Company Announcement Date: July 14, 2025 FDA Publish Date: July 17, 2025 Product Type: Food & BeveragesAllergens Reason for Announcement:
Recall Reason Description Undeclared milk and tree nuts (almonds and macadamia nuts)
Company Name: Jalux Americas, Inc.(dba J.sweets) Brand Name:
Brand Name(s) L’espoir
Product Description:
Product Description L’espoir and Drycapot cookies,
Company Announcement July 14, 2025, Jalux Americas, Inc.(dba J.sweets) of El Segundo, CA is recalling 32 units of L’espoir Brand L’espoir cookies and 28 units of L’espoir Brand Drycapot cookies, because they may contain the following undeclared allergens: in L’espoir – undeclared milk; and in Drycapot – undeclared tree nuts (almond and macadamia nuts). People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk and/or tree nuts (almond and macadamia nuts) run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products. The recalled products were distributed in California, Illinois and Washington and sold exclusively at J.sweets stores in Torrance, CA; San Jose, CA; Arlington Heights, IL;, and Lynnwood, WA. The L’espoir was sold at J.sweets stores between May 26 – June 30, 2025 and the Drycapot was sold at J.sweets stores between May 31 – June 30, 2025. There were no online sales of these products. Specific information on how the recalled cookies can be identified is as follows:
L’espoir: packaged in a gold plastic bag, 5 cookies/bag; with code L4FN, and best before date of 09mm26dd/2025yy; Bar code number 4 942737 200147 Drycapot: packaged in a gold plastic bag, 5 cookies/bag; with code D4FN, with best before date of 09mm/26dd/2025yy; Bar code number 4 942737 210191
No illnesses have been reported to date. The recall was initiated after it was discovered during an inventory audit that L’espoir product containing Milk and the Drycapot product containing Tree Nuts were inadvertently distributed in packaging that did not reveal the presence of those allergens. This recall is being made with the knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Consumers who have purchased L’espoir L4FN and Drycapot D4FN products with the best before date of 09/26/2025 are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-310-524-1078 from 09:00 to 17:00 Pacific Standard Time.
Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune each emit more energy than they receive from the Sun, meaning they have comparatively warm interiors. NASA’s Uranus flyby with Voyager 2 in 1986 found the planet colder than expected, which challenged ideas of how planets formed and evolved. However, with advanced computer modeling and a new look at old data, scientists think the planet may actually be warmer than previously expected.
For millennia, astronomers thought Uranus was no more than a distant star. It wasn’t until the late 18th century that Uranus was universally accepted as a planet. To this day, the ringed, blue world subverts scientists’ expectations, but new NASA research helps puzzle out some of the world’s mystique.
Uranus is unlike any other planet in our solar system. It spins on its side, which means each pole directly faces the Sun for a continuous 42-year “summer.” Uranus also rotates in the opposite direction of all planets except Venus. Data from NASA’s Voyager 2 Uranus flyby in 1986 also suggested the planet is unusually cold inside, challenging scientists to reconsider fundamental theories of how planets formed and evolved throughout our solar system. “Since Voyager 2’s flyby, everybody has said Uranus has no internal heat,” said Amy Simon, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “But it’s been really hard to explain why that is, especially when compared with the other giant planets.” These Uranus projections came from only one up-close measurement of the planet’s emitted heat made by Voyager 2: “Everything hinges on that one data point,” said Simon. “That is part of the problem.” Now, using an advanced computer modeling technique and revisiting decades of data, Simon and a team of scientists have found that Uranus does in fact generate some heat, as they reported on May 16 in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society journal. A planet’s internal heat can be calculated by comparing the amount of energy it receives from the Sun to the amount it of energy it releases into space in the form of reflected light and emitted heat. The solar system’s other giant planets — Saturn, Jupiter, and Neptune — emit more heat than they receive, which means the extra heat is coming from inside, much of it left over from the high-energy processes that formed the planets 4.5 billion years ago. The amount of heat a planet exudes could be an indication of its age: the less heat released relative to the heat absorbed from the Sun, the older the planet is. Uranus stood out from the other planets because it appeared to give off as much heat as it received, implying it had none of its own. This puzzled scientists. Some hypothesized that perhaps the planet is much older than all the others and has cooled off completely. Others proposed that a giant collision — the same one that may have knocked the planet on its side — blasted out all of Uranus’ heat. But none of these hypotheses satisfied scientists, motivating them to solve Uranus’ cold case. “We thought, ‘Could it really be that there is no internal heat at Uranus?’” said Patrick Irwin, the paper’s lead author and professor of planetary physics at the University of Oxford in England. “We did many calculations to see how much sunshine is reflected by Uranus and we realized that it is actually more reflective than people had estimated.” The researchers set out to determine Uranus’ full energy budget: how much energy it receives from the Sun compared to how much it reflects as sunlight and how much it emits as heat. To do this, they needed to estimate the total amount of light reflected from the planet at all angles. “You need to see the light that’s scattered off to the sides, not just coming straight back at you,” Simon said. To get the most accurate estimate of Uranus’ energy budget yet, Oxford researchers developed a computer model that brought together everything known about Uranus’ atmosphere from decades of observations from ground- and space-based telescopes, including NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility in Hawaii. The model included information about the planet’s hazes, clouds, and seasonal changes, all of which affect how sunlight is reflected and how heat escapes.
The researchers found that Uranus releases about 15% more energy than it receives from the Sun, a figure that is similar to another recent estimate from a separate study funded in part by NASA that was published July 14 in Geophysical Research Letters. These studies suggest Uranus it has its own heat, though still far less than its neighbor Neptune, which emits more than twice the energy it receives. “Now we have to understand what that remnant amount of heat at Uranus means, as well as get better measurements of it,” Simon said. Unraveling Uranus’ past is useful not only for mapping the timeline of when solar system planets formed and migrated to their current orbits, but it also helps scientists better understand many of the planets discovered outside the solar system, called exoplanets, a majority of which are the same size as Uranus. By Emma FriedmanNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft has officially begun taxi tests, marking the first time this one-of-a-kind experimental aircraft has moved under its own power. NASA test pilot Nils Larson and the X-59 team, made up of NASA and contractor Lockheed Martin personnel, completed the aircraft’s first low-speed taxi test at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, on July 10, 2025. The taxiing represents the X-59’s last series of ground tests before first flight. Over the coming weeks, the aircraft will gradually increase its speed, leading up to a high-speed taxi test that will take the aircraft just short of the point where it would take off. During the low-speed tests, engineers and flight crews monitored how the X-59 handled as it moved across the runway, working to validate critical systems like steering and braking. These checks help ensure the aircraft’s stability and control across a range of conditions, giving pilots and engineers confidence that all systems are functioning as expected. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which aims to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight by reducing the loud sonic boom to a quieter “thump.” Data gathered from the X-59 will be shared with U.S. and international regulators to inform the establishment of new, data-driven acceptable noise thresholds related to supersonic commercial flight over land.
NEWS RELEASE: DCCA DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS (THROUGH JUNE 2025)
Posted on Jul 17, 2025 in Latest Department News, Newsroom
STATE OF HAWAIʻI
KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI
JOSH GREEN, M.D.
GOVERNOR
KE KIAʻĀINA
KA ʻOIHANA PILI KĀLEPA
NADINE Y. ANDO
DIRECTOR
KA LUNA HOʻOKELE
DENISE P. BALANAY
SENIOR HEARINGS OFFICER
DCCA DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS
(Through June 2025)
July 15, 2025
HONOLULU – The state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) and its respective state Boards and Commissions released a summary of disciplinary actions through the month of June 2025, taken on individuals and entities with professional and vocational licenses in Hawai‘i. These disciplinary actions include dispositions based upon either the results of contested case hearings or settlement agreements submitted by the parties. Respondents enter into settlementagreements as a compromise to claims and to conserve on the expenses of proceeding with an administrative hearing.
The DCCA and the Boards and Commissions are responsible for ensuring those with professional and vocational licenses areperforming up to the standards prescribed by state law.
Respondent: Madali LLC dba King Cuts
Case Number: BAR 2024-266-L
Sanction: $500 fine
Effective Date: 6-3-25
RICO alleges that Respondent permitted an unlicensed person to perform barber activities in Respondent’s barber shop, inpotential violation of HRS § 439A-16(a)(3). (Board approved Settlement Agreement.)
Respondents: N&J Nails LLC and Thanh Ngan Ngyuen
Case Number: BAR 2025-6-L
Sanction: $1,000 fine
Effective Date: 6-3-25
RICO alleges that Respondents permitted an unlicensed person to perform activities requiring a beauty operator license, inpotential violation of HRS § 439A-16(a)(3). (Board approved Settlement Agreement.)
Respondent: Kiani K. Costabrum aka Kiana K. Costabrum (Kaua‘i)
dba Bare Beauty Kauai
Case Number: BAR 2025-0040-L
Sanction: $2,000 fine
Effective Date: 6-3-25
RICO alleges that Respondent offered and provided facials and/or lash extension services on the premises of a studio that was not a beauty shop, in potential violation of HRS §§ 439A-3(b) and 439A-16(a)(4). (Board approved Settlement Agreement.)
Respondents: Mikey’s Barber & Hairstyling Salon LLC and Canh T. Nguyen
Case Number: BAR 2025-10-L
Sanction: $500 fine
Effective Date: 6-3-25
RICO alleges that Respondents permitted an unlicensed person to perform barbering activities in Respondents’ barber shop, inpotential violation of HRS § 439A-16(a)(3). (Board approved Settlement Agreement.)
Respondent: Christine D. Caguioa
Case Number: RNS 2024-19-L
Sanction: License probation 2 years, continuing education, $750 fine
Effective Date: 6-6-25
RICO alleges it received a complaint that Respondent used another nurse’s login credentials to enter the weight of a patient in a patient’s electronic record without authorization, in violation of HRS § 457-12(a)(6) and HAR § 16-89-60(7)(C). (Board approved Settlement Agreement.)
REAL ESTATE COMMISSION
Respondent: ALEXA RAE THROPP (Hawaiʻi)
Case Number: REC 2024-534-L
Sanction: $750 fine
Effective Date: 6-27-25
RICO alleges that Respondent entered a plea of nolo contendere on May 16, 2024, to one count of Operating a Vehicle Under the Influence of an Intoxicant, in potential violation of HRS § 436B-19(14). (Commission approved Settlement Agreement.)
Respondent: Myriam Haynal (Hawaiʻi)
Case Number: REC 2024-409-L
Sanction: $7,000 fine
Effective Date: 6-27-25
RICO alleges that on May 13, 2024, Respondent was convicted for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol, in potential violation of HRS §§ 436B-19(12), 436B-19(14), 436B-19(17) and 467-14(20). (Commission approved Settlement Agreement.)
Respondent: RPC2B, LLC
Case Number: PHA 2024-26-L
Sanction: $900 fine
Effective Date: 6-19-25
RICO alleges that Respondent was disciplined by the state of New Jersey, in potential violation of HRS § 436B-19(13). (Boardapproved Settlement Agreement.)
Respondent: Walgreens.com, Inc. dba Walgreens #02445
Case Number: PHA 2025-3-L
Sanction: $11,000 fine
Effective Date: 6-19-25
RICO alleges that Respondent was disciplined by the state of Nevada on or about August 16, 2024, Respondent was disciplined by the state of Nevada in January 2016 based on allegations its employee incorrectly verified a prescription, Respondent was disciplined by the state of Texas in April 10, 2019, on Respondent’s December 1, 2016 application, Respondent answered “No” to the question “Has the applicant or any other personnel of the applicant been found in violation of any state or federal drug laws including the illegal use of drugs or improper distribution of drugs,” Respondent failed to timely notify the Board of the April 2019 disciplinary action, and on February 4, 2025, Respondent was disciplined by the state of Texas, in potential violation of HRS §§ 436B-19(13), 436B-19(15), 461-21(a)(1), 461-21(a)(2), 461-21(a)(4), and 461-21(a)(9) and HAR § 16-95-110(a)(9). (Board approved Settlement Agreement.)
RICO alleges that Respondent was disciplined by the states of Virginia and Illinois, in potential violation of HRS § 436B-19(13). (Board approved Settlement Agreement.)
BusinessCheck is an online platform designed to serve as a comprehensive resource for researching licensed professionals. This tool empowers users to verify licenses, review complaint histories and discover when a business was established, all in one place. Please visitbusinesscheck.hawaii.govto verify a professional’s license status, confirming their qualifications, compliance with regulations and accountability to a governing body.
# # #
Media Contact:
Communications Office
Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, State of Hawai‘i
SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the deployment of 3 additional Urban Search and Rescue Team (US&R) members to Texas to assist with ongoing response efforts related to severe flooding impacts. A total of 42 California US&R members are now in Kerr, Texas supporting the mission.
This deployment of Human Remains Detection (HRD) Teams includes canines and their handlers. Today’s deployment comes from the Oakland Fire Department and Sacramento Fire Department. Los Angeles County, Menlo Park, Orange County and Riverside County all have team members on the ground in Texas aiding in the search.
California personnel deployed use highly-developed and specialized skills to assist emergency operations in and around the hardest hit areas of flooding. The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Service (Cal OES) is working in close coordination with Texas and through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC).
We help our fellow Americans in times of need. California is proud to assist in the ongoing response to the devastating Texas floods.
Governor Gavin Newsom
Canine teams from California have been requested, and been approved for, extending their work assignments from 14 to 21 days. To prevent overworking the dogs, a rotation schedule has been implemented where the canines work two consecutive days in the field, followed by a rest day at Base of Operations.
“This is a very difficult task. I appreciate the hard work being done by our crews under very difficult conditions,” said Cal OES Director Nancy Ward. “Cal OES is proud to help those in need in Texas.”
This deployment builds on California’s far-reaching efforts to aid other states during emergencies. In 2023, California deployed Urban Search and Rescue members to Hawaii to support wildfire response. In 2022, California deployed firefighters, disaster recovery experts, and other personnel to Montana, New Mexico, and Oregon. In 2021, California sent fire engines to assist Oregon’s response to the Bootleg Fire and Specialized Urban Search and Rescue Resources teams to Florida following the Surfside condo collapse.
This deployment does not impact California’s emergency response and firefighting capabilities.
Press releases, Recent news
Recent news
Jul 17, 2025
News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom and Acting Governor Eleni Kounalakis issued the following statement regarding the death of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) Parole Agent Joshua Lemont Byrd:“This is a heartbreaking loss. Agent Byrd…
Jul 17, 2025
News What you need to know: Governor Newsom announced the High Speed Rail Authority is suing the Trump administration over its illegal termination of federal grants funding the project. SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the High Speed Rail Authority…
Jul 17, 2025
News SACRAMENTO – As Governor Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders continue to work on extending the state’s preeminent climate program – Cap-and-Invest – new reports out this week highlight how critical the program is to the state’s economic future, and how…
What you need to know: Governor Newsom announced the High Speed Rail Authority is suing the Trump administration over its illegal termination of federal grants funding the project.
SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the High Speed Rail Authority is suing the Trump administration over its politically-motivated termination of $4 billion in federal grants to the project.
The lawsuit alleges that termination of the agreements is petty, political retribution, motivated by President Trump’s personal animus toward California and the high-speed rail project, not by facts on the ground.
Trump’s termination of federal grants for California high-speed rail reeks of politics. It’s yet another political stunt to punish California.
In reality, this is just a heartless attack on the Central Valley that will put real jobs and livelihoods on the line. We’re suing to stop Trump from derailing America’s only high-speed rail actively under construction.
Governor Gavin Newsom
Today’s action comes as the project enters the track laying phase, is actively building across 171 miles, has built more than 50 major railway structures – including bridges, overpasses, and viaducts – and completed over 60 miles of guideway.
In the last year, high-speed rail has marked significant progress – with all environmental reviews spanning 463 miles from Los Angeles to the Bay Area complete, the electrification of Caltrain complete, trainset selection underway, station and track construction on deck, continued work with partner rail systems to create a southwest regional high-speed rail network, and more than 15,000 good paying jobs created. Passenger service is expected in the coming years, between 2030 and 2033.
High speed rail is a key part of Governor Newsom’s build more, faster agenda delivering infrastructure upgrades and creating jobs throughout the state.
Press releases, Recent news
Recent news
Jul 17, 2025
News SACRAMENTO – As Governor Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders continue to work on extending the state’s preeminent climate program – Cap-and-Invest – new reports out this week highlight how critical the program is to the state’s economic future, and how…
Jul 16, 2025
News What you need to know: With the Trump administration illegally terminating grant agreements funding California high-speed rail, Governor Newsom said the state is “putting all options on the table” to fight Trump’s action. SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom issued…
Jul 16, 2025
News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:Jennifer Osborn, of Orangevale, has been appointed Director at the California Department of Industrial Relations. Osborn has been Chief Deputy Director at the California Department of…
The Met is appealing for anyone with information about groups or individuals intending to engage in violence at this year’s Notting Hill Carnival to come forward.
Officers are working with the independent charity Crimestoppers as part of a plan to keep Carnival free from knife crime, serious violence and violence against women and girls.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward, the police commander for this year’s event, said: “Notting Hill Carnival is an iconic event in London’s cultural calendar which is celebrated by many from across the capital, the UK and beyond. With less than six weeks to go before this year’s event, the Met continues to work closely with organisers and partners to ensure it’s a safe and spectacular experience for those visiting.
“Regrettably, amongst the millions of carnivalists who have attended over many years there has been a tiny minority of individuals intent on causing serious harm to others, including violent crime and sexual offences.
“Their actions stand in stark contrast to the traditions and values of Carnival and I welcome those voices in the community who have stood up to condemn violence and serious criminality at the event. I fully support the organisers’ recent announcement of a new, innovative partnership with the Elba Hope Foundation to divert young people away from crime and particularly knife crime.
“Carnival’s growing popularity and size creates unique challenges. Around 7,000 officers and staff will be deployed each day over the coming August Bank Holiday weekend. Their priority is to keep people safe, including preventing serious violence, such as knife crime and violence against women and girls.”
The Met’s activity has already started with a focus on deterring or preventing those who pose the greatest threat to public safety and the security of Carnival:
We are sharing intelligence with forces across the country to identify those violent gangs who are planning to attend Carnival.
We are working with others, including local authorities and the courts, to seek banning orders to exclude those attending who have a history of violence or sexual offending at Carnival.
We are carrying out pre-emptive intelligence-led arrests and searches of those believed to be in possession of weapons or involved in the supply of drugs. Last year there were 160 such arrests prior to the event for offences including possession of firearms, drugs supply, rape and other serious sexual assaults.
During the Bank Holiday weekend we will be using live facial recognition cameras on the approach to and from Carnival, outside the boundaries of the event itself, to help officers identify and intercept those who pose a public safety risk before they get to the crowded streets of Notting Hill, and to ensure those attending are able to get home safely.
We will be deploying screening arches at some of the busiest entry points, using stop and search powers to prevent knives and other deadly weapons being carried at Carnival.
But to keep Carnival as safe as it is spectacular we also need the public’s help.
That is why we have, once again, partnered with Crimestoppers to make it easier for anyone with information to report it anonymously.
Crimestoppers is an independent charity, not part of the police and 100 per cent anonymous. Their commitment to protect people’s identity is iron-clad – they won’t ask for a name and can’t identify any telephone numbers or IP addresses if you are reporting online.
DAC Ward added: “The best way to prevent serious crime at Carnival, including violence and sexual offending, is to intervene and target the small number of dangerous offenders before they get to the event.
“If you know anyone who may be planning to take a knife or weapon to Carnival, if you worry that they’re part of a group going with the intent to commit offences or confront rival groups, or that they are being put under pressure or being exploited, or if you have any other information that could help, then please speak up and stand up for Carnival. In doing so, you could be saving a life.”
Further information about the use of Live Facial Recognition (LFR):
So far in 2025 there have been 111 deployments of LFR, resulting in 512 arrests.
During the Bank Holiday weekend, LFR will be deployed on the approaches to Carnival, but not within the boundaries of the event.
Officers will be searching for people who are marked as being wanted on the Police National Computer, those who are shown as missing (including young people who may also be at risk of either criminal or sexual exploitation) and those subject to sexual harm prevention orders because of the risk they pose, particularly to women and girls.
LFR cameras capture live footage of people passing by and compare their faces against a bespoke watchlist of wanted offenders.
If a match is detected, the system generates an alert. An officer will then review the match and decide if they wish to speak with the individual.
Officers conduct further checks, such as reviewing court orders or other relevant information, to determine if the person is a suspect.
Importantly, an alert from the system does not automatically result in an arrest – officers make a decision about whether further action is necessary following engagement.
There are robust safeguards in place regarding LFR. if a member of the public walks past an LFR camera and is not wanted by the police, their biometrics are immediately and permanently deleted.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Correspondence
CMA letter to Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental Health
The Competition and Market Authority’s (CMA’s) letter to Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental Health about fertility patients and consumer protection.
John Owen Stone AO was a legendary leader of the Commonwealth Treasury. He was secretary (departmental head) from January 1979 to September 1984 but was an intellectual driving force before then as deputy secretary from 1971 to 1978.
he could be charming, witty and flattering, but he is often decried as being obstinate and arrogant.
A Reserve Bank official is said to have said “I wish I was as certain about one thing as John Stone is about everything.”
This obduracy cemented the Treasury’s reputation for arrogance and weakened its influence.
Early years – from physics to economics
John was born in 1929, the elder of two sons of a farmer and a primary school teacher. His childhood was spent in the Western Australian wheat belt. But after his parents divorced when he was 12, he moved with his mother to Perth.
He graduated with first-class honours from the University of Western Australia in 1950, majoring in mathematical physics, and served as president of the students’ association.
While there he met Billy Snedden, who two decades later would be Prime Minister William McMahon’s treasurer and with whom Stone would work as treasury deputy secretary.
In 1951 he won a Rhodes scholarship. He initially enrolled for a physics degree at Oxford, but switched to economics, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics, Philosophy and Economics.
He joined Australia’s Treasury, initially in its London office, in 1954. The same year he married Nancy Hardwick, a biochemical researcher, and they would have five children.
The mandarin who put Treasury first
Stone was an admirer of fellow Rhodes scholar Sir Roland Wilson, the longest-serving Treasury secretary with doctorates from Oxford and Chicago.
Along with Wilson, Stone was a strong critic of the 1965 report of the Committee of Economic Inquiry known as the Vernon Report which called for greater planning and an independent economic advisory committee whose advice would have rivalled Treasury’s and succeeded in having Prime Minister Menzies reject it.
In the late 1960s as treasury’s representative he was an executive director at the International Monetary Fund and defied his treasurer William McMahon by voting against the introduction of Special Drawing Rights that gave members rights over other members’ reserves.
Stone believed that was why he was passed over for the secretary’s position when Frederick Wheeler was appointed in 1971.
At treasury in the 1970s, Stone publicly clashed with members of a global environmental group called the Club of Rome about whether there were environmental limits to economic growth.
During a public meeting in Canberra in 1973, he argued the world would not run out of the resources it needed because price rises would create incentives to use them more efficiently and develop substitutes.
Stone claimed to have personally drafted the words in Treasurer Bill Hayden’s 1975 budget statement that said Australia was
no longer operating in that simple Keynesian world in which some reduction in unemployment could, apparently, always be purchased at the cost of some more inflation.
Stone was the driving force behind the subsequent Fraser government’s mantra of “fight inflation first”.
As a senior Treasury officer, Stone was often openly contemptuous of politicians. He would share these views with journalists at the bar of the Hotel Canberra and in later years at the bar of the National Press Club.
He was particularly critical when politicians had the temerity to take advice from what he termed “meretricious players” from outside the treasury.
This attitude led Stone to oppose even the sort of free-market measures he might be expected to like when they were advocated by someone else.
He unsuccessfully opposed the Whitlam government’s cuts to tariffs in 1973 and some of the recommendations of the Campbell Committee of Inquiry into Australia’s financial system in 1981.
Fraser is said to have said Stone “believes in the deregulation of everything he does not regulate”.
Stone also opposed the Hawke government’s decision to float the dollar in 1983.
He argued the timing was wrong and that the dollar would appreciate, weakening the economy. After rising for a short time, the dollar actually depreciated and the economy performed strongly.
Many in the Labor Party had wanted Stone sacked when it came to power in 1983, but Keating kept him on, partly to reassure financial markets. As Keating’s confidence in his own judgement grew, Stone’s influence waned.
Stone announced his resignation just before the August 1984 budget and made a scathing attack on many of the government’s policies in his 1984 Shann Memorial Lecture at the University of Western Australia.
Stone isn’t the only treasury official to have gone into politics. Leslie Bury even became treasurer. Jim Short and Arthur Sinodinos became assistant treasurers.
But Stone was the only former head of the treasury to enter politics. He served as a National Party Senator for Queensland from 1987 to 1990, having been part of the Joh for Canberra campaign which had as its organising principle the anointing of Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen as prime minister.
Stone was twice the Coalition’s finance spokesman, but he was something of a loose cannon. John Howard dropped him from the front bench for a time after he said “Asian immigration has to be slowed”.
He apparently held ambitions to be treasurer. In 1990 he resigned from the Senate to contest a seat in the House of Representatives that would have made that easier given treasurers are traditionally members of the lower house.
Stone failed to win it. He then reneged on an earlier promise by nominating to return to his Senate seat. Faced with uproar in the party, he withdrew and his meteoric political career was over.
He co-founded the HR Nicholls Society, which pressed for the deregulation of industrial relations laws, and the Samuel Griffith Society which concerned itself with states’ rights.
Stone was active in the Institute of Public Affairs and wrote frequently in Quadrant. He opposed republicanism, centralism, trade unionism, multiculturalism and climate action.
He died aged 96 and is survived by five children.
John Hawkins was a senior economist at the Australian Treasury where he wrote a series of biographical essays on Australian treasurers.
Selwyn Cornish is the Reserve Bank of Australia historian and a former Australian Treasury official.
John Owen Stone AO was a legendary leader of the Commonwealth Treasury. He was secretary (departmental head) from January 1979 to September 1984 but was an intellectual driving force before then as deputy secretary from 1971 to 1978.
he could be charming, witty and flattering, but he is often decried as being obstinate and arrogant.
A Reserve Bank official is said to have said “I wish I was as certain about one thing as John Stone is about everything.”
This obduracy cemented the Treasury’s reputation for arrogance and weakened its influence.
Early years – from physics to economics
John was born in 1929, the elder of two sons of a farmer and a primary school teacher. His childhood was spent in the Western Australian wheat belt. But after his parents divorced when he was 12, he moved with his mother to Perth.
He graduated with first-class honours from the University of Western Australia in 1950, majoring in mathematical physics, and served as president of the students’ association.
While there he met Billy Snedden, who two decades later would be Prime Minister William McMahon’s treasurer and with whom Stone would work as treasury deputy secretary.
In 1951 he won a Rhodes scholarship. He initially enrolled for a physics degree at Oxford, but switched to economics, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics, Philosophy and Economics.
He joined Australia’s Treasury, initially in its London office, in 1954. The same year he married Nancy Hardwick, a biochemical researcher, and they would have five children.
The mandarin who put Treasury first
Stone was an admirer of fellow Rhodes scholar Sir Roland Wilson, the longest-serving Treasury secretary with doctorates from Oxford and Chicago.
Along with Wilson, Stone was a strong critic of the 1965 report of the Committee of Economic Inquiry known as the Vernon Report which called for greater planning and an independent economic advisory committee whose advice would have rivalled Treasury’s and succeeded in having Prime Minister Menzies reject it.
In the late 1960s as treasury’s representative he was an executive director at the International Monetary Fund and defied his treasurer William McMahon by voting against the introduction of Special Drawing Rights that gave members rights over other members’ reserves.
Stone believed that was why he was passed over for the secretary’s position when Frederick Wheeler was appointed in 1971.
At treasury in the 1970s, Stone publicly clashed with members of a global environmental group called the Club of Rome about whether there were environmental limits to economic growth.
During a public meeting in Canberra in 1973, he argued the world would not run out of the resources it needed because price rises would create incentives to use them more efficiently and develop substitutes.
Stone claimed to have personally drafted the words in Treasurer Bill Hayden’s 1975 budget statement that said Australia was
no longer operating in that simple Keynesian world in which some reduction in unemployment could, apparently, always be purchased at the cost of some more inflation.
Stone was the driving force behind the subsequent Fraser government’s mantra of “fight inflation first”.
As a senior Treasury officer, Stone was often openly contemptuous of politicians. He would share these views with journalists at the bar of the Hotel Canberra and in later years at the bar of the National Press Club.
He was particularly critical when politicians had the temerity to take advice from what he termed “meretricious players” from outside the treasury.
This attitude led Stone to oppose even the sort of free-market measures he might be expected to like when they were advocated by someone else.
He unsuccessfully opposed the Whitlam government’s cuts to tariffs in 1973 and some of the recommendations of the Campbell Committee of Inquiry into Australia’s financial system in 1981.
Fraser is said to have said Stone “believes in the deregulation of everything he does not regulate”.
Stone also opposed the Hawke government’s decision to float the dollar in 1983.
He argued the timing was wrong and that the dollar would appreciate, weakening the economy. After rising for a short time, the dollar actually depreciated and the economy performed strongly.
Many in the Labor Party had wanted Stone sacked when it came to power in 1983, but Keating kept him on, partly to reassure financial markets. As Keating’s confidence in his own judgement grew, Stone’s influence waned.
Stone announced his resignation just before the August 1984 budget and made a scathing attack on many of the government’s policies in his 1984 Shann Memorial Lecture at the University of Western Australia.
Stone isn’t the only treasury official to have gone into politics. Leslie Bury even became treasurer. Jim Short and Arthur Sinodinos became assistant treasurers.
But Stone was the only former head of the treasury to enter politics. He served as a National Party Senator for Queensland from 1987 to 1990, having been part of the Joh for Canberra campaign which had as its organising principle the anointing of Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen as prime minister.
Stone was twice the Coalition’s finance spokesman, but he was something of a loose cannon. John Howard dropped him from the front bench for a time after he said “Asian immigration has to be slowed”.
He apparently held ambitions to be treasurer. In 1990 he resigned from the Senate to contest a seat in the House of Representatives that would have made that easier given treasurers are traditionally members of the lower house.
Stone failed to win it. He then reneged on an earlier promise by nominating to return to his Senate seat. Faced with uproar in the party, he withdrew and his meteoric political career was over.
He co-founded the HR Nicholls Society, which pressed for the deregulation of industrial relations laws, and the Samuel Griffith Society which concerned itself with states’ rights.
Stone was active in the Institute of Public Affairs and wrote frequently in Quadrant. He opposed republicanism, centralism, trade unionism, multiculturalism and climate action.
He died aged 96 and is survived by five children.
John Hawkins was a senior economist at the Australian Treasury where he wrote a series of biographical essays on Australian treasurers.
Selwyn Cornish is the Reserve Bank of Australia historian and a former Australian Treasury official.
Catalysing Sustainable & Green Infrastructure Financing for Achieving Net Zero (Inaugural Address delivered by Shri M Rajeshwar Rao, Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India – July 03, 2025 – at the Conference on Green Infrastructure Finance at College of Agriculture Banking, RBI, Pune)
At the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat today, Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, briefed the diplomatic corps and the media on the key outcomes of the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM), Post-Ministerial Conferences (PMC), 26th ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, 15th EAS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, 32nd ASEAN Regional Forum and Related Meetings, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 8-11 July 2025. Representatives from ASEAN Committees in Third Countries and International Organisations (ACTCs) also joined the Briefing virtually. Dr. Kao shared the key takeaways from the series of meetings, which underscored ASEAN Centrality, the continued relevance of ASEAN-led mechanisms, and the strong support from external partners for ASEAN Community-building efforts, following the recent adoption of ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future by the ASEAN Leaders in May 2025. The briefing was livestreamed to the general public via the ASEAN Secretariat’s YouTube channel.
The post Secretary-General of ASEAN briefs the Diplomatic Corps and the Media on Key Takeaways from the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and Related Meetings in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.
Following a two-day visit in which she met with Ireland’s head of state and head of government, among other senior officials, Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard said:
“While the EU has betrayed its principles through its shameful decision not to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement, we applaud Ireland for its bold efforts to stop Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza. The EU’s refusal to take action to hold Israel accountable highlights the need for Ireland and other likeminded member states to urgently take unilateral or concerted steps to bring their actions in line with international law, which takes precedence over both EU and national law.
“We urge the Irish government to press ahead quickly with the Occupied Territories Bill to demonstrate that when the EU fails to act on its values, principled states like Ireland will take a stand. The bill would be a powerful, much-needed tool for international justice and must be strengthened to include banning all imports and exports of goods and services to and from Israeli settlements in illegally occupied Palestinian territory, as well as investments in them.
Ireland must stay firm in its convictions and commitment to justice
“Despite the fearmongering and efforts by certain parties to derail the bill, Ireland must stay firm in its convictions and commitment to justice. This legislation is rooted in international law and would enable Ireland to fully comply with the International Court of Justice’s July 2024 advisory opinion on Israel’s unlawful occupation of Palestinian territory.
“Passage of the bill would set a strong example to EU states to unilaterally suspend all forms of cooperation with Israel that may contribute to its grave violations of international law. It cannot be ‘business as usual’ while Palestinians are starved and slaughtered while seeking aid or under relentless Israeli attacks in Gaza, or killed and forcibly displaced by state-backed Israeli settler violence, devastating military operations and suffocating movement restrictions in the West Bank.
This would set a strong example to EU states to unilaterally suspend all forms of cooperation with Israel that may contribute to its grave violations of international law
“From its own experiences of colonization, famine and conflict to its leading role in international efforts to end apartheid in South Africa, Ireland has repeatedly shown that it can stand up to bullies and consistently punched above its weight in global diplomacy. Its principled stance on Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza is another milestone and further proof that Ireland will not tolerate the destruction of the rules-based order so painstakingly built over the last 80 years.
“We applaud Ireland for being one of the few European states to strongly condemn Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and other crimes under international law committed in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and for its courageous calls for concrete action to stop the bloodshed and carnage. In doing so, Ireland has acted as a vital counterweight to those states still arming Israel, excusing its atrocities and enabling its lasting impunity.”
We applaud Ireland for for its courageous calls for concrete action to stop the carnage
During her visit to Dublin on 16 and 17 July, Agnès Callamard met with President Micheal D. Higgins, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Attorney General Rossa Fanning, Senator Frances Black, and Liam Herrick, the Chief Commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, as well as local human rights defenders and civil society organizations.
Current account recorded €32 billion surplus in May 2025, up from €19 billion in previous month
Current account surplus amounted to €333 billion (2.1% of euro area GDP) in the 12 months to May 2025, down from €364 billion (2.5%) one year earlier
In financial account, euro area residents’ net acquisitions of non-euro area portfolio investment securities totalled €758 billion and non-residents’ net acquisitions of euro area portfolio investment securities totalled €744 billion in the 12 months to May 2025
Chart 1
Euro area current account balance
(EUR billions unless otherwise indicated; working day and seasonally adjusted data)
Source: ECB.
The current account of the euro area recorded a surplus of €32 billion in May 2025, an increase of €13 billion from the previous month (Chart 1 and Table 1). Surpluses were recorded for goods (€33 billion), services (€13 billion) and primary income (€2 billion). These were partly offset by a deficit for secondary income (€16 billion).
Table 1
Current account of the euro area
Source: ECB.
Note: Discrepancies between totals and their components may be due to rounding.
Data for the current account of the euro area
In the 12 months to May 2025, the current account recorded a surplus of €333 billion (2.1% of euro area GDP), compared with a surplus of €364 billion (2.5% of euro area GDP) one year earlier. This decrease was mainly driven by a shift from a surplus to a deficit for primary income (from a €34 billion surplus to a €5 billion deficit), but also by a larger deficit for secondary income (up from €169 billion to €185 billion) and a reduction in the surplus for services (down from €153 billion to €146 billion). These developments were partly offset by a larger surplus for goods (up from €346 billion to €378 billion).
Chart 2
Selected items of the euro area financial account
(EUR billions; 12-month cumulated data)
Source: ECB.
Notes: For assets, a positive (negative) number indicates net purchases (sales) of non-euro area instruments by euro area investors. For liabilities, a positive (negative) number indicates net sales (purchases) of euro area instruments by non-euro area investors.
In direct investment, euro area residents made net investments of €200 billion in non-euro area assets in the 12 months to May 2025, following net disinvestments of €215 billion one year earlier (Chart 2 and Table 2). Non-residents invested €126 billion in net terms in euro area assets in the 12 months to May 2025, following net disinvestments of €398 billion one year earlier.
In portfolio investment, euro area residents’ net purchases of non-euro area equity increased to €203 billion in the 12 months to May 2025, up from €84 billion one year earlier. Over the same period, net purchases of non-euro area debt securities by euro-area residents increased to €555 billion, up from €490 billion one year earlier. Non-residents’ net purchases of euro area equity increased to €395 billion in the 12 months to May 2025, up from €275 billion one year earlier. Over the same period, non-residents made net purchases of euro area debt securities amounting to €349 billion, declining from €426 billion one year earlier.
Table 2
Financial account of the euro area
Source: ECB.
Notes: Decreases in assets and liabilities are shown with a minus sign. Net financial derivatives are reported under assets. “MFIs” stands for monetary financial institutions. Discrepancies between totals and their components may be due to rounding.
Data for the financial account of the euro area
In other investment, euro area residents recorded net acquisitions of non-euro area assets amounting to €518 billion in the 12 months to May 2025 (following net acquisitions of €212 billion one year earlier), while their net incurrence of liabilities was €172 billion (following disposals of €104 billion one year earlier).
Chart 3
Monetary presentation of the balance of payments
(EUR billions; 12-month cumulated data)
Source: ECB.
Notes: “MFI net external assets (enhanced)” incorporates an adjustment to the MFI net external assets (as reported in the consolidated MFI balance sheet items statistics) based on information on MFI long-term liabilities held by non-residents, available in b.o.p. statistics. B.o.p. transactions refer only to transactions of non-MFI residents of the euro area. Financial transactions are shown as liabilities net of assets. “Other” includes financial derivatives and statistical discrepancies.
The monetary presentation of the balance of payments (Chart 3) shows that the net external assets (enhanced) of euro area MFIs increased by €417 billion in the 12 months to May 2025. This increase was mainly driven by the current and capital accounts surplus and, to a lesser extent, euro area non-MFIs’ net inflows in other investment, and portfolio investment equity and debt. These developments were partly offset by euro area non-MFIs’ net outflows in direct investment.
In May 2025 the Eurosystem’s stock of reserve assets increased to €1,507.7 billion up from €1,496.9 billion in the previous month (Table 3). This increase was mostly driven by positive price changes (€6.5 billion) and, to a lesser extent, by net acquisitions of assets (€2.3 billion) and positive exchange rate changes (€2.0 billion).
Table 3
Reserve assets of the euro area
(EUR billions; amounts outstanding at the end of the period, flows during the period; non-working day and non-seasonally adjusted data)
Source: ECB.
Notes: “Other reserve assets” comprises currency and deposits, securities, financial derivatives (net) and other claims. Discrepancies between totals and their components may be due to rounding.
Data for the reserve assets of the euro area
Data revisions
This press release incorporates revisions to the data for April 2025. These revisions did not significantly alter the figures previously published.
Next releases:
Monthly balance of payments: 19 August 2025 (reference data up to June 2025)
Quarterly balance of payments: 07 October 2025 (reference data up to the second quarter of 2025)
For media queries, please contactBenoît Deeg, tel.: +49 172 1683704.
Notes
Current account data are always seasonally and working day-adjusted, unless otherwise indicated, whereas capital and financial account data are neither seasonally nor working day-adjusted.
Hyperlinks in this press release lead to data that may change with subsequent releases as a result of revisions.
This paper has been drafted to assist the European Parliament’s Committees on Budgets (BUDG) and Budgetary Control (CONT) in the context of their work on an implementation report on the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation. Based on publicly available information, it provides an overview of EU reports and academic papers on the implementation of the Regulation. It examines three key interlinked concerns: (1) potential legal gaps in the Regulation; (2) the use of ‘smart conditionality’ to ensure that funds reach end beneficiaries; and (3) the links between the EU’s rule of law reports and the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation. The paper also outlines how Parliament’s recent resolutions and questions have addressed these three issues.
18 JULY 2025 – Dirk Elvermann, CFO and CDO of BASF, and Anders Opedal, President and CEO of Equinor, at the signing of the ten-year natural gas supply agreement.
Equinor will supply up to 23 terawatt hours of natural gas (around 2 billion cubic meters) annually to BASF.
BASF and Equinor have signed a long-term strategic agreement for the annual delivery of up to 23 terawatt hours of natural gas over a ten-year period. The contract secures a substantial share of BASF’s natural gas needs in Europe. Deliveries will start on October 1st, 2025.
“This agreement further strengthens our partnership with BASF. Natural gas not only provides energy security to Europe but also critical feedstock to European industries. I am very happy that our gas also supports BASF’s efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. Gas from Norway comes with the lowest emissions from production and transportation”, says Anders Opedal, president and chief executive officer, Equinor.
Natural gas is a key feedstock for European industries, especially in the production of chemicals and fertilisers. BASF uses natural gas both as an energy source and as a raw material in the production of basic chemicals. This long-term partnership will support the company’s strategy to diversify its energy and raw materials portfolio. The gas is sold on market terms.
“We are very happy to enter into this long-term partnership with Equinor for the reliable supply of low-carbon natural gas for BASF’s operations in Europe. Equinor is a trusted and valued partner. The supply agreement not only comes with competitive terms but also supports our sustainability targets”, says Dirk Elvermann, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Digital Officer, BASF SE.
BASF develops a broad portfolio of solutions that are essential components in the manufacturing of everyday consumer goods, such as car interiors, sportswear, personal care items, and agricultural solutions. Equinor has been supplying gas and liquids to BASF for several years.
About BASF
BASF is a company that creates chemistry for a sustainable future. Its ambition is to be the preferred chemical company to enable its customers’ green transformation. BASF combines economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 112,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of its customers across nearly all sectors and in almost every country in the world. BASF’s core businesses include the segments Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, and Nutrition & Care, while its standalone businesses are bundled in the segments Surface Technologies and Agricultural Solutions. In 2024, BASF generated sales of €65.3 billion. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States.
Question for written answer E-002847/2025 to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Rule 144 Hermann Tertsch (PfE)
The same Ukrainian intelligence sources that warned that North Korean soldiers had been deployed to the Russian front[1] are now warning that soldiers from the Lao People’s Democratic Republic – a one-party communist regime allied with Moscow and Beijing – will soon join them[2].
The European Union has allocated EUR 550 million to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic for 2021-2025, with an initial EUR 98 million contribution through the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument. In addition, since the country is a member of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Lao Government benefits from other multi-million-euro EU programmes[3].
In view of this:
1.What does the VP/HR have to say about the fact that the EU would be indirectly funding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine if Lao soldiers joined Kim Jong-un’s on the Russian front? How is the EU’s profession of unconditional support for Ukraine consistent with it funding its aggressors?
2.How does the VP/HR justify the EU providing millions of euros to a dictatorship that is friends with China and Russia?
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
SFO freezes over 10K in crypto assets from Arena TV’s CEO
SFO has frozen £10,865.76 in Bitcoin and £289.30 in USDC (value at the time of freezing) in cryptocurrency belonging to Arena TV’s CEO, Richard Yeowart.
The Serious Fraud Office has frozen equivalent to £10,865.76 in Bitcoin and £289.30 USDC belonging to Richard Yeowart, a suspect in its ongoing investigation into collapsed outside broadcast company Arena TV. This is the first time the agency has used new powers that came into force last year to freeze cryptocurrency.
The assets, identified by proceeds of crime specialists at the SFO as linked to suspected criminality, were frozen following a hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court this week.
They will now be held for up to nine months to allow any affected parties to come forward.
The SFO’s case, which remains ongoing, has so far involved a raid, three arrests and the search of three properties in an investigation involving a range of suspects.
Director of Operations, Emma Luxton, said:
We are committed to using every tool at our disposal to prevent criminals from benefitting from their crimes, wherever they hide their assets.
Our first Crypto Wallet Freezing Order is an important step as we build our crypto asset capability and signals our intentions as we adapt to tackle increasingly sophisticated attempts to hide criminal assets.
An outdoor Gaelic medium playscheme took place in Fort William last week for children who are going through Gaelic Medium Education and attend Bun-Sgoil Ghàidhlig Loch Abar.
The event was organised by the Highland Council Gaelic team and hosted by Stramash outdoor nursery in Fort William.
Mairi Duncan, the Stramash Practice Lead, went through Gaelic Medium Education herself and is passionate about using Gaelic in different settings.
The project also involved Gaelic speaking staff from BSGLA.
By partnering with Stramash, a Gaelic medium environment was created in a beautiful outdoor setting enabling the children to enjoy exploring the 50-acre site which includes woodland, fruit trees, polytunnels with crops, as well as a cosy hut to shelter and enjoy stories and song.
Mairi said: “It’s been a pleasure for Stramash and Highland Council to work together promoting the benefits of the outdoor environment through the medium of the Gaelic language and to hear the children using the language with their peers in a natural environment.
“This week of fantastic weather has been an absolute bonus.”
***
Chaidh sgeama-cluiche tron Ghàidhlig a chumail air a’ bhlàr a-muigh sa Ghearasdan an t-seachdain sa chaidh do chloinn a tha a’ dol tro Fhoghlam tron Ghàidhlig (FtG) agus a tha a’ frithealadh Bun-Sgoil Ghàidhlig Loch Abar (BSGLA).
Bha an tachartas air a chur air dòigh le Sgioba Gàidhlig Chomhairle na Gàidhealtachd agus le aoigheachd bho sgoil-àraich Stramash sa Ghearasdan.
Chaidh Màiri Duncan, Ceannard Obrachaidh Stramash, tro FtG i fhèin agus tha i dealasach mu bhith a’ cleachdadh na Gàidhlig ann an diofar shuidheachaidhean.
Bha luchd-obrach Gàidhlig bho BSGLA cuideachd an lùib a’ phròiseict.
Tro bhith ag obair ann an com-pàirteachas le Stramash, chaidh àrainneachd Ghàidhlig a chruthachadh ann an suidheachadh àlainn air a’ bhlàr a-muigh, a’ toirt cothrom dhan chloinn tlachd fhaighinn às an làraich 50-acaire a tha a’ gabhail a-steach coille, craobhan mheasan, tunailean-gàrraidh le bàrr, a bharrachd air bothan seasgair far am faodadh iad fasgadh fhaighinn agus pàirt a ghabhail ann an sgeulachdan is òrain.
Thuirt Màiri: “Tha e air a bhith na thoileachas do Stramash agus do Chomhairle na Gàidhealtachd obrachadh còmhla gus buannachdan na h-àrainneachd a-muigh a bhrosnachadh tron Ghàidhlig agus gus a’ chlann a chluinntinn a’ cleachdadh a’ chànain len co-aoisean ann an àrainneachd nàdarra.
“Bha sinn fortanach dha-rìribh le fad seachdain de shìde eireachdail.”
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall across several parts of India, influenced by a depression over northwest Madhya Pradesh and adjoining southwest Uttar Pradesh. The weather system is expected to bring widespread rain to Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan over the next two days, with isolated locations in western Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan likely to witness extremely heavy rainfall on July 18.
Southern states including Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu are also forecast to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall over the next 6 to 7 days. Kerala is expected to witness extremely heavy rainfall from July 18 to 20, while coastal Karnataka is likely to experience similar intensity on July 18. Isolated extremely heavy rainfall is also likely in Rajasthan, Coastal Karnataka, and parts of Uttarakhand on July 18, and again in Uttarakhand on July 20 and 21.
Rainfall activity will intensify in multiple regions over the coming days, including Uttarakhand, western Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and Mahe, coastal and south interior Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, coastal Andhra Pradesh, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Odisha, Konkan and Goa, and the ghat areas of central Maharashtra. The IMD has advised close monitoring as several of these regions are likely to experience very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall through the next week.
In the past 24 hours, extremely heavy rainfall (more than 21 cm) was recorded at isolated places in eastern Madhya Pradesh and eastern Uttar Pradesh. Heavy to very heavy rain was also reported from parts of coastal Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, west Madhya Pradesh, eastern Rajasthan, and western Uttar Pradesh. Several states in the northeast and central India also witnessed significant rainfall.
Weather forecast for Delhi-NCR
In Delhi-NCR, the weather is expected to remain generally cloudy with light rain and thunderstorms over the next few days.
Today, residents can expect light showers accompanied by strong surface winds reaching up to 45 kmph during thunderstorms. Temperatures will remain near normal, with highs ranging from 34 to 36°C.
From July 19 to 21, the capital will experience partly cloudy skies and intermittent light rain. Minimum temperature will be slightly below normal, while maximum temperature is expected to remain near or slightly below normal. Winds will vary in direction and speed through the day, gradually decreasing into the evenings.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Bihar on Friday, inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for development projects worth over ₹7,200 crore at a massive public gathering at Gandhi Maidan in Motihari, East Champaran.
As part of the event, the Prime Minister also flagged off four Amrit Bharat trains, boosting rail connectivity in the region.
In a major announcement aimed at youth employment, PM Modi said the Centre has approved a new scheme under which ₹15,000 will be provided to every individual employed for the first time in a private company. The scheme will come into effect from August 1, with the government allocating ₹1 lakh crore for its implementation.
“New employment for new youth. The youth of Bihar will benefit greatly from this,” the Prime Minister said.
Calling for the eastern states to lead India’s development journey, PM Modi emphasised that the region, particularly Bihar, holds vast potential.
“Our resolve is a developed Bihar and employment for every youth. Young people should find opportunities within the state itself. To support this, large-scale government recruitment drives have been conducted, and the Centre is working shoulder-to-shoulder with the Bihar government,” he added.
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
On August 7, 2025 at 12:00, Deputy Head of the Department of Project Management of the State University of Management, Ekaterina Khalimon, will be a speaker in the webinar “Who is a project manager: standards and reality”.
The webinar speakers will include: – Natalia Ipatova, Director of the MBA Program Center at the Institute of Public Administration and Management of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Head of the MBA – Project Management Program, NASDOBR expert, Chairman of the Jury of the Projects Category of the GPM Awards Russia National Competition; – Svetlana Nurtazina, Director of the Project Management Office at KazBuildExpert, certified IPMA Level C PM, Academician of the International Academy of Sciences; – Ekaterina Khalimon, Deputy Head of the Project Management Department at the State University of Management, certified IPMA Level B PM, GPM-b, assessor of the Project Olympus competition; – Oksana Klimenko, President of the Project Managers Association “Project Alliance”, Vice President of IPMA (2021–2023), Executive Director of GPM Global in Russia and the CIS, author of international standards and certification systems in project management.
At the webinar, Ekaterina Khalimon will raise important topics: – What qualities does a project manager need in a high-tech environment? – How to assess competencies if the project goes beyond classical models? – What do those who are just building a career in project management need to understand?
Ekaterina Khalimon has the relevant professional and teaching experience: – in the academic environment: 10 years of experience as a teacher at the Project Management Department of the State University of Management; – in the field of entrepreneurship: an active entrepreneur, as well as the head of acceleration programs to support technological entrepreneurship, implemented at the State University of Management; – in the field of examination of project activities of state and commercial organizations: assessor of the Project Olympus competition (Analytical Center under the Government of the Russian Federation), certified project manager (IPMA® Level B, GPM-b).
The webinar will focus on: – What kind of a project manager’s profile is defined by competency models (ICB, etc.); – What companies see when selecting specialists for the role of project manager; – Why specialists who are strong in theory are not always in demand in practice; – How the professional image of a project manager is developing in Russia and the CIS; – What skills are becoming key in 2025, and which are fading into the background.
Format: – Live professional dialogue; – Exchange of observations and practical experience; – Questions from participants are welcome.
Participation is free, upon prior registration. A link to join will be sent to all registered participants the day before the webinar.
Details and registration: https://pmalliance.timepad.ru/event/3462968/
Webinar organizer: Association of Project Managers “Project Alliance” – Russian association of sustainable project management, partner of the State University of Management since 2024.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, July 18 (Xinhua) — Russia’s leading e-commerce platform Yandex Market announced the opening of its first seller service center in China in Hangzhou, capital of east China’s Zhejiang Province.
According to the China Daily newspaper, Yandex Market and the Department of Commerce of Yuhang District of Hangzhou officially signed a cooperation agreement during the Global Cross-Border E-commerce Trade Expo held in Hangzhou.
As the representative of the Yandex Market platform noted, the main goal of creating a seller service center in Hangzhou is to provide high-quality services to sellers and help them quickly enter the Russian market. Moreover, in 2025, Yandex Market plans to attract 50 thousand new local sellers.
Hangzhou has established China’s first comprehensive cross-border e-commerce pilot zone, with a large number of experienced merchants targeting markets in Europe, the United States, Southeast Asia and other regions. -0-
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
On July 17, 2025, a meeting of the Presidium of the Council under the President of the Russian Federation for Interethnic Relations was held under the chairmanship of Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of the Russian Federation Magomedsalam Magomedov.
Vladimir Volokh, professor of the Department of Public Administration and Political Technologies of the State University of Management, member of the Council under the President of the Russian Federation for Interethnic Relations and the Public Council under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, took part in the work.
During the meeting, participants heard information about the state report on the implementation of the state national policy of the Russian Federation in 2024, prepared by the Federal Agency for Nationalities Affairs (FADN) of Russia.
The report was approved by the Council Presidium, but suggestions and clarifications were made regarding its content. In particular, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Valery Tishkov suggested making the report more accessible and interesting for a wider audience, and also including a section on traditional spiritual and moral values.
Council members, including Professor Vladimir Volokh, supported the need to include recommendations in the report for civil society, the media and government bodies.
The meeting also discussed the progress of the preparation of the Strategy for the State National Policy of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2036, as well as the results of seminars and meetings on the practices and tasks of executive authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation in implementing the Strategy for the State National Policy of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2025 and improving the management of migration processes.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
South Africa is positioning itself as a premier investment destination in Africa’s energy transition, with a strategic push across the entire energy value chain – from oil and gas exploration to renewables and green hydrogen. At African Energy Week (AEW) 2025: Invest in African Energies, an “Invest in South Africa” Roundtable will bring together top-tier investors, policymakers and energy executives to spotlight the country’s evolving regulatory landscape, its new national oil company and a host of bankable infrastructure projects.
This year’s roundtable brings together a powerful lineup of speakers driving South Africa’s energy future, including Shahrukh Mirza, VP LNG Development at ExxonMobil, Stefano Marani, CEO of Renergen Limited, and senior representatives from both the newly formed South African National Petroleum Company (SANPC) and the South African National Energy Development Institute.
South Africa’s energy sector is undergoing a critical transformation: years of load-shedding and grid instability has prompted bold reforms aimed at liberalizing the energy market, fast-tracking private-sector participation and diversifying supply sources. As the government unbundles Eskom and opens transmission infrastructure to independent power producers, investor interest in South Africa’s power and gas markets is growing sharply. Meanwhile, the Integrated Resource Plan and Renewable Energy Masterplan are paving the way for expanded solar, wind and battery storage deployment, backed by robust public-private collaboration.
The upstream oil and gas sector is also entering a pivotal new phase. The recently established SANPC is spearheading fresh exploration efforts and opening up acreage across frontier basins, including the Orange Basin – an area that has drawn renewed interest following a string of offshore discoveries in neighboring Namibia. Energy major Shell has secured approval for a five-well drilling campaign in the Northern Cape Ultra Deep block, while TotalEnergies is targeting a two-well wildcat campaign in South Africa’s portion of the Orange Basin, slated for 2026. With upcoming licensing opportunities, transparent fiscal terms and enhanced data packages, South Africa is well-positioned to attract both new market entrants and experienced independents to its upstream sector.
In its gas monetization strategy, South Africa is advancing efforts to leverage domestic resources – including those under development by Renergen at the Virginia Gas Project – to support helium exports and the production of LNG for transport and industrial fuel use. The country’s Gas Master Plan, currently under review, sets out a roadmap for critical infrastructure, including LNG terminals, pipeline expansions and strategic gas storage, aimed at enhancing long-term energy security. At the same time, public-private initiatives such as the green hydrogen corridor – linking the Northern Cape to key export hubs – are laying the groundwork for large-scale hydrogen production, backed by the region’s exceptional solar and wind potential.
“As South Africa retools its regulatory environment and builds momentum behind energy diversification, AEW 2025 stands as the ideal venue to connect capital with opportunity. From the Orange Basin’s high-impact prospects to scalable renewables and gas monetization, the country is open for business,” says Oré Onegbesan, Program Director, AEW.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.
AEW: Invest in African Energies: AEW: Invest in African Energies is the platform of choice for project operators, financiers, technology providers and government, and has emerged as the official place to sign deals in African energy. Visit www.AECWeek.com for more information about this exciting event.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Government announced today (July 18) that the Financial Secretary, under the authority delegated by the Chief Executive pursuant to the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571), has reappointed Ms Christina Choi Fung-yee, Mr Rico Leung Chung-yin and Mr Michael Duignan as the Executive Directors of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) for a term of three years from August 1, 2025, August 28, 2025, and November 1, 2025, respectively.
A spokesman for the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau said, “Ms Choi, Mr Leung and Mr Duignan have made valuable contributions to the work of the SFC. We are confident that they will continue to contribute towards the effective performance of the SFC’s statutory functions to foster market development and sound regulation.”
Ms Choi was appointed as the Executive Director (Investment Products) of the SFC in 2016. She will continue to serve as Executive Director (Investment Products) until October 31, 2025, and assume the post of Executive Director (Corporate Finance) of the SFC with effect from November 1, 2025.
Mr Leung was appointed as the Executive Director (Supervision of Markets) of the SFC in 2019. He will continue to assume the management responsibility for Supervision of Markets.
Mr Duignan was appointed as the Executive Director (Corporate Finance) of the SFC in 2022. He will assume the post of Executive Director (Enforcement) in the new term.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), as representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSAR Government), announced today (July 18) that a tender of 3-year RMB Institutional Government Bonds (Bonds) under the Infrastructure Bond Programme will be held on Thursday, July 24, 2025, for settlement on Monday, July 28, 2025.
A total of RMB1.25 billion 3-year RMB Bonds will be tendered. The Bonds will mature on July 28, 2028 and will carry interest at the rate of 1.59 per cent per annum payable semi-annually in arrear.
Tender is open only to Primary Dealers appointed under the Infrastructure Bond Programme. Anyone wishing to apply for the Bonds on offer can do so through any of the Primary Dealers on the latest published list, which can be obtained from the Hong Kong Government Bonds website at www.hkgb.gov.hk. Each tender must be for an amount of RMB50,000 or integral multiples thereof.
Tender results will be published on the HKMA’s website, the Hong Kong Government Bonds website, Bloomberg (GBHK ) and Refinitiv (IBPGSBPINDEX). The publication time is expected to be no later than 3pm on the tender day.
HKSAR Institutional Government Bonds Tender Information
Tender information of 3-year RMB HKSAR Institutional Government Bonds:
Issue Number
:
03GB2807001
Stock Code
:
85039 (HKGB1.59 2807-R)
Tender Date and Time
:
Thursday, July 24, 2025 9.30am to 10.30am
Issue and Settlement Date
:
Monday, July 28, 2025
Amount on Offer
:
RMB1.25 billion
Maturity
:
3 years
Maturity Date
:
Friday, July 28, 2028
Interest Rate
:
1.59 per cent p.a. payable semi-annually in arrear
Interest Payment Dates
:
January 28 and July 28 in each year, commencing on the Issue Date up to and including the Maturity Date, subject to adjustment in accordance with the terms of the Institutional Issuances Information Memorandum of the Infrastructure Bond Programme and Government Sustainable Bond Programme (Information Memorandum) published on the Hong Kong Government Bonds website.
Method of Tender
:
Competitive tender
Tender Amount
:
Each competitive tender must be for an amount of RMB50,000 or integral multiples thereof. Any tender applications for the Bonds must be submitted through a Primary Dealer on the latest published list.
Other Details
:
Please see the Information Memorandum available on the Hong Kong Government Bonds website or approach Primary Dealers.
Expected commencement date of dealing on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited
:
Tuesday, July 29, 2025
Use of Proceeds
:
The Bonds will be issued under the institutional part of the Infrastructure Bond Programme. Proceeds will be invested in infrastructure projects in accordance with the Infrastructure Bond Framework published on the Hong Kong Government Bonds website.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Deputy Secretary for Justice, Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan, met with the President of the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration, Dr Liu Xiaochun, in Shenzhen today (July 18) to discuss development and collaboration in the field of sports dispute resolution between Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
After the meeting, Dr Cheung said that the Department of Justice (DoJ) is committed to promoting the diversified development of sports dispute resolution services in Hong Kong and is actively promoting co-operation in sports dispute resolution services between Hong Kong and the Mainland, as well as other regions overseas, with a view to building Hong Kong into a sports dispute resolution services centre in the Asia-Pacific region.
Dr Cheung said that Hong Kong has always been recognised and trusted by the international community for its arbitration and mediation services, and maintains a rich pool of talent in sports dispute resolution services. Shenzhen has long been a close partner of Hong Kong in arbitration, and has been actively participating in the national development of sports arbitration in recent years. He expressed hope that Hong Kong and Shenzhen can strengthen co-operation in sports dispute resolution, giving full play to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area’s advantages of “one country, two systems and three jurisdictions” and promoting the development of sports dispute resolution services in the two places with innovative thinking.
Dr Cheung also mentioned that the DoJ is taking forward the pilot scheme on sports dispute resolution as announced in “The Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address” at full steam on the local level. The invitation for the industry to submit proposals for operation of the pilot scheme began at the end of last month, with the aim of identifying a suitable administering body and a technology service provider to provide a fast, reliable and neutral resolution mechanism for sports disputes. The period for submission of proposals will end on July 31 and the pilot scheme is expected to be launched in the second half of the year.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
A total of 84,293 local companies were newly registered during the first half of 2025, according to the statistics released by the Companies Registry today (July 18). As at the end of June this year, the total number of local companies registered under the Companies Ordinance reached 1,494,806, which is an all-time high figure.
In the first half of 2025, 761 non-Hong Kong companies have newly established a place of business in Hong Kong and were registered under the Companies Ordinance. The total number of registered non-Hong Kong companies reached 15,509 by the end of June 2025, which is also an all-time high figure.
In line with the Government’s policies on facilitating business as well as attracting enterprises and investments, two improvement measures for the Companies Ordinance came into operation during the first half of 2025. The first measure is the Companies (Amendment) Ordinance 2025, which has become effective since April 17, 2025. It aims at enabling listed companies incorporated in Hong Kong to hold shares bought back in the treasury and dispose of them, and promoting paperless corporate communication for both listed and unlisted Hong Kong companies. The second measure is the Companies (Amendment) (No. 2) Ordinance 2025, which has become effective since May 23, 2025. It introduces a company re-domiciliation regime in Hong Kong that offers non-Hong Kong corporations a simple and cost-effective route to re-domicile to Hong Kong while preserving their legal identity and operational continuity.
The number of charges on properties of companies received for registration in the first half of 2025 was 5,970. The number of notifications of payments and releases received for registration in the same period was 9,915.
The number of documents delivered to the Registry for registration during the first six months of 2025 was 1,678,809.
A total of 2,615,652 searches of document image records were conducted using the Registry’s electronic search services in the first half of 2025.
For limited partnership funds (LPFs), the number of new registration in the first half of 2025 was 116. The total number of LPFs by the end of June 2025 was 1,099.
For open-ended fund companies (OFCs), the number of new incorporation in the first half of 2025 was 109. The total number of OFCs by the end of June 2025 was 579.
As for the licensing of trust or company service providers, during the first half of 2025, 350 new licences were granted by the Registry. The total number of licensees was 6,971 as at the end of June.
For the licensing of money lenders, during the first half of 2025, 71 new licences were granted by the Licensing Court. The total number of licensed money lenders was 2,046 as at the end of June.
For details of the half-yearly statistics, please visit the “Statistics” section of the Registry’s website (www.cr.gov.hk).
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulation 2025, the Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulation 2025, the Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) (Amendment) (No. 5) Regulation 2025 and the Road Traffic (Traffic Control) (Amendment) Regulation 2025 (collectively the Amendment Regulations) were gazetted today (July 18). The Amendment Regulations seek to provide greater convenience for cross-boundary vehicles by streamlining the arrangements of Closed Road Permits (CRP) and International Circulation Permits (ICP).
A spokesperson for the Transport and Logistics Bureau said, “With the increasingly frequent traffic flow among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, the Government has been proactively enhancing the relevant licensing services of the Transport Department in order to assist drivers and more effectively respond to the growing demand for cross-boundary travel. The Amendment Regulations will streamline the application procedures and requirements, and are expected to reduce and simplify the procedures for applicants/permit holders of the regular quota schemes, Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles and the recently announced Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles schemes, bringing them greater convenience.”
The major proposed amendments in the Amendment Regulations include:
(1) CRP: extending the maximum validity period of CRP from 12 months to 60 months for cross-boundary vehicles, and adjusting the fee levels for CRP to cost-recovery levels; and exempting vehicles participating in designated cross-boundary driving schemes that meet the specified requirements from applying for a CRP based on risk control consideration. As the CRP will either be exempted or with its validity extended, the CRP fees payable by users will generally be reduced; and
(2) ICP: introducing electronic ICPs (e-ICP) with a streamlined application and collection process, allowing applicants to submit applications and supporting documents online, and to collect e-ICP with self-printing.
The Government consulted the Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Transport on the above streamlining arrangements for CRP and ICP respectively, and received general support from the Members. The Amendment Regulations will be tabled at the LegCo on July 23 for negative vetting. Subject to scrutiny by the LegCo, the exemption arrangement for CRP and the streamlining measures for ICP under the Amendment Regulations will be effective on October 1 this year; and the arrangements for extension of CRP validity period and fees adjustment will be effective on January 1, 2026. The Transport Department will continue to enhance different cross-boundary transport measures, providing a better travel experience for Hong Kong citizens and cross-boundary travellers.