Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Inland Revenue Department alerts public to fraudulent emails
The IRD has no connection with the emails and has reported the case to the Police for further investigation.
The IRD reminded members of the public not to open suspicious emails or visit hyperlinks provided in such emails.
Issued at HKT 17:10
NNNN
Source: Government of South Africa
Thursday, July 24, 2025
Communities in Sekhukhune, Limpopo, have been urged to explore mountains cautiously and with proper guidance or supervision after four young boys went missing and required a search and rescue operation to be rescued.
On Monday, 21 July 2025, four boys from Mahlakwane village in Sekhukhune went to the mountain to hunt until late at night.
They failed to return home and the following day, family members went to the police station to report them missing.
“The report prompted the police to launch an immediate joint search operation conducted by Zaiplaas Vispol members, Burgersfort K9 unit, the Search and Rescue team, Emergency Medical Services personnel, fire department and community members.
“They then embarked on a search with a view to safely rescue the four young boys, aged between nine and 19, who were trapped in the cliffs on the mountain at Mahlakwana village,” said the police in a statement.
Three were successfully rescued, while the eldest one was found at his home after the operation.
Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, cautioned communities to explore mountains safely.
“This warning aims to raise awareness to prevent similar incidents and ensure public safety. We urge parents and guardians to take extra care of their children and to ensure that they are aware of their whereabouts at all times,” said Hadebe. – SAnews.gov.za
Source: Government of South Africa
The Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety has commended the South African Police Service (SAPS) for their swift and decisive action in apprehending suspects linked to several high-profile crimes.
These cases include the tragic murder of City of Ekurhuleni Chief Auditor, Mpho Mafole, as well suspects linked to the murder of renowned DJ Sumbody, the killing of engineer Armand Swart, and the attempted murder of actress Tebogo Thobejane.
“These developments reflect the commitment and capability of law enforcement to pursue justice and dismantle criminal networks that threaten public safety and the rule of law.
“However, while these successes are commendable, the committee emphasises that all victims of crime, regardless of their public profile, deserve equal attention, protection and justice. The fight against crime must be consistent and inclusive,” Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Community Safety, Bandile Masuku, said on Thursday.
Mafole, who served as the Group Divisional Head for Corporate and Forensic Audits, was brutally gunned down in Kempton Park last month in an execution-style killing.
His death sent shockwaves across the province, while highlighting the grave risks faced by public servants committed to transparency and good governance.
“The committee welcomes the arrest of one suspect, who appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court yesterday. However, the second suspect, Hlanganani Agripper Mncwango, remains at large. The committee urges law enforcement to intensify efforts and leave no stone unturned in ensuring his swift apprehension,” Masuku said.
The case was postponed to 15 August 2025 for further investigation.
“It is particularly alarming that the arrested suspect was reportedly out on bail for a similar murder charge at the time of Mafole’s killing. This raises serious concerns about the adequacy of bail conditions in cases involving violent crimes and calls for an urgent review of current judicial practices to prevent repeat offenses and safeguard communities.
“The committee also applauds SAPS for recent breakthroughs in other high profile cases, including the arrests of suspects linked to the murder of renowned DJ Sumbody, the killing of Swart, and the attempted murder of actress Thobejane. Crucially, the committee reiterates that trust between the police and the communities they serve is fundamental to effective policing.
“Building and maintaining this trust requires transparency, accountability, and ongoing engagement. Communities must feel confident that their safety is a priority and that their cooperation with law enforcement will lead to meaningful outcomes. Without this trust, efforts to combat crime will be severely undermined,” Masuku said. – SAnews.gov.za
Source: Government of South Africa
Thursday, July 24, 2025
The International Criminal Police Organisation’s (INTERPOL) National Central Bureau (NCB) in Pretoria has arrested a 57-year-old Chinese fugitive, who is believed to be linked to a case of fraud reported in China.
According to a preliminary report, INTERPOL circulated a Red Notice to all member countries to locate and provisionally arrest the Chinese national.
This as wanted persons often flee to another country to evade their arrest.
“The suspect reportedly applied for a visa at the United States of America Embassy in Sandton when his fugitive status was flagged, leading to his arrest on Tuesday, 22 July 2025,” said the police in a statement.
The suspect made his first appearance in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, 23 July 2025.
The police said the INTERPOL NCB continues to record commendable successes in dismantling transnational crime syndicates and arresting international fugitives in the country. – SAnews.gov.za
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
WASHINGTON – Jean Wiltene Eugene, 57, of Key West, Florida, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 30 months in prison and a $20,000 fine for his role in a gunrunning operation that illegally exported firearms to Haiti, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Eugene pleaded guilty on April 11, 2025, to one count of smuggling. In addition to the prison term, Judge Carl J. Nichols ordered Eugene to serve 24 months of supervised release.
Joining in the announcement of the sentence were Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Justin Fleck of the Miami Field Office.
According to court documents, Eugene is a U.S. citizen who was born in Haiti and resides in Key West. On Sept. 23, 2021, Eugene knowingly exported more than two firearms from the United States to Haiti contrary to U.S. laws and regulations, including the prohibitions in the Export Administration Regulations and the Export Control Reform Act of 2018, knowing the firearms were intended for exportation contrary to such laws and regulations. In particular, Eugene exported the firearms without having first obtained the required license from the Bureau of Industry and Security, located in the District of Columbia. Anyone who violates the smuggling statute may be fined up to $250,000 and imprisoned for up to 10 years.
Eugene arranged to ship vehicles to Haiti through a Florida-based export company. Eugene signed the company’s terms and conditions of shipments, which required the shipper to affirm that the vehicles did not contain any firearms or ammunition. In a subsequent interview with law enforcement, Eugene admitted that, in 2020 and 2021, he shipped two vehicles to Haiti with firearms hidden inside. Eugene stated that he placed food and other items around the bins holding the firearms so border authorities would not find the weapons.
In a later interview with federal agents, Eugene stated that nine firearms he purchased in Key West under his name were currently located at his gas station in Haiti and that none of those firearms remained in the United States. He admitted that he knew it was illegal to ship weapons to Haiti when confronted by the federal agents.
Eugene was arrested May 4, 2024, in Key West.
This case was investigated by the FBI Miami Field Office with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Paschall and Trial Attorney Beau Barnes of the National Security Division, as well as former Assistant U.S. Attorney Pravallika Palacharla. Substantial assistance was provided by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
25cr78
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Hassan Elliott, aka “Haz,” 26, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Juan R. Sánchez to 900 months in prison, five years of supervised release, and a special assessment of $2,500 for the fatal shootings of Philadelphia Police Sergeant James O’Connor, Kaseem Rogers, Tyrone Tyree, and Dontae Walker, and numerous other crimes arising from the defendant’s membership in a violent drug trafficking organization known by several names, including “SG1700” and “L-Block,” which operated in the Frankford section of Northeast Philadelphia.
Elliott, along with Khalif Sears, aka “Leaf” and “Lil Leaf,” 23, Kelvin Jimenez, aka “Nip,” 34, and Dominique Parker, aka “Dom,” 34, all of Philadelphia, were charged in March 2023 by superseding indictment with conspiracy to engage in a racketeer influenced corrupt organization (RICO), violent crimes in aid of racketeering, to include murder, stemming from the killings of victims Rogers, Walker, Tyree, and Sergeant O’Connor, and numerous related offenses.
Elliott and Sears pleaded guilty this January to RICO conspiracy, drug trafficking conspiracy, causing the death of Sergeant O’Connor by firearm, and multiple drug, gun, and violent offenses.
Jimenez and Parker were convicted at trial in March of all charges against them, including racketeering conspiracy, drug trafficking conspiracy, maintaining a drug-involved premises, assaults in aid of racketeering, firearms offenses, and related crimes. Jimenez was also convicted of the murder of Kaseem Rogers, and Parker of the murder of Dontae Walker.
On March 13, 2020, Elliott, Sears, and others previously indicted were inside a stash house on the 1600 block of Bridge Street, when Sergeant O’Connor and other members of the Philadelphia Police Department SWAT team arrived with an arrest warrant for Elliott for the March 2019 murder of Tyrone Tyree. As Sergeant O’Connor and his fellow officers ascended the staircase to the second floor of the residence and repeatedly announced their presence, Elliott fired a semiautomatic assault rifle 16 times, striking and killing Sergeant O’Connor.
Sears, Parker, and Jimenez will be sentenced at a later date.
“Hassan Elliott murdered a police officer who was protecting and serving his community,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Unfortunately, Philadelphia Police Department Sergeant James O’Connor is only one of many victims of SG1700’s rampage of violence. The punishment Mr. Elliott received today is justice for these outrageous crimes, and our efforts — past, present, and future — to prosecute anyone who harms law enforcement will forever honor the sacrifice of Sergeant O’Connor.”
“Hassan Elliott is now facing justice for the murder of Sergeant O’Connor and his other victims,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Philadelphia Field Division. “Criminal gang members can’t hide from the mayhem they inflict, especially when their violence turns against the law enforcement officers who protect our communities. Thanks to the diligent and meticulous work in partnership with the Philadelphia Police Department and U.S. Attorney’s Office, Elliott and those who enabled him are being held accountable for these heinous crimes.”
The case was investigated by the ATF and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ashley Martin, Christopher Diviny, and Lauren Stram.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Jason Wayne Coleman, 41, of Pensacola, Florida, has been indicted in federal court for two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges.
Coleman appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Zachary C. Bolitho at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola, Florida on July 22, 2025.
Coleman faces a maximum of 15 years’ imprisonment for each count.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case. Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Source: Government of India
Source: Government of India (4)
The Supreme Court of India on Thursday stayed a Bombay High Court judgment that acquitted 12 men convicted in the 2006 Mumbai train bombings, after the Maharashtra government argued that the ruling could undermine ongoing cases under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
The court made it clear that its order would not affect the release of the 12 men, all of whom had already been freed following their acquittal.
A bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and N. Kotiswar Singh also issued notices to all 12 acquitted individuals and sought their responses to the state’s appeal.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Maharashtra government, told the court that the state was not seeking to reverse the release of the accused but was concerned about the broader implications of the High Court’s findings. Accepting the argument, the bench said the Bombay High Court’s ruling would not carry precedential value until further orders.
The High Court, in its judgment delivered on July 21, had overturned the 2015 convictions of the 12 men by a special MCOCA court. Five of the accused had been sentenced to death and the rest to life imprisonment. The court found that the prosecution had failed to establish the charges beyond reasonable doubt, describing the investigation as flawed and marred by procedural lapses.
Additionally, the court found serious issues with the reliability of eyewitness accounts.
On July 11, 2006, seven bombs exploded in packed Mumbai local trains, bringing the city to a standstill within 11 minutes.
The coordinated terror attack left 189 dead and over 800 injured.
This is Democracy Now!. I’m Amy Goodman.
More than 100 humanitarian groups are demanding action to end Israel’s siege of Gaza, warning mass starvation is spreading across the Palestinian territory.
The NGOs, including Amnesty International, Oxfam, Doctors Without Borders, warn, “illnesses like acute watery diarrhea are spreading, markets are empty, waste is piling up, and adults are collapsing on the streets from hunger and dehydration.”
Their warning came as the Palestinian Ministry of Health said the number of starvation-related deaths has climbed to at least 111 people.
This is Ghada al-Fayoumi, a displaced Palestinian mother of seven in Gaza City.
GHADA AL-FAYOUMI: “[translated] My children wake up sick every day. What do I do? I get saline solution for them. What can I do?
“There’s no food, no bread, no drinks, no rice, no sugar, no cooking oil, no bulgur, nothing. There is no kind of any food available to us at all.”
AMY GOODMAN: Thousands of antiwar protesters marched on Tuesday in Tel Aviv outside Israel’s military headquarters, demanding an end to Israel’s assault and a lifting of the Gaza siege. This is Israeli peace activist Alon-Lee Green with the group Standing Together.
ALON-LEE GREEN: “We are marching now in Tel Aviv, holding bags of flour and the pictures of these children that have been starved to death by our government and our army.
“We demand to stop the starvation in Gaza. We demand to stop the annihilation of Gaza. We demand to stop the daily killing of children and innocent people in Gaza.
“This cannot go on. We are Israelis, and this does not serve us. This only serves the Messianic people that lead us.”
AMY GOODMAN: This comes as the World Health Organisation has released a video showing the Israeli military attacking WHO facilities in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah. A WHO spokesperson condemned the attack, called for the immediate release of a staff member abducted by Israeli forces.
TARIK JAŠAREVIĆ: “Male staff and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot and screened at gunpoint.
“Two WHO staff and two family members were detained.”
AMY GOODMAN: Meanwhile, health officials in Gaza say Israeli attacks over the past day killed more than 70 people, including five more people seeking food at militarised aid sites. Amid growing outrage worldwide, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday the situation in Gaza right now is a “horror show”.
UN SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES: “We need look no further than the horror show in Gaza, with a level of death and destruction without parallel in recent times.
“Malnourishment is soaring. Starvation is knocking on every door.”
AMY GOODMAN: For more, we’re joined by Michael Fakhri, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food. He is a professor of law at University of Oregon, where he leads the Food Resiliency Project.
Israel waging ‘fastest starvation campaign’ in modern history Video: Democracy Now!
Dr Michael Fakhri, welcome back to Democracy Now! If you can respond to what’s happening right now, the images of dying infants starving to death, the numbers now at over 100, people dropping in the streets, reporters saying they can’t go on?
Agence France-Presse’s union talked about they have had reporters killed in conflict, they have had reporters disappeared, injured, but they have not had this situation before with their reporters starving to death.
DR MICHAEL FAKHRI: Amy, the word “horror” — I mean, we’re running out of words of what to say. And the reason it’s horrific is it was preventable. We saw this coming. We’ve seen this coming for 20 months.
Israel announced its starvation campaign back in October 2023. And then again, Prime Minister Netanyahu announced on March 1 that nothing was to enter Gaza. And that’s what happened for 78 days. No food, no water, no fuel, no medicine entered Gaza.
And then they built these militarised aid sites that are used to humiliate, weaken and kill the Palestinians. So, what makes this horrific is it has been preventable, it was predictable. And again, this is the fastest famine we’ve seen, the fastest starvation campaign we’ve seen in modern history.
AMY GOODMAN: So, can you talk about what needs to be done at this point and the responsibility of the occupying power? Israel is occupying Gaza right now. What it means to have to protect the population it occupies?
DR FAKHRI: The International Court of Justice outlined Israel’s duties in its decisions over the last year. So, what Israel has an obligation to do is, first, end its illegal occupation immediately. This came from the court itself.
Second, it must allow humanitarian relief to enter with no restrictions. And this hasn’t been happening. So, usually, we would turn to the Security Council to authorise peacekeepers or something similar to assist.
But predictably, again, the United States keeps vetoing anything to do with a ceasefire. When the Security Council is in a deadlock because of a veto, the General Assembly, the UN General Assembly, has the authority to call for peacekeepers to accompany humanitarian convoys to enter into Gaza and to end Israel’s starvation campaign against the Palestinian people.
AMY GOODMAN: People actually protested outside the house of UN Secretary-General António Guterres yesterday. People protested all over the world yesterday against the Palestinians being starved and bombed to death. Those in front of the UN Secretary-General’s house said they don’t dispute that he has raised this issue almost every day, but they say he can do more.
Finally, Michael Fakhri, what does the UN need to do — the US, Israel, the world?
DR FAKHRI: So, as I mentioned, first and foremost, they can authorise peacekeepers to enter to stop the starvation. But, second, they need to create consequences.
The world has a duty to prevent this starvation. The world has a duty to prevent and end this genocide. And as a result, then, what the world can do is impose sanctions.
And again, this is supported by the International Court of Justice. The world needs to impose wide-scale sanctions against the state of Israel to force it to end the starvation and genocide of civilians, of Palestinian civilians in Gaza today.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, I want to thank you so much for being with us, Michael Fakhri, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, speaking to us from Eugene, Oregon.
Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz
Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Jacqueline Peel, Professor of Law and Director, Melbourne Climate Futures, The University of Melbourne
Climate change “imperils all forms of life” and countries must tackle the problem or face consequences under international law, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has found.
The court delivered its long-awaited advisory opinion overnight. The momentous case opens the door for countries impacted by climate disasters to sue major emitting countries for reparations.
And citizens could seek to hold governments to account for a failure to safeguard their human rights if their own or other countries fail to take adequate action to ensure a safe climate.
Here’s what the court ruled – and the global ramifications likely to flow from it.
The ICJ case was instigated by law students at the University of the South Pacific in Vanuatu in 2019. They successfully launched a campaign for the court to examine two key issues: the obligations of countries to protect the climate from greenhouse gases, and the legal consequences for failing to do so.
The court found a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is essential for the enjoyment of many other human rights. As such, it found, the full enjoyment of human rights cannot be ensured without the protection of the climate system and other parts of the environment.
The ruling confirms climate change is much more than a legal problem. Rather, the justices concluded, it is an:
existential problem of planetary proportions that imperils all forms of life and the very health of our planet.
Most nations have signed up to global human rights agreements such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The ICJ ruling means parties to those agreements must take measures to protect the climate system and other parts of the environment.
An advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice is not legally binding. But it is an authoritative description of the state of the law and the rights of countries to seek reparations if the law is breached. As such, it carries great legal weight.
Just as climate science assessments of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have become the gold standard for understanding the causes and impacts of climate change, the court’s ruling provides a clear baseline against which to assess countries’ action, or inaction, on climate change.
In recent years, many states’ emissions reduction targets under the Paris Agreement have seemed to “settle” at levels which would hold global temperature increases to 2°C at best.
But the International Court of Justice ruled the much more ambitious 1.5°C goal had become the scientifically based consensus target under the Paris Agreement.
Some countries argued formal emissions targets should be left to the discretion of each government. However, the court found against this. Rather, each nation’s targets had to be in line with – and make an adequate contribution to – the global goal of holding heating to 1.5°C.
The court found each state’s emissions reduction pledges should be judged against a stringent “due diligence” standard. The standard takes into account each country’s historical contributions to emissions, level of development and national circumstances, among other factors.
The ruling means rich countries, such as Australia, will be required under international law to make more ambitious emission-reduction pledges under the Paris Agreement, such as for the 2035 target currently under consideration by the Albanese government.
The court decision also provides a measure of climate justice for small island states, which have historically low emissions but face a much higher risk of damage from climate change than other nations.
Because climate change is global, it is difficult – but not impossible – to attribute damage from extreme weather to the actions of any one nation or group of nations.
On this question, the court said while climate change is caused by the cumulative impact of many human activities, it is scientifically possible to determine each nation’s total contribution to global emissions, taking into account both historical and current emissions.
If a nation experiences damage caused by the failure of another nation, or group of nations, to fulfil international climate obligations, the ruling means legal proceedings may be launched against the nations causing the harm. It may result in compensation or other remedies.
For small, climate-vulnerable nations such as those in the Alliance of Small Island States, this opens more legal options in their efforts to encourage high-emitting nations to properly address climate change.
Importantly, the court made clear nations can be legally liable even if damage from climate change comes from many causes, including from the activities of private actors such as companies.
That means nations cannot seek an exemption because others have contributed to the problem. They must also act to regulate companies and other entities under their jurisdiction whose activities contribute to climate change.
One line of argument put to the court by Australia and other states was that climate treaties represented the only obligations to tackle climate change under international law.
But the court found this was not the case. Rather, other international laws applied.
The United States pulled out of the Paris Agreement earlier this year. The court’s opinion means the US and other nations are still accountable for climate harms under other international laws by which all countries are bound.
The International Court of Justice has produced a truly historic ruling.
It will set a new baseline in terms what countries need to do to address climate change and opens up new avenues of recourse against high-emitting states not doing enough on climate change.
Jacqueline Peel receives funding from the Australian Research Council under her Australian Laureate Fellowship and Kathleen Fitzpatrick Award on ‘Transforming International Law for Corporate Climate Accountability’.
– ref. Historic ruling finds climate change ‘imperils all forms of life’ and puts laggard nations on notice – https://theconversation.com/historic-ruling-finds-climate-change-imperils-all-forms-of-life-and-puts-laggard-nations-on-notice-261848
MIL OSI –
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jacqueline Peel, Professor of Law and Director, Melbourne Climate Futures, The University of Melbourne
Climate change “imperils all forms of life” and countries must tackle the problem or face consequences under international law, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has found.
The court delivered its long-awaited advisory opinion overnight. The momentous case opens the door for countries impacted by climate disasters to sue major emitting countries for reparations.
And citizens could seek to hold governments to account for a failure to safeguard their human rights if their own or other countries fail to take adequate action to ensure a safe climate.
Here’s what the court ruled – and the global ramifications likely to flow from it.
The ICJ case was instigated by law students at the University of the South Pacific in Vanuatu in 2019. They successfully launched a campaign for the court to examine two key issues: the obligations of countries to protect the climate from greenhouse gases, and the legal consequences for failing to do so.
The court found a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is essential for the enjoyment of many other human rights. As such, it found, the full enjoyment of human rights cannot be ensured without the protection of the climate system and other parts of the environment.
The ruling confirms climate change is much more than a legal problem. Rather, the justices concluded, it is an:
existential problem of planetary proportions that imperils all forms of life and the very health of our planet.
Most nations have signed up to global human rights agreements such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The ICJ ruling means parties to those agreements must take measures to protect the climate system and other parts of the environment.
An advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice is not legally binding. But it is an authoritative description of the state of the law and the rights of countries to seek reparations if the law is breached. As such, it carries great legal weight.
Just as climate science assessments of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have become the gold standard for understanding the causes and impacts of climate change, the court’s ruling provides a clear baseline against which to assess countries’ action, or inaction, on climate change.
In recent years, many states’ emissions reduction targets under the Paris Agreement have seemed to “settle” at levels which would hold global temperature increases to 2°C at best.
But the International Court of Justice ruled the much more ambitious 1.5°C goal had become the scientifically based consensus target under the Paris Agreement.
Some countries argued formal emissions targets should be left to the discretion of each government. However, the court found against this. Rather, each nation’s targets had to be in line with – and make an adequate contribution to – the global goal of holding heating to 1.5°C.
The court found each state’s emissions reduction pledges should be judged against a stringent “due diligence” standard. The standard takes into account each country’s historical contributions to emissions, level of development and national circumstances, among other factors.
The ruling means rich countries, such as Australia, will be required under international law to make more ambitious emission-reduction pledges under the Paris Agreement, such as for the 2035 target currently under consideration by the Albanese government.
The court decision also provides a measure of climate justice for small island states, which have historically low emissions but face a much higher risk of damage from climate change than other nations.
Because climate change is global, it is difficult – but not impossible – to attribute damage from extreme weather to the actions of any one nation or group of nations.
On this question, the court said while climate change is caused by the cumulative impact of many human activities, it is scientifically possible to determine each nation’s total contribution to global emissions, taking into account both historical and current emissions.
If a nation experiences damage caused by the failure of another nation, or group of nations, to fulfil international climate obligations, the ruling means legal proceedings may be launched against the nations causing the harm. It may result in compensation or other remedies.
For small, climate-vulnerable nations such as those in the Alliance of Small Island States, this opens more legal options in their efforts to encourage high-emitting nations to properly address climate change.
Importantly, the court made clear nations can be legally liable even if damage from climate change comes from many causes, including from the activities of private actors such as companies.
That means nations cannot seek an exemption because others have contributed to the problem. They must also act to regulate companies and other entities under their jurisdiction whose activities contribute to climate change.
One line of argument put to the court by Australia and other states was that climate treaties represented the only obligations to tackle climate change under international law.
But the court found this was not the case. Rather, other international laws applied.
The United States pulled out of the Paris Agreement earlier this year. The court’s opinion means the US and other nations are still accountable for climate harms under other international laws by which all countries are bound.
The International Court of Justice has produced a truly historic ruling.
It will set a new baseline in terms what countries need to do to address climate change and opens up new avenues of recourse against high-emitting states not doing enough on climate change.
Jacqueline Peel receives funding from the Australian Research Council under her Australian Laureate Fellowship and Kathleen Fitzpatrick Award on ‘Transforming International Law for Corporate Climate Accountability’.
– ref. Historic ruling finds climate change ‘imperils all forms of life’ and puts laggard nations on notice – https://theconversation.com/historic-ruling-finds-climate-change-imperils-all-forms-of-life-and-puts-laggard-nations-on-notice-261848
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
View Storybook (PDF)
Washington (July 23, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a co-chair of the Environmental Justice Caucus and a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, today hosted a virtual roundtable discussion titled “The Data Center Next Door: Hidden Costs and Harms of Artificial Intelligence and Cryptomining.” Senator Markey was joined by Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), frontline advocates, and allies to discuss the effects of rapid data center development on climate and communities, including impacts on local air quality, water, grid reliability, health, and utility bills. Speakers highlighted how communities and allied organizations across the country are working to curb harms from data center build-out and how policymakers can more proactively address unsustainable data center development.
Today, Senator Markey also released a new storybook highlighting the personal experiences of individuals living near data center infrastructure.
“I have heard from people across the country whose stories make clear: unregulated, uncontrolled data center development is sucking our communities dry. Our environment doesn’t have to be a sacrificial lamb on the altar of innovation. We can have green growth—but not if we have Trump’s AI Inaction Plan as our Big Tech Bible. Lawmakers at all levels of government can and must ensure the Trump administration’s no-holds-barred approach to data center construction does not come at the cost of our health and welfare,” said Senator Markey. “We are not truly moving forward if we harm and leave people behind in the process. We owe it to our neighbors, near and far, to address these impacts at the federal level before we see a race to the bottom—one that could even disadvantage states and towns that try to do things right.”
“The heart of my district is seeing the environmental impacts of Artificial Intelligence (AI) first-hand, with the world’s biggest supercomputer beginning operations last year. It requires one million gallons of water each day to cool its components and uses the same amount of energy as all 250,000 households in Memphis combined. The continued development of AI will have a drastic effect on energy and water costs and consumption, and our environment as a whole,” said Congressman Cohen.
“Bitcoin mining is the most energy and water-intensive technology ever created. As long as the bitcoin mining algorithm is operating at scale, it is impossible to make the transition to a resilient, equitable, affordable, and renewable grid,” said Jackie Sawicky, member of the National Coalition Against Cryptomining (NCAC).
“Families across America are struggling to afford their soaring electric bills as a result of energy-guzzling AI data centers. We cannot afford to let AI fuel a new fossil fuel boom that raises our bills and destroys our environment,” said Ben Inskeep, Program Director at Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana.
“West Virginia has long borne the brunt of powering our country via the extraction of our natural resources. This legacy and continued pollution from fossil fuel industries worsened health disparities, increased our utility bills, and poisoned our air and water. The rapid growth of artificial intelligence development and the numerous proposals of fossil fuel powered data centers in our region simply carries on that toxic tradition of resource extraction, corporate exploitation, and harmful pollution for West Virginians,” said Morgan King, Climate and Energy Program Manager at West Virginia Citizen Action Group.
“What’s happening in Virginia is unsustainable and the desire to go even faster is irresponsible. The impacts are too great and the risks are too high, we must slow down and put better guardrails in place,” said Julie Bolthouse, AICP, Director of Land Use at Piedmont Environmental Council.
“Over the last year, xAI installed and operated dozens of unpermitted methane gas turbines at its Memphis data center, essentially building a power plant without any public oversight or input from nearby communities. These turbines pump out smog-forming pollution and harmful chemicals like formaldehyde and are located near predominantly Black communities that are already overburdened with a long history of environmental injustice. Families in South Memphis deserve transparency and clean air,” said Amanda Garcia, senior attorney in the Tennessee office of the Southern Environmental Law Center.
Source: Government of India
Source: Government of India (4)
Since this year’s Amarnath Yatra started on July 3, more than 3.42 lakh yatris have had ‘darshan’ so far while a fresh batch of 3,500 pilgrims started their journey on Thursday from Jammu towards the two base camps, officials said.
Officials said that more than 3.42 lakh yatris have performed the ongoing Amarnath Yatra during the last 21 days as the huge rush of pilgrims continues unabated.
“The officially expected figure of 3.50 lakh yatris performing the Yatra this year is likely to be crossed on Thursday, while 17 days are still left for the conclusion of this year’s Yatra.”
“The Yatra has been going on peacefully, smoothly and this has encouraged the devotees to come in record numbers. As more than 3.42 lakh have had darshan in the last 21 days, we had another batch of 3,500 yatris, who left the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu for the Valley on Thursday.”
“Of these, the first escorted convoy of 45 vehicles carrying 832 yatris left for the Baltal base camp at 3:25 a.m. while the second convoy of 95 vehicles carrying 2,668 yatris to the Pahalgam base camp left at 4:01 a.m.,” officials said.
The Bhumi Pujan of ‘Chhari Mubarak’ (Lord Shiva’s Holy Mace) was performed at Pahalgam on July 10. The Chhari Mubarak was then taken back to its seat at the Dashnami Akhara building.
It will start its final journey towards the cave shrine from Dashnami Akhara temple in Srinagar on August 4 and will reach the holy cave shrine on August 9, marking the official conclusion of the Yatra.
Authorities have made extensive multi-tier security arrangements for this year’s Amarnath Yatra, as it takes place after the cowardly attack of April 22 in which Pakistan-backed terrorists killed 26 civilians after segregating them based on faith in the Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam.
Additional 180 companies of Central Armed Police Forces have been brought in to augment the existing strength of the Army, BSF, CRPF, SSB and the local police.
The Army has deployed more than 8,000 special commandos to secure the passage of the pilgrims this year.
The Yatra started on July 3 and will end after 38 days on August 9, coinciding with Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan.
Yatris approach the holy cave shrine situated ,888 metres above sea level in the Kashmir Himalayas either from the traditional Pahalgam route or the shorter Baltal route.
Those using the Pahalgam route pass through Chandanwari, Sheshnag and Panchtarni to reach the cave shrine, covering a distance of 46 km on foot.
This trek takes a pilgrim four days to get to the cave shrine.
Those using the shorter Baltal route have to trek 14 km to reach the cave shrine and return to the base camp the same day after having darshan.
No helicopter services are available to yatris this year due to security reasons.
The cave shrine houses an ice stalagmite structure that wanes and waxes with the phases of the moon.
Devotees believe that the ice stalagmite structure symbolises the mythical powers of Lord Shiva.
(IANS)
Source: Government of India
Source: Government of India (4)
As the Monsoon Session of Parliament enters its fourth day, the Lok Sabha is scheduled to take up key legislative business on Thursday, including the Scheduled Tribes reservation bill for Goa and the Merchant Shipping Bill, 2024.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal will move The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2024 for consideration and passage. The Bill seeks to enable the reservation of seats for Scheduled Tribes in Goa’s Legislative Assembly, in line with Article 332 of the Constitution. It proposes the readjustment of assembly constituencies following the inclusion of certain communities in the Scheduled Tribes list for the state.
According to the official business list, the Bill aims to ensure “effective democratic participation of members of Scheduled Tribes” and make the necessary constituency changes to reflect this inclusion.
Also on the agenda is The Merchant Shipping Bill, 2024, which will be introduced by Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal. The legislation seeks to consolidate and modernise India’s maritime laws, aligning them with international treaties and obligations. The Bill aims to promote the development of Indian shipping and enhance the efficiency and maintenance of the country’s mercantile marine sector, while safeguarding national interests.
In addition to legislative matters, standing committees on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, and Communications and Information Technology are expected to table reports on government actions taken in response to earlier recommendations made by the respective panels.
Parliament proceedings on Wednesday were disrupted due to continued protests by Opposition MPs over the Bihar Special Intensive Revision issue, leading to adjournments in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha until July 24.
The current Monsoon Session of Parliament is scheduled to continue until August 21. Both Houses will reconvene at 11 a.m. today.
(With agencies inputs)
Source: New Zealand Government
New Zealanders will be better protected from cybercrime following legislation passing third reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says.
“11 per cent of New Zealanders were victims of fraud and cybercrime in 2024, and the National Cyber Security Centre estimates $1.6 billion was lost to online threats.
“The emotional and financial harm caused by cybercrime is significant, and such a quickly evolving threat warrants a coordinated response.
“The Budapest Convention, also known as the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime, is the only binding international treaty on cybercrime.
“It aligns member countries’ laws and makes it easier for them to cooperate on criminal investigations.
“By joining the convention, we are signalling to the other like-minded countries that we take cybercrime seriously and we are prepared to do our part to eliminate it.
“It will help our law enforcement agencies to protect New Zealanders, by providing the tools they need to detect, investigate, and prosecute criminal offending, even when it happens online.”
The Bill contains provisions to ensure our domestic laws meet the requirements of the Convention. These include;
Minor amendments to the Crimes Act to ensure offences related to cybercrime and the use of computers are comprehensive and fully align with the Convention.
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Rosanna Law today congratulated Hong Kong’s Ryan Choi on winning a gold medal in the Men’s Foil Individual event at the 2025 Fencing World Championships.
Miss Law lauded the 27-year-old foil fencer for delivering an impressive performance in the competition, demonstrating Hong Kong athletes’ charm and perseverance.
“We are thrilled by his achievement in winning Hong Kong’s first ever gold medal in the Fencing World Championships.
“I hope the Hong Kong China fencing team will continue to strive for excellence. I have faith in them to perform spectacularly again in the 15th National Games to be held in November.”
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Deane, Professor of Trade Law and Taxation, Queensland University of Technology
The Albanese government has today confirmed it will lift biosecurity restrictions on beef imports from the United States. The timing of this decision has raised some eyebrows.
Back in April, US President Donald Trump had singled out what he characterised as an Australian “ban” on US beef as he announced 10% baseline tariffs on imports from Australia.
Responding to today’s announcement, Nationals leader David Littleproud said it appeared the restrictions have been “traded away to appease Donald Trump”.
But Trade Minister Don Farrell said there was “nothing suspicious about this”. And some Australian industry groups have since expressed their confidence in the decision.
So, has Australia’s beef industry been sold out for the benefit of a trade deal? Or is it just a poorly timed announcement at the end of a review into Australia’s restrictions?
Australia’s biosecurity rules, particularly around beef products, have long been a source of friction with the United States. These rules date back to the late 1990s and were strengthened following a US mad cow disease scare in 2003.
In 2019, a ban was lifted on beef products from cattle that had been born, raised and slaughtered in the US. However, a ban remained on any products from cattle originating in Mexico or Canada that had been slaughtered in the US.
This was a cause for some tension, because the traceability requirements in the US were not as stringent as in Australia. That meant it wasn’t always possible to determine the origins of US products. So the 2019 change effectively only applied to shelf-stable products – not fresh meat.
Last month, the Albanese government made assurances Australia’s biosecurity rules wouldn’t be compromised in trade negotiations. But it also confirmed a review of the rules was underway.
The National Farmers’ Federation acknowledged the government’s decision in a statement today:
The report released today is the result of a long-standing, science-based review by the Australian Government into the biosecurity risks posed by cattle raised in Canada and Mexico, but processed in and exported from the US.
Speaking on ABC Radio, Cattle Australia chief executive Will Evans acknowledged “a lot of people” may feel “blindsided” by the government’s decision, but expressed his confidence in the government’s process.
Australians are some of the highest per-capita consumers of beef products in the world. But Australia is also the world’s second-largest beef exporter, trailing only Brazil.
In contrast, the US is the world’s second-largest importer of beef, behind only China.
That poses the question: how much do we actually need beef from the US? Is it even worth lifting this ban, if it will impact so few people?
The beef industry might be fair to question whether this is for the benefit of their industry, when it seems the existing 10% baseline tariffs have had no impact on the volumes of beef being exported from Australia. Quite the opposite.
In June, Australia’s beef exports broke an all-time monthly record, and the US continued to be our largest export market.
In addition, it is important to recognise the US tariffs on beef would theoretically be absorbed by the consumer, rather than the exporter.
Theory suggests that international trade is a good thing (though not everyone is a “winner”). Where there is trade between nations, competitive pricing is encouraged and consumers may enjoy more product variety.
Most restrictions on trade are viewed unfavourably by economists, but there are some notable exceptions. The health and safety of food products and assurance of biosecurity standards are such concerns.
Overnight, comments from the Trump administration suggest the 10% tariffs on imports from Australia could be raised, with a new baseline tariff rate of 15%.
To apply these to Australian beef is in direct conflict with the Australia and United States Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA). This agreement progressively removed tariffs on Australian beef, with all tariffs eliminated by 2023.
Consequently, any new US tariff would violate these terms, threatening a trade relationship that has seen beef exports to the US flourish.
It is important to note that the biosecurity rules in Australia and the traceability requirements for our producers are a point of national pride.
Central to Australia’s biosecurity framework is the Biosecurity Act 2015 and the National Livestock Identification System, which ensures traceability, food safety, disease control and animal welfare.
This imposes strict requirements on Australian beef producers – and as a result, imposes costs. It also means Australian beef is considered a premium product in much of the world.
Australians should hope the evidence from the government’s review fully supports this action.
Given the unpredictability of the Trump administration, it remains to be seen whether lifting these restrictions will win Australia any concessions on trade anyway.
Felicity Deane 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.
– ref. Australia says US beef will soon be welcome here again. It’s unlikely we’ll buy much of it – https://theconversation.com/australia-says-us-beef-will-soon-be-welcome-here-again-its-unlikely-well-buy-much-of-it-261836
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) announced that he successfully secured $49,102,00.00 in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) in the first Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Appropriations bills advanced by the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee. These projects will support critical Louisiana priorities, from military construction and public safety to university research.
“Whether it’s almost $1.4 million for Jefferson Parish to support criminal investigations, $500 thousand to the Northshore to address substance abuse and mental health issues, or multiple grants across the state to support first responders, this money works for the safety, security, and economic growth of Louisiana,” said Dr. Cassidy. Since taking office, Cassidy has emerged as one of the most effective U.S. Senators at directing federal dollars home to Louisiana, despite not serving on the Appropriations Committee. In FY2024, Roll Call reported that Cassidy was one of the top 20 senators in total funding secured for his state, and one of only five in that group who does not sit on the Appropriations Committee. That year, he secured a record $1.3 billion for Louisiana—the highest of any member of the state’s congressional delegation.
See below for a list of the funding secured by Senator Cassidy.
Funding Amount
Recipient
Project Description
$30,000,000.00
Fort Polk
This funding will support construction of the Rotational Unit Billeting Area, Phase 1.
$5,000,000.00
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
This funding will support purchase of equipment for the Silicon Bayou Semiconductor Technology Center.
$4,000,000.00
St. Bernard Parish
This funding will support construction of a new fire station.
$2,500,000.00
Louisiana State University
This funding will support LSU’s Electronic Microscopy Sight Initiative.
$1,500,000.00
City of Ruston Police Department
This funding will support development of a Real Time Intelligence Crime Center.
$1,395,000.00
Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office
This funding will support purchase of advanced forensic equipment.
$1,350,000.00
University of New Orleans
This funding will support instrumentation upgrades in computing and chemical sciences.
$1,250,000.00
East Baton Rouge DA’s Office
This funding will support the Gun Intelligence Center Program.
$794,000.00
West Monroe Police Department
This funding will support purchase of safety equipment for officers.
$500,000.00
22nd Judicial District Court
This funding will support specialty courts for mental health and substance abuse treatment.
$300,000.00
Grant Parish Sheriff’s Office
This funding will support upgrades to local law enforcement services.
$263,000.00
Town of Farmerville
This funding will support renovations to the fire department.
$250,000.00
Tensas Parish Police Jury
This funding will support security equipment upgrades.
Source: New Zealand Government
Police Minister Mark Mitchell today announced the retirement of statutory Deputy Commissioner of Police, Tania Kura.
Ms Kura has served in the statutory Deputy Police Commissioner role since her appointment on 18 April 2023.
Deputy Commissioner Kura notified the Governor-General yesterday of her intention to retire from the role and the New Zealand Police in November this year.
Ms Kura has served in the police for 37 years, graduating from the Royal New Zealand Police College in 1988. She started her career as a constable in Christchurch before working her way through the ranks to be Area Commander Hawkes Bay in 2012 and District Commander Eastern from 2017. She moved to Wellington in 2020 to be based at Police National Headquarters, taking up the role of Deputy Commissioner Leadership and Capability.
“I wish to acknowledge Deputy Commissioner Kura for her service, and I wish her and her family the best for the future,” Mr Mitchell says.
Statutory Deputy Commissioners of Police are appointed by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The Public Service Commission has started a recruitment process for both Deputy Commissioner positions
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
DAVENPORT, Iowa – Two Muscatine men were sentenced on July 22, 2025, to federal prison for drug and gun crimes, related to an officer involved shooting in Muscatine on May 29, 2024.
According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, on May 29, 2024, Juan Aldo Beltran Delgado, 34, and Isidro Barajas, Jr., 30, drove to a residence in Muscatine, Iowa, to await the delivery of a package they expected to contain more than 4.5 pounds of methamphetamine. Law enforcement observed Beltran Delgado and Barajas pick up the package from the residence and attempted to stop their vehicle. Beltran Delgado was driving the vehicle and drove over 100 miles per hour through Muscatine, drove through multiple red lights, attempting to evade law enforcement. Ultimately, Beltran Delgado crashed into two other vehicles near Highway 61 and Cedar Street. After crashing, both Beltran Delgado and Barajas fled from the car on foot carrying firearms. Officers arrived in the area and Beltran Delgado shot at officers. Officers were able to take both Beltran and Delgado and Barajas into custody.
Beltran Delgado was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison, followed by a five-year term of supervised release, following his plea to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and carrying and discharging a firearm during an in relation to his drug trafficking. Barajas was sentenced to 32 years in federal prison, followed by a ten-year term of supervised release, following his plea to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, carrying and displaying a firearm during an in relation to his drug trafficking, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. There is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Department of Public Safety, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations, Scott County Sheriff’s Office, Muscatine Police Department, Cedar County Sheriff’s Office, Muscatine County Drug Task Force, Johnson County Drug Taskforce, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Artaviyon Cornel Williams, 24, of Tallahassee, Florida, was sentenced in federal court for illegal possession of a machinegun. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Our brave law enforcement officers are increasingly encountering violent criminals and seizing firearms that have been illegally modified to fire as fully automatic machineguns. My office is committed to staunchly supporting law enforcement efforts to keep our communities safe from violent criminals.”
Court documents reflect that law enforcement obtained an arrest warrant for Williams for an aggravated assault that had occurred on June 28, 2024, outside the Table Lounge in Tallahassee. Witnesses advised Williams broke up a fight involving his girlfriend by brandishing a firearm, firing a round into the air, and pointing the firearm at one woman and telling her “I’ll kill you.” Officers located Williams on July 6, 2024, outside the Table Lounge and arrested him on the outstanding warrant. When arrested, Williams had a stolen Glock pistol in his waistband which had been illegally modified to fire as a machinegun. Williams had a second, loaded, extended-round magazine in a pocket.
Williams received a sentence of 42 months in prison, which will be followed by three years of supervised release.
“The Tallahassee Police Department remains committed to removing illegal firearms from our streets,” said Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell. “Modifying a weapon to function as a machine gun is not only illegal, but also reckless and puts innocent lives at risk. We’re proud to work alongside our federal partners to ensure those who engage in this kind of violent behavior are held accountable.”
The case involved an investigation by the Tallahassee Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
As part of its PSN strategy, the United States Attorney’s Office is encouraging everyone to lock their car doors, particularly at night. Burglaries from unlocked automobiles are a significant source of guns for criminals in the Northern District of Florida. Please do your part and protect yourself by locking your car doors.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Translation. Region: Russian Federal
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
KYIV, July 24 /Xinhua/ — Ukraine has secured the release of more than a thousand servicemen as part of the agreements reached at peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey, the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported on Telegram on Wednesday.
In total, Ukraine and Russia have conducted nine stages of prisoner exchanges under the Istanbul agreements. During the latest exchange, wounded and seriously ill servicemen were released.
Among those released are reportedly representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Border Service, the National Guard and the National Police. –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: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
NEW ORLEANS, July 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until September 16, 2025 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Neogen Corporation (NasdaqGS: NEOG), if they purchased the Company’s shares between January 5, 2023 through June 3, 2025, inclusive (the “Class Period”). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan.
Get Help
Neogen investors should visit us at https://claimsfiler.com/cases/nasdaq-neog/ or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options.
About the Lawsuit
Neogen and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.
On April 9, 2025, the Company disclosed a quarterly revenue decrease of 3.4% to $221 million due to integration issues and again cut its FY25 guidance and noted that capital expenditures were expected to be $100 million as a result of lowered adjusted EBITDA and a pull-forward of integration-related capital expenditures into FY25, as well as announcing the departure of its CEO. On this news, the price of Neogen’s shares plummeted 28% to close at $5.02 per share, on a volume of 47 million shares. Then, on June 4, 2025, the Company disclosed that it expected “EBITDA margin to probably be around the high-teens” which represented a considerable drop from the previous quarter’s profit margin of 22%. On this news, the price of Neogen’s shares fell an additional 17%, to close at $4.96 per share.
The case is Operating Eng’rs Constr. Indus. & Misc. Pension Fund v. Neogen Corp., et al., No. 25-cv-00802.
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To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Ongoing reforms at the tech-focused STAR Market of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, part of China’s continued efforts to give more financial support to the private economy, will further spur technology innovation and facilitate high-quality economic growth in the country, said experts.
The comments came after two new private economy-focused subindexes were officially launched at the STAR Market on Wednesday.
The SSE STAR Private-owned Enterprises Index will track all private companies trading on the STAR Market.
Public data show that there were 422 such companies by the end of June, with a combined market capitalization of 3.5 trillion yuan ($490 million). Among these, 171 reported increases both in sales revenue and net profit last year, 37 companies posted a 50 percent year-on-year increase in turnover, while 64 firms saw a 50 percent surge in annual net profit.
Another subindex, SSE STAR Private-owned Enterprises 50 Strategy Index, was also launched on Wednesday.
The index constituents are 50 private companies with high research expenditure and strong profitability. Companies specializing in semiconductors, computers and biomedicine account for about 68.5 percent weighting in the new index.
The total market cap of its 50 constituents reached 1.2 trillion yuan by the end of June. The average daily trading value of these companies came in at 16.1 billion yuan in 2024.
Fang Yi, chief strategist at Guotai Haitong Securities, said that index-based investments have been maturing at the STAR Market after the board started trading six years ago. More products have been designed and introduced based on these indexes, boosting market activity and diversifying the investor pool, he said.
A total of 32 STAR Market subindexes have been launched so far, deriving 86 STAR Market exchange-traded funds with a total market value of over 250 billion yuan. Half of these subindexes were rolled out after the release of eight additional reform policies for the STAR Market in June last year, according to SSE and China Securities Index Co Ltd.
According to market tracker Wind Info, there are about 3,478 private companies trading on mainland’s major exchanges, accounting for two-thirds of all the A-share companies. Their combined market cap topped 31.7 trillion yuan, accounting for 38.5 percent of the A-share market total.
More important, A-share listed private companies saw their combined research investment exceeding 650 billion yuan for a second consecutive year in 2024. Research expenditure was equal to 3.8 percent of their annual sales revenue last year, 1.2 percentage points higher than the A-share market average.
A large number of STAR Market companies specialize in future-oriented industries such as biological manufacturing, quantum technology, embodied intelligence and 6G, which are at an early stage in China, said experts from Changjiang Securities.
Focusing on hard technologies, cutting-edge technologies and market-based pricing, the STAR Market has served as a major venue for the Chinese capital market to facilitate technology innovation, said Tian Xuan, head of Tsinghua University’s National Institute of Financial Research.
China has also been advancing efforts to inject more vitality into the private sector. The Private Sector Promotion Law, which took effect in May, has unveiled substantial measures regarding the investment and financing of private enterprises.
Apart from announcing a set of new STAR Market reform policies at the Lujiazui Forum in June, China Securities Regulatory Commission Chairman Wu Qing stressed that unprofitable yet quality innovation-driven companies will be supported to seek public listings.
With concerted efforts from various government bodies, financing provided to private enterprises will be increased and their costs lowered. These companies’ technology innovation and green transition will be better supported, said Tian Lihui, head of the Institute of Finance and Development at Nankai University.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wesley Morgan, Research Associate, Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney
The world’s highest court says countries are legally obliged to prevent harms caused by climate change, in a ruling that repudiates Australia’s claims it is not legally responsible for emissions from our fossil fuel exports.
The landmark ruling overnight by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will reverberate in courts, parliaments and boardrooms the world over.
In a closely watched case at The Hague, the judges were asked to clarify the legal obligations countries have to protect the Earth’s climate system for current and future generations. They were also asked to clarify the legal consequences for nations that fail to do this.
At issue was the scope of legal obligations. During the court’s deliberations, Australia sided with other fossil fuel exporters and major emitters – including Saudi Arabia, the United States and China – to argue state obligations on climate change are restricted to those set out in climate-specific treaties such as the Paris Agreement.
But the court disagreed. It found countries have additional obligations to protect the climate and take action to prevent climate harm inside and outside their boundaries. These obligations arise in human rights law, the law of the sea, and general principles of international law.
This clear statement will have groundbreaking consequences. It means Australia must set a 2035 emissions reduction target in line with the best available science, as required under the Paris Agreement. But it must also go further, by regulating the fossil fuel industry to prevent further harm.
The ICJ is the primary legal organ of the United Nations. Its key role is to settle disputes between countries and clarify international law as it applies to nation states.
While weighing up the obligations of countries to address the climate crisis, the court heard legal arguments from almost 100 countries, making it the largest case ever heard by the ICJ.
The case threatened major implications for fossil-fuel producers such as Australia, which is heavily reliant on coal and gas exports.
In his oral presentation to the ICJ, Australian Solicitor-General Stephen Donaghue told the court only the Paris Agreement should apply when it comes to mitigating climate change. Under the Paris rules, countries must set targets to cut domestic emissions, but they are not required to report emissions created when their fossil fuel exports are burned overseas.
Donaghue and the Australian delegation also suggested responsibility for harms caused by climate change could not be pinned on individual states. Australia also argued protecting human rights does not extend to obligations to tackle climate change.
The ICJ largely rejected these arguments.
The court found Australia, and other fossil fuel producers, are obliged under international law to prevent fossil fuel companies in their territory from causing significant climate harm.
This will essentially require a managed phase out of fossil fuel production. As the ICJ ruling says:
Failure of a State to take appropriate action to protect the climate system from [greenhouse gas] emissions – including through fossil fuel production, fossil fuel consumption, the granting of fossil fuel exploration licences or the provision of fossil fuel subsidies – may constitute an internationally wrongful act which is attributable to that State.
Australia is one of the world’s largest exporters of coal and gas. When burned overseas, emissions from Australia’s fossil fuel exports are more than double those of its entire domestic economy.
Australia has approved hundreds of oil, gas and coal projects in recent decades. Dozens more are in the approvals pipeline. Final federal approval is still pending for Woodside’s massive Northwest Shelf gas project – which is set to add millions of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year, for decades.
The Australian government must heed the message from the Hague. The days of impunity for the fossil fuel industry are coming to an end.
Today’s ruling is remarkable for where it originated.
In 2019, 27 law students at the University of the South Pacific in Vanuatu were given a challenge: find the most ambitious legal pathways towards climate justice.
Each year, Vanuatu faces the prospect of cyclones, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, flooding rain and drought. Climate change compounds the risk to island communities – people who have done the least to contribute to the problem.
The students decided to file a case with the world court. And so began a legal campaign that travelled from Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila, through the halls of the United Nations in New York and to the world court in the Hague.
In 2023 Vanuatu and other island nations succeeded in passing a UN General Assembly resolution. It asked the ICJ to give an advisory opinion on countries’ obligations to protect the climate system and legal consequences for states causing “significant harm” to Earth’s climate.
This week’s ruling delivers poetic justice to Vanuatu and other vulnerable island states.
The court’s findings are likely to influence a wave of climate litigation worldwide. It could shape legal reasoning in Australia, too.
Last week, a Federal Court judge found the Australian government has no legal duty of care to protect Torres Strait Islanders from climate change. If that case is appealed, a superior court may revisit the government’s obligations – and have regard to the ICJ ruling in doing so.
The ICJ decision will also be relevant for the Queensland Land Court, which this week began hearing a challenge to stop a greenfield mine proposed by Whitehaven Coal – citing environmental and human rights impacts of the project’s emissions.
Clarified international law obligations should also guide policymakers in the Australian parliament. With a huge majority in the House of Representatives and a climate-friendly Senate crossbench, the Albanese government has a mandate to implement policy in line with Australia’s international law obligations.
Wesley Morgan is a fellow with the Climate Council of Australia
Gillian Moon is a regular donor to the Australian Conservation Foundation, which is a party in the Whitehaven Coal case.
– ref. World’s highest court issues groundbreaking ruling for climate action. Here’s what it means for Australia – https://theconversation.com/worlds-highest-court-issues-groundbreaking-ruling-for-climate-action-heres-what-it-means-for-australia-261842
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 24, 2025.
World’s highest court issues groundbreaking ruling for climate action. Here’s what it means for Australia
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wesley Morgan, Research Associate, Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images The world’s highest court says countries are legally obliged to prevent harms caused by climate change, in a ruling that repudiates Australia’s claims it is not legally responsible for emissions
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Chris Bowen on why it’s ‘a little frustrating’ bidding for COP 31
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Energy and climate issues are front and centre for both sides of politics. The government is struggling with pushback from some regional communities against the rollout of transmission lines and wind farms. At the same time, it will soon have
Cycling’s governing body is introducing new rules to slow down elite riders. Not everyone’s happy
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Popi Sotiriadou, Associate Professor of Sport Management – Director Business Innovation, Griffith University MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images Most sports look to support their athletes to become “faster, higher, stronger” – in reference to the Olympic Games’ original motto – so it is perhaps surprising that cycling’s
Swirling nebula of two dying stars revealed in spectacular detail in new Webb telescope image
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin Pope, Associate Professor, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Macquarie University The day before my thesis examination, my friend and radio astronomer Joe Callingham showed me an image we’d been awaiting for five long years – an infrared photo of two dying stars we’d requested from
UN’s highest court finds countries can be held legally responsible for emissions
By Jamie Tahana in The Hague for RNZ Pacific The United Nations’ highest court has found that countries can be held legally responsible for their greenhouse gas emissions, in a ruling highly anticipated by Pacific countries long frustrated with the pace of global action to address climate change. In a landmark opinion delivered yesterday in
Five arms, no heart and a global family: what DNA revealed about the weird deep-sea world of brittle stars
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim O’Hara, Senior Curator of Marine Invertebrates, Museums Victoria Research Institute A brittle star of the species _Gorgonocephalus eucnemis_. Lagunatic Photo / Getty Images You may have read that the deep sea is a very different environment from the land and shallow water. There is no light,
Birds use hidden black and white feathers to make themselves more colourful
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Griffith, Professor of Avian Behavioural Ecology, Macquarie University The green-headed tanager (_Tangara seledon_) has a hidden layer of plumage that is white underneath the orange feathers and black underneath the blue and green feathers. Daniel Field Birds are perhaps the most colourful group of animals, bringing
Is sleeping a lot actually bad for your health? A sleep scientist explains
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Charlotte Gupta, Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Appleton Institute, HealthWise Research Group, CQUniversity Australia Walstrom, Susanne/Getty We’re constantly being reminded by news articles and social media posts that we should be getting more sleep. You probably don’t need to hear it again – not sleeping enough is bad
From grasslands to killing fields: why trees are bad news for one of Australia’s most stunning birds
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gabriel Crowley, Adjunct Associate Professor in Geography, University of Adelaide JJ Harrison/Wikimedia, CC BY Picture this. A small, rainbow-coloured chick emerges from its nest for the first time. It stretches its wings and prepares to take flight. But before the fledgling’s life in the wild has begun,
As seas rise and fish decline, this Fijian village is finding new ways to adapt
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Celia McMichael, Professor in Geography, The University of Melbourne Celia McMichael, CC BY-NC-ND In the village of Nagigi, Fiji, the ocean isn’t just a resource – it’s part of the community’s identity. But in recent years, villagers have seen the sea behave differently. Tides are pushing inland.
After 70 years, twisted gothic thriller The Night of the Hunter remains as disturbing and beguiling as ever
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben McCann, Associate Professor of French Studies, University of Adelaide United Artists/Getty Images In 1955, director Charles Laughton crafted one of the darkest, strangest fairytales ever to come out of Hollywood. The Night of the Hunter remains visually exquisite and profoundly unsettling. Shortly before Ben Harper is
Almost a third of NZ households face energy hardship – reform has to go beyond cheaper off-peak power
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kimberley O’Sullivan, Senior Research Fellow, He Kainga Oranga – Housing and Health Research Programme, University of Otago Igor Suka/Getty Images The spotlight is again on New Zealand’s energy sector, with a group of industry bodies and independent retailers pushing for a market overhaul, saying the sector was
Immigration courts hiding the names of ICE lawyers goes against centuries of precedent and legal ethics requiring transparency in courts
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cassandra Burke Robertson, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Professional Ethics, Case Western Reserve University Some immigration courts have allowed ICE attorneys to conceal their names during proceedings. Jacob Wackerhausen/iStock via Getty Images Something unusual is happening in U.S. immigration courts. Government lawyers are
How the UK’s immigration system splits families apart – by design
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nando Sigona, Professor of International Migration and Forced Displacement and Director of the Institute for Research into International Migration and Superdiversity, University of Birmingham arda savasciogullari/Shutterstock The letter that arrived for eleven-year-old Guilherme in June 2025 was addressed personally to him. The UK Home Office was informing
4.48 Psychosis revival: the play’s window into a mind on the edge is as brutal as ever
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leah Sidi, Associate Professor of Health Humanities, UCL Under bright lights, the audience looks at a bare stage on two planes. Below, a small stage is white and empty, occupied only by a table and two chairs. Above, a huge, slanted mirror reflects a bird’s-eye view of
Togo’s ‘Nana-Benz’: how cheap Chinese imports of African fabrics has hurt the famous women traders
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fidele B. Ebia, Postdoctoral fellow, Duke Africa Initiative, Duke University The manufacturing of African print textiles has shifted to China in the 21st century. While they are widely consumed in African countries – and symbolic of the continent – the rise of “made in China” has undermined
2 ways cities can beat the heat: Which is best, urban trees or cool roofs?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Smith, Research Scientist in Earth & Environment, Boston University Trees like these in Boston can help keep neighborhoods cooler on hot days. Yassine Khalfalli/Unsplash, CC BY When summer turns up the heat, cities can start to feel like an oven, as buildings and pavement trap the
Indonesian military set to complete Trans-Papua Highway under Prabowo’s rule
By Julian Isaac The Indonesian Military (TNI) is committed to supporting the completion of the Trans-Papua Highway during President Prabowo Subianto’s term in office. While the military is not involved in construction, it plays a critical role in securing the project from threats posed by pro-independence Papuan resistance groups in “high-risk” regions. Spanning a total
View from The Hill: Nationals’ mavericks ensure the Coalition is the issue in parliament’s first week
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra For almost as long anyone can remember, the Nationals have caused the Coalition grief on climate and energy policy. Still, for Barnaby Joyce to bring on a fresh load of trouble – with a private member’s bill to scrap Australia’s
Childcare centres will have funding stripped if they’re not ‘up to scratch’. Is this enough?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erin Harper, Lecturer, School of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney Maskot/Getty Images Childcare centres will lose their eligibility for fee subsidies if they don’t meet safety standards, according to a new bill introduced to parliament on Wednesday. As Education Minister Jason Clare told parliament: it
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 24, 2025.
World’s highest court issues groundbreaking ruling for climate action. Here’s what it means for Australia
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wesley Morgan, Research Associate, Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images The world’s highest court says countries are legally obliged to prevent harms caused by climate change, in a ruling that repudiates Australia’s claims it is not legally responsible for emissions
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Chris Bowen on why it’s ‘a little frustrating’ bidding for COP 31
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Energy and climate issues are front and centre for both sides of politics. The government is struggling with pushback from some regional communities against the rollout of transmission lines and wind farms. At the same time, it will soon have
Cycling’s governing body is introducing new rules to slow down elite riders. Not everyone’s happy
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Popi Sotiriadou, Associate Professor of Sport Management – Director Business Innovation, Griffith University MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images Most sports look to support their athletes to become “faster, higher, stronger” – in reference to the Olympic Games’ original motto – so it is perhaps surprising that cycling’s
Swirling nebula of two dying stars revealed in spectacular detail in new Webb telescope image
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin Pope, Associate Professor, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Macquarie University The day before my thesis examination, my friend and radio astronomer Joe Callingham showed me an image we’d been awaiting for five long years – an infrared photo of two dying stars we’d requested from
UN’s highest court finds countries can be held legally responsible for emissions
By Jamie Tahana in The Hague for RNZ Pacific The United Nations’ highest court has found that countries can be held legally responsible for their greenhouse gas emissions, in a ruling highly anticipated by Pacific countries long frustrated with the pace of global action to address climate change. In a landmark opinion delivered yesterday in
Five arms, no heart and a global family: what DNA revealed about the weird deep-sea world of brittle stars
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim O’Hara, Senior Curator of Marine Invertebrates, Museums Victoria Research Institute A brittle star of the species _Gorgonocephalus eucnemis_. Lagunatic Photo / Getty Images You may have read that the deep sea is a very different environment from the land and shallow water. There is no light,
Birds use hidden black and white feathers to make themselves more colourful
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Griffith, Professor of Avian Behavioural Ecology, Macquarie University The green-headed tanager (_Tangara seledon_) has a hidden layer of plumage that is white underneath the orange feathers and black underneath the blue and green feathers. Daniel Field Birds are perhaps the most colourful group of animals, bringing
Is sleeping a lot actually bad for your health? A sleep scientist explains
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Charlotte Gupta, Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Appleton Institute, HealthWise Research Group, CQUniversity Australia Walstrom, Susanne/Getty We’re constantly being reminded by news articles and social media posts that we should be getting more sleep. You probably don’t need to hear it again – not sleeping enough is bad
From grasslands to killing fields: why trees are bad news for one of Australia’s most stunning birds
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gabriel Crowley, Adjunct Associate Professor in Geography, University of Adelaide JJ Harrison/Wikimedia, CC BY Picture this. A small, rainbow-coloured chick emerges from its nest for the first time. It stretches its wings and prepares to take flight. But before the fledgling’s life in the wild has begun,
As seas rise and fish decline, this Fijian village is finding new ways to adapt
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Celia McMichael, Professor in Geography, The University of Melbourne Celia McMichael, CC BY-NC-ND In the village of Nagigi, Fiji, the ocean isn’t just a resource – it’s part of the community’s identity. But in recent years, villagers have seen the sea behave differently. Tides are pushing inland.
After 70 years, twisted gothic thriller The Night of the Hunter remains as disturbing and beguiling as ever
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben McCann, Associate Professor of French Studies, University of Adelaide United Artists/Getty Images In 1955, director Charles Laughton crafted one of the darkest, strangest fairytales ever to come out of Hollywood. The Night of the Hunter remains visually exquisite and profoundly unsettling. Shortly before Ben Harper is
Almost a third of NZ households face energy hardship – reform has to go beyond cheaper off-peak power
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kimberley O’Sullivan, Senior Research Fellow, He Kainga Oranga – Housing and Health Research Programme, University of Otago Igor Suka/Getty Images The spotlight is again on New Zealand’s energy sector, with a group of industry bodies and independent retailers pushing for a market overhaul, saying the sector was
Immigration courts hiding the names of ICE lawyers goes against centuries of precedent and legal ethics requiring transparency in courts
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cassandra Burke Robertson, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Professional Ethics, Case Western Reserve University Some immigration courts have allowed ICE attorneys to conceal their names during proceedings. Jacob Wackerhausen/iStock via Getty Images Something unusual is happening in U.S. immigration courts. Government lawyers are
How the UK’s immigration system splits families apart – by design
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nando Sigona, Professor of International Migration and Forced Displacement and Director of the Institute for Research into International Migration and Superdiversity, University of Birmingham arda savasciogullari/Shutterstock The letter that arrived for eleven-year-old Guilherme in June 2025 was addressed personally to him. The UK Home Office was informing
4.48 Psychosis revival: the play’s window into a mind on the edge is as brutal as ever
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leah Sidi, Associate Professor of Health Humanities, UCL Under bright lights, the audience looks at a bare stage on two planes. Below, a small stage is white and empty, occupied only by a table and two chairs. Above, a huge, slanted mirror reflects a bird’s-eye view of
Togo’s ‘Nana-Benz’: how cheap Chinese imports of African fabrics has hurt the famous women traders
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fidele B. Ebia, Postdoctoral fellow, Duke Africa Initiative, Duke University The manufacturing of African print textiles has shifted to China in the 21st century. While they are widely consumed in African countries – and symbolic of the continent – the rise of “made in China” has undermined
2 ways cities can beat the heat: Which is best, urban trees or cool roofs?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Smith, Research Scientist in Earth & Environment, Boston University Trees like these in Boston can help keep neighborhoods cooler on hot days. Yassine Khalfalli/Unsplash, CC BY When summer turns up the heat, cities can start to feel like an oven, as buildings and pavement trap the
Indonesian military set to complete Trans-Papua Highway under Prabowo’s rule
By Julian Isaac The Indonesian Military (TNI) is committed to supporting the completion of the Trans-Papua Highway during President Prabowo Subianto’s term in office. While the military is not involved in construction, it plays a critical role in securing the project from threats posed by pro-independence Papuan resistance groups in “high-risk” regions. Spanning a total
View from The Hill: Nationals’ mavericks ensure the Coalition is the issue in parliament’s first week
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra For almost as long anyone can remember, the Nationals have caused the Coalition grief on climate and energy policy. Still, for Barnaby Joyce to bring on a fresh load of trouble – with a private member’s bill to scrap Australia’s
Childcare centres will have funding stripped if they’re not ‘up to scratch’. Is this enough?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erin Harper, Lecturer, School of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney Maskot/Getty Images Childcare centres will lose their eligibility for fee subsidies if they don’t meet safety standards, according to a new bill introduced to parliament on Wednesday. As Education Minister Jason Clare told parliament: it
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
Pierre-Louis had recently been discharged from prison for carjacking.
Romario Pierre-Louis, age 30, from Sioux City, was sentenced July 18, 2025, to more than 5 years in federal prison, after a March 6, 2025, guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon.
Evidence in the case revealed just after midnight on October 15, 2024, law enforcement was called to a domestic assault disturbance. Law enforcement was informed that Pierre-Louis was armed and was pointing a gun at people in the area. When officers arrived on scene, a witness stated that after the dispute Pierre-Louis was seen carrying a rifle wrapped in a blanket along with a couple of pistols to a nearby residence. The weapons were recovered from the neighbor’s house, where Pierre-Louis tried to hide them. Pierre-Louis admitted to law enforcement he knew he was not able to have firearms due to being a felon. Pierre-Louis was convicted in 2019 of armed carjacking in Cook County, Illinois for which he served six years in state prison. He had recently been released from that sentence.
Pierre-Louis was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 63 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Pierre-Louis is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was investigated by Sioux City Police department and the United States Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol Tabaco Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-4085.
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Source: New South Wales Community and Justice
Highway safety blitz catches speeding drivers
Thursday, 24 July 2025 – 11:11 am.
Tasmania Police issued 24 drivers with speeding infringements during a four-hour road safety blitz on the Bass Highway on Wednesday.
Officers from Western and Northern Road Policing Services conducted the joint operation on the highway, between Westbury and Latrobe, between 8am and noon.
Police detected 24 speeding offences, including five drivers travelling 20km/h to 30km/h over the posted speed limit. There was also one unregistered and uninsured vehicle.
Western District Acting Inspector Martin Parker said the higher range speeding offences were committed near the Paramatta Creek weigh bridge, where the speed limit had been reduced to 80km/h due to officers from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator conducting operations at the weigh bridge.
“It is concerning that motorists are disregarding highly visual speed reduction signs when the weigh bridge station was operating,” Acting Inspector Parker said.
“The speed limit had been reduced to allow NVHR officers to safely conduct their work and the safe flow of traffic in the area, when trucks are exiting and re-entering the highway.”
Tasmania Police is committed to continuing road safety activities with the aim to reduce crashes on our roads, particularly serious and fatal crashes.
One death or serious injury is one too many and has the potential to severely impact the community.
Incidents of dangerous driving can be reported to police on 131 444 or call triple zero (000) if the behaviour is life threatening. Reports can also be made via Crime Stoppers Tasmania on 1800 333 000 or at crimestopperstas.com.au. Information can be provided anonymously.
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
Northern Territory Police Force has arrested four youths following multiple aggravated robberies and a ram raid in the northern suburbs overnight.
Around 10:35pm, the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre (JESCC) received a report that a woman had allegedly been threatened with an edged weapon and had her silver Mitsubishi ASX stolen outside her residence on Aralia Street.
It is alleged that victim was sitting in her parked vehicle when she was approached by two youths, one of which threatened her with an edged weapon and demanded the keys to the vehicle. They subsequently fled the scene in the Mitsubishi ASX.
The victim was not physically harmed during the incident.
Around 12:05am, the JESCC received a report that three youths entered a residence on Carnoustie Circuit before being confronted by the occupants. The offenders then threated the occupants with a machete and demanded money and vehicle keys before fleeing the scene in a Mitsubishi ASX.
The offenders subsequently drove to a shopping complex on Yanula Drive where they allegedly used the stolen vehicle to ram through the rear gate of the premises and cause significant property damage before fleeing the scene.
A short time later, the stolen Mitsubishi, occupied by three youths, was allegedly used to ram the roller door of a bottle shop on Baroalba Street, Leanyer. Once inside the group stole a quantity of alcohol and fled the scene.
Police later observed the stolen vehicle travelling towards Darwin City on Tiger Brennan Drive. A pursuit was initiated, however, was terminated shortly after the stolen Mitsubishi attempted to ram the police vehicle. At this time, it was identified that two female youths were also occupied the offending vehicle.
CCTV operators later observed the offenders abandon the vehicle on Voyager Street, Stuart Park. A large quantity of alcohol was located inside the vehicle.
General duties officers, Strike Force Trident and the Dog Operations Unit deployed to the area and arrested two females aged 13 and 14, and two males aged 14 and 17. The fifth offender remains outstanding.
At the time of arrest, one of the offenders was armed with a large machete and another was in possession of a bottle of alcohol believed to have been stolen during the ram raid.
Three of the youths have been charged in relation to the offending:
The 13-year-old female will be dealt with under the provisions of the Youth Justice Act 2005.
Police urge anyone with information to make contact on 131 444. Please quote reference number P25196901. Anonymous reports can be made via Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or through https://crimestoppersnt.com.au/.
