South Korea’s new finance minister and the country’s top trade envoy will meet in Washington with U.S. counterparts on Friday for talks on U.S. tariffs, Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol said on Tuesday.
The country’s foreign and industry ministers will also visit the U.S. for trade discussions as early as this week, Koo told reporters after a meeting of economic ministers.
Koo took office on Monday.
The four officials complete a new cabinet team under President Lee Jae Myung who was sworn in on June 4 after winning a snap election called after his predecessor’s ouster for trying to declare martial law.
The political turmoil that ensued delayed South Korea’s response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s punishing tariff regime imposed on dozens of trade partners, including key industrial powerhouses that are also security allies.
Koo and Minister for Trade Yeo Han-koo will hold talks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Friday at the request of the U.S. officials, the finance minister said.
“We’ve had discussions from the perspective of national interest and pragmatism and we’ll do our best to prepare a meticulous strategy until we’re leaving,” Koo said, declining to say whether Seoul was hoping to push back the August 1 deadline before reciprocal tariffs set by Trump are due to come in.
Yeo said on Tuesday he would seek to base the talks around forming a manufacturing partnership with the United States.
On Monday, South Korea’s new Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said tariff talks were in a critical phase that could result in a range of possible outcomes and pledged an all-out effort to wrap up negotiations by August 1.
Trump has vowed to slap tariffs on a range of countries including South Korea to reduce what he called unfair trade imbalances.
On Saturday, Japan’s top tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, said he planned to visit Washington this week to hold further ministerial-level talks, as Tokyo hopes to clinch a deal by its August 1 deadline.
The U.S. Justice Department on Monday released more than 240,000 pages of documents related to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., including records from the FBI, which had surveilled the civil rights leader as part of an effort to discredit the Nobel Peace Prize winner and his civil rights movement.
Files were posted on the website of the National Archives, which said more would be released.
King died of an assassin’s bullet in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, as he increasingly extended his attention from a nonviolent campaign for equal rights for African Americans to economic issues and calls for peace. His death shook the United States in a year that would also bring race riots, anti-Vietnam war demonstrations and the assassination of presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump’s administration released thousands of pages of digital documents related to the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and former President John F. Kennedy, who was killed in 1963.
Trump promised on the campaign trail to provide more transparency about Kennedy’s death. Upon taking office, he also ordered aides to present a plan for the release of records relating to the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and King.
The FBI kept files on King in the 1950s and 1960s – even wiretapping his phones – because of what the bureau falsely said at the time were his suspected ties to communism during the Cold War between the U.S. and Soviet Union. In recent years, the FBI has acknowledged that as an example of “abuse and overreach” in its history.
The civil rights leader’s family asked those who engage with the files to “do so with empathy, restraint, and respect for our family’s continuing grief,” and condemned “any attempts to misuse these documents.”
“Now more than ever, we must honor his sacrifice by committing ourselves to the realization of his dream – a society rooted in compassion, unity, and equality,” they said in a statement.
“During our father’s lifetime, he was relentlessly targeted by an invasive, predatory, and deeply disturbing disinformation and surveillance campaign orchestrated by J. Edgar Hoover through the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” the family, including his two living children, Martin III, 67, and Bernice, 62, said, referring to the then-FBI director.
James Earl Ray, a segregationist and drifter, confessed to killing King but later recanted. He died in prison in 1998.
King’s family said it had filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit in Tennessee in 1999 that led to a jury unanimously concluding “that our father was the victim of a conspiracy involving Loyd Jowers and unnamed co-conspirators, including government agencies as a part of a wider scheme. The verdict also affirmed that someone other than James Earl Ray was the shooter, and that Mr. Ray was set up to take the blame. Our family views that verdict as an affirmation of our long-held beliefs.”
Jowers, once a Memphis police officer, told ABC’s Prime Time Live in 1993 that he participated in a plot to kill King. A 2023 Justice Department report called his claims dubious.
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
YANGON, July 22 (Xinhua) — About 20 people were trapped after a jade mine collapsed in northern Myanmar’s Kachin State, a local police official told Xinhua.
The incident took place in Hpakant township on Monday morning. “Two bodies have been found so far and rescue efforts are ongoing,” a local rescue official said.
The death toll could exceed 10 people, he said, adding that the incident led to the destruction of nearby houses. –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.
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
MINSK, July 22 (Xinhua) — Belarus spent 23.7 billion Belarusian rubles (7.25 billion U.S. dollars) in fixed capital investments in the first half of 2025, the country’s National Statistical Committee (Belstat) reported on Monday.
The share of Minsk region in the total volume of investments in fixed capital of the country was 25.5%. In Minsk, 21.2% of investments were used, in Gomel region – 13.3%, in Brest region – 13%, in Grodno region – 9.6%, in Vitebsk region – 8.8%, in Mogilev region – 8.7%.
In the technological structure of investments in fixed capital, 48.2% were spent on construction and installation works, 38% on machinery, equipment, and vehicles, 11.4% on other works and costs, and 2.4% on intellectual property.
By type of ownership, 38.4 percent of the total investment in fixed capital was state-owned. In turn, 55.4 percent was investment in private property, and 6.2 percent in foreign property.
In terms of sources of financing, the consolidated budget accounted for 20.2% of the total investment in fixed capital, while organizations’ own funds accounted for 43.6%. Borrowed funds from other organizations accounted for 0.6%, foreign investment – 1.9%, bank loans/borrowings – 13.6%, household funds – 12.7%, off-budget funds – 0.3%, and other sources – 7%.
In terms of the main types of economic activity, real estate transactions accounted for 22.6 percent of the total investment in fixed capital, manufacturing accounted for 18.7 percent, and agriculture, forestry and fisheries accounted for 14.7 percent. Transportation, warehousing, postal and courier services accounted for 6.8 percent, and the supply of electricity, gas, steam, hot water and air conditioning accounted for 6.3 percent. –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.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
A food delivery man rides after snow in Xining, capital of northwest China’s Qinghai Province, Nov. 4, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua]
China’s latest efforts to regulate the promotional activities of major food delivery platforms and urge rational competition will help maintain market order and promote the healthy and orderly development of the platform economy, experts said.
These platforms should ramp up technological innovation, optimize delivery networks and adopt differentiated strategies to further improve user experience and prevent cutthroat competition, they added.
Their comments came after the State Administration for Market Regulation on Friday summoned three food delivery platforms — Ele.me, Meituan and JD — calling on them to strictly adhere to e-commerce, fair competition and food safety laws, and assume more professional responsibility.
The regulator urged the three platform companies to further regulate promotional activities, participate in competition rationally, and foster a healthy ecosystem that benefits consumers, merchants, delivery riders and platform operators so as to promote the regulated, healthy and sustainable development of the catering services sector.
The authority’s meeting with major food delivery platforms followed the recent fierce competition in the country’s instant retail sector — with players offering huge discounts and subsidies to grab a bigger slice of the pie — which triggered a relentless price war.
“The latest move has demonstrated the government’s firm determination to maintain fair market order, signaling its ‘zero-tolerance’ attitude toward disorderly subsidies and vicious competition,” said Jiang Han, a senior analyst at market consultancy Pangoal, adding that the regulated and healthy development of the food delivery sector is directly related to consumers’ rights and interests.
It is of great significance to safeguard a fair and orderly market environment and avoid the “involution-style” competition in the food delivery sector, which is experiencing a price war, as major platforms have continuously stepped up subsidies to compete for market share, leading to the compression of merchants’ profits and the decline in consumer experience, Jiang said.
He said platform enterprises should provide differentiated innovative services, such as optimizing delivery efficiency, enhancing food safety standards and improving after-sales services, thereby creating a healthy competition environment, and promoting the high-quality and sustained development of the food delivery sector.
In May, the SAMR and four other government departments summoned major food delivery platforms to address prominent issues related to competition in the food delivery sector and to rectify unfair market practices.
The regulator called on the platforms to comply with laws and regulations, fulfill social responsibilities, strengthen internal management, engage in fair and orderly competition, and better safeguard the rights and interests of consumers, merchants and delivery staff.
Cao Lei, director of the Internet Economy Institute, a domestic consultancy, said the continuous steep discounts will pose challenges to platform companies’ profitability, intensify competition and further squeeze the survival space of small and medium-sized merchants.
Cao said the platforms should increase investments in technologies such as artificial intelligence-powered algorithms and intelligent scheduling to enhance fulfillment efficiency, while optimizing supply chain management, safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of consumers, and improving the welfare of delivery staff.
Zhu Keli, founding director of the China Institute of New Economy, said it is important that platform enterprises pool more resources into technologies and optimize cost structure through highly efficient inventory management and intelligent warehousing systems.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
People buy smartphones at a flagship store of Huawei in Shenzhen, south China’s Guangdong Province, Sept. 11, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]
Huawei Technologies Co has staged a remarkable comeback, reclaiming its leading position in terms of shipments in China’s smartphone market in the second quarter, according to a latest report from market research company International Data Corp.
This achievement marks Huawei’s return to the summit after a challenging six-year period, with shipments reaching 12.5 million units, capturing an 18.1 percent market share in the country, from April to June this year, IDC said.
This resurgence not only disrupts the recent dominance of rival brands, but also signifies a pivotal turnaround for Huawei, demonstrating its ability to overcome significant technology restrictions and supply chain hurdles, experts said.
Will Wong, a senior research manager with IDC’s Asia/Pacific Client Devices Group, said Huawei’s recovery can be attributed to its strong brand appeal and efficient shipment management.
The company’s recovery is underpinned by explosive growth in specific segments. Foldable smartphone shipments surged by an impressive 240 percent year-on-year in the second quarter, while its flagship Mate series contributed over 45 percent of total shipments, highlighting a robust recovery in the premium handset market.
Furthermore, the strength of Huawei’s ecosystem is evident as more than 900 million devices in China, including its own-branded products as well as devices from third-party companies, now run on its self-developed operating system HarmonyOS.
The numbers validate the success of its integrated “hardware plus software plus services” strategy, said Xiang Ligang, director-general of the Zhongguancun Modern Information Consumer Application Industry Technology Alliance, a telecom industry association.
Huawei’s return is particularly notable given the broader market context. The overall Chinese smartphone market contracted by 4 percent year-on-year in the second quarter, with total shipments reaching about 69 million units, IDC said. This decline was driven primarily by weakening consumer demand and a slowdown in growth previously fueled by government subsidies.
However, Huawei managed to defy the downward trend despite the challenging environment, Xiang said, adding that the company’s return to the top represents a significant reversal.
Key factors driving Huawei’s resurgence include product innovation, exemplified by the successful launch of the Mate 70 series. Featuring advanced in-house chipsets, superior imaging capabilities and HarmonyOS, the Mate 70 series attracted strong consumer demand, including loyal Huawei users upgrading and even some former Apple customers, Xiang added.
The company once dominated the Chinese market with a share exceeding 40 percent, but faced severe setbacks following US sanctions, leading to significant market share losses, he said.
Huawei’s relentless innovation is underpinned by its extraordinary commitment to research and development. Over the past decade, the company has invested a staggering 1.24 trillion yuan ($172.8 billion) in R&D. In 2024 alone, its R&D expenditure reached 179.7 billion yuan, representing 20.8 percent of its annual revenue. Huawei boasts a global portfolio of over 150,000 valid authorized patents, the company said.
Looking ahead, despite this significant milestone, Huawei faces an intensely competitive landscape where rivals like Apple, Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo continue to innovate aggressively. Maintaining its technological edge and product excellence will be critical for Huawei to retain its leadership, experts said.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Humanoid robots from Chinese company Unitree Robotics are seen at the backstage of China Central Television (CCTV) Spring Festival Gala in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 28, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Unitree Robotics, a Chinese manufacturer of humanoid robots, has begun preparations for an initial public offering, joining a wave of domestic embodied AI companies in tapping the capital market as they race to become globally leading robotics firms.
While Unitree has yet to disclose its intended market for a flotation, several sources told China Daily that China’s STAR Market on the Shanghai Stock Exchange is the likeliest destination.
According to a filing posted on the website of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, the company is under the listing guidance of CITIC Securities. The company could file its IPO as early as October.
Founded by Wang Xingxing, Unitree focuses on the high-performance humanoid and quadruped robots. Wang controls roughly 34.8 percent of the firm through direct and indirect holdings.
The Hangzhou, Zhejiang province-based startup’s G1 humanoid robot surprised viewers in January when 16 such robots performed a dance routine on China’s Spring Festival Gala, which was viewed 16.8 billion times.
Wang has said previously that the company’s annual revenue has surpassed 1 billion yuan ($137 million) and that it has been making a profit since 2020, which industry experts said is a rare feat in the capital-intensive robotics field.
Compared with counterparts in the United States, Chinese robotics makers are mass-producing humanoid robots for consumers at cheaper prices.
Unitree’s G1 is priced at 99,000 yuan ($13,600). After the company became widely known, the humanoid robot has been frequently spotted at meetings, in restaurants, and in various galas as well as activities.
In addition to the humanoid robots, Unitree also offers the Go2 robotic dog, starting at 9,997 yuan, along with various accessories. The Go2 series has been well-received for its versatility and affordability, making it a popular choice among tech enthusiasts.
Unitree’s IPO push comes amid a red-hot summer of fundraising across China’s embodied AI sector, a field combining robotics and artificial intelligence to enable machines with physical agency in the real world.
Earlier this month, humanoid robot startup AgiBot made headlines with a bold move to gain control of a material company via equity transfer and tender offer, which was seen by many industry insiders as a back-door listing play aimed at fast-tracking onto the STAR Market.
Meanwhile, early-stage fundraising has surged.
In July alone, several players in the embodied AI sector disclosed fresh financing rounds, drawing heavyweight backers including Tencent Holdings, Alibaba Group, and Geely.
According to data from tech-focused ITjuzi.com, China’s embodied AI industry saw 133 investment events totaling over 18 billion yuan as of last week, already surpassing the full-year 2023 figures by both volume as well as value.
Rick Xiong, general manager of the Beijing Embodied Artificial Intelligence Robotics Innovation Center, said: “These combined efforts will shape the future in our favor. Chinese robot companies have the right timing, the right place and the right people to accelerate the humanoid robot push.”
Xiong said that leading Western countries have witnessed deep-pocketed industry giants dominating the robot landscape, whereas China has been characterized by a proliferation of small to medium-sized enterprises striving to navigate the competitive terrain of humanoid robots.
He also said that the rise of artificial intelligence large language models, exemplified by technologies like ChatGPT, has been a game-changer in the robotics industry.
While investor enthusiasm remains high, industry insiders said the real challenge lies in large-scale commercialization. Analysts see a growing divide between players chasing hype and those delivering viable applications.
Wang from Unitree recently predicted that humanoid robots would be widely used in industries and services within three to five years, with early adoption in hazardous or repetitive environments.
Wang Feili, a machinery analyst at UBS Securities, echoed that view, saying humanoid robots will likely first land in factories and service settings before entering households. “Industrial scenarios are less complex and more tolerant of cost, whereas consumers expect versatile capabilities — the bar is much higher at home,” she said.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
A sizable asset in the making, or a liability in transition? China’s towering phenom Zhang Ziyu has turned heads at her home Asia Cup, leaving the basketball world wonder how such a unique talent could fit into the fast-paced modern game.
Standing 2.26 meters tall (7-foot-5), with her giant presence a spectacle to behold, China’s 18-year-old center Zhang, dubbed “Baby-face Shaq” by fans, couldn’t hide from the attention at the FIBA Asia Cup in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, where her insurmountable advantage under the rim, as apparent as her weakness in mobility, agility and conditioning, was put on full display.
China’s Zhang Ziyu (C) dwarves two Japanese opponents during a friendly in Hefei, capital of east China’s Anhui Province, June 20, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu)
Limited by head coach Gong Luming to 14 minutes of court time per game, Zhang finished her international debut at the senior level with a team-high 15.6 points on average across five games, ranking second overall after Lebanon’s Rebecca Akl (16.5).
Despite being triple teamed whenever she played, Zhang proved almost unstoppable near the basket, easily posting defenders up with her bulk to score free points as long as she settled deep enough in the paint.
Her slow legs and lack of athleticism, however, took a heavy toll on her game, significantly limiting her defensive coverage and threat in offensive transition.
As currently the world’s tallest professional female player, Zhang could only contribute 0.4 blocks and 5.6 rebounds per game in Shenzhen, ranking 18th and 14th, respectively, in two key stats that measure a post player’s impact.
A raw talent playing the game, literally, on a level of her own, Zhang’s emergence is sure to pose a huge challenge for opponents as Team China looks to build its future around her.
“She’s an extraordinary talent with an untapped potential, and could be a huge asset for Chinese women’s basketball if developed in the right way,” Gong said of Zhang’s performance after Team China beat South Korea 101-66 in Sunday’s bronze-medal playoff to finish third on the podium.
“She obviously lacks experience at this level, and has so much catching-up to do to get used to the physicality and pace of the senior game.
“Defensively, she has to improve her movement and rebounding, while, offensively, we hope she can develop a more versatile skillset and get more involved in making plays for teammates.
“She has a long career ahead of her and a vast room for improvement. This was just her first test at the senior level, and I feel like we put way too much expectation on her, which didn’t help,” said Gong, who returned to the team just three months ago for a second stint after guiding the women’s squad to the 2001 Asia championship and 2002 Asian Games titles.
Zhang’s current incompatibility with the fast-paced, high-intensity game was exposed in Team China’s disappointing 90-81 semifinal loss to Japan, where the host’s strength in the paint was neutralized by Japan’s run-and-gun game, which featured sharp shooting, spacing and quick transition.
China’s slow-rotating zone defense, with Zhang settled deep down court whenever she’s in the game, allowed Japan’s teen star Kokoro Tanaka too many uncontested shots on the perimeter, where Japan hit 16 three-pointers, 10 more than China did, to upset the host in front of its home fans.
Corey Gaines, Japan’s head coach, attributed the critical win to his team’s perfect execution of a game plan tailored against the host’s “too obvious” advantage, following two warm-up losses to Team China last month.
Still, Zhang’s rise to stardom as a potential game-changer on the international stage will be inevitable, according to Australian legend Lauren Jackson.
The five-time Olympic medalist said she’s been following Zhang’s game as a fan, and feels excited for her future as a star in the making following the NBA Rising Star tournament in Singapore earlier this month.
“She’s starting to learn the women’s game after graduating from age-grade basketball, and I just hope she’s enjoying every minute, because, before too long, she is going to be the center of everybody’s attention and dominating the FIBA game,” Jackson told ESPN.
“Obviously she’s super tall, but the way she plays, she certainly has the ability to completely dominate, purely because of her height,” said the 44-year-old former WNBA star.
“In saying that, she’s got great touch around the ring, she can catch and she’s got a big, strong body, and has the ability to finish under pressure with three or four people hanging off her.
“It’s exciting to think about where she’s going to go in the game, and what she’s going to do,” said Jackson, a dominant 1.98-meter center in her prime, who retired after helping Australia qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Playing in a major home tournament as a teenager was a perfect start for Zhang, and the next big experience is something Jackson has lived and breathed herself — a potential call from the WNBA.
The high expectations, though, could be a burden that Zhang will need some extra help and support to overcome, said Jackson, who made her major international debut for the Opals at the 1998 world championships and became a big name at the Sydney Olympics.
“The Australian team, our coach and the team manager made an effort of trying to protect me from the media and the external pressures. In our lead-in games to Sydney, they made sure I wasn’t doing much media and things like that,” she recalls.
“It was a very strange, surreal time, and I was ignorant to how much pressure was probably on me. I hope she has the same support as I had to help her out.”
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Poland’s middle blocker Aleksandra Gryka has emphasized that the team is well prepared for Wednesday’s game against China in the quarterfinals of the FIVB Women’s Volleyball Nations League (VNL).
Poland beat China 3-1 in a friendly match on home ground in Radom last Saturday. The Chinese team coached by Zhao Yong will have a chance to take revenge in Wednesday’s encounter in Lodz, Poland.
Martyna Lukasik (R) of Poland spikes the ball during the Pool 3 match between Poland and Thailand at the Women’s Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2025 at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, June 4, 2025. (Xinhua/Luo Yuan)
“It’s good we played against China in Radom. The game wasn’t as important as the coming match, but we could feel the atmosphere of the competition. China is a strong opponent,” Gryka told Polish media on Monday.
“In the opening set we made too many mistakes, but then we proved we were able to beat them. On Wednesday we should stay focused from the beginning until the end. We are ready for the challenge. I’m sure the friendly game helped us in our preparations for the encounter in the Volleyball Nations League,” she added.
Poland is preparing for a tough challenge, as it has lost all three matches against China under coach Stefano Lavarini, failing to win a single set. Two years ago, China eliminated Poland in the women’s VNL semifinals.
“Our team has changed from that time. In the past we often fought against our weaknesses on the court. Now we’re a more experienced team. We know what it’s like to compete for high stakes,” Poland’s outside hitter Martyna Czyrnianska explained.
The final phase of the Women’s VNL will be held from July 23 to 27.
The UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Monday that more intense downpours and glacier outburst floods are becoming increasingly frequent, with deadly consequences for communities caught off guard.
“Flash floods are not new, but their frequency and intensity are increasing in many regions due to rapid urbanization, land-use change and a changing climate,” said Stefan Uhlenbrook, WMO Director of Hydrology, Water and Cryosphere.
Each additional degree Celsius of warming enables the air to hold about 7 per cent more water vapour.
“This is increasing the risk of more extreme rainfall events. At the same time, glacier-related flood hazards are increasing due to enhanced ice melting in a warmer climate,” he added.
Thousands of lives lost every year
Floods and flash floods claim thousands of lives each year and cause billions of dollars in damage. In 2020, severe flooding across South Asia killed more than 6,500 people and caused $105 billion in economic losses.
Two years later, catastrophic floods in Pakistan left over 1,700 people dead, 33 million affected and losses exceeding $40 billion, reversing years of development gains.
This year, the onslaught has continued. In July alone, South Asia, East Asia and the United States have seen a string of deadly events, from monsoon rains to glacial lake bursts and sudden flash floods.
Each year, extreme weather and climate events take a massive toll on lives and economies worldwide.
Asia reels from monsoon onslaught
In India and Pakistan, heavy monsoon rains have severed transport links, washed away homes and triggered landslides. Pakistan declared a state of emergency in its worst-hit areas, deploying military helicopters for rescue missions after forecasters warned of exceptional flood risk along the upper Jhelum River.
The Republic of Korea suffered record-breaking downpours between 16-20 July, with rainfall exceeding 115 mm per hour in some locations. At least 18 people were killed and more than 13,000 were evacuated.
In southern China, authorities issued flash flood and landslide alerts on 21 July, just a day after Typhoon Wipha battered Hong Kong, underscoring the compound risks of sequential storms.
Texas flash flood strikes overnight
Overnight 3 into 4 July, a sudden deluge turned Texas Hill Country into a disaster zone, killing more than 100 people and leaving dozens missing. In a few hours, 10-18 inches (25–46 cm) of rain swamped the Guadalupe River basin, sending the river surging 26 feet (8 metres) in just 45 minutes.
1-day precipitation totals from NASA’s IMERG multi-satellite precipitation product show heavy rainfall over central Texas on July 4, 2025.
Many of the victims were young girls at a summer camp, caught unaware as floodwaters tore through sleeping quarters around 4 AM. Although the US National Weather Service issued warnings ahead of time, local sirens were lacking and the final alerts came when most were asleep.
Glacier outburst floods surge
Not all floods this month were caused by rain.
In Nepal’s Rasuwa district, a sudden outburst from a supraglacial lake – formed on a glacier’s surface – swept away hydropower plants, a major bridge and trade routes on 7 July. At least 11 people were killed and more than a dozen are reported missing.
Scientists at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), a WMO partner, say glacial-origin floods in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya region are occurring far more often than two decades ago, when one might strike every five to 10 years.
In May and June 2025 alone, three glacial outburst floods hit Nepal, Afghanistan and Pakistan, with two more in Nepal on 7 July. If warming continues, the risk of such floods could triple by the century’s end.
Aftermath of a flood that swept through a high-altitude village in Nepal.
Closing the warning gap
The WMO is stepping up efforts to improve flood forecasting through its global initiative and real-time guidance platform, now used in over 70 countries.
The system integrates satellite data, radar and high-resolution weather models to flag threats hours in advance and is being expanded into a country-led, globally interoperable framework.
A 2022 World Bank study estimated that 1.81 billion people – nearly a quarter of the world’s population – are directly exposed to 1-in-100-year flood events, with 89 per cent living in low- and middle-income countries.
The UN’s Early Warnings for All initiative aims to ensure that everyone, everywhere, is protected by early warning systems by 2027.
Almost a month ago, on 24 June 2025, we delivered our most recent Ministerial statement on the Middle East to this House.
At that time, the world was grappling with Israel and Iran bombing each another. New Zealanders were in harm’s way. The spectre of escalation and a wider regional war was very real. Back then, we called for de-escalation, dialogue and ceasefire. Thankfully, the United States was able to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Iran – and that wider regional war has, for the time being at least, been avoided.
A month later, though, we continue to be confronted by horrifying scenes playing out in Gaza.
We have the horror of innocent Israeli families, robbed of their loved ones in October 2023 by Hamas’ heinous and immoral hostage taking, still yearning and demanding for them to be freed.
And we have the horror of more and more innocent Palestinian civilians starving, being deprived of their basic needs, and being killed every day – because Israel’s military response to the events of October 7 2023 long ago ceased to be proportionate, reasonable or moral; and because Hamas continues to act with complete disregard for civilian life.
The international community is united in its revulsion to what is happening in Gaza. This horror must end. Too many lives have been lost. Too many people have been traumatised, polarised and embittered – ensuring that yet another generation of Israeli and Palestinian children are born into a situation of insufferable conflict and enmity.
That is why New Zealand has come together with Foreign Ministers from 27 other countries to state as clearly as we can that enough is enough. That this war must end now. That this suffering is intolerable.
In that joint statement, we condemned Hamas’ continued detention of Israeli hostages and called for their immediate and unconditional release.
And we condemned Israel’s policies which are leading to untold and unimaginable suffering and death among Palestinian civilians – and we called for it to comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law.
The international community is joined by an overwhelming majority of Israelis and Palestinians in wanting an immediate ceasefire. That is understandable because only a negotiated ceasefire offers the best hope of bringing Israeli hostages home and of ending the immense suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
New Zealand has always accepted that it has limited influence over the course of this generations-long conflict. The Middle East is a long way away from New Zealand. But we can and must still do our part. And New Zealand’s position has, for decades, been consistent: we want dialogue, we want diplomacy, we want negotiation, and we want a two-state solution.
We call out all actions which undermine the conditions for a two-state solution. This New Zealand government has designated the entirety of Hamas, whose stated objectives include the complete destruction of Israel, as a terrorist organisation. We have also put in place travel bans against Israeli Ministers who have taken concrete steps to undermine the two-state solution by advocating illegal settlements and settler violence.
As today’s joint statement by 28 Foreign Ministers says: we strongly oppose any steps towards territorial or demographic change in the occupied Palestinian Territories. Such steps seek to undermine the two-state solution, and they must stop.
The only way forward is an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire. Human suffering is indiscriminate. In this conflict it has been inflicted in vast quantities on Israelis and Palestinians; Jews, Muslims and Christians. Further bloodshed serves absolutely no purpose. It must stop.
New Zealand, with our partners, reaffirms our complete support for the efforts of the United States, Qatar and Egypt to achieve a ceasefire. We wish them well in this important task.
And, ultimately, what we must see is a political pathway towards peace for Israelis and Palestinians, living securely side by side. Only then can this long-running cycle of conflict be ended – in the hope that the next generation of Israeli and Palestinian children can know better, brighter days.
No matter how hopeless the situation seems, that must be the international community’s objective. And New Zealand will continue to do what it can to contribute to those efforts.
Your Excellency, The Right Honourable Dame Cindy Kiro His Excellency Dr Richard Andrew Faith and community leaders – Ibrar Sheikh, President of the Islamic Associations of New Zealand, and Phillip Green from the New Zealand Jewish Community Security Group Charitable Trust Police Commissioner, Richard Chambers Dr Melissa Derby, Race Relations Commissioner Parliamentary colleagues And other distinguished guests
It is a real honour to be here today as the Minister for Ethnic Communities for the signing of the Harmony and Peace Accord between Jewish and Muslim organisations.
This is a significant and brave stand taken by leaders of deep conviction, against division, hatred, and fear.
To the leaders here today, you have my deepest respect.
Your commitment to dialogue, to mutual respect, and to standing together in difficult times is something we can all learn from. Thank you for your leadership and for the example you have set.
At a time when global conflicts have placed immense strain on many communities worldwide, and where we are seeing growing Islamophobia and Antisemitism, you have chosen the right pathway for us as country – a path guided by responsibility, not reaction. In doing so, you have shown the very best of leadership.
As Minister, I have had the opportunity to work closely with Jewish and Muslim communities. I have seen firsthand efforts to confront hate that our communities are facing in day-to-day life here in New Zealand.
We acknowledge the pain and pressure felt by our communities, and we understand the deep emotions tied to what is happening in other parts of the world.
This is where our shared values as a country must be a shield to protect our communities, our children and those who are frightened by global conflict to ensure that those conflicts are not imported into New Zealand and do not become divisions of our own.
We are a country shaped by diversity. Whether your ancestors arrived centuries ago or just last year, New Zealand is home to people of every ethnicity, every background, and every faith. That is our strength. And we are guided by Kiwi values – manaakitanga, fairness, and giving everyone a fair go. We believe in respect, in dialogue, and in treating each other with dignity, regardless of difference.
But these values aren’t passive. They are upheld by action. Every New Zealander, whether Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, or of no faith, has a responsibility to help keep our country peaceful and united. That means standing up against hate crime, against racism, and against violence – wherever it tries to take root.
We are fortunate to live in a democracy – one that protects freedom of speech and the right to protest. These are pillars of our society. But with those freedoms comes responsibility: to protest peacefully, to speak respectfully, and to never let those freedoms be twisted into a licence for hatred or intimidation.
Our diversity should never divide us. Whether you are a Jewish Kiwi, a Muslim Kiwi, or a Christian Kiwi, we are, first and foremost, Kiwis. And as Kiwis, we stand together. We will not import hate. We will not allow conflict from abroad to create fear or division at home. We will protect each other through respect, through tolerance, and through peace.
This Accord is a testament to what is possible when brave people choose unity over fear.
Let it be more than a document – let it be a beginning. A beginning of deeper conversations, stronger relationships, and a more resilient, inclusive New Zealand.
Let this moment remind us all that peace is not something we inherit, it is something we build, together.
There are lots of reasons why people work extra hours. In some jobs, it’s the only way to cover the workload. In others, the pay is poor, so people need to work extra time. And in others still, working back late or on weekends is encouraged and rewarded, explicitly and implicitly.
Those employees who do the extra hours, willingly and without complaint, are seen as hungry and ambitious. A view expressed in some workplaces is simply “that’s what everyone does”.
But what if we discovered that people – at least in heterosexual couple households – can only work long hours at their partner’s expense? Would it still be OK for workplaces to expect people to work longer than our standard full time week, and incentivise them for doing so?
Our study, published this month in the journal Social Indicators Research, found in Australian couple households where both partners had jobs, men earned on average $536 more than women every week. In Germany, the weekly gender earnings gap was €400.
About half of that income gap in both Australia and Germany was due to men working long hours and women effectively subsidising them to do this by cutting back their own work hours.
It’s tough to combine a job with running a household, but one person working extra hours makes this almost impossible. In households, a job with long work hours means someone else must pick up the rest. This includes caring for kids, running the house, walking the dog, cooking dinner and more.
What happens when one partner has to pick up the rest
One in three Australian employees care for children, and 13% of part-time and 11% of all full-time employees give care to someone else, often an ageing parent. This has knock-on effects which are impacting many people in our workforce. The extra hours don’t come out of nowhere, but they have been invisible in what we think of as fair.
In our study, we costed this knock-on in terms of earnings and work hours gaps in households, and what this could mean for equality of income.
We studied between 3,000 and 6,000 heterosexual couples from 2002 to 2019 in Australia and in Germany, estimating their weekly earnings and work hour gaps.
To understand the dynamics in the household, we used a two-stage instrumental variable Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition – a method that allowed us to model earnings gaps as a function of both partners’ paid and unpaid hours. This helped us estimate what the gender gap in hours and earnings would look like if time weren’t being “borrowed” or “subsidised” within the home.
Changing the hours men and women work
The results were striking. We showed how one partner’s paid work hours can increase when the other partner does more unpaid (household) work. This ability for partners to “trade” hours was one of the most important drivers of the work hour (and earning) gap.
So we re-ran models and recalculated what hours a woman and a man would work if one partner wasn’t “subsidising” the other’s work hours. The model showed women would work more hours and men would work fewer when there was a more even split of home duties. The weekly work hour gap shrank to 5.1 hours in Australia (a 58% reduction) and 6.9 hours in Germany (a 47% reduction).
The impact on earnings was just as significant. The gender earnings gap would shrink by 43% in Australia and 25% in Germany.
The gender earnings and work hours gaps are well known, and these are not the only countries facing this problem. What hasn’t been shown before is how it works in households to drive gender inequality across the nation.
The rest of the earnings gap is largely due to differences in pay across male and female industries and jobs, and the persistent gender pay gap in hourly pay.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the average gender gap in hourly pay is 11.1%. This gap reflects the fact, hour for hour, women are generally paid less. The average weekly earnings gap is much larger at 26.4%.
As things currently stand in Australia, women earn only three-quarters of what men do, a shortfall similar to that in (Germany).
One part of the earnings gap is the gap in the hourly pay rate, but the other is the gap in how many hours are worked. We show how this would shrink if men worked hours that were closer to Australia’s legislated 38-hour week, and workplaces encouraged them to do so.
Closing the gap
If we stopped the time-shifting to partners that our culture of long working hours relies upon, we estimate that in a heterosexual couple, men’s hours would average closer to 41 a week, and women’s would increase to 36.
We could change the long and short hour compromise that so many households have to face. This change could make a huge difference to gender inequality, and women would no longer carry such a large economic cost from their partner’s work.
Maybe reining in excess hours should be the new focus for gender equality.
Lyndall Strazdins has received funding from the Australian Research Council to undertake research on this topic.
She has served as an expert witness on work hours and well-being for the State and Federal Court.
Liana Leach receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Medical Research Future Fund. She is a member of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU).
Tinh Doan receives funding from the Australia ComCare and the Department of Health and Aged Care for other works that are not related to this article.
If Rupert Murdoch becomes a white knight standing up to a rampantly bullying US president, the world has moved into the upside-down.
This is, after all, the media mogul whose US television network, Fox News, actively supported Donald Trump’s Big Lie about the 2020 presidential election result and paid out a US$787 million (about A$1.2 billion) lawsuit for doing so.
It is also the network that supplied several members of Trump’s inner circle, including former Fox host, now controversial Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth.
But that is where we are after Trump filed a writ on July 18 after Murdoch’s financial newspaper, The Wall Street Journal, published an article about a hand-drawn card Trump is alleged to have sent to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2003. The newspaper reported:
A pair of small arcs denotes the woman’s breasts, and the future president’s signature is a squiggly “Donald” below her waist, mimicking pubic hair.
The Journal said it has seen the letter but did not republish it. The letter allegedly concluded:
Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.
The card was apparently Trump’s contribution to a birthday album compiled for Epstein by the latter’s partner Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence after being found guilty of sex trafficking in 2021.
Trump was furious. He told his Truth Social audience he had warned Murdoch the letter was fake. He wrote, “Mr Murdoch stated that he would take care of it but obviously did not have the power to do so,” referring to Murdoch handing leadership of News Corporation to his eldest son Lachlan in 2023.
Trump is being pincered. On one side, The Wall Street Journal is a respected newspaper that speaks to literate, wealthy Americans who remain deeply sceptical about Trump’s radical initiative on tariffs, which it described in an editorial as “the dumbest trade war in history”.
On the other side is the conspiracy theory-thirsty MAGA base who have been told for years that there was a massive conspiracy around Epstein’s apparent suicide in 2019 that included the so-called deep state, Democrat elites and, no doubt, the Clintons.
Trump, who loves pro wrestling as well as adopting its garish theatrics, might characterise his lawsuit against Murdoch as a smackdown to rival Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant in the 1980s.
To adopt wrestling argot, though, it is a rare battle between two heels.
A friendship of powerful convenience
Murdoch and Trump’s relationship is longstanding but convoluted. The key to understanding it is that both men are ruthlessly transactional.
Exposure in Murdoch’s New York Post in the 1980s and ‘90s was crucial to building Trump’s reputation.
Not that Murdoch particularly likes Trump. Yes, Murdoch attended his second inauguration, albeit in a back row behind the newly favoured big tech media moguls. He was also seen sitting in the Oval Office a few days later looking quite at home.
But this was pure power-display politics, not the behaviour of a friend.
Remember Murdoch’s derision on hearing Trump was considering standing for office before the 2016 election, and his promotion of Ron De Santis in the primaries before Trump’s second term. Murdoch’s political hero has always been Ronald Reagan. Trump has laid waste to the Republican Party of Reagan.
Murdoch knows what the rest of sane America knows: Trump is downright weird, if not dangerous. This, of course, only makes Murdoch’s complicity in Trump’s rise to power, and Fox News’ continued boosterism of Trump, all the more appalling.
But, in keeping with Murdoch’s relationship to power throughout his career, what he helps make, he also helps destroy. Perhaps now it’s Trump’s turn to be unmade. As a former Murdoch lieutenant told The Financial Times over the weekend:
he’s testing out: Is Trump losing his base? And where do I need to be to stay in the heart of the base?
And here is Murdoch’s great advantage, and his looming threat.
A double-edged sword
The advantage comes with the scope of Murdoch’s media empire, which operates like a federation of different mastheads, each with their own market and aspirations. While Fox News panders to the MAGA base, and The New York Post juices its New York audience, The Wall Street Journal speaks, and listens, to business. Each audience has different needs, meaning they’re often presented with the same news in very different ways, or sometimes different news entirely.
Like a federation, though, News Corp uses its various operations to drive the type of change that affects all its markets.
It might work like this. The Wall Street Journal breaks a story that’s so shocking it begins to chip away at MAGA’s unquestioning loyalty of Trump. This process is, of course, willingly aided by the rest of the media. The resulting groundswell eventually allows Fox News and the Post to tentatively follow their audiences into questioning, and then perhaps criticising, Trump.
Fox News audiences could slowly begin to question Trump, or abandon the network entirely. NurPhoto/Getty
The threat is that before that groundswell builds, Murdoch is seriously vulnerable to criticism from a still dominant Trump, who can turn conspiracy-prone audiences away from Fox News with just a social media post. Trump has already been busy doing just that, saying he is looking forward to getting Murdoch onto the witness stand for his lawsuit.
If the Fox audience decides it’s the proprietor who’s behind this denigration of Trump, they may decide to boycott their own favoured media channel, even though Fox’s programming hasn’t yet started questioning Trump.
The Murdochs’ fear of audience backlash was a major factor in Fox’s promulgation of the Big Lie after Trump’s defeat in 2020. The fear their audience might defect to Newsmax or some other right-wing media outfit is just as real today.
History littered with fakery
We also need to consider that Trump might be right. What if the letter is a fake?
Murdoch has form when it comes to high-profile exposés that turn out to be fiction. Who can forget the Hitler Diaries in 1983, which we now know Murdoch knew were fake before he published.
Think also of the Pauline Hanson photos, allegedly of her posing in lingerie, all of which were quickly proved to be fake after they were published by Murdoch’s Australian tabloids in 2009.
There was also The Sun’s despicable and wilfully wrong campaign against Elton John in 1987 and the same paper’s continueddenigration of the people of Liverpool following the Hillsborough stadium disaster in 1989.
But while Murdoch’s News Corp has a history of confection and fakery, the Wall Street Journal has a reputation for straight reportage, albeit through a conservative lens. Since Murdoch bought it in 2007, it has been engaged in its own internal battle for editorial standards.
Media rolling over
What Trump won’t get from Murdoch is the same acquiescence he’s enjoyed from America’s ABC and CBS networks, which have both handed over tens of millions of dollars in defamation settlements following dubious claims by Trump about the nature of their coverage.
In December 2024, ABC’s owner Disney settled and agreed to pay US$15 million (A$23 million) to Trump’s presidential library. The president sued after a presenter said Trump was found guilty of raping E. Jean Carroll.
Trump had actually been found guilty by a jury in a civil trial of sexually abusing and defaming Carroll and was ordered to pay her US$5 million (A$7.6 million).
CBS’ parent company, Paramount, did similarly after being sued by the president, agreeing in early July to settle and pay US$16 million (A$24.5 million) to Trump’s library. This was despite earlier saying the case was “completely without merit”.
Beware the legal microscope
From Trump’s viewpoint, two prominent media companies have been cowed. But his campaign against critical media doesn’t stop there.
Last week, congress passed a bill cancelling federal funding for the country’s two public-service media outlets, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR).
Also last week, CBS announced the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s stridently critical comedy show, although CBS claims this is just a cost-cutting exercise and not about appeasing a bully in the White House.
Presuming the reported birthday letter is real, Murdoch will not bend so easily. And that’s when it will be important to pay attention, because at some point Trump’s lawyers will advise him about the dangers of depositions and discovery: the legal processes that force parties to a dispute to reveal what they have and what they know.
If the Epstein files do implicate Trump, the legal fight won’t last long and the media campaign against him will only intensify.
Right now we have the spectre of Murdoch joining that other disaffected mogul, Elon Musk, in a moral crusade against Trump, the man they both helped make. The implications are head-spinning.
As global bullies, the three of them probably deserve each other. But we, the public, surely deserve better than any of them.
The authors 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.
Australia has joined 28 international partners in calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza and a lifting of all restrictions on food and medical supplies.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong, along with counterparts from countries including the United Kingdom, France and Canada, has signed a joint statement demanding Israel complies with its obligations under international humanitarian law.
The statement condemns Israel for what it calls “the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians” seeking “their most basic need” of water and food, saying:
The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths. The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity […] It is horrifying that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid.
Weapon of war
Gazans, including malnourished mothers denied baby formula, face impossible choices as Israel intensifies its use of starvation as a weapon of war.
In Gaza, survival requires negotiating what the United Nations calls aid “death traps”.
According to the UN, 875 Gazans have been killed – many of them shot – while seeking food since the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began operating in late May. Another 4,000 have been injured.
Gaza has been described as the “hungriest place on Earth”, with aid trucks being held at the border and the United States destroying around 500 tonnes of emergency food because it was just out of date.
More than two million people are at critical risk of famine. The World Food Programme estimates 90,000 women and children require urgent treatment for malnutrition.
Nineteen Palestinians have starved to death in recent days, according to local health authorities.
We can’t say we didn’t know
After the breakdown of the January ceasefire, Israel implemented a humanitarian blockade on the Gaza Strip. Following mounting international pressure, limited aid was permitted and the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began operations.
As anticipated, only a fraction of the aid has been distributed.
About 1,600 trucks entered Gaza between May 19 and July 14, well below the 630 trucks needed every day to feed the population.
Israeli ministers have publicly called for food and fuel reserves to be bombed to starve the Palestinian people – a clear war crime – to pressure Hamas to release Israeli hostages.
Famine expert Alex De Waal says Israel’s starvation strategy constitutes a dangerous weakening of international law. It also disrupts norms aimed at preventing hunger being used as a weapon of war:
operations like the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation are a big crack in these principles [that is] not going to save Gaza from mass starvation.
Palestinian organisations were the first to raise the alarm over Israel’s plans to impose controls over aid distribution.
UN Relief Chief Tom Fletcher briefed the UN Security Council in May, warning of the world’s collective failure to call out the scale of violations of international law as they were being committed:
Israel is deliberately and unashamedly imposing inhumane conditions on civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Tom Fletcher briefing the United Nations on the ‘atrocity’ being committed in Gaza.
Since then, clear and unequivocal warnings of the compounding risks of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing have intensified from the UN, member states and international law experts.
Weaponising aid
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation claims it has handed out millions of meals since it began operating in the strip in May. But the UN has called the distribution model “inherently unsafe”.
Near-daily shootings have occurred since the militarised aid hubs began operating. Malnourished Palestinians risking death to feed their families are trekking long distances to reach the small number of distribution sites.
While the foundation denies people are being shot, the UN has called the aid delivery mechanism a “deliberate attempt to weaponise aid” that fails to comply with humanitarian principles and risks further war crimes.
Jewish Physicians for Human Rights has rejected the aid’s “humanitarian” characterisation, stating it “is what systematic harm to human beings looks like”.
Human rights and legal organisations are calling for all involved to be held accountable for complicity in war crimes that “exposes all those who enable or profit from it to real risk of prosecution”.
Mounting world action
Today’s joint statement follows growing anger and frustration in Western countries over the lack of political pressure on Israel to end the suffering in Gaza.
Polling in May showed more than 80% of Australians opposed Israel’s denial of aid as unjustifiable and wanted to see Australia doing more to support civilians in Gaza.
Last week’s meeting of the Hague Group of nations shows more collective concrete action is being taken to exert pressure and uphold international law.
Th 12 member states agreed to a range of diplomatic, legal and economic measures, including a ban on ships transporting arms to Israel.
The time for humanity is now
States will continue to face increased international and domestic pressure to take stronger action to influence Israel’s conduct as more Gazans are killed, injured and stripped of their dignity in an engineered famine.
This moment in Gaza is unprecedented in terms of our knowledge of the scale and gravity of violations being perpetrated and what failing to act means for Palestinians and our shared humanity.
Now is the time to exert diplomatic, legal and economic pressure on Israel to change course.
History tells us we need to act now – international law and our collective moral conscience requires it.
Amra Lee 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.
Australia’s 48th parliament has a record 112 women members. Ten of those women are independents.
As they take their seats in the chamber, they’ll be realising the aspirations of some of Australia’s first suffragists who, more than a century ago, staunchly supported independent representation, but failed to gain traction at the ballot box.
Our earliest female political aspirants, Catherine Spence in Adelaide, Rose Scott in Sydney and Vida Goldstein in Melbourne, eschewed party politics, believing significant social issues should transcend political boundaries.
Recent close contests in the electorates of Bradfield and the eponymous Goldstein echoed the challenges of female independent candidates across time.
Australia’ first female candidate
Spence had been declined preselection for the nascent Labor Party in 1896. This was when women in South Australia, including Aboriginal women, became the first in Australia to have the right not only to vote, but also to stand for parliament.
Spence believed issues of social justice and electoral reform should override party allegiance.
The following year, Spence nominated for the federal convention to draft a Constitution for the new Australian parliament. Her strongest commitment was to proportional voting based on the Hare system of the single transferable vote, which was ultimately introduced to the Australian Senate in 1948. Spence believed this was the fairest electoral system to give voice to minority concerns.
She was the only woman to nominate. Although not elected, she won her place in history as Australia’s first female political candidate.
Acknowledging her defeat, Spence reflected:
I stood or fell on a question which both parties thought it expedient to ignore […] I look on my position in the poll as very satisfactory.
Similarly, Goldstein, the first woman to stand for Australia’s federal parliament in 1903, viewed her loss as “virtually a victory”. She explained to her supporters:
I stood as a protest against press domination and the creation of the vicious system of machine politics. I had the prejudice of ages to fight, and yet I secured more than half of the votes of the candidate heading the polls.
Although she did not stand for office, she brought together politicians across the divide with people of influence from the judiciary, publishing and the arts at her Friday evening salons.
Despite her privileged background and private income, Scott’s political leanings were towards socialism.
For more than 20 years she corresponded regularly with both Spence and Goldstein. Their extant letters reveal shared concerns for equal pay and education for women and child welfare.
Significant NSW legislation was reputedly drafted on Scott’s rosewood dining table. She remained staunchly opposed to party politics, scrawling her endorsement across a copy of The Inebriates Act 1900 “non-party and non-sectarian”.
Scott joined Goldstein on the hustings and furnished letters of support in Goldstein’s campaign pamphlets.
Spence, however, recalling the bitter lesson of her own candidature, wrote:
I am not at all sure that Vida Goldstein is wise in standing for the Senate. Women do not vote as women for women.
Successive, but unsuccessful attempts
Like Spence, Goldstein was hampered by misinformation, with questions asked about her eligibility to stand for parliament. Both lacked the financial support available to their opponents backed by party organisations.
Goldstein was attacked in the conservative press for her views on home and marriage. Comments on her dress and appearance trivialised reporting of her political message. Labor newspapers proclaimed that support for Goldstein would split the vote and result in a defeat of Labor’s candidates.
Vida Goldstein tried to enter politics numerous times, but faced many obstacles. Museums Vcitoria
Spence escaped similar attention because she was short, stout and in her seventies when she campaigned.
Goldstein nominated for the Senate again in 1910, campaigning for equal pay and federal reform of marriage and divorce laws.
Although she polled higher than in 1903, her campaign was hampered by lack of funds and negative press coverage.
Party politics had become more polarised. Many women were now actively joining the Labor Party or supporting the conservative Australian Women’s National League.
Between 1910 and her final tilt for the Senate in 1917, Goldstein stood twice for the seat of Kooyong, currently held for a second term by independent MP Monique Ryan.
Goldstein stood as a progressive independent for Kooyong in 1912. Labor did not field a candidate. She polled around half the votes of her male opponent. She stood again in 1915, remaining frank and uncompromising on her independent status:
as a non-party candidate I had difficulties to face that confronted no other candidate. The non-party candidate does not get the support of the party press. And the other special prejudice I have to fight is that of sex.
While their work towards women’s suffrage is acknowledged, the broader social and political contributions of our early feminists are often overlooked. When the right to vote still seemed unobtainable, they were lobbying for fairer divorce, child welfare, prevention of domestic violence and equal pay. Political representation seemed a step too far.
“None of these women could have imagined a Julia Gillard. It would have made their heads spin to think that a woman could be prime minister,” says historian Clare Wright.
An Australian parliament with majority of cabinet positions held by women, with women leading both the opposition in the House of Representatives and the government in the Senate, would leave them stunned, but triumphant.
Elizabeth Chappell previously received funding from the Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) scholarship 2021-2024
Australia has joined 28 international partners in calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza and a lifting of all restrictions on food and medical supplies.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong, along with counterparts from countries including the United Kingdom, France and Canada, has signed a joint statement demanding Israel complies with its obligations under international humanitarian law.
The statement condemns Israel for what it calls “the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians” seeking “their most basic need” of water and food, saying:
The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths. The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity […] It is horrifying that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid.
Weapon of war
Gazans, including malnourished mothers denied baby formula, face impossible choices as Israel intensifies its use of starvation as a weapon of war.
In Gaza, survival requires negotiating what the United Nations calls aid “death traps”.
According to the UN, 875 Gazans have been killed – many of them shot – while seeking food since the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began operating in late May. Another 4,000 have been injured.
Gaza has been described as the “hungriest place on Earth”, with aid trucks being held at the border and the United States destroying around 500 tonnes of emergency food because it was just out of date.
More than two million people are at critical risk of famine. The World Food Programme estimates 90,000 women and children require urgent treatment for malnutrition.
Nineteen Palestinians have starved to death in recent days, according to local health authorities.
We can’t say we didn’t know
After the breakdown of the January ceasefire, Israel implemented a humanitarian blockade on the Gaza Strip. Following mounting international pressure, limited aid was permitted and the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began operations.
As anticipated, only a fraction of the aid has been distributed.
About 1,600 trucks entered Gaza between May 19 and July 14, well below the 630 trucks needed every day to feed the population.
Israeli ministers have publicly called for food and fuel reserves to be bombed to starve the Palestinian people – a clear war crime – to pressure Hamas to release Israeli hostages.
Famine expert Alex De Waal says Israel’s starvation strategy constitutes a dangerous weakening of international law. It also disrupts norms aimed at preventing hunger being used as a weapon of war:
operations like the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation are a big crack in these principles [that is] not going to save Gaza from mass starvation.
Palestinian organisations were the first to raise the alarm over Israel’s plans to impose controls over aid distribution.
UN Relief Chief Tom Fletcher briefed the UN Security Council in May, warning of the world’s collective failure to call out the scale of violations of international law as they were being committed:
Israel is deliberately and unashamedly imposing inhumane conditions on civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Tom Fletcher briefing the United Nations on the ‘atrocity’ being committed in Gaza.
Since then, clear and unequivocal warnings of the compounding risks of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing have intensified from the UN, member states and international law experts.
Weaponising aid
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation claims it has handed out millions of meals since it began operating in the strip in May. But the UN has called the distribution model “inherently unsafe”.
Near-daily shootings have occurred since the militarised aid hubs began operating. Malnourished Palestinians risking death to feed their families are trekking long distances to reach the small number of distribution sites.
While the foundation denies people are being shot, the UN has called the aid delivery mechanism a “deliberate attempt to weaponise aid” that fails to comply with humanitarian principles and risks further war crimes.
Jewish Physicians for Human Rights has rejected the aid’s “humanitarian” characterisation, stating it “is what systematic harm to human beings looks like”.
Human rights and legal organisations are calling for all involved to be held accountable for complicity in war crimes that “exposes all those who enable or profit from it to real risk of prosecution”.
Mounting world action
Today’s joint statement follows growing anger and frustration in Western countries over the lack of political pressure on Israel to end the suffering in Gaza.
Polling in May showed more than 80% of Australians opposed Israel’s denial of aid as unjustifiable and wanted to see Australia doing more to support civilians in Gaza.
Last week’s meeting of the Hague Group of nations shows more collective concrete action is being taken to exert pressure and uphold international law.
Th 12 member states agreed to a range of diplomatic, legal and economic measures, including a ban on ships transporting arms to Israel.
The time for humanity is now
States will continue to face increased international and domestic pressure to take stronger action to influence Israel’s conduct as more Gazans are killed, injured and stripped of their dignity in an engineered famine.
This moment in Gaza is unprecedented in terms of our knowledge of the scale and gravity of violations being perpetrated and what failing to act means for Palestinians and our shared humanity.
Now is the time to exert diplomatic, legal and economic pressure on Israel to change course.
History tells us we need to act now – international law and our collective moral conscience requires it.
Amra Lee does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
The Army recently announced that 29 museums will be closed or consolidated, including the Lewis Army Museum at JBLM
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, sent a letter to U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, demanding answers as to why the Lewis Army Museum at Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) will be closed, and shared how important the museum is for celebrating the rich history of military service at JBLM. The Lewis Army Museum is the only certified U.S. Army Museum on the entire West Coast.
The Army recently announced that 29 museums will be closed or consolidated, in order to direct more resources toward “readiness and lethality,” the list includes the Lewis Army Museum at JBLM. The Army Museum Enterprise provided no explanation when it announced it will shrink from 41 museums at 29 locations, to 12 field museums and four training support facilities at 12 locations.
Senator Murray began her letter by detailing the storied history of the soldiers the museum honors, “JBLM is named after Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark expedition and was established in 1917 to train the 91st ‘Wild West’ Division before deploying to Germany in World War I. Since then, JBLM soldiers have continued to serve bravely in all military conflicts. JBLM is home to Audie Leon Murphy, who earned fame as the most highly decorated American Soldier of World War II , and General John Shalikashvili, who later became the 13th Chairman on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. JBLM is full of rich history that deserves to be celebrated, not brushed to the side.”
“Educating our communities on the Army’s history is key to instilling national pride amongst servicemembers and the general public,” Senator Murray continued. “In fact, Secretary Hegseth has been very vocal about preserving our military’s history for the sake of improving morale. In the dedication of his book, Modern Warriors, Hegseth said ‘the legacy of our warriors is worth of elevation – a reflection of what we should really value.’ By closing the Lewis Army Museum, you are doing the exact opposite by not honoring the incredible sacrifice and service the men and women who have been stationed at JBLM have provided. You have said that ‘telling that story [of the Army] will directly lead to a recruiting boom,’ and there seems to be no better way to continue to tell that story than to continue to keep these important museums open to the public.”
Senator Murray concluded her letter by pushing for answers and emphasizing that JBLM was never consulted or given the opportunity to provide input if this decision was made to cut costs, writing: “According to the U.S. Army Center of Military Housing, the decision was made as a cost-cutting measure so the Army can direct more resources toward ‘readiness and lethality’ and will save $114 million over 10 years. Yet this decision comes at a time when President Trump is requesting a historically high defense budget of $1.01 trillion for fiscal year 2026, a 13.4 percent increase compared to fiscal year 2025. If this decision was made for cost-saving measures, JBLM was never consulted or given the opportunity for input. Colonel Kent Park, the outgoing garrison commander, said he heard of the closure through the media, and the closure was never discussed with him.”
Full text of the letter is available HERE, and below:
The Honorable Daniel Driscoll
Secretary of the Army
1600 Army Pentagon
Washington, DC 20310-1600
July 21, 2025
Dear Secretary Driscoll:
I am writing to express my concern and disappointment regarding the Army’s decision to shut down and consolidate 29 of its 41 military museums across the country, including the Lewis Army Museum, which honors the soldiers of Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) in my home state of Washington. JBLM is named after Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark expedition and was established in 1917 to train the 91st “Wild West” Division before deploying to Germany in World War I.Since then, JBLM soldiers have continued to serve bravely in all military conflicts. JBLM is home to Audie Leon Murphy, who earned fame as the most highly decorated American Soldier of World War II, and General John Shalikashvili, who later became the 13th Chairman on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. JBLM is full of rich history that deserves to be celebrated, not brushed to the side.
In 1973, JBLM established the Lewis Army Museum to honor its soldiers and educate the public on the value of service. Located in the Red Shield Inn, the building was originally built during World War I by the Salvation Army to accommodate soldiers and their families and it was converted into a museum in 1973. Today, the Lewis Army Museum is the only certified U.S. Army Museum on the entire West Coast. It has an extensive display spanning from decorated artillery shells made in the trenches during World War I to pocket guides given to servicemembers before they deployed to Vietnam. It also showcases military vehicles, vintage uniforms, weapons, art, and other memorabilia donated by local veterans in the Puget Sound area.
Educating our communities on the Army’s history is key to instilling national pride amongst servicemembers and the general public. In fact, Secretary Hegseth has been very vocal about preserving our military’s history for the sake of improving morale. In the dedication of his book, Modern Warriors, Hegseth said “the legacy of our warriors is worth of elevation – a reflection of what we should really value.” By closing the Lewis Army Museum, you are doing the exact opposite by not honoring the incredible sacrifice and service the men and women who have been stationed at JBLM have provided. You have said that “telling that story [of the Army] will directly lead to a recruiting boom,” and there seems to be no better way to continue to tell that story than to continue to keep these important museums open to the public.
According to the U.S. Army Center of Military Housing, the decision was made as a cost-cutting measure so the Army can direct more resources toward “readiness and lethality” and will save $114 million over 10 years. Yet this decision comes at a time when President Trump is requesting a historically high defense budget of $1.01 trillion for fiscal year 2026, a 13.4 percent increase compared to fiscal year 2025. If this decision was made for cost-saving measures, JBLM was never consulted or given the opportunity for input. Colonel Kent Park, the outgoing garrison commander, said he heard of the closure through the media, and the closure was never discussed with him.
JBLM’s community is proud of its history and continued service to our nation and our servicemembers. Without an explanation given for this announcement, I request comprehensive answers to the following questions before August 11, 2025:
What is the annual operating cost of the Lewis Army Museum?
What processes and evaluations did the Army undertake to inform the decision to close the Lewis Army Museum?
What is the plan to provide the Army Veterans located on the West Coast with a museum honoring their service to the nation?
Why was the Lewis Army Museum chosen to close and other military museums allowed to remain open?
What do you plan on doing with the artifacts in the Lewis Army Museum? Will the public still be able to see them somewhere after closure?
Was there a public comment period on the planned museum closure decision? If so, what was the timeline and what feedback did the Army receive from the community?
How is the Army planning to use the additional funds to enhance mission readiness and lethality?
Are there specific programs that will absorb the additional funding? If so, which ones?
Thank you for your attention to this important matter, and I look forward to your prompt and thorough response.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
This aerial photo taken on June 23, 2023 shows residential buildings along the Xuyan River, a tributary of the Jinjiang River, in Chengdu, capital of southwest China’s Sichuan province. [Photo/Xinhua]
Chinese Premier Li Qiang has signed a State Council decree that unveils regulations to boost the high-quality development of the housing rental market and facilitate establishing a housing system that supports both housing rentals and purchases.
The new regulations, which will go into effect on Sept. 15, emphasize the integration of the market’s leading role and government guidance in the sector’s development. It also encourages more supply of rental housing through multiple channels and fostering market-oriented, professional housing rental enterprises.
The document specifies regulations on rental activities, as well as the behaviors of housing rental enterprises and brokerage agencies. Rental brokerage agencies must verify and record the information of the entrusting parties, conduct on-site inspections of the properties before listing, and clearly mark the prices of their services, it says.
The regulations underline improved supervision and management of the housing rental sector. Governments of cities and above with subsidiary districts should establish monitoring mechanisms on housing rents and publish rental price levels regularly.
Strict legal responsibilities are stipulated for the illegal actions of lessors, tenants, housing rental enterprises, brokerage agencies and relevant government department staff, according to the document.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
The Hubei Humanoid Robotics Industry Chain Matchmaking Conference was held on July 16 during the 3rd China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) in Beijing, with the theme “Synergizing Cutting-Edge Innovations, Empowering New Quality Productive Forces.”
Yu Jianlong, vice chairman of the CCPIT, speaks at the Hubei Humanoid Robotics Industry Chain Matchmaking Conference during the 3rd CISCE in Beijing, July 16, 2025. [Photo courtesy of CISCE Organizing Committee]
The event gathered over 400 participants, including ambassadors to China, academic experts, industry leaders and senior financial executives. Through keynote speeches, presentations, project promotions, product launches and strategic cooperation signings, the conference comprehensively showcased Hubei province’s advantages and potential in humanoid robot development. It facilitated precise connections across the industrial chain while injecting momentum into global humanoid robotics collaboration.
Yu Jianlong, vice chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), stated at the event that as a pivotal hub where the Belt and Road Initiative intersects with the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Hubei boasts distinct geographical advantages, abundant sci-tech and educational resources, a robust innovation ecosystem and strong openness. In recent years, the province has demonstrated vigorous development momentum in humanoid robotics — from smart manufacturing to core component R&D, and from application scenarios to industrial ecosystem development.
“At this year’s CISCE, Hubei established the exclusive humanoid robotics exhibition zone, featuring 22 provincial enterprises showcasing over 80 exhibits — including 20 fully-integrated humanoid robots — collectively demonstrating Hubei’s complete industrial chain ecosystem for humanoid robotics,” Yu noted.
He emphasized that the CCPIT will continue expanding its enterprise service network and international partnerships, working with Hubei to establish high-quality cooperation platforms for Chinese and foreign enterprises. This will help position Hubei’s humanoid robotics industry as a standout brand in developing new quality productive forces.
Hu Zhonghai, director of the Hubei Sub-Council of the CCPIT, stated in his address that the humanoid robotics industry represents strategic high ground for developing new quality productive forces — serving as both a “barometer” for technological revolution and an “accelerator” for industrial upgrading. He emphasized Hubei’s ideal environment for robotics innovation, with its unique geographic advantages, strong industrial ecosystem support and superior open policies.
The joint exhibition booth of Hubei humanoid robotics enterprises during the 3rd CISCE in Beijing, July 19, 2025. [Photo/China.org.cn]
He noted the province has prioritized eight major projects, including breakthroughs in humanoid robotics, with 325 Global Fortune 500 companies having now established operations in Hubei. The province is firmly implementing its humanoid robotics industry roadmap targeting initial progress within one year, visible results in three years, and substantial momentum in five years.
Li Zhengxiang, chairman of the Hubei Humanoid Robotics Innovation Center, stated that the center is currently one of China’s largest and most scenario-rich innovation hubs for humanoid robotics. “Through a five-dimensional approach featuring platform leadership, industrial cluster development, financial support, talent empowerment and application scenario implementation, we will build a nationally influential ecosystem for the humanoid robotics industry,” he said.
Zhao Xingwei, legal representative of JCBot and professor at the School of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), explained that JCBot has achieved industrialization with technical support from the team of academicians at HUST. The company’s products currently serve over 10 application fields, including industrial production, cultural tourism, emergency firefighting, inspection and warehousing. He emphasized JCBot will continue advancing R&D to expand into higher-value applications and support industrial upgrading.
During the new product launch session, Lou Kaiqi, deputy general manager of Hubei Optics Valley Dongzhi Embodied Intelligence Technology Co. Ltd., unveiled the company’s new humanoid robot model. Lou explained that the robot has already been deployed in various applications including exhibition hall docent services, retail guidance, reception duties and commercial performances, with plans for future expansion into government services, industrial operations, elderly care and other sectors.
A humanoid robot waves to the audience at the Hubei Humanoid Robotics Industry Chain Matchmaking Conference during the 3rd CISCE in Beijing, July 16, 2025. [Photo courtesy of CISCE Organizing Committee]
Shao Renjie, deputy director of integration at Hubei Kofon Intelligent Transmission Co. Ltd., unveiled a new drive joint module for humanoid robots at the event. The module integrates core components including high-torque motors, reducers and controllers, featuring high power density, precision control and lightweight design to meet dexterous movement requirements for humanoid robots. Shao noted that the launch of this module helps fill critical gaps in Hubei’s supply chain for humanoid robotics core components, strengthening local industrial self-sufficiency and control capabilities.
At the matchmaking conference, the Hubei Humanoid Robotics Industry Alliance signed strategic cooperation framework agreements with three partners: the Zhejiang Robot Industry Association, the National and Local Co-Built Humanoid Robotics Innovation Center, and the Zhongguancun Rongzhi Specialized Robotics Alliance. Under the agreements, the four parties will collaborate deeply on technology R&D, market expansion and talent exchange to build a stronger robotics ecosystem, enabling resource sharing and complementary advantages to collectively enhance competitiveness in humanoid robotics.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
From beauty tech to wellness solutions, the third China International Supply Chain Expo has it all! Join British host Jay as he explores how innovative AI, smart home technology and pharmaceutical advances are transforming health, beauty and quality living. Three, two, one — hit the link and discover a new way to live well!
Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons
WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined “Mornings with Zerlina” on SiriusXM Progress on Friday as part of her week-long series on faith and politics, where he talked about how his faith motivates his public service, especially in fighting for vulnerable communities impacted by President Trump’s sweeping budget bill and rescissions package which both passed the Senate this month.
Senator Coons and Zerlina Maxwell discussed the need for Democrats to speak more openly about faith as a source of compassion and how faith plays into issues like climate change, health care, and global affairs. Senator Coons also talks about the rise of Christian nationalism in America right now and how evangelical conservatives have placed themselves at the center of the intersection of faith and politics in the popular imagination.
A link to the interview and key excerpts are available below.
LISTEN HERE.
Republicans push through Trump’s budget reconciliation bill
Maxwell: As a person of faith, what do you want our listeners at home to know about the damage of this particular law and how it flies in the face of so many faith teachings about how we should take care of people who are vulnerable and hurting?
Senator Coons: There are lots of us in the Democratic caucus in the Senate who first felt called to public service to help others, to try and strengthen our country, to address the issues of health equity, of hunger, of lack of access to clean air and water, to safe housing through a concern for each other that’s rooted in seeing other Americans of different backgrounds and different states and different needs as children of God – as people fully deserving of the respect and the investment and the support that that entails. This bill – this law now, as you pointed out – is going to do massive damage.
I recently did an event at the Delaware Food Bank with my colleagues, Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester and Congresswoman Sarah McBride, where we went through in detail the tens of thousands of children, seniors and families who will be hungry as a result of the cuts to the hunger programs of the federal government and the millions of people across the country who will lose access to health care and crowd into emergency rooms sicker with less support, more likely to go bankrupt in ways that will increase their suffering and reduce the health of our country as a whole. The bottom line is that this act, which really was centrally driven by trying to deliver bigger tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, is also going to make us hungrier, sicker, and more divided.
…
For a long time in American history, the faith community, broadly understood, was really at the center of social justice movements, whether it was the civil rights movement, or the labor movement, or the environmental movement, and that was motivated by a broadly shared compassion and concern for each other. If you think about the images of who was marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, it included priests and nuns, rabbis and protestant clergy, folks of a wide range of backgrounds. And just two weeks before the final vote on the “Big, Beautiful Bill” – which was anything but beautiful, it was a big, ugly bill – Reverend Jim Wallis and I helped convene literally hundreds of clergy, religious, civic leaders from around the country in a protest on the steps of the Capitol which began by their reading dozens of Scripture passages from Torah, from the Gospels, from other faith traditions that all put a privilege, a focus, a centrality, on caring for the poor, on caring for the needy, for the widow, for the orphan, for the outcast, and then put in sharp contrast how this law does the opposite.
Democrats needing to open up about their faith
Maxwell: You mention that more Democrats need to talk about their faith. Why is it that so many Democrats seem uncomfortable or unwilling to lean into their beliefs and to talk about it more openly?
Senator Coons: I don’t really know what’s the origin of it, other than, you know, look, we have to recognize that organized religion has harmed many people in the United States, there are certainly folks who have become distanced from their faith traditions because of their own experiences. Someone I was quite close to, and remain close to today, in law school confided in me that his initial very negative reaction was frankly because of something horrible that had happened in his parish when he was a child that had driven him away from the Catholic Church. He wasn’t judging me. He was just reflecting on an unpleasant experience. And the more that folks associate public religiosity with aggressive campaigns by Christian nationalists or exclusive focusing on reproductive freedom issues or death penalty issues, the more they think it’s a narrow concern, not something that speaks to broader concerns, but whether it’s about healthcare, the environment, our communities, or economic justice.
Rise of Christian nationalism
Maxwell: Does your faith inform the way you talk about the rise in authoritarianism or white Christian nationalism in the country right now? Because I feel like there is a space where we can talk about aligning ourselves with values that have a moral grounding that are not what the folks on the other end of the political spectrum are talking about in a moment like this one.
Senator Coons: There are passages in the Gospels and the Torah that I think speak clearly to a sense of who is my neighbor. Who are we connected to? In Christ, there is no East or West, nor Greek, nor Jew, for example, and I have always felt that the calling of the United States to be engaged with the rest of the world, to be supportive of development and addressing disasters and crises in the rest of the world, is rooted in that teaching that we are all children of God, regardless of race, religion, background, ethnicity, faith, language. And here at home, similarly, Christian nationalism presumes that we are a country that is uniquely endowed with an historic mission, and at times that has, in my experience, on the Foreign Relations Committee here, that hurts our partnerships around the world, our alliances around the world, but it also fails to reflect a real embrace of the full creation of the world and the full range of humanity, both here in the United States and around the world.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
China’s Guangxi supports housing projects construction in urban areas
Updated: July 22, 2025 08:47Xinhua
An aerial drone photo taken on July 21, 2025 shows an urban village renovation project in Nanning City, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Since this year, Guangxi’s provincial department of finance has raised a total of about 3.4 billion yuan (473.9 million U.S. dollars) in financial subsidies to support the construction of affordable housing projects in urban areas, which has improved the public demand for high-quality housing. [Photo/Xinhua]Workers work at a construction site of an urban village renovation project in Nanning City, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, July 21, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Lauren Boebert (Colorado, 3)
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (CO-04) successfully passed H.R. 131, the “Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit” Act, through the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday evening by voice vote. The bill eliminates interest payments on construction costs endured by non-federal entities and extends the repayment period to 75 years, allowing local communities more flexibility to finish their investments in this critical project. Congressman Jeff Hurd (CO-03) is a cosponsor of the bill, while Colorado Senator Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper have introduced companion legislation in the U.S. Senate.
Upon completion, the Arkansas Valley Conduit would provide access to clean water to 50,000 residents in Southeast Colorado, including Bent, Crowley, Prowers, Kiowa and Baca Counties. The project was originally started in 1962 and has been delayed by bureaucracy and, most recently, rising construction and labor costs. The “Finish the AVC” Act addresses these issues in an effort to make this long-standing vision a finished product.
“This is a major victory for Southeast Coloradans with my ‘Finish the AVC Act’ passing through the U.S. House of Representatives,”said Congresswoman Boebert.“Every Coloradan should have reliable access to clean water, which keeps families healthy and allows economic development to move forward. It’s been more than six decades since the Arkansas Valley Conduit was originally approved; Coloradans are done waiting on this project. I’m grateful to my House colleagues for their support and I will fight to make sure this bill now passes through the Senate so President Trump can sign this bill in the near future.”
“Access to reliable, clean water is fundamental to the health and prosperity of our rural communities, and the Arkansas Valley Conduit has remained an unfinished promise for far too long,”said Congressman Jeff Hurd (CO-03).“I’m proud to cosponsor this legislation with Congresswoman Boebert to remove financial barriers and help get this vital project across the finish line. This will strengthen agriculture, support families, and fuel economic growth across Southeast Colorado — a win for everyone who calls this region home.”
“Rural water providers in our area often struggle to secure the funding needed to meet the needs of the communities they serve. Completing the Arkansas Valley Conduit (AVC), which has been stalled for decades as labor and construction costs continue to rise, would help reduce the financial burden on these providers and enhance their ability to deliver a higher quality and a more reliable water supply,”said Prowers County Commissioners Ty Harmon, Roger Cook, and Roger Stagner.“In addition to supporting households and businesses, a stable water supply is essential for agriculture — the backbone of our community’s economy. Reliable water access ensures that farmers and ranchers can maintain production, adapt to drought conditions, and sustain the long-term viability of their operations. We’re grateful for Congresswoman Boebert’s work on this project and her efforts to support Southeast Colorado.”
“In the West, it is critical that we have sound water infrastructure to meet communities’ needs,”said House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (AR-04).“Rep. Boebert’s legislation will help get the Arkansas Valley Conduit project across the finish line more than 60 years after it was authorized. I thank her for her work to move this important project forward and her leadership on western water issues.”
The full text of Congresswoman Boebert’s H.R. 131 can be read HERE.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Lauren Boebert (Colorado, 3)
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (CO-04) successfully passed H.R. 131, the “Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit” Act, through the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday evening by voice vote. The bill eliminates interest payments on construction costs endured by non-federal entities and extends the repayment period to 75 years, allowing local communities more flexibility to finish their investments in this critical project. Congressman Jeff Hurd (CO-03) is a cosponsor of the bill, while Colorado Senator Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper have introduced companion legislation in the U.S. Senate.
Upon completion, the Arkansas Valley Conduit would provide access to clean water to 50,000 residents in Southeast Colorado, including Bent, Crowley, Prowers, Kiowa and Baca Counties. The project was originally started in 1962 and has been delayed by bureaucracy and, most recently, rising construction and labor costs. The “Finish the AVC” Act addresses these issues in an effort to make this long-standing vision a finished product.
“This is a major victory for Southeast Coloradans with my ‘Finish the AVC Act’ passing through the U.S. House of Representatives,”said Congresswoman Boebert.“Every Coloradan should have reliable access to clean water, which keeps families healthy and allows economic development to move forward. It’s been more than six decades since the Arkansas Valley Conduit was originally approved; Coloradans are done waiting on this project. I’m grateful to my House colleagues for their support and I will fight to make sure this bill now passes through the Senate so President Trump can sign this bill in the near future.”
“Access to reliable, clean water is fundamental to the health and prosperity of our rural communities, and the Arkansas Valley Conduit has remained an unfinished promise for far too long,”said Congressman Jeff Hurd (CO-03).“I’m proud to cosponsor this legislation with Congresswoman Boebert to remove financial barriers and help get this vital project across the finish line. This will strengthen agriculture, support families, and fuel economic growth across Southeast Colorado — a win for everyone who calls this region home.”
“Rural water providers in our area often struggle to secure the funding needed to meet the needs of the communities they serve. Completing the Arkansas Valley Conduit (AVC), which has been stalled for decades as labor and construction costs continue to rise, would help reduce the financial burden on these providers and enhance their ability to deliver a higher quality and a more reliable water supply,”said Prowers County Commissioners Ty Harmon, Roger Cook, and Roger Stagner.“In addition to supporting households and businesses, a stable water supply is essential for agriculture — the backbone of our community’s economy. Reliable water access ensures that farmers and ranchers can maintain production, adapt to drought conditions, and sustain the long-term viability of their operations. We’re grateful for Congresswoman Boebert’s work on this project and her efforts to support Southeast Colorado.”
“In the West, it is critical that we have sound water infrastructure to meet communities’ needs,”said House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (AR-04).“Rep. Boebert’s legislation will help get the Arkansas Valley Conduit project across the finish line more than 60 years after it was authorized. I thank her for her work to move this important project forward and her leadership on western water issues.”
The full text of Congresswoman Boebert’s H.R. 131 can be read HERE.
Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed
NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI – U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman Seth Magaziner today announced a new $274,596 federal grant for the J. Goodison Co. shipyard at the Quonset Business Park. The federal funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration Small Shipyards Grant program.
The federal funds will be used by J. Goodison to modernize equipment and purchase 21 new welder units and a 200-ton press brake to enhance fabrication and welding capabilities. Reliable welding equipment will ensure that projects can be completed in the most efficient manner and reduce the need for outsourcing. This project will help increase the company’s capabilities, improve efficiency and productivity, and create opportunities to provide competitive service.
“This is good news for J. Goodison and Rhode Island’s maritime industry. Ensuring Rhode Island shipyard’s have the best machinery available to meet their needs increases productivity and efficiency and expands capacity at Quonset. Small shipyards like J. Goodison make big contributions to our economy by building and maintaining the vessels that drive our economy. We’ve got to keep them competitive. I will continue working to bring investment to Rhode Island’s ports, shipbuilders, and shipyards,” said Senator Reed, a member of the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations Subcommittee. Senator Reed led efforts to restore funding for the Small Shipyard program after it lapsed for several years.
“I’m glad to join Senator Reed in helping ensure that Ocean State shipyards have everything they need to grow and create jobs,” said Senator Whitehouse. “Congratulations to J. Goodison on winning this competitive grant, which will support even more economic activity at Quonset.”
“This federal funding will help J. Goodison modernize its operations, boost productivity, and create good-paying jobs right here in Rhode Island,” said Congressman Magaziner. “I will keep fighting to bring home funds that strengthen the state’s shipyards and grow the local maritime economy.”
“We thank Senators Reed and Whitehouse and the entire Rhode Island Congressional delegation for their leadership in supporting this project,” said Jack Goodison, President and CEO of J. Goodison Co. “Our State and region succeed when we work together to modernize our shipyards with newer equipment that this grant will help fund.”
Founded in 1999, J. Goodison is a veteran-owned small business specializing in full-service marine maintenance. In 2016, the company opened a waterfront shipyard facility in the Quonset Business Park in North Kingstown. Due to its location and capabilities, the shipyard has become an important asset for marine operators along the Eastern Seaboard. The commercial fishing industry, passenger ferry operators, marine towing operators, and the United States Coast Guard all rely on J. Goodison’s vessel repair services.
MARAD’s Small Shipyard Grant Program is a competitive grant program designed to support small shipyard projects that make capital and related improvements or provide training for workers in shipbuilding, ship repair, and associated industries.
In fiscal year 2024, the Small Shipyard Grant Program received 78 grant applications from shipbuilding or repair companies nationwide requesting just under $50 million. The program allocated $8.75 million in available federal funds.
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
The partner of the financial house “Solid” the Foundation for the support of the disabled “Philanthropist” announces the start of collecting applications for participation in the XIII International Award “Philanthropist” for outstanding achievements of the disabled in the field of culture and art. The prize fund of each Laureate will be 200,000 rubles. Applications for the competition are accepted until August 31, 2025.
Organizers
Government of the Russian Federation Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation Government of Moscow Russian Academy of Arts All-Russian Society of Disabled People Philanthropist Foundation
Nominations
Performing Arts Fine Arts Literary Arts
Awarded once every two years
The bonus fund is formed from extra-budgetary sources.
Each nomination has several sub-nominations.
Special prizes
“For the preservation of folk art traditions” “For novelty and originality in creativity” “Overcoming. Beyond the Possible” “To Growing Hopes” “To a statesman and public figure for providing effective assistance to disabled people and their public organizations” “Defender of the Fatherland” (The prize is awarded solely on the recommendation of the jury members from the nominations presented above to a disabled person who is a participant in local military conflicts or combat operations. Has a monetary equivalent). “For providing effective assistance to disabled people and their public organizations” – awarded to a statesman and/or public figure (has no monetary value); “To a philanthropist and patron of the arts” – awarded to business representatives for providing charitable and sponsorship assistance to disabled people and their public organizations (has no monetary value).
The XIII Ceremony of the “International Philanthropist Award for Outstanding Achievements of Disabled People in Culture and Art” will be held on December 2, 2025 in Moscow. Executive Directorate of the Award – Philanthropist Foundation for the Support of Disabled People 101000, Moscow, Moroseyka St., Building 3/13, Building 1.
Detailed information is available on the Foundation’s websiteGDV.filanthrop.ruTel.: 7 917 557-69-90
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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Scott Peters (52nd District of California)
Washington, DC – Today, Representatives Scott Peters (D-CA-50) and Blake Moore (R-UT-01) and Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Jim Banks (R-IN) reintroduced the bipartisan, bicameral Build More Housing Near Transit Act to encourage the construction of low- and middle-income housing in transit-served, walkable locations. Rep. Peters previously introduced a standalone House version of the legislation in 2019 and a bicameral version in 2021 and 2023.
The bill incentivizes the development of more housing near transit stops by tying the competition for federal transit funding to state and local housing plans along transit corridors. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the United States has a shortage of 7.1 million affordable rental homes. In San Diego County alone, there is a shortage of nearly 100,000 homes for extremely low-income renters and that gap is nearly one million homes statewide. It is clear California is not doing enough to keep pace with growing demand – in 2024, the state only permitted 114,069 homes, according to California’s Housing and Community Development Department. Since 2021, San Diego County has permitted only 48,765 homes, just 28.4 percent of the total needed to meet demand according to the Regional Housing Needs Allocation formula.
“The cost of housing remains the greatest barrier to prosperity in California, forcing people to move farther and farther from where they work, which means longer commutes and more air pollution,” said Rep. Peters. “Our bill will get more cars off the road by maximizing federal investments in public transportation and will increase affordable housing options for families across the country. As a Co-Chair of the YIMBY Caucus and founding member of the growth–oriented Build America Caucus in Congress, I look forward to getting this commonsense legislation across the finish line to help relieve the pressure on cost-burdened Americans.”
“Housing has consistently been one of the most pressing issues for Utahns since I joined Congress. In some ways, Utah is a victim of its own success. Our incredible quality of life, economic opportunity, and low unemployment rates have put significant strains on our housing market, which has priced out young families from starter homes and presented major challenges to servicemembers at Hill Air Force Base,” said Rep. Moore. “I’m proud to introduce legislation that will condition federal transit grants on whether states are reducing zoning barriers for housing near new bus or rapid transit lines, something that Utah has already been doing for years through the leadership of partners such as UTA along the Wasatch Front and Connect in Cache Valley. The end result will bring more of Utah’s common-sense policies to Washington and help more families find affordable and accessible homes.”
“The clearest way out of our national housing shortage is by building more housing,” said Senator Schatz. “Our bipartisan bill incentivizes cities and towns to build housing when they expand or redevelop their public transit systems. This will help put more families in homes, grow local economies, and cut carbon pollution. It’s a win for everyone.”
“This bill makes it easier for communities to build homes for working families by cutting red tape and giving them the freedom to create strong, family-friendly neighborhoods near public transit,” said Senator Banks.
The Build More Housing Near Transit Act would direct the Department of Transportation to incentivize local governments to promote housing development and regional growth in and around the transit corridors of future New Starts projects. Specifically, this bill will amend U.S. Code Section 5309, which governs the application process for capital investment grants to:
Direct the Secretary of Transportation to boost a transit project’s rating if the project includes pro-housing policies for areas along the project route;
Define pro-housing policies as a state or local action to remove regulatory barriers to constructing or preserving housing, reduce or eliminate parking minimums or minimum lot sizes, establish by-right approval processes for multi-family housing, commit substantial public property to affordable housing development or preservation, and eliminate or raise residential property height limits; and
Engage the Department of Housing and Urban Development to develop a methodology to evaluate the merits of the pro-housing policies documented in a CIG application.
A letter of support from more than 100 national, state, and local groups, including Circulate San Diego, is available here. A full list of supporting organizations is available here.
“In San Diego we have made a conscious effort to spur housing development along our growing public transit system,” said City of San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. “The Build More Housing Near Transit Act will provide additional incentives to create affordable housing near transit, helping our region address both our housing affordability and climate crises.”
“America is experiencing a severe housing shortage that affects every aspect of American lives and the economy,” said Mike Kingsella, CEO of Up for Growth Action. “The Build More Housing Near Transit Act addresses the critical link between transportation and housing and would create greater access to affordable commutes and abundant housing. We applaud the lead sponsors for introducing this bill, serving as an example of how the federal government can use its leverage to ensure the right types of housing are available in the places people want to live.
“The United States needs to build millions of new homes and rental units for low- and middle-income Americans,” said David Dworkin, President and CEO, National Housing Conference (NHC). “The Build More Housing Near Transit Act would help unlock supply and smarter, more efficient development by linking housing and transit planning and development. Transit-oriented development can help reduce costs, grow local economies, increase affordable housing supply, and increase access to opportunities for families. The National Housing Conference is proud to endorse this legislation, and we are grateful to the leadership of Representatives Scott Peters and Blake Moore, and Senators Brian Schatz and Jim Banks.”
“For decades, the federal government has funded mass transit projects in cities whose growth control laws do not allow people to live near and ride on transit,” said Alex Armlovich, Senior Housing Policy Analyst, Niskanen Center. “The Build More Housing Near Transit Act finally corrects this. It protects transit riders and the federal taxpayer from spending scarce transit capital on projects doomed by rigid zoning regulations to low housing growth and low future ridership, while uplifting projects in localities that welcome housing & transit ridership growth. This bill is the essential first step in restoring bipartisan confidence in America’s mass transit investments for taxpayers and transit riders alike.”
New Zealand’s economy is showing signs of strain, and a growing body of evidence points toliquidity shortagesand over manipulated interest rates as key culprits.
While global macroeconomic policies and domestic shifts play some part, theReserve Bank’s aggressive interest rate strategymay have overcorrected, leaving the economy with limited liquidity.
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) raised the Official Cash Rate (OCR) from a pandemic low of 0.25% to a peak of 5.5%.
This high rate was intended to tame inflation. Trend Analysis research demonstrated in 2023 that the inflationary measures were based on an over reliance of CPI (consumer price index) as a core indicator.
Research showed that prior to the GFC, CPI and other inflationary measures were effectively identifying real inflation. However, post COVID the macro-economy environment changed and most markets proactively began to hide inflationary indicators.
Prices had increased while goods delivered, the type and level of services, and manufactured products supplied to consumers saw substantive reductions in volume, scope, size, and quality. This hid core components of inflationary pressures.
Moreover, we noted in our earlier release “RBNZ Potential Catalyst Of New Inflationary Cycle” that although indexed inflation had cooled in some areas, debt based inflation was rapidly growing and the over tightening had unintended consequences.
Liquidity in financial markets has significantly declined, with investors and banks showing reduced appetite for risk and tightly managed credit extension.New research indicates that there is a lack of liquidity in the New Zealand economy. This liquidity crunch is not theoretical as it is playing out in the housing market.
Despite a significant drop in home prices since the pandemic peak,affordability remains elusive. In lower-cost regions, new homes (priced below national averages) require mortgage repayments that exceed reasonable thresholds for most households.
Even with large deposits, the 30-year mortgage repayments remain burdensome, especially as interest rates hover well above pre-pandemic norms. Such mortgage repayments based on current interest rates do not make financial sense to most potential buyers.
Additionally, we find that housing inventory is now rising at an unsustainable rate. There are over 36,000 properties for sale nationwide. Yet buyers remain hesitant becauseborrowing costs are remain so prohibitive.
This disconnect between price correction and repayment feasibility underscores the deeper issue:monetary policy has potentially throttled liquidity to the point of economic stagnation.
New Zealand’s economic decline appears to be a result of not merely a cyclical but a structural decline.
The over-manipulation of interest rates has drained liquidity, stifled investment, and distorted housing affordability. Moreover, it has induced a debt based inflation. One substantive example are regional councils that adjusted rates increases to compensate for increased borrowing costs reflected in the high interest rates.
Until monetary policy recalibrates to support sustainable growth, the economy will remain in a downward loop of suppressed demand due to constrained liquidity.
Trend Analysis Network is a think tank based in New Zealand created to identify and publish analytical results of future tr
The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa says New Zealand’s signature on a joint statement of 25 countries on Gaza is meaningless without concrete action.
PSNA Co-Chair John Minto says Peters’ statements in the media this morning, fall well short of the condemnation in the joint statement, and are what Minto calls the usual ducking the issue of Israeli culpability.
“Peters still can’t bring himself to criticise Israel in Gaza – even after 21 months of mass killing and mass starvation of Palestinians. He condemns a suffering situation, but carefully avoids stating who it causing it.”
Minto says there is an extensive list of actions the government must take if it’s serious.
“I’m sure the Israeli ambassador in Wellington is happily reporting to his ministry in Tel Aviv that the New Zealand government is still tolerating mass starvation, bombing civilians and ethnic cleansing.” Minto says.
“If the New Zealand government was serious, it would implement this list”:
1.Back the call from UN Special Rapporteur for the OPT, Francesca Albanese, for military protection for aid convoys to enter Gaza.
2.Close the Israeli embassy in Wellington
3.End trade and investment ties with Israel
Deny entry visas for all Israeli Defence Forces personnel
5.Introduce legislation to sanction Israel the same as the Russia Sanctions Act
6.Cease approval for Rakon to export crystal oscillators which may be used by the Israeli military for targeting Gaza and other Israeli assault zones
7.Ban all Rocket Lab launches of satellites used for Israeli reconnaissance over Gaza
8.Suspend all bilateral agreements with Israel; movie co-production, overflight agreement and technological cooperation
9.Stop remittances going to Israel, such as funds for the racist Jewish National Fund
10.Cut scientific, academic, sport and cultural ties with the State of Israel
11.Sell all New Zealand’s Superfund investments in Israeli companies
12.Vote to suspend Israeli membership of the United Nations for not withdrawing from all the Occupied Palestinian Territory
13.Cease approving Israeli munitions transporter ZIM Shipping using our ports
14.Join the case against Israeli genocide in the International Court of Justice
15.Sign onto the Hague Group of countries working to ensure Israel complies with International Law https://thehaguegroup.org/home/
