitive to local conditions.
Authorities can maximise the benefits of urban forests and reduce tree decline or loss by choosing resilient species and matching them to the specific climate of each city or neighbourhood.
As climate extremes become more common, even resilient species may face new challenges.
Planting and maintaining diverse, climate-adapted urban forests will help ensure our cities remain liveable, healthy, and green in the decades to come.
Mark G Tjoelker receives funding from The Australian Research Council.
Manuel Esperon-Rodriguez, Matthew Brookhouse, and Sally Power do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has taken centre stage across various industries. From AI-generated art to chatbots in customer service, every sector is seemingly poised for disruption.
It’s not just in your news feed every day – venture capital is pouring in, while CEOs are eager to declare their companies “AI-first”. But for those who remember the lofty promises of other technologies that have since faded from memory, there’s an uncanny sense of déjà vu.
In 2017, it was blockchain that promised to transform every industry. Companies added “blockchain” to their name and watched stock prices skyrocket, regardless of whether the technology was actually used, or how.
Now, a similar trend is emerging with AI. What’s unfolding is not just a wave of innovation, but a textbook example of a tech hype cycle. We’ve been here many times before.
Understanding the hype cycle
The tech hype cycle, first defined by the research firm Gartner, describes how emerging technologies rise on a wave of inflated promises and expectations, crash into disillusionment and, eventually, find a more realistic and useful application.
Recognising the signs of this cycle is crucial. It helps in distinguishing between genuine technological shifts and passing fads driven by speculative investment and good marketing.
It can also mean the difference between making a good business decision and a very costly mistake. Meta, for example, invested more than US$40 billion into the metaverse idea while seemingly chasing their own manufactured tech hype, only to abandon it later.
In 2017, blockchain was everyone’s focus. Presented as a revolutionary technology, blockchain offered a decentralised way to record and verify transactions, unlike traditional systems that rely on central authorities or databases.
US soft drinks company Long Island Iced Tea Corporation became Long Blockchain Corporation and saw its stock rise 400% overnight, despite having no blockchain product. Kodak launched a vague cryptocurrency called KodakCoin, sending its stock price soaring.
These developments were less about innovation and more about speculation, chasing short-term gains driven by hype. Most blockchain projects never delivered real value. Companies rushed in, driven by fear of missing out and the promise of technological transformation.
The results were mostly negative. Klarna soon saw a decline in customer satisfaction and had to walk back its strategy, rehiring humans for customer support this year. BuzzFeed’s AI content push failed to save its struggling business, and its news division later shut down. Tech media company CNET published AI-generated articles riddled with errors, damaging its credibility.
These are not isolated incidents. They’re signals that AI, like blockchain, was being over hyped.
Why do companies chase tech hype?
There are three main forces at play: inflated expectations, short-term view and flawed implementation. Tech companies, under pressure from investors and media narratives, overpromise what AI can do.
Leaders pitch vague and utopian concepts of “transformation” without the infrastructure or planning to back them up. And many rush to implement, riding the hype wave.
They are often hindered by a short-term view of what alignment with the new tech hype can do for their company, ignoring the potential downsides. They roll out untested systems, underestimate complexity or even the necessity, and hope that novelty alone will drive the return on investment.
The result is often disappointment – not because the technology lacks potential, but because it’s applied too broadly, too soon, and with too little planning and oversight.
Where to from here?
Like blockchain, AI is a legitimate technological innovation with real, transformative potential.
Often, these technologies simply need time to find the right application. While the initial blockchain hype has faded, the technology has found a practical niche in areas like “asset tokenization” within financial markets. This allows assets like real estate or company shares to be represented by digital tokens on the blockchain, enabling easier, faster and cheaper trading.
The same pattern can be expected with generative AI. The current AI hype cycle appears to be tapering off, and the consequences of rushed or poorly thought-out implementations will likely become more visible in the coming years.
However, this decline in hype doesn’t signal the end of generative AI’s relevance. Rather, it marks the beginning of a more grounded phase where the technology can find the most suitable applications.
Recognising the patterns of tech hype is essential for making smarter decisions. Instead of rushing to adopt every new innovation based on inflated promises, a measured, problem-driven approach leads to more meaningful outcomes.
Long-term success comes from thoughtful experimentation, implementation, and clear purpose, not from chasing trends or short-term gains. Hype should never dictate strategy; real value lies in solving real problems.
Gediminas Lipnickas does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Asia Pacific: Here is a summary of significant articles published on ForeignAffairs.co.nz on June 11, 2025.
MIL-OSI China: Official medal for 15th National Games debuts Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News The medal for the 15th National Games of China is officially unveiled on June 10, featuring a design that integrates the shared aspirations of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, splendid Chinese cultural heritage, and the journey of the National Games. MIL OSI China News –
MIL-OSI USA: East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee Chairwoman Kim Delivers Opening Remarks at Hearing on Strengthening U.S.-ASEAN Ties Source: US House Committee on Foreign Affairs Media Contact 202-321-9747 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Foreign Affairs East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee Chairwoman Young Kim delivered opening remarks at a hearing titled, “Building Bridges, Countering Rivals: Strengthening U.S.-ASEAN Ties to Combat Chinese Influence.” Watch Here -Remarks- This hearing presents an opportunity for us to examine […]
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Sweet Police work aids Auckland driver Source: New Zealand Police Quick thinking and a priority transport of chocolate has aided the recovery of an Auckland motorist. Police in central Auckland received information about a man who appeared intoxicated, getting into a vehicle on Tuesday afternoon. Auckland Central Area Commander, Inspector Grant Tetzlaff says frontline staff attended just after 3pm on Union […]
MIL-OSI USA: Court Appointments Announced Source: US State of New York overnor Kathy Hochul today announced 17 appointments to the New York State Court of Claims, 5 appointments to the Supreme Court and 2 appointments to Family Court. “Our judicial system works best when we have talented, qualified jurists on the bench,” Governor Hochul said. “These 24 individuals have the […]
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Radiology backlog cleared at Taranaki Base Hospital Source: New Zealand Government Health Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the clearance of a significant radiology backlog at Taranaki Base Hospital, calling it a practical outcome that puts patients first. “In March, more than 6,000 x-ray reports were sitting unprocessed at Taranaki Base Hospital. That was causing unacceptable delays for patients needing diagnosis and treatment,” […]
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Innovative pasture project to drive farmgate returns Source: New Zealand Government The Government is backing a $17 million partnership with farmers to boost productivity, profitability, and sustainability by identifying the most resilient, high-performing pastures for New Zealand conditions, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today at Fieldays. Minister McClay confirmed the Government will invest $8.269 million in the Resilient Pastures project through Budget 2025’s […]
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Health – No pregnancy warning labels on alcohol Source: Alcohol Healthwatch – 34% of alcohol products have no pregnancy warning label, shows new report. – 16% of alcohol products with the correct label have it hidden on the bottom of the packaging where it is less likely to be seen. Every baby deserves the best possible start in life. But new report by Alcohol Healthwatch of […]
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Health – Holding a mirror up to the mental health and addiction system Source: Te Hiringa Mahara – Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission “Our new system performance monitoring report highlights the need for faster improvements to address declining mental health and wellbeing,” said Karen Orsborn, CEO of Te Hiringa Mahara – Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission. The System Performance Monitoring Report released today by Te Hiringa Mahara outlines progress toward improving […]
MIL-OSI New Zealand: International travel: April 2025 ? Stats NZ information release International travel: April 2025 – information release 11 June 2025 International travel covers the number and characteristics of overseas visitors and New Zealand resident travellers (short-term movements) entering or leaving New Zealand. Key facts Monthly arrivals – overseas visitors Overseas visitor arrivals were 267,300 in April 2025, an increase of 42,200 from April 2024. The […]
MIL-OSI New Zealand: International migration: April 2025 ? Stats NZ information release International migration: April 2025 – information release 11 June 2025 International migration statistics give the latest outcomes-based measure of migration, which includes estimates of migrants entering or leaving New Zealand. Key facts Annual migration Provisional estimates for the April 2025 year compared with the April 2024 year were: migrant arrivals: 145,000 (± 1,100), down 27 […]
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Saying yes to more housing Source: New Zealand Government City-shaping changes are coming to New Zealand’s largest city, ensuring that Auckland can fully harness the economic growth benefits of the new City Rail Link, RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Auckland Minister Simeon Brown say.The Resource Management (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Bill (the Bill) has been reported back […]
MIL-OSI Australia: Happy to hand over the keys to a robot? Augmented reality might help Source: 11 June 2025 Would you trust a driverless car? A 2024 global survey involving nearly 8000 participants suggests most people are wary of handing over the steering wheel to sensors, cameras and computer algorithms. However, a new study by Australian and French researchers shows that augmented reality (AR) could increase overall confidence in autonomous […]
MIL-OSI USA: Reps. Kim, Castro Lead Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen U.S.-ASEAN Relations Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Young Kim (CA-39) Washington, DC – Today, ahead of the House Foreign Affairs East Asia & Pacific Subcommittee hearing titled, “Building Bridges, Countering Rivals: Strengthening U.S.-ASEAN Ties to Combat Chinese Influence,” Subcommittee Chairwoman Young Kim (CA-40) joined Rep. Joaquin Castro (TX-20) to reintroduce the Providing Appropriate Recognition […]
MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth at Unite for Veterans Rally: “Veterans Keep This Nation Strong, and We Deserve Better than Trump” US Senate News: Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth June 10, 2025 [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – At today’s “Unite for Veterans” rally on the National Mall, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) delivered impassioned remarks slamming Donald Trump for using our nation’s heroes as political pawns, firing them by the thousands and […]
MIL-OSI USA: Welch Slams Trump Administration’s Request to Rescind Over $9 Billion in Federally Appropriated Funds US Senate News: Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) tonight took to the Senate floor to slam the Trump Administration’s reckless request to rescind $9.4 billion in Fiscal Years (FY) 2024 and 2025 Congressionally-appropriated funds, which provide vital support to Americans through public broadcasting and radio […]
MIL-OSI USA: Hagerty Introduces Trump’s Nominees Andy Puzder, Jacob Helberg US Senate News: Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty WASHINGTON—Today, United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, introduced Andy Puzder, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, and Jacob Helberg, President Trump’s nominee to be […]
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Appeal for information on missing person Source: New Zealand Police New Plymouth Police are working to locate missing person Jan. Jan was last seen walking north along State Highway 3 near the intersection of Thomason Road, between Egmont Village and New Plymouth at around 11am yesterday. She was last seen wearing long pants and a green jacket. Police have serious concerns […]
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Applications open for $30 million Coastal Shipping Resilience Fund Source: New Zealand Government Applications have opened for a $30 million fund for projects that will enhance the resilience of New Zealand’s coastal shipping connections and help boost economic growth, Associate Transport Minister James Meager has announced. The Coastal Shipping Resilience Fund was established through the Government Policy Statement on land transport. Funding will be […]
South America: Here is a summary of significant articles published on ForeignAffairs.co.nz on June 11, 2025.
MIL-OSI USA: Court Appointments Announced Source: US State of New York overnor Kathy Hochul today announced 17 appointments to the New York State Court of Claims, 5 appointments to the Supreme Court and 2 appointments to Family Court. “Our judicial system works best when we have talented, qualified jurists on the bench,” Governor Hochul said. “These 24 individuals have the […]
MIL-OSI Russia: The Caribbean Challenge: Fostering Growth and Resilience Amidst Global Uncertainty Source: IMF – News in Russian June 10, 2025 As prepared for delivery Introduction and Road Map Good evening, everyone. It is a great pleasure to join you here in Brasilia for the 55th Annual Meeting of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB or the Bank). Thank you Valerie for your very kind introduction. I also […]
MIL-OSI: Grupo Financiero Galicia S.A. Announces Commencement of Secondary Offering of American Depositary Shares by HSBC Bank plc Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI) BUENOS AIRES, June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Grupo Financiero Galicia S.A. (Nasdaq: GGAL; Bolsas y Mercados Argentinos S.A./A3 Mercados S.A.: GGAL, the “Company”), one of Argentina’s largest financial services groups, announced today the launch of an underwritten secondary offering (the “Offering”) by HSBC Bank plc (the “Selling Shareholder”) of 11,721,449 American […]
MIL-OSI Security: Ecuadoran smugglers plead guilty to trafficking nearly 400 kilograms of cocaine Source: Office of United States Attorneys NORFOLK, Va. – Two Ecuadoran nationals pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine on board a vessel. According to court documents, on Jan. 16, a helicopter from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Cutter Waesche located a go-fast vessel (GFV) that appeared to be dead in the water […]
MIL-OSI USA: Ciscomani Leads Bipartisan, Bicameral Effort to Address the Syphilis Epidemic Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Juan Ciscomani (Arizona) WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Congressman Juan Ciscomani reintroduced a bipartisan, bicameral effort to address the syphilis epidemic and ensure that mothers, pregnant women, and infants are as healthy as possible. The Maternal and Infant Syphilis Prevention Act would require the Department of Health and Human […]
MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Chernyshenko: About 11 thousand new rooms in modular hotels will appear in 55 regions of the country Translation. Region: Russian Federal Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article. The moderators of the plenary session were Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko and Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov. The main topic was the changes that tourism brings to regions and cities, and economic […]
MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto Celebrates the Anniversary of DACA and Vows to Protect Dreamers US Senate News: Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto FTP for TV stations of her remarks is available here. Cortez Masto shared the stories of two Dreamers who wrote her letters about their love for this country and their concern about their uncertain futures. Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) took […]
Heinrich, Wicker, Stansbury, Ciscomani Introduce Bicameral Legislation to Combat the Syphilis Epidemic, Protect Mothers and Infants US Senate News: Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Roger Wicker (R- Miss.), and U.S. Representatives Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) and Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.) introduced the Maternal and Infant Syphilis Prevention Act, legislation to protect pregnant mothers and infants by requiring the Health and Human […]
MIL-OSI NGOs: Resisting Dependency: U.S. Hegemony, China’s Rise, and the Geopolitical Stakes in the Caribbean Source: Council on Hemispheric Affairs – By Tamanisha J. John Toronto, Canada Introduction The Caribbean region is an important geostrategic location for the United States, not only due to regional proximity, but also due to the continued importance of securing sea routes for trade and military purposes. It is the geostrategic location of the Caribbean […]
MIL-OSI Economics: Trade critical to ocean sustainability — DG Okonjo-Iweala at UN Ocean Conference Source: WTO Headline: Trade critical to ocean sustainability — DG Okonjo-Iweala at UN Ocean Conference DG Okonjo-Iweala highlighted that trade and the WTO can play a key role in harnessing the opportunities from the blue economy and in protecting the oceans’ resources. Underscoring the blue economy’s estimated annual value of over USD 2.6 trillion, she […]
MIL-OSI Economics: UN Ocean Conference 2025 Source: WTO Headline: UN Ocean Conference 2025 Your Excellencies H.E. Minister Marina Silva (Brazil) and H.E. Minister Stavros Papastavrou (Greece), the two Co-Chairs of this session, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, First allow me to thank President Macron and UNSG Guterres and Costa Rica for co-hosting this important conference. (Brazil will host COP30, and Greece hosted […]
MIL-OSI USA: SPC Severe Thunderstorm Watch 406 Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Note: The expiration time in the watch graphic is amended if the watch is replaced, cancelled or extended.Note: Click for Watch Status Reports.SEL6 URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTEDSevere Thunderstorm Watch Number 406NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK145 PM CDT Tue Jun 10 2025 The NWS Storm Prediction Center has […]
MIL-OSI USA: SPC Jun 10, 2025 1630 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration SPC AC 101628 Day 1 Convective OutlookNWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK1128 AM CDT Tue Jun 10 2025 Valid 101630Z – 111200Z …THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON ANDEVENING ACROSS PARTS OF SOUTHEAST NM AND FAR WEST INTO CENTRAL TX… …SUMMARY…Severe storms are expected […]
MIL-OSI Security: Mexican Man and Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to Being Found in the United States Illegally Source: Office of United States Attorneys A Mexican man who was illegally in the United States pled guilty June 9, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City. Gerardo Morales-Ramirez, a citizen of Mexico, was convicted of being a felon found in the United States after illegal reentry. On February 28, 2025, Morales-Ramirez was arrested in […]
MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General James Sues 23andMe to Protect New Yorkers’ Genetic Data Source: US State of New York EW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James and a bipartisan coalition of 27 other attorneys general filed a lawsuit against 23andMe to protect Americans’ personal genetic information. 23andMe collected and analyzed people’s genetic code, and in March 2025 the company filed for bankruptcy and announced plans to […]
MIL-OSI Global: PKK’s decision to disband shows the benefit of engaging in politics rather than an armed struggle Source: The Conversation – UK – By Rebecca Lucas, Senior Analyst – Defence Economics and Acquisition, RAND Europe The recent decision by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to disarm and disband has important lessons for any country facing a seemingly intractable insurgency. On May 12, the group stated that following its 12th Congress it will […]
