A federal jury in Louisville, Kentucky, today convicted a former Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) officer for violating the civil rights of Breonna Taylor during the execution of a search warrant in March 2020 that led to the tragic death of Taylor in her home.
Brett Hankison, 46, was convicted on one count of civil rights abuse. Count one charged him with depriving Taylor of her constitutional rights when he fired five shots through a bedroom window that was covered with blinds and a blackout curtain. The jury found that Hankison used a dangerous weapon in the commission of the offense, and that his conduct involved an attempt to kill, although his shots did not strike Taylor. Hankison was found not guilty on count two, which charged him with depriving three of Taylor’s neighbors of their constitutional rights by firing five more shots through a sliding glass door that was also covered with blinds and a curtain.
“Today, Brett Hankison was found guilty by a jury of his peers for willfully depriving Breonna Taylor of her constitutional rights,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “His use of deadly force was unlawful and put Ms. Taylor in harm’s way. This verdict is an important step toward accountability for the violation of Breonna Taylor’s civil rights, but justice for the loss of Ms. Taylor is a task that exceeds human capacity.”
“This defendant is being held accountable for his willful and heinous use of deadly force that endangered the life of Breonna Taylor,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Breonna Taylor’s life mattered. We hope the jury’s verdict recognizing this violation of Ms. Taylor’s civil and constitutional rights brings some small measure of comfort to her family and loved ones who have suffered so deeply from the tragic events of March 2020. We hope that communities use this moment to say her name and to engrave on their hearts and minds Breonna Taylor’s life and enduring legacy. The Justice Department will continue to vigorously defend the civil rights of every person in this country to be free from unlawful police violence.”
According to evidence at trial, during the execution of the warrant at Taylor’s home, officers knocked on Taylor’s door and announced themselves as police at approximately 12:45 a.m. No one answered the door, and the officers saw no indication that anyone in the home was awake or had heard their announcement. The police then rammed the door open and Taylor’s boyfriend, believing that intruders were breaking in, fired his handgun one time at officers, two of whom fired back, hitting and killing Taylor.
Hankison was not one of the officers who fired from the doorway. He fired separately, from the side of the building, through a sliding glass door and a bedroom window, both of which were covered with closed blinds and curtains. Evidence showed that several of Hankison’s shots passed through Taylor’s apartment, pierced the interior walls and narrowly missed a young couple with a five-year-old child living next door to Taylor. Other shots flew over Taylor’s head as she lay on the floor of her apartment.
At trial, numerous law enforcement witnesses testified that officers are trained never to fire their weapons at a target they cannot see. Officers who were on the scene for the execution of the warrant, and others who responded later, testified that Hankison violated LMPD training and the principles of law enforcement when he fired blindly into a crowded apartment complex. The Commander of LMPD’s SWAT unit, who responded to the scene shortly after the shooting, testified that he was in “shock and disbelief” when he learned that Hankison had fired into the covered windows in Ms. Taylor’s home. The jury also heard from her neighbors, who were nearly hit by Hankison’s bullets.
Hankison will be sentenced on March 12, 2025. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Two other LMPD officers remain charged in connection with the search warrant executed at Taylor’s home. Former Detective Joshua Jaynes, 40, and LMPD Sergeant Kyle Meany, 35, are charged with federal civil rights and obstruction offenses for their roles in preparing and approving a falsified search warrant affidavit that resulted in the warrant that led to Taylor’s death. A trial will be set for a later date, and they are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Another former LMPD officer, Detective Kelly Goodlett, previously pleaded guilty to conspiring with Jaynes to falsify the affidavit used to obtain a search warrant for Taylor’s home and to cover up their actions after Taylor’s death. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 29, 2025.
The FBI Louisville Field Office investigated the case.
Special Litigation Counsel Michael J. Songer and Trial Attorney Anna Gotfryd of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Samuel Adomako, Associate Professor of Strategy and Innovation, University of Birmingham
Financial literacy is vital for individuals and households. Simply put, it’s the ability to understand and effectively use various financial skills: budgeting, managing debt, making sound investments, and understanding financial statements.
These skills are crucial for businesses, too – especially small and medium enterprises. Small and medium enterprises are widely recognised as the backbone of many low-income countries’ economies. The World Bank estimates that these businesses account for between 60% and 70% of jobs in sub-Saharan Africa and approximately 40% of low-income countries’ GDPs globally.
Ghana is one of the countries whose economy relies heavily on small and medium enterprises. Much emphasis has been placed on how important it is for these businesses to access finance. But far less has been discussed about the value of financial literacy. In Ghana, as is the case in many other countries, the reality is that many small and medium enterprises still fail to grow as expected, even when they have access to capital. This surprising outcome suggests that access to finance, while crucial, is not the sole factor determining business success. The missing piece of the puzzle? Financial literacy.
We conducted a study to find out whether managers at small and medium enterprises in Ghana believed that financial literacy would help them to improve their growth after accessing finance. CEOs and senior financial managers who self-identified as being financially literate told us that their businesses had grown as a result, explicitly linking growth and financial literacy.
It is clear from this study that financial literacy empowers the managers of small and medium enterprises to make informed decisions, make the best use of their resources, and avoid common pitfalls that can derail business growth. It enables them not only to access finance but also to use it effectively for sustainable growth and long-term success.
Our findings have wider implications. Small and medium enterprises are vital for economic growth. But their potential is being undermined by a lack of financial literacy. This isn’t just a problem for businesses themselves: it’s a problem for the entire economy they are part of. When small and medium enterprises fail to grow, job creation stalls, innovation slows down, and the economy as a whole suffers.
We defined small and medium enterprises in the same way as Ghana’s Statistical Service does: companies that have 250 or fewer employees.
Ultimately, 201 firms across the manufacturing and services sectors took part in the study. The vast majority of responses were from CEOs and senior finance managers, which is important since people in these positions ought to have comprehensive knowledge about a firm’s growth and performance.
The respondents saw a clear link between financial literacy and access to finance for growing their businesses. One CEO said:
Understanding financial principles is the foundation of our business decisions. Without financial literacy, we wouldn’t have been able to secure the necessary funding to expand our operations. It’s not just about getting access to finance but knowing how to manage it effectively that drives growth.
A senior financial manager told us:
Before improving our financial literacy, we struggled to convince lenders of our potential. Learning how to present our financials clearly and manage our cash flow gave us the credibility we needed to secure financing and invest in our growth.
Some interviewees discussed how not being financially literate had hampered their ability to properly use funding. A finance manager said that, after securing an initial round of funding. “we quickly realised we couldn’t manage cash flow effectively”, adding:
It felt like we were putting out fires every day. I didn’t understand terms like ‘liquidity ratios’ or ‘debt management’ until I started learning about financial literacy. It was eye-opening.
These lessons happened in various ways, some more formal than others. One CEO, realising their own financial management skills needed work, hired a financial officer with strong abilities in this area and learned a great deal from them.
Some CEOs signed themselves up for financial management workshops; others organised short courses for their entire teams. One told us: “We took a financial literacy course designed for entrepreneurs, and it gave us new insights into how to manage loans and investments. It wasn’t just about survival but also about how to leverage what we had to grow. Now, we budget better, monitor our cash flow closely, and even started saving for unexpected expenses.”
There are several ways to improve financial literacy among small and medium enterprises.
First, policymakers should incorporate mandatory financial literacy training into existing support programmes for these businesses. It should cover essential financial management skills such as budgeting, cash flow management and investment planning.
Policymakers could also facilitate partnerships between banks, microfinance institutions and educational organisations to offer targeted financial literacy workshops for managers at small and medium enterprises. This would equip businesses to manage the financial support they receive.
Finally, policymakers should introduce incentives, such as reduced interest rates or preferential loan terms, for small and medium enterprises that complete certified financial literacy courses. This would motivate managers to enhance their financial management skills, leading to more sustainable business growth and improved economic outcomes.
– Financial skills like managing debt are key to success, but Ghana’s small businesses don’t have them – https://theconversation.com/financial-skills-like-managing-debt-are-key-to-success-but-ghanas-small-businesses-dont-have-them-241955
A federal jury in Louisville, Kentucky, today convicted a former Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) officer for violating the civil rights of Breonna Taylor during the execution of a search warrant in March 2020 that led to the tragic death of Taylor in her home.
Brett Hankison, 46, was convicted on one count of civil rights abuse. Count one charged him with depriving Taylor of her constitutional rights when he fired five shots through a bedroom window that was covered with blinds and a blackout curtain. The jury found that Hankison used a dangerous weapon in the commission of the offense, and that his conduct involved an attempt to kill, although his shots did not strike Taylor. Hankison was found not guilty on count two, which charged him with depriving three of Taylor’s neighbors of their constitutional rights by firing five more shots through a sliding glass door that was also covered with blinds and a curtain.
“Today, Brett Hankison was found guilty by a jury of his peers for willfully depriving Breonna Taylor of her constitutional rights,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “His use of deadly force was unlawful and put Ms. Taylor in harm’s way. This verdict is an important step toward accountability for the violation of Breonna Taylor’s civil rights, but justice for the loss of Ms. Taylor is a task that exceeds human capacity.”
“This defendant is being held accountable for his willful and heinous use of deadly force that endangered the life of Breonna Taylor,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Breonna Taylor’s life mattered. We hope the jury’s verdict recognizing this violation of Ms. Taylor’s civil and constitutional rights brings some small measure of comfort to her family and loved ones who have suffered so deeply from the tragic events of March 2020. We hope that communities use this moment to say her name and to engrave on their hearts and minds Breonna Taylor’s life and enduring legacy. The Justice Department will continue to vigorously defend the civil rights of every person in this country to be free from unlawful police violence.”
According to evidence at trial, during the execution of the warrant at Taylor’s home, officers knocked on Taylor’s door and announced themselves as police at approximately 12:45 a.m. No one answered the door, and the officers saw no indication that anyone in the home was awake or had heard their announcement. The police then rammed the door open and Taylor’s boyfriend, believing that intruders were breaking in, fired his handgun one time at officers, two of whom fired back, hitting and killing Taylor.
Hankison was not one of the officers who fired from the doorway. He fired separately, from the side of the building, through a sliding glass door and a bedroom window, both of which were covered with closed blinds and curtains. Evidence showed that several of Hankison’s shots passed through Taylor’s apartment, pierced the interior walls and narrowly missed a young couple with a five-year-old child living next door to Taylor. Other shots flew over Taylor’s head as she lay on the floor of her apartment.
At trial, numerous law enforcement witnesses testified that officers are trained never to fire their weapons at a target they cannot see. Officers who were on the scene for the execution of the warrant, and others who responded later, testified that Hankison violated LMPD training and the principles of law enforcement when he fired blindly into a crowded apartment complex. The Commander of LMPD’s SWAT unit, who responded to the scene shortly after the shooting, testified that he was in “shock and disbelief” when he learned that Hankison had fired into the covered windows in Ms. Taylor’s home. The jury also heard from her neighbors, who were nearly hit by Hankison’s bullets.
Hankison will be sentenced on March 12, 2025. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Two other LMPD officers remain charged in connection with the search warrant executed at Taylor’s home. Former Detective Joshua Jaynes, 40, and LMPD Sergeant Kyle Meany, 35, are charged with federal civil rights and obstruction offenses for their roles in preparing and approving a falsified search warrant affidavit that resulted in the warrant that led to Taylor’s death. A trial will be set for a later date, and they are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Another former LMPD officer, Detective Kelly Goodlett, previously pleaded guilty to conspiring with Jaynes to falsify the affidavit used to obtain a search warrant for Taylor’s home and to cover up their actions after Taylor’s death. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 29, 2025.
The FBI Louisville Field Office investigated the case.
Special Litigation Counsel Michael J. Songer and Trial Attorney Anna Gotfryd of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.
We will issue a Reduced Threat message when the threat to the community has reduced.
All bushfire incidents that have had an Advice, Watch and Act or Emergency Warning message issued will be finalised with an Advice – Reduced Threat message.
Financial literacy is vital for individuals and households. Simply put, it’s the ability to understand and effectively use various financial skills: budgeting, managing debt, making sound investments, and understanding financial statements.
These skills are crucial for businesses, too – especially small and medium enterprises. Small and medium enterprises are widely recognised as the backbone of many low-income countries’ economies. The World Bank estimates that these businesses account for between 60% and 70% of jobs in sub-Saharan Africa and approximately 40% of low-income countries’ GDPs globally.
Ghana is one of the countries whose economy relies heavily on small and medium enterprises. Much emphasis has been placed on how important it is for these businesses to access finance. But far less has been discussed about the value of financial literacy. In Ghana, as is the case in many other countries, the reality is that many small and medium enterprises still fail to grow as expected, even when they have access to capital. This surprising outcome suggests that access to finance, while crucial, is not the sole factor determining business success. The missing piece of the puzzle? Financial literacy.
We conducted a study to find out whether managers at small and medium enterprises in Ghana believed that financial literacy would help them to improve their growth after accessing finance. CEOs and senior financial managers who self-identified as being financially literate told us that their businesses had grown as a result, explicitly linking growth and financial literacy.
It is clear from this study that financial literacy empowers the managers of small and medium enterprises to make informed decisions, make the best use of their resources, and avoid common pitfalls that can derail business growth. It enables them not only to access finance but also to use it effectively for sustainable growth and long-term success.
Our findings have wider implications. Small and medium enterprises are vital for economic growth. But their potential is being undermined by a lack of financial literacy. This isn’t just a problem for businesses themselves: it’s a problem for the entire economy they are part of. When small and medium enterprises fail to grow, job creation stalls, innovation slows down, and the economy as a whole suffers.
We defined small and medium enterprises in the same way as Ghana’s Statistical Service does: companies that have 250 or fewer employees.
Ultimately, 201 firms across the manufacturing and services sectors took part in the study. The vast majority of responses were from CEOs and senior finance managers, which is important since people in these positions ought to have comprehensive knowledge about a firm’s growth and performance.
The respondents saw a clear link between financial literacy and access to finance for growing their businesses. One CEO said:
Understanding financial principles is the foundation of our business decisions. Without financial literacy, we wouldn’t have been able to secure the necessary funding to expand our operations. It’s not just about getting access to finance but knowing how to manage it effectively that drives growth.
A senior financial manager told us:
Before improving our financial literacy, we struggled to convince lenders of our potential. Learning how to present our financials clearly and manage our cash flow gave us the credibility we needed to secure financing and invest in our growth.
Some interviewees discussed how not being financially literate had hampered their ability to properly use funding. A finance manager said that, after securing an initial round of funding. “we quickly realised we couldn’t manage cash flow effectively”, adding:
It felt like we were putting out fires every day. I didn’t understand terms like ‘liquidity ratios’ or ‘debt management’ until I started learning about financial literacy. It was eye-opening.
These lessons happened in various ways, some more formal than others. One CEO, realising their own financial management skills needed work, hired a financial officer with strong abilities in this area and learned a great deal from them.
Some CEOs signed themselves up for financial management workshops; others organised short courses for their entire teams. One told us: “We took a financial literacy course designed for entrepreneurs, and it gave us new insights into how to manage loans and investments. It wasn’t just about survival but also about how to leverage what we had to grow. Now, we budget better, monitor our cash flow closely, and even started saving for unexpected expenses.”
There are several ways to improve financial literacy among small and medium enterprises.
First, policymakers should incorporate mandatory financial literacy training into existing support programmes for these businesses. It should cover essential financial management skills such as budgeting, cash flow management and investment planning.
Policymakers could also facilitate partnerships between banks, microfinance institutions and educational organisations to offer targeted financial literacy workshops for managers at small and medium enterprises. This would equip businesses to manage the financial support they receive.
Finally, policymakers should introduce incentives, such as reduced interest rates or preferential loan terms, for small and medium enterprises that complete certified financial literacy courses. This would motivate managers to enhance their financial management skills, leading to more sustainable business growth and improved economic outcomes.
Samuel Adomako 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.
Two teens have been arrested following a bushfire in Port Lincoln this evening.
Just before 6pm Sunday 3 November emergency services were called to the intersection of Bernard Place and Garrett Road after reports of a scrub fire burning in a north east direction.
The fire was controlled by CFS and contained to an area of approximately an acre. No homes were impacted and there were no injuries.
Following an investigation two local teens, a 13-year-old and a 16-year-old, were located near by and arrested. They are expected to be charged with bushfire related offences.
Police would like to remind the public as we head into fire danger season that police will take a zero-tolerance approach to fires caused by deliberate, reckless or negligent behaviour – bushfires not only destroy communities and properties but have the potential to kill.
If you see a fire, call Triple Zero (000) immediately.
Anyone with information about people deliberately lighting fires or engaging in reckless or negligent fire lighting behaviour, please contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au – you can remain anonymous.
Issued for Port Lincoln near Happy Valley Road, Valley View Road and Shane Street.
Warning level Advice – Threat is Reduced
Action The threat of this fire has reduced however people are reminded to take care in the area. Smoke will reduce visibility in the area and there is a risk of falling trees and branches.
For updates, check the MFS website at mfs.sa.gov.au or phone the Information Hotline on 1800 362 361.
Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Day 4-8 Severe Weather Outlook Issued on Nov 3, 2024
Updated: Sun Nov 3 09:41:03 UTC 2024
.
D4 Wed, Nov 06, 2024 – Thu, Nov 07, 2024 D7 Sat, Nov 09, 2024 – Sun, Nov 10, 2024
D5 Thu, Nov 07, 2024 – Fri, Nov 08, 2024 D8 Sun, Nov 10, 2024 – Mon, Nov 11, 2024
D6 Fri, Nov 08, 2024 – Sat, Nov 09, 2024 (All days are valid from 12 UTC – 12 UTC the following day)
Note: A severe weather area depicted in the Day 4-8 period indicates 15%, 30% or higher probability for severe thunderstorms within 25 miles of any point.
PREDICTABILITY TOO LOW is used to indicate severe storms may be possible based on some model scenarios. However, the location or occurrence of severe storms are in doubt due to: 1) large differences in the deterministic model solutions, 2) large spread in the ensemble guidance, and/or 3) minimal run-to-run continuity.
POTENTIAL TOO LOW means the threat for a regional area of organized severe storms appears unlikely (i.e., less than 15%) for the forecast day.
Forecast Discussion
ZCZC SPCSWOD48 ALL ACUS48 KWNS 030939 SPC AC 030939
Day 4-8 Convective Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 0339 AM CST Sun Nov 03 2024
Valid 061200Z – 111200Z
…DISCUSSION… NHC is forecasting a high probability of TC formation in the Caribbean by D2. Predictability is low along the FL Gulf Coast vicinity regarding downstream tornado potential during D4-5, with large spread in guidance at this time frame and beyond.
Meanwhile, modified moisture return will ensue on D4-5 over the southern High Plains, in advance of a shortwave trough evolving into a cutoff low across the Southwest. Given an initially inverted surface trough, severe potential should be limited/mesoscale-focused on D5/Thursday. With an emerging consensus of ensemble guidance suggesting acceleration of the upper low onto the Great Plains, severe potential may increase next weekend with broadening of the warm-moist sector in the central states. Predictability is far too low to warrant consideration of greater than 15 percent areas yet.
Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
SPC AC 031249
Day 1 Convective Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 0649 AM CST Sun Nov 03 2024
Valid 031300Z – 041200Z
…THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER PARTS OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS…
…SUMMARY… Multiple rounds of strong-severe thunderstorms are possible today through tonight over parts of the southern Plains. Tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail are possible.
…Synopsis… A full-latitude, mid/upper-level trough will move slowly eastward across the western CONUS, while evolving into a split-flow regime. The more-influential southern section of the trough is expected to amplify considerably as a shortwave perturbation and associated speed max — now located over the southern Great Basin — pivot through the base of the synoptic trough. By 00Z, the shortwave trough should dig southeastward to southern AZ and adjoining portions of Sonora. A leading vorticity lobe should eject to eastern NM by the end of the period, within a broader area of enhanced cyclonic flow extending across AZ, northern Chihuahua, and west TX. A 500-mb low may form by 12Z tomorrow near the center of that curvature, across central NM. In response to these developments, strengthening/difluent flow and height falls will spread eastward ahead of the synoptic trough — across the southern Plains and west TX.
At the surface, 11Z analysis showed an outflow boundary fronting an MCS from the western Ozarks southwestward to northwest TX. The boundary should shift into AR and southeastern OK through the remainder of the morning before stalling, while the segment from the Red River region southwestward across the Big Country and northern Permian Basin already has become very slow-moving to stationary. The boundary should retreat northward through the period, with uncertainty remaining as to how far and with what specific timing, given a substantial cold pool evident across central/western OK and the South Plains/Panhandle region. A dryline — initially analyzed over southeastern NM and far west TX — should shift eastward to the southern Panhandle/south Plains and across the Permian Basin through the afternoon. A surface low initially near the central CO/KS border should move northeastward to central/north-central NE by 00Z, with cold front southwestward to another low in southeastern CO. A lee trough and more diffuse dryline will take shape and move eastward across the central High Plains into western KS, before being overtaken by the cold front.
…Southern/central Plains… A QLCS began the period arching from the western Ozarks across southeastern OK and parts of north-central/northwest TX. The central/northern part of this complex is outrunning favorably unstable inflow and should continue a broader weakening trend through the remainder of the morning. Meanwhile the southern part — over southern OK and north TX — has more buoyancy and still- favorable vertical shear to its east and southeast. However, that segment of convection is decelerating and non-severe. It also is located behind the associated outflow boundary, which is exhibiting anafrontal characteristics.
As it retreats northward across the Red River Valley today into this evening, the outflow boundary should become more diffuse, with a loosening baroclinic gradient. This will occur amidst broader, synoptically driven theta-e advection. Meanwhile this feature and the dryline to its southwest should focus additional widely scattered to scattered thunderstorm development. Convection also may form in the warm/moist sector east of the dryline and south of the outflow boundary, given the lack of a substantial EML and typically accompanying capping. With favorable low-level and deep- layer shear expected, supercells and bowing QLCS configurations are possible, offering all severe hazards (hail, gusts, tornadoes). The greatest potential for relatively discrete/sustained supercells appears to be near the retreating boundary in northwest TX and parts of southern/central OK, and significant-severe hail may occur with some of that convection.
Multiple convective episodes are expected from the afternoon’s greatest boundary-layer heating through late overnight, when large-scale ascent will increase again due to both warm advection/ LLJ processes and DCVA/cooling aloft ahead of the approaching trough. These will overlap rich low-level moisture (surface dewpoints near and south of the boundary in the mid 60s to low 70s F). By late overnight, airmass recovery may extend into much of western/central OK, supporting another round of severe potential there. A more-concentrated mesoscale-focused severe threat (especially for tornadoes and/or severe gusts) may develop today into this evening near the residual boundary, but uncertainty on convective mode/coverage remains too large to assign greater unconditional probabilities at this cycle.
Farther north, diurnally destabilized but convectively processed trajectories will temper the overall threat into the central Plains, along/ahead of the dryline and cold front. However, a few strong- severe thunderstorms are possible, mainly this afternoon into early evening.
..Edwards/Mosier.. 11/03/2024
CLICK TO GET WUUS01 PTSDY1 PRODUCT
NOTE: THE NEXT DAY 1 OUTLOOK IS SCHEDULED BY 1630Z
The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, and the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, issued a statement to mark the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of Belgium.
Ottawa, ON– Today, the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, and the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, issued the following statement to mark the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of Belgium:
“The fall of 1944 was a defining period for the First Canadian Army. After clearing coastal areas in northern France following the successful D-Day landings and the Battle of Normandy, tens of thousands of Canadian troops played a leading role in opening the Scheldt Estuary toward the Belgian port of Antwerp.
“Not only did maintaining such a vital supply line allow the Allied armies to continue their push toward Germany, it also helped to ultimately free Western Europe from more than four years of Nazi occupation.
“Eighty years ago today, the people of Belgium were finally liberated. For weeks, Canadian soldiers fought their way across flat, muddy and flooded terrain that offered them little cover as they advanced. Undeterred by the challenges they faced, they succeeded in clearing the Breskens Pocket and liberate the last portions of Belgian territory held by enemy troops, on 3 November 1944.
“The victory was costly, with the Canadian army accruing thousands of casualties including more than 800 Canadian soldiers making the ultimate sacrifice in battle in Belgium. To this day, we remain grateful that our friends and allies in Belgium continue to honour the memory of the hundreds of Canadian service members who were laid to rest at in cemeteries like Adegem Canadian War Cemetery and Schoonselhof Cemetery.
“The lasting bond between our countries was forged by thousands of Canadians and Belgians who bravely fought for freedom during the Second World War. Canadians like Edna Beattie who enlisted in 1940, and served as a nurse in England, France and later Belgium where she treated Allied wounded, and Joseph Ross who served with the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada helping liberate the Breskens Pocket.
“Today, we remember them and their families, and all they endured to liberate Belgium and Europe.”
Then there’s the multimedia firehose of tragic accidents, gruesome images from devastating wars, seemingly random local street violence, warnings of a Third World War and grim distress signals about the dangers of rising authoritarianism on the eve of the United States presidential election and the possible return to power of climate-change skeptic Donald Trump.
Combine these stressors with our own personal mortality reminders: that new grey hair, an unexpected medical diagnosis, the COVID-19 related deaths of our friends or colleagues, and we’re left grappling with surprising and unwelcome fear.
But trying to get through our days as mostly functional, civilized adults while paralyzed with fear about our unavoidable death isn’t optimal or sustainable. Thankfully, our brains have a hardwired, helpful strategy that’s explained by “terror management theory.”
Defence mechanisms
Terror management researchers have shown that we all have predictable defences aimed at repressing our death awareness. Unfortunately, those defences can also contribute to destructive social forces.
Recognizing and understanding how these defences work is essential to making them less dangerous. These defences depend a lot on our pre-existing identities and whether death awareness operates within our conscious or subconscious mind.
When death fears are unconscious or just “background noise,” the situation gets more complex and problematic. Some of us will harden our identities and ideas about what we believe is right or just, what we are entitled to and with whom we’ll share resources, opportunities and power.
The result is increased social fragmentation and polarization rather than capitalizing on people’s diverse ideas, perspectives and experiences.
Authoritarian playbook
When mortality awareness is infused throughout a society — say, during a deadly pandemic or climate disasters — manipulating people’s death fears becomes a seductive route to power for authoritarians or would-be authoritarians like Trump.
Some people will become receptive to a charismatic figure’s promises of safety, rules, and a return to a better time.
In a subsequent study, Fritsche’s results were more dire: death awareness defences created “prejudice, stereotyping, aggression, and racism, which, in turn, can lead to the escalation of violent intergroup conflict and, thus, the escalation of war.”
While this trajectory isn’t guaranteed, ignoring the influence of mortality defences on social dynamics seems both short-sighted and foolish.
Be a hero
So, what can we do to avoid the worst outcomes of polarization, antagonism against marginalized and racialized communities, authoritarianism and potential violence?
Second, a final defence against mortality fears is to build up our self-esteem through positive “hero projects.” Through these activities — philanthropy, raising children, works of art or literature, teaching, protest or activism for social change — we commit to an action that may not be in our immediate self-interest but we persist despite difficulties, discomfort and often daunting odds.
In our hero projects, we may take less but give more, and direct our energy to outcomes that will, hopefully, benefit our communities long after we’re gone.
The authoritarians among us are already adept at manipulating our mortality fears for their own benefit. We can accept their preferred power trajectory, or we can recognize the influence of mortality fears and create alternatives in the days, weeks, months and years to come.
Sarah Elizabeth Wolfe gratefully acknowledges two decades of funding from Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. The author does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond her academic appointment.
Headline: Did Hurricane Helene Affect Your Well Furnace or Septic System
Did Hurricane Helene Affect Your Well Furnace or Septic System
COLUMBIA, S.C. – If your private well, furnace or septic system was damaged by Hurricane Helene, you may be eligible for financial assistance from FEMA. For disaster-damaged private wells, heating systems, furnaces and septic systems, FEMA may pay for the cost of a professional, licensed technician to visit your home and prepare an estimate detailing the necessary repairs or replacement expenses. FEMA may also pay for the actual repair or replacement cost of your private well, furnace or septic system, which may not be covered by homeowner’s insurance. Be sure to keep any receipts or estimates because you may be eligible for assistance even if the work has already been completed.At the time of your home inspection, let the FEMA inspector know which essential appliances and systems may have been damaged by the storm. If you already had an inspection and these damages were not reported, contact the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 or visit any Disaster Recovery Center to update your application. To find the nearest center, visit fema.gov/DRC or text “DRC” along with your Zip Code to 43362. How To ApplyIf you have not applied for FEMA assistance yet, there is still time to submit your application. Homeowners and renters in Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Cherokee, Chester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Jasper, Kershaw, Laurens, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Union and York counties and the Catawba Indian Nation who were affected by Hurricane Helene are eligible to apply for FEMA assistance. You can apply in several ways: online at DisasterAssistance.gov, in person at any Disaster Recovery Center, on your phone using the FEMA mobile app or by calling the FEMA Helpline. The telephone line is open every day and help is available in many languages. If you use a relay service, such as Video Relay Service (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service.For a video with American Sign Language, voiceover and open captions about how to apply for FEMA assistance, select this link.FEMA programs are accessible to survivors with disabilities and others with access and functional needs. gerard.hammink Sun, 11/03/2024 – 15:42
As a scholar focused on race and gender issues, I recognize that these seemingly inconsistent definitions of blackness are not inconsistent at all. They demonstrate a consistent position on whiteness.
In both cases, Trump implies that the race of his opponent is all voters need to know to determine their characters. It is an ideology that normalizes the dominance and privilege of white Americans within a racial hierarchy.
Trump has said he believes America was at its best in the 1940s and 1950s. However, Trump’s long-standing inflammatory rhetoric around race — including his recent racist comments degrading Haitian refugees in Springfield, Ohio — do not simply glorify a time immediately before the civil rights era. They recall an older era.
Calls to “Make America Great Again” hearken back to colonialism, when whiteness — particularly white, male power — was at its peak. The period from 1500 to the 1960s was a time when white men could exercise control over people of color by racially classifying their bodies. And they protected whiteness by passing laws that declared “one drop” of Black blood as enough to declare someone Black.
Whiteness is property, as the legal scholar Cheryl Hines has argued. It’s an asset for those who possess it. It offers benefits like white privilege and the idea of being white as moral and superior.
More specifically, one-drop statutes reflected a fear that people who were considered white in terms of their appearance but had Black ancestry could reproduce with other white people. This, in turn, would result in the supposed degeneration of the white race.
These laws attempted to legally define Blackness.
Power and dominance
Harris and Obama, the children of immigrants, both have mixed-race backgrounds. Harris is the child of a Black Jamaican father and an Indian mother. Obama is the son of a Black Kenyan father and a white American mother.
However, Trump insists that Harris was “Indian all the way,” while Obama was a “Black president.” For me, this perspective reveals another aspect of Trump’s racial thinking: He appears to believe in the impenetrability and power of whiteness.
Trump sees Harris as capable of dancing back and forth between being Indian and being Black. Yet he has never implied that Obama can dance between being Black and being white.
In a society that often ties physical characteristics to racial identity, many people might find it difficult to imagine Obama as identifying as white. That’s because our society associates his skin tone and hair texture with Blackness.
However, I argue that the inability to view this hypothetical racial dance as possible for Harris and not for Obama is tied to white supremacist beliefs.
These beliefs defend whiteness as being imbued with dominance over other racial groups. This power is reflected in the ability to define the race of others, regardless of how they may identify themselves. And it is reflected in the desire to also limit who can count as white.
Trump does both of those things.
Donald Trump answers questions at the National Association of Black Journalists’ annual convention in Chicago on July 31, 2024. Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images
A foil to white identity
“She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black,” Trump said in July at a gathering of Black journalists.
He added: “So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black? I respect either one, but she obviously doesn’t, because she was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden she made a turn and she went – she became a Black person.”
By suggesting that Harris has strategically identified as Black for political gain, Trump implies that there’s a political advantage to being Black in America.
This notion aligns with the racist belief, fueled by white racial resentment, that Black Americans are afforded privileges over whites and Asian Americans.
The sociologist Arlie Hochschild has shown that many white Trump supporters believe circumstances in America have gotten worse for whites in recent decades. They believe many of the gains for people of color — affirmative action and other diversity policies — have been at the expense of the rights of white people.
Simultaneously, Trump’s comments emphasize his own whiteness by using Harris’ and Obama’s race as a foil to his white identity. Research on the construction of race in America shows that whiteness is devoid of meaning without something to define itself against.
For white people who feel many things have been taken away from them in an increasingly multiracial America, Trump is their warrior. He campaigns to protect the white population and culture of America.
Marya T. Mtshali does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lesley Russell, Adjunct Associate Professor, Menzies Centre for Health Policy and Economics, University of Sydney
Stark health disparities exist across the United States. Life expectancy is lower than in other wealthy countries – and declining. The richest American men live 15 years longer than their poorest counterparts. The richest American women live ten years longer.
Political differences are an interesting and provocative way of looking at these disparities.
Differences are frequently analysed by race, a proxy for other factors that influence health, such as housing, environmental pollution, nutrition and affordable access to health care.
But there are other ways to cut the data. This includes by state – whether it is “red” (governed by the Republican party) or “blue” (by the Democrats). We can also look at individual political affiliation.
One new study from the US looks at political polarisation as a risk factor for individual and collective wellbeing. It finds polarisation – where opinions and beliefs become concentrated at opposing extremes – has a major impact on health.
The paper explores the health risks of polarisation using the COVID pandemic as a case study. COVID saw Americans die at far higher rates than people in other wealthy nations.
Australia escaped the high death toll. But there are still significant lessons we can learn – about how increasing polarisation affects our health and wellbeing, and for the effective management of pandemics and other health crises.
Political orientation and health
The relationship between important health measures, political loyalties and voting patterns in US counties and states is significant. At the state level, policy-making has become increasingly linked to political ideology. With this, differences in lifespan and health status across states have grown.
Political division in the United States intensified during the COVID pandemic. Ron Adar/Shutterstock
On average, life expectancy for residents in Democratic-voting states is more than two years longer than in Republican states. Political orientation is also a strong predictor of obesity rates and chronic illnesses linked to obesity, such as heart disease and diabetes.
Much of this is due to differences in social policies, such as Medicaid. All of the ten states yet to take up the Obamacare expansion of Medicaid – which provides health insurance for poor people – are run by Republicans.
The scale of welfare programs and firearm regulations in these states also play a role.
Stress of a polarised political climate
Large numbers of Americans also report that politics takes a significant toll on their health. This is caused by stress, loss of sleep, suicidal thoughts, an inability to stop thinking about politics and engagement with social media, for example, making posts they later regret.
A study from 2021 showed people who are more ideologically extreme than their state’s average voter have worse physical and mental health.
This political partisanship has been greatly aggravated by Donald Trump’s arrival on the American political scene. The former Republican president has stoked social division and undermined trust in government, scientific expertise and public health organisations. Disinformation and misinformation continue to spread.
All of this was on show in how the Trump administration handled the COVID pandemic. Trump and other political leaders made the situation worse by linking health behaviours (such as mask-wearing and vaccination) to partisan identity.
There was a clear impact on the rates of COVID infection and death. Red states implemented fewer political decisions to mitigate COVID than blue states. And after vaccines became available, residents of pro-Trump counties – less likely to be vaccinated – were more than twice as likely to die from COVID as those in areas that supported Biden.
It is also interesting to look at the role of education here. Low education levels were found to be a strong and independent predictor of whether you were more likely to die from COVID in the United States. This might be explained by the relationship between education and both collective culture and individual literacy.
There is also a strong link between education and political affiliation.
College graduates are more likely to vote Democratic, while those without a degree, especially white Americans, are more likely to vote Republican. This was not explored in the new US study about health and polarisation.
Erosion of trust is dangerous for health
Trust in government is another key factor not addressed in that research. But in Australia, this is top of mind following the release of the COVID-19 Response Inquiry Report, which found the federal government must work to rebuild trust after lockdowns and other mandates.
Greater trust in government is linked to increased political participation, social cohesion and collaboration in tackling societal challenges. In both Europe and the United States, social cohesion and public trust in politicians and experts have been linked to lower excess mortality from COVID.
In Australia, the Australian Cohesion Index shows the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis have eroded trust in government and affected health and well-being. At the same time, Australians see the nation as increasingly polarised.
The presidential election this week will decide much about the future of the United States as a polarised and divided nation. In Australia, the lessons and recommendations from the COVID report provide an opportunity to avert the choices facing the United States.
Lesley Russell has worked as a policy advisor for the Democrats in the US House of Representatives, for the Obama Administration and for the Australian Labor Party in the Australian Parliament.
Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Note: The expiration time in the watch graphic is amended if the watch is replaced, cancelled or extended.Note: Click for Watch Status Reports. SEL2
URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Tornado Watch Number 702 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 205 PM CST Sun Nov 3 2024
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a
* Tornado Watch for portions of Central and Southeast Oklahoma North Texas
* Effective this Sunday afternoon and evening from 205 PM until 800 PM CST.
* Primary threats include… A few tornadoes likely Widespread damaging winds likely with isolated significant gusts to 75 mph possible Scattered large hail events to 1.5 inches in diameter possible
SUMMARY…Clusters of intense thunderstorms over southwest OK and northwest TX will track rapidly northeastward this afternoon across the watch area. Strong low-level shear will support a risk of tornadoes and damaging wind gusts with these storms.
The tornado watch area is approximately along and 60 statute miles north and south of a line from 15 miles north northwest of Fort Sill OK to 45 miles southeast of Mcalester OK. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU2).
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
REMEMBER…A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings.
&&
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 701…
AVIATION…Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 1.5 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 65 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean storm motion vector 24035.
…Hart
Note: The Aviation Watch (SAW) product is an approximation to the watch area. The actual watch is depicted by the shaded areas. SAW2 WW 702 TORNADO OK TX 032005Z – 040200Z AXIS..60 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF LINE.. 15NNW FSI/FORT SILL OK/ – 45SE MLC/MCALESTER OK/ ..AVIATION COORDS.. 50NM N/S /52N SPS – 38SE MLC/ HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT..1.5 INCHES. WIND GUSTS..65 KNOTS. MAX TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24035.
LAT…LON 35729850 35299522 33559522 33989850
THIS IS AN APPROXIMATION TO THE WATCH AREA. FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE WOUS64 KWNS FOR WOU2.
Watch 702 Status Report Message has not been issued yet.
Note: Click for Complete Product Text.Tornadoes
Probability of 2 or more tornadoes
High (70%)
Probability of 1 or more strong (EF2-EF5) tornadoes
Low (20%)
Wind
Probability of 10 or more severe wind events
High (80%)
Probability of 1 or more wind events > 65 knots
Mod (30%)
Hail
Probability of 10 or more severe hail events
Mod (50%)
Probability of 1 or more hailstones > 2 inches
Low (20%)
Combined Severe Hail/Wind
Probability of 6 or more combined severe hail/wind events
High (>95%)
For each watch, probabilities for particular events inside the watch (listed above in each table) are determined by the issuing forecaster. The “Low” category contains probability values ranging from less than 2% to 20% (EF2-EF5 tornadoes), less than 5% to 20% (all other probabilities), “Moderate” from 30% to 60%, and “High” from 70% to greater than 95%. High values are bolded and lighter in color to provide awareness of an increased threat for a particular event.
Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader and MP for Te Tai Hauāuru, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer is calling on the Mayor for New Plymouth, Neil Holdom, to do the right thing.
“I am shocked at his decision to disregard the petition presented by Palestine Solidarity Taranaki calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire”, said Ngarewa-Packer.
“The group made up of his constituents have shown up week after week at Puke Ariki Landing for over a year to stand against the genocide taking place in Gaza, and the killing now extending to Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.
“They have worked with other Palestine Solidarity Network groups who have successfully garnered support from their local councils. They gathered 1800 signatures from local supporters and endorsements from two Iwi, church groups and Taranaki Muslim Association.
“These are your constituents, your people.
“This process unfairly removes the ability for input of hardworking and empathetic councillors who may have chosen to vote in support of this group.
“Unfortunately, this action mirrors what is happening with the current Government – removing due process, disallowing input by those most affected and most informed and harming those who already suffer the most. Fast-tracking and bypassing.
“I refuse to accept that this is not a council issue. This is an everyone issue… this is an absolute issue of human rights.
“In Gaza there have been at least 43 000 killed, over 100 000 injured, over 10 000 missing, almost the entire population displaced and faced with starvation. This is a human issue.
“We have seen successful support from other councils around Aotearoa such as Whanganui and Christchurch and the Mayor himself has in the past shown support for Ukraine, citing the need to support his constituents who may be affected.
“We must afford that same curtesy to Palestinians, their friends, whānau, and advocates within your own community.
“As Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Te Tai Hauāuru I stand wholeheartedly in solidarity with the indigenous peoples of Palestine and stand against colonial forces.
“I urge New Plymouth Mayor to reconsider his position, show his humanity and afford New Plymouth District Council the opportunity to stand on the right side of history”, concludes Ngarewa-Packer.
E nga mana, e nga reo, e nga iwi o te motu e huihui nei, tēnei aku mihi nui ki a koutou. Kia ora tātou katoa.
I specifically acknowledge: Hon Megan Woods, Member of Parliament; His Worship Phil Mauger, Mayor of Christchurch; and Dame Sue Bagshaw, Chair of Youth Hub Trust. Kia ora koutou.
I am pleased to be here in Ōtautahi to open the first stage of Youth Hub Christchurch – what I’m sure will be a welcome and hugely important asset for this city.
As a former Children’s Commissioner, and in my time as an academic, I have dedicated much of my career supporting the wellbeing of children. I am keenly aware of the challenges faced by our young people, and that mental health is the area of greatest need.
I know that events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the March 15th terrorist attacks, and the Christchurch Earthquakes make providing such support to our young people all the more important.
Research such as the Dunedin Study shows us that our formative years are critical in shaping who we become as adults. Ensuring the wellbeing of young people ultimately has a huge bearing on all areas of our society.
We must ensure that every child has the love, care and support they need to fulfil their potential in life – whatever that might be.
I am delighted to see the first stage of Youth Hub Christchurch come to fruition, ready to welcome and support all who need it. This facility – the first of its kind in New Zealand – will elevate the way care is delivered to our young people, and I hope it will be the first of many such facilities around the country.
As Governor-General, I am always energised and inspired when I meet young people: the energy and passion of the next generation who are the kaitiaki of our planet, and of our future – bringing new perspectives, ideas, and a sense of hope that we can solve the greatest issues of our time.
I am confident Youth Hub will become a place where rangatahi are given the tools and support they need to build healthy, happy lives: to help them discover their strengths and passions, to celebrate what makes them who they are, and to guide them on their way to making a positive difference in the world.
To that end, I would like to offer my sincere thanks to Dame Sue, your team, and everyone involved in bringing Youth Hub to life. Your commitment to ensuring this will be a place of inclusive, sensitive, and meaningful care is to be commended.
The work you will do and the good you will achieve here brings to mind the whakataukī: ‘Poipoia te kakano kia puāwai. Nurture the seed and it will blossom.’
I once again thank you for inviting me here today to open Stage One. I have every confidence that all who walk through these doors will feel welcomed and supported, and the very real sense of a place where they belong. I wish you all the very best for the future, as you move into the next stages of completing this wonderful facility.
No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.
As part of the Albanese and Rockliff governments’ commitment to improving the state’s regional healthcare, the new Tasmanian home of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) is a step closer, with planning and design works underway.
The $21.3 million redevelopment will support the RFDS to expand its operations, and was made possible by $15 million from the Albanese Government, $6 million from the Rockliff Government, and additional support from the RFDS.
The new base at Launceston Airport will boost capacity for rotary and fixed-wing aircraft, as well as ground vehicle transfers, and will include space needed to cater for surge workers through either infectious disease outbreaks, or for fire-fighting personnel to tackle bushfires.
This will enable the RFDS to increase outreach support such as mobile mental health services, mobile dental services, and mobile general practitioner services – and support them to deliver urgent care to people across regional Tasmania.
Federal Minister for Regional Development and Local Government, Kristy McBain joined Federal Member for Lyons, Brian Mitchell last week to inspect the site of the new base, and to receive an update on the project.
Up to 62 full time jobs will be supported during the construction phase, with up to 41 ongoing jobs in the healthcare sector set to be created once operational in 2027.
When completed, the facility will also house staff and equipment for other emergency service providers, including Ambulance Tasmania, Tasmanian Police and the Fixed Wing Aeromedical Providers.
Quotes attributable to Federal Minister for Regional Development and Local Government, Kristy McBain:
“It was fantastic to visit RFDS Tasmania to see planning work on this important redevelopment progressing – a region-shaping project made possible thanks to $15 million from the Albanese Government.
“Your postcode shouldn’t impact the quality of your healthcare, which is why we’re partnering with the RFDS to improve and expand their services across regional Australia – with this project to ensure Tasmanians can continue to access support when they need it.”
Quotes attributable to Tasmanian Minister for Health, Jacquie Petrusma:
“The Tasmanian Liberal Government’s $6 million investment for the new base will enable the RFDS to continue its vital work.
“Not only will this project improve access to healthcare across regional Tasmania, it will support local jobs during construction, and once the upgraded site is operational.”
Quotes attributable to Federal Member for Lyons, Brian Mitchell:
“While the RFDS’s current home in Tasmania has served the community for 20 years, our government is getting on with updating the site ensure it continues to provide the service Tasmanian needs and deserves.
“By securing the future of the Royal Flying Doctor Service at Launceston Airport, we’re ensuring that the RFDS can continue to deliver lifesaving care throughout our state, from clinic charter services to road transfers.”
Quotes attributable to RFDS Tasmania Board Chair, Malcolm White and CEO Nicole Henty:
“The Royal Flying Doctor Service Tasmania is delighted to be building a new world class facility. We are grateful to both the Federal and State Governments for coming together to support this initiative and help us construct this base at Launceston Airport”
“This is an exciting development for the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Tasmania and we look forward to developing an aeromedical base that all Tasmanians can be proud of.”
Released by: Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government, Minister for Small Business
The Minns Labor Government’s Service NSW Business Bureau has helped small businesses get the support they need, responding to more than 265,000 requests for assistance in its first year.
In addition, business owners across the State have received a total of around 45,000 hours of free, tailored business advice on business-critical topics such as planning, marketing and cash flow.
The Business Bureau’s web pages have seen more than 2.2 million website visits since it launched in October 2023, with NSW businesses benefiting from access to personalised guidance, tailored advice and free digital tools.
The Business Bureau’s team of dedicated Business Concierges has made it easier for businesses to access government support, understand government requirements, apply for licences and permits, receive disaster and emergency assistance, as well as referrals to mental health support for them and their employees.
The Business Bureau’s rapid response team has provided on the ground support for businesses facing acute crisis. They assisted more than 140 business in the aftermath of the tragic Bondi incident, they were on the ground to assist businesses impacted by the M6 sinkholes and provided assistance to businesses in Northern NSW who had supply chains disrupted due to the fire ants infestation.
The Business Bureau’s digital tools, the Service NSW Business Bureau App and Service NSW Business Profile, make it even easier to access government support, manage transactions, and save and track industry licences in just a few taps. Since the launch of the Business Bureau, more than 165,000 businesses have used these digital solutions.
This includes a new seamless way for businesses to renew a business vehicle registration by logging into their Service NSW Business Profile or the Business Bureau Mobile App and simply selecting ‘Renew your vehicle registration’. Already, more than 21,500 customers have accessed the registration renewal feature from the Business Profile.
“I am passionate about small business, having lived it my whole career, and these customer numbers tell an amazing story of the significant support delivered by the Service NSW Business Bureau in its first year.
“The Business Bureau is supporting small business owners no matter where they are on their business journey with free, tailored advice and digital tools which are helping to make being in business easier.
“Driven by the priorities of the recently launched NSW Charter for Small Business, we are focused on working with small businesses across the State to tackle unproductive red tape, break down barriers and build a stronger future.
“We know small businesses having been doing it tough, but now the Business Bureau is there for small businesses every step of the way.”
Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Jihad Dib said:
“Small business owners across the State wear many hats which is why we remain committed to making support and services more accessible and more flexible than ever.
“We have seen more than 165,000 businesses access the Service NSW Business Bureau app and their Service NSW Business Profile which shows the Business Bureau’s digital tools are making it easier for small business owners to access the advice, information and support they need on the go and at a time which suits them.”
Founder of Learnopolis Jennifer Kozanic said:
“As a new business, we needed advice about what sort of public liability, professional indemnity and level of cover we needed. We also needed support with considering who we should target with supplying our product and service.
“The Business Bureau has provided great advice on writing grant applications, business development and pricing. Winning a NSW Government contract was huge for us as a two-person start-up.
“Sam, my business concierge, genuinely wants to support us and to have someone cheering you on from the sidelines, who understands business, is something I would recommend for every owner.”
Founder of Parkview Realty Ben Burfitt said:
“The Business Bureau has been hugely supportive in making sure my application for both my class 1 real estate agent licence and business corporation licence were progressed.
“To have someone who is able to liaise with other areas of the NSW Government was extremely beneficial in getting licence approval in a timely manner.
“My business is new and so brand awareness is important to us. I look forward to working with the Business Bureau on how to develop this and market the company in a way that represents our story and what we offer.”
Business NSW CEO Daniel Hunter said:
“The NSW Government has done much to improve the digital interface with business. Our state has led the nation for the past decade.
With rapid improvements in technology and a constantly evolving operational environment, this is an area we can never take for granted. The work must be continuous or we risk falling behind.”
One lucky Keysborough resident has CFA and RACV’s Smoke Alarm Installation Program and working smoke alarms to thank for their swift escape from a burning kitchen last month.
Belinda Peterson was just one of more than 1000 at-risk people across rural and regional Victoria to receive free smoke alarms and assistance from CFA and RACV since April.
Now having lived first-hand through the wrath of an unnerving house fire, Belinda could not be more grateful for the timely maintenance visit that allowed her smoke alarms to alert her out of danger.
The fortunate getaway has inspired her to spur on any Victorians requiring assistance to seek out their local fire brigade or to ask questions if they are unsure about the condition of their smoke alarms.
“I am incredibly lucky I had my new smoke alarms. The fact that I am above 60, single and unable to reach the heights of those ceilings meant I needed help,” Belinda said.
“It was a case of calling my local fire brigade and having them come round and install them for myself and my neighbour.
“Although the units didn’t need to be changed, they did replace the back up batteries that were well and truly out of date and cleaned them all thoroughly before performing tests to ensure they were working before they left.”
Reality hit just four months later when Belinda routinely retrieved her Lite n’ Easy polystyrene box from the front door and placed it on her bench.
“The box was full of meals and dry ice and as I have limited space in the apartment, I put the box on the stovetop bench where I would usually prep food,” Belinda said.
“When I picked up the box, I had noticed the plants in the front of my courtyard were very dry, so once I took it inside, I went back outside to water them.
“My neighbour came over and were chatting for only about two minutes before the smoke and alarms came billowing.
“The stove wasn’t on when I initially placed down the box, but from that movement it made contact with the ignition button and as a result sparked a flame and ultimately the fire.”
As her fire blanket was under the stove, quick thinking saw Belinda grab doonas off the bed to suppress the fire, however when unsuccessful she made a safe exit outside to call triple zero.
“You need to have a very clear idea of what your escape areas are in your house or unit, because really, I only had the front door and the glass doors at the back. I have no side windows at all,” Belinda said.
“When my kids were younger and we were in a bigger house, we discussed our escape routes, and I encourage everyone to have a fire blanket stored somewhere logical and easily accessible.”
While fire services were able to extinguish the remaining fire and ventilate the house, damage was contained to the microwave, kitchen cabinets, stovetop and plaster throughout the kitchen. Belinda is still unable to return home.
CFA recommends all smoke alarms in the home be powered by a 10-year lithium battery, be interconnected and installed in every bedroom, living area and hallway on your property.
All smoke alarms, even hard-wired ones, have a lifespan of around 10 years and should be replaced after that. Residents should also test smoke alarms monthly and clean or dust them yearly.
The Prime Minister is set to announce an additional £75 million to boost border security, bringing the investment in the Border Security Command over the next two years to £150 million.
PM to outline major investments to smash criminal smuggling gangs at INTERPOL General Assembly in Glasgow
New capabilities for Border Security Command from £150 million funding pot to drive down Organised Immigration Crime both at home and overseas
New additional funding will cover state-of-the-art tech and information centres, boosts to enforcement and intelligence resourcing and expanding CPS capacity
The Prime Minister is set to announce an additional £75 million to boost border security, bringing the investment in the Border Security Command over the next two years to £150 million.
Marking the first time the INTERPOL General Assembly has been hosted in the UK in over 50 years, Keir Starmer will today (4 November) open the Assembly in Glasgow by setting out his personal mission to smash the people smuggling gangs by resetting the UK’s whole approach to this challenge and intensifying international collaboration to meet the global scale of the threat.
The General Assembly is INTERPOL’s supreme governing body and comprises senior ministerial and policing leads from the organisation’s 196 member states.
In his speech, the Prime Minister will set out his plans to draw on his experience of bringing together agencies to tackle international terrorist and drug smuggling gangs during his time as Director of Public Prosecutions to dismantle the people smuggling gangs who drive illegal migration, profit from human misery and represent a serious threat to global security.
He will also set out how the £150 million will provide additional specialist investigators and state of the art surveillance equipment to ensure those behind this criminal activity are stopped and brought to justice.
This major funding boost for the government’s new Border Security Command will initially be directed towards a range of enforcement and intelligence activity, including:
Investing heavily in NCA technology and capabilities, delivering advanced data exploitation and improvements to technologies to boost collaboration with European partners to investigate and break people smuggling networks.
300 staff for the new Border Security Command, who will strengthen global partnerships, deliver new legislation and lead the system through investment and strategy.
100 specialist investigators and intelligence officers for the NCA, dedicated to tackling criminals who facilitate people smuggling.
Creating a new specialist OIC Intelligence Source Unit which will cohere intelligence flows from key police forces.
Boosting the Crown Prosecution Service’s ability to deliver charging decisions more quickly on international organised crime cases.
The Border Security Command, led by Martin Hewitt CBE QPM, will be provided with enhanced powers – through a new Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill – to tackle organised immigration crime whilst providing for strong and effective border security.
New measures will make it easier to detect, disrupt and deter those seeking to engage in and benefit from organised immigration crime. The Command will also coordinate the work of intelligence agencies and law enforcement, who lead joint investigations with European counterparts to ensure we can bring those responsible to justice.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is expected to say:
“The world needs to wake up to the severity of this challenge. I was elected to deliver security for the British people. And strong borders are a part of that. But security doesn’t stop at our borders.
“There’s nothing progressive about turning a blind eye as men, women and children die in the Channel.
“This is a vile trade that must be stamped out – wherever it thrives. So we’re taking our approach to counter-terrorism – which we know works, and applying it to the gangs, with our new Border Security Command.
“We’re ending the fragmentation between policing, Border Force and our intelligence agencies.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:
“Criminal smuggler gangs profit from undermining our border security and putting lives at risk and they have been getting away with it for far too long.
“Our new Border Security Command, with the investment set out today, will mean a huge step change in the way we target these criminal gangs. People smugglers and traffickers operate in networks across borders, that’s why we have launched a major boost to our cooperation with international partners including other European countries, the G7 and Europol, and why we are so pleased to be hosting the INTERPOL conference on tackling international crime in Glasgow today.”
The Prime Minister will also announce that the UK Government has increased its in-year support for INTERPOL’s global operations through a £6 million investment which harnesses the organisation’s unique capabilities to tackle serious organised crime affecting the UK.
Addressing the General Assembly, the Prime Minister will say that closer cooperation with international partners is key as he details how the gangs’ operations span from the money markets in Kabul through to the Kurdish region of Iraq and right across Europe and into the UK.
He will stress the government’s ongoing commitment to strengthening security agreements to facilitate greater sharing of intelligence and more joint operational work, in particular through Europol.
The Home Office will also invest £24m in the new financial year to tackle international serious organised crime affecting the UK including drugs and firearms, fraud, trafficking and exploitation. Funds will in part be used to bolster work done by special prosecutors and operational partners in the Western Balkans.
There were more than 5,000 drug related deaths in 2023, with most of the illegal drugs causing these coming from overseas or facilitated by transnational gangs. ISOC funding will also be used to tackle drug smuggling upstream and at the UK border, building on recent successes, such as the effective collaboration with the US and Ecuador, which has resulted in the seizure of 19 tonnes of cocaine.
National Crime Agency Director General Graeme Biggar said:
“Serious and organised crime causes more harm, to more people, more often than any other national security threat. And almost all of serious and organised crime now has an international nexus. Distance, borders and languages are meaningless to criminals. This is why collaborations with INTERPOL have never been as important as they are today.
“Tackling organised crime, and especially immigration crime, remains a top priority for the NCA. We are currently leading around 70 investigations into the gangs or individuals involved in the highest echelons of this type of criminality, and we are devoting more resources to it than ever before.
“We have built up our intelligence sharing effort with law enforcement partners across Europe and beyond, including having more NCA officers based overseas, sharing intelligence and working side by side on joint investigations. This approach is bringing operational results with arrests and prosecutions, but we are also we are seeking to disrupt the people smugglers’ business model, through targeting their social media offering, their supply routes for equipment, and their financial flows.
“We are determined to do all we can to disrupt and dismantle these networks, wherever they operate.”
The announcement comes just a month after Britain joined up to a new G7 anti migrant smuggling action plan which included pledges to bolster border security, combat transnational organised crime, and protect vulnerable individuals from exploitation by smugglers.
The plan includes new, intelligence-led joint investigative actions to target criminal smuggling routes, working with social media platforms and internet providers to remove harmful content promoting illegal migration services or advertising fake job opportunities, and strengthening capabilities to monitor and anticipate irregular migration flows at both global and regional levels.
Source: United Kingdom – Prime Minister’s Office 10 Downing Street
The Prime Minister is set to announce an additional £75 million to boost border security, bringing the investment in the Border Security Command over the next two years to £150 million.
PM to outline major investments to smash criminal smuggling gangs at INTERPOL General Assembly in Glasgow
New capabilities for Border Security Command from £150 million funding pot to drive down Organised Immigration Crime both at home and overseas
New additional funding will cover state-of-the-art tech and information centres, boosts to enforcement and intelligence resourcing and expanding CPS capacity
The Prime Minister is set to announce an additional £75 million to boost border security, bringing the investment in the Border Security Command over the next two years to £150 million.
Marking the first time the INTERPOL General Assembly has been hosted in the UK in over 50 years, Keir Starmer will today (4 November) open the Assembly in Glasgow by setting out his personal mission to smash the people smuggling gangs by resetting the UK’s whole approach to this challenge and intensifying international collaboration to meet the global scale of the threat.
The General Assembly is INTERPOL’s supreme governing body and comprises senior ministerial and policing leads from the organisation’s 196 member states.
In his speech, the Prime Minister will set out his plans to draw on his experience of bringing together agencies to tackle international terrorist and drug smuggling gangs during his time as Director of Public Prosecutions to dismantle the people smuggling gangs who drive illegal migration, profit from human misery and represent a serious threat to global security.
He will also set out how the £150 million will provide additional specialist investigators and state of the art surveillance equipment to ensure those behind this criminal activity are stopped and brought to justice.
This major funding boost for the government’s new Border Security Command will initially be directed towards a range of enforcement and intelligence activity, including:
Investing heavily in NCA technology and capabilities, delivering advanced data exploitation and improvements to technologies to boost collaboration with European partners to investigate and break people smuggling networks.
300 staff for the new Border Security Command, who will strengthen global partnerships, deliver new legislation and lead the system through investment and strategy.
100 specialist investigators and intelligence officers for the NCA, dedicated to tackling criminals who facilitate people smuggling.
Creating a new specialist OIC Intelligence Source Unit which will cohere intelligence flows from key police forces.
Boosting the Crown Prosecution Service’s ability to deliver charging decisions more quickly on international organised crime cases.
The Border Security Command, led by Martin Hewitt CBE QPM, will be provided with enhanced powers – through a new Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill – to tackle organised immigration crime whilst providing for strong and effective border security.
New measures will make it easier to detect, disrupt and deter those seeking to engage in and benefit from organised immigration crime. The Command will also coordinate the work of intelligence agencies and law enforcement, who lead joint investigations with European counterparts to ensure we can bring those responsible to justice.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is expected to say:
“The world needs to wake up to the severity of this challenge. I was elected to deliver security for the British people. And strong borders are a part of that. But security doesn’t stop at our borders.
“There’s nothing progressive about turning a blind eye as men, women and children die in the Channel.
“This is a vile trade that must be stamped out – wherever it thrives. So we’re taking our approach to counter-terrorism – which we know works, and applying it to the gangs, with our new Border Security Command.
“We’re ending the fragmentation between policing, Border Force and our intelligence agencies.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:
“Criminal smuggler gangs profit from undermining our border security and putting lives at risk and they have been getting away with it for far too long.
“Our new Border Security Command, with the investment set out today, will mean a huge step change in the way we target these criminal gangs. People smugglers and traffickers operate in networks across borders, that’s why we have launched a major boost to our cooperation with international partners including other European countries, the G7 and Europol, and why we are so pleased to be hosting the INTERPOL conference on tackling international crime in Glasgow today.”
The Prime Minister will also announce that the UK Government has increased its in-year support for INTERPOL’s global operations through a £6 million investment which harnesses the organisation’s unique capabilities to tackle serious organised crime affecting the UK.
Addressing the General Assembly, the Prime Minister will say that closer cooperation with international partners is key as he details how the gangs’ operations span from the money markets in Kabul through to the Kurdish region of Iraq and right across Europe and into the UK.
He will stress the government’s ongoing commitment to strengthening security agreements to facilitate greater sharing of intelligence and more joint operational work, in particular through Europol.
The Home Office will also invest £24m in the new financial year to tackle international serious organised crime affecting the UK including drugs and firearms, fraud, trafficking and exploitation. Funds will in part be used to bolster work done by special prosecutors and operational partners in the Western Balkans.
There were more than 5,000 drug related deaths in 2023, with most of the illegal drugs causing these coming from overseas or facilitated by transnational gangs. ISOC funding will also be used to tackle drug smuggling upstream and at the UK border, building on recent successes, such as the effective collaboration with the US and Ecuador, which has resulted in the seizure of 19 tonnes of cocaine.
National Crime Agency Director General Graeme Biggar said:
“Serious and organised crime causes more harm, to more people, more often than any other national security threat. And almost all of serious and organised crime now has an international nexus. Distance, borders and languages are meaningless to criminals. This is why collaborations with INTERPOL have never been as important as they are today.
“Tackling organised crime, and especially immigration crime, remains a top priority for the NCA. We are currently leading around 70 investigations into the gangs or individuals involved in the highest echelons of this type of criminality, and we are devoting more resources to it than ever before.
“We have built up our intelligence sharing effort with law enforcement partners across Europe and beyond, including having more NCA officers based overseas, sharing intelligence and working side by side on joint investigations. This approach is bringing operational results with arrests and prosecutions, but we are also we are seeking to disrupt the people smugglers’ business model, through targeting their social media offering, their supply routes for equipment, and their financial flows.
“We are determined to do all we can to disrupt and dismantle these networks, wherever they operate.”
The announcement comes just a month after Britain joined up to a new G7 anti migrant smuggling action plan which included pledges to bolster border security, combat transnational organised crime, and protect vulnerable individuals from exploitation by smugglers.
The plan includes new, intelligence-led joint investigative actions to target criminal smuggling routes, working with social media platforms and internet providers to remove harmful content promoting illegal migration services or advertising fake job opportunities, and strengthening capabilities to monitor and anticipate irregular migration flows at both global and regional levels.
The City of Greater Bendigo is reminding residents that rate payments have been adjusted for 2024/2025 and if rates were not paid in full in September, then ratepayers default to paying in quarterly instalments.
Ratepayers either needed to have paid their rates in full or made their first payment by September 30, 2024. A decision was made earlier this year by Council to remove the option of paying in full in February to limit people delaying paying their rates and then getting into financial difficulty. An upward trend in those experiencing financial hardship over the past year led to the decision.
Approximately 10,000 people are yet to pay their first instalment, with the second instalment due on December 2, 2024.
Director Corporate Performance Jessica Howard encouraged residents to reach out to the City if they were unable to pay their rates.
“By speaking with us now, our staff can help ratepayers find other suitable payment options that are smaller and regular, including the option to set up a regular direct debit for instalment amounts that can be deducted fortnightly or monthly,” Ms Howard said.
“Reminder letters are being sent this week to anyone who is yet to pay their rates.
“We understand it is a challenging time financially for some people, however rates are essential to supporting the City to deliver a range of services to the community.
“Our Financial Hardship Guidelines allow for flexible payment arrangements, including the ability to temporarily defer a rate payment on eligible properties. Please get in touch with us if you need assistance.”
Rates and charges make up around 60 per cent of the City’s income. Money received from rates delivers 68 different services in the community, including waste services, street cleaning, maintenance of parks and recreation facilities, maternal and child health, tourism, libraries and much more. Rates revenue also contributes to capital works, including critical infrastructure such as footpaths, roads, flood mitigation, and investment in community and recreational assets.
Covering period of Monday 4th – Thursday 7th November – Rain followed by warmer temperatures
• A Heavy Rain Watch is in place for the Westland District south of Hokitika until 1pm tomorrow; and for the ranges of the Buller District, and the Paparoa Range for Tuesday from 6am to 9pm. • Rain moves over northern parts of the South Island and the lower North Island on Tuesday. • Warmer temperatures forecast, with Thursday temperatures to be the highest
MetService weather stations were generally on the cooler side of average to start the week with Taupō getting down to -0.8°C Monday morning. The temperature is on the rise as we go through the week with warm air being dragged in from the west. This warmer air also brings risk of heavy rain – mainly for the west of the South Island.
Largely fine and sunny conditions for most of the country as a high pressure system sits over Aotearoa New Zealand today. However a series of fronts moving up the South Island bring in wetter conditions there, particularly along the west.
A Heavy Rain Watch has been issued for the Westland District south of Hokitika from 12pm today until 1pm tomorrow; and for the ranges of the Buller District, and the Paparoa Range for Tuesday from 6am to 9pm. Rain moves over northern parts of the South Island and the lower North Island on Tuesday otherwise the forecast is for dry weather with areas of cloud to the north, and sunny spells increasing from the south. Showery conditions move up the North Island on Wednesday as the front continues on its journey northwards.
MetService is forecasting warmer temperatures as the week progresses with westerly winds bringing warm subtropical air onto the country. By Thursday temperatures are expected to reach above normal maximums for this time of the year for many parts of the country, especially in the east, with maximums of 21°C in Dannevirke, 22°C in Whanganui and 25°C in Masterton for the North Island; and 23°C for Invercargill, 25°C for Christchurch, 26°C for Alexandra and 27°C for Ashburton for the South Island.
MetService meteorologist Oscar Shiviti advises, “Sunny conditions are expected for the North Island today under a high pressure system. However, a series of fronts move up Aotearoa New Zealand from the south from today with possible heavy showers and a risk of thunderstorms for the west of the South Island. While the showers will move up the North Island on Wednesday they are likely to stay south of Auckland which should remain dry until Thursday”.
“While wet conditions are expected with the passage of the front, we do expect New Zealanders to realise warmer temperatures towards the end of the week as westerlies continue bringing warmer air onto the country” added Shiviti.
A car collided with a train at an unguarded railway crossing in northeastern Poland on Sunday afternoon, killing all five passengers in the vehicle on the spot, according to Warmian-Masurian province police.
According to the local media report, the car ran directly into the path of an oncoming train. The five victims included two adults and three children.
Police, prosecutors, and firefighters are working at the railway crossing in Karwica Mazurska near the historic town of Pisz, investigating the tragedy. It is not yet known why the car driver did not stop at the “STOP” sign.
Train traffic between Pisz and Spychow has been completely suspended. Traffic disruptions may last several hours due to the accident.
People attend a rally in Tehran, Iran, Nov. 3, 2024. Iranians took to the streets on Sunday, staging a march to the premises of the former U.S. embassy, chanting slogans against the U.S. and Israel. [Photo/Xinhua]
Hossein Salami, chief commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), on Sunday said the U.S. policies are to blame for the terrorism and divisions in the Muslim world.
Salami made the remarks at a rally to mark the 45th anniversary of the former U.S. embassy takeover in Tehran and the “National Day of the Fight against Global Arrogance,” also known as the “National Student Day.”
Speaking at the gathering, the IRGC chief commander stressed that the “phenomenon of Takfiri (extremist) terrorism and bloody divisions in the Muslim world” were all outcomes of the U.S. policies.
Salami described the United States as a “paradoxical identity,” according to the official news agency IRNA.
He added while the United States spoke of global peace, security and order, it was the source of all “crimes, massacres and occupations” in the world.
Iranians took to the streets on Sunday, staging a march to the premises of the former U.S. embassy, chanting slogans against the U.S. and Israel. The demonstrators waved flags of Iran, Hezbollah and Palestine, as well as pictures of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and slain leaders and commanders of Iran and the regional resistance groups.
At the end of the rally, the demonstrators issued a statement vowing allegiance to Iran’s supreme leader and condemning Israel’s “crimes” in Gaza and Lebanon, “which are being perpetrated with the direct participation and support of the United States.”
They also called on the international community to work towards the achievement of ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon.
A few months after the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution in February 1979, Iranian university students took over the U.S. embassy building, saying that the embassy was, based on the documents found in it, planning to overthrow the Islamic Republic and serving as an espionage base for the U.S. government. Iran commemorates the takeover every year by holding nationwide rallies.
As the US election unfolds, American territories such as the Northern Marianas, American Samoa, and Guam, along with the broader Pacific region, will be watching the developments.
As the question hangs in the balance of whether the White House remains blue with Kamala Harris or turns red under Donald Trump, academics, New Zealand’s US ambassador, and Guam’s Congressman have weighed in on what the election means for the Pacific.
Massey University’s Centre for Defence and Security Studies senior lecturer Dr Anna Powles said it would no doubt have an impact on small island nations facing climate change and intensified geopolitics, including the rapid expansion of military presence on its territory Guam, following the launch of an interballistic missile by China.
Pacific leaders lament the very real security threat of climate-induced natural disasters has been overshadowed by the tug-of-war between China and the US in what academics say is “control and influence” for the contested region.
Dr Powles said it came as “no surprise” that countries such as New Zealand and Australia had increasingly aligned with the US, as the Biden administration had been leveraging strategic partnerships with Australia, New Zealand, and Japan since 2018.
Despite China being New Zealand’s largest trading partner, New Zealand is in the US camp and must pay attention, she said.
“We are not seeing enough in the public domain or discussion by government with the New Zealand public about what this means for New Zealand going forward.”
Pacific leaders welcome US engagement but are concerned about geopolitical rivalry.
Earlier this month, Pacific Islands Forum Secretary-General Baron Waqa attended the South Pacific Defence Ministers meeting in Auckland.
He said it was important that “peace and stability in the region” was “prioritised”.
Referencing the arms race between China and the US, he said, “The geopolitics occurring in our region is not welcomed by any of us in the Pacific Islands Forum.”
While a Pacific Zone of Peace has been a talking point by Fiji and the PIF leadership to reinforce the region’s “nuclear-free stance”, the US is working with Australia on obtaining nuclear-submarines through the AUKUS security pact.
Dr Powles said the potential for increased tensions “could happen under either president in areas such as Taiwan, East China Sea — irrespective of who is in Washington”.
South Pacific defence ministers told RNZ Pacific the best way to respond to threats of conflict and the potential threat of a nuclear attack in the region is to focus on defence and building stronger ties with its allies.
New Zealand’s Defence Minister said NZ was “very good friends with the United States”, with that friendship looking more friendly under the Biden Administration. But will this strengthening of ties and partnerships continue if Trump becomes President?
US President Joe Biden (center) stands for a group photo with Pacific Islands Forum leaders following the Pacific Islands Forum Summit at the South Portico of the White House in Washington on September 25, 2023. Image: Jim Watson/RNZ
US President Joe Biden, center, stands for a group photo with Pacific Islands Forum leaders following the Pacific Islands Forum Summit, at the South Portico of the White House in Washington on September 25, 2023. Photo: Jim Watson
US wants a slice of Pacific Regardless of who is elected, US Ambassador to New Zealand Tom Udall said history showed the past three presidents “have pushed to re-engage with the Pacific”.
While both Trump and Harris may differ on critical issues for the Pacific such as the climate crisis and multilateralism, both see China as the primary external threat to US interests.
The US has made a concerted effort to step up its engagement with the Pacific in light of Chinese interest, including by reopening its embassies in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Tonga.
On 12 July 2022, the Biden administration showed just how keen it was to have a seat at the table by US Vice-President Kamala Harris dialing in to the Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Fiji at the invitation of the then chair former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama. The US was the only PIF “dialogue partner” allowed to speak at this Forum.
However, most of the promises made to the Pacific have been “forward-looking” and leaders have told RNZ Pacific they want to see less talk and more real action.
Defence diplomacy has been booming since the 2022 Solomon Islands-China security deal. It tripled the amount of money requested from Congress for economic development and ocean resilience — up to US$60 million a year for 10 years — as well as a return of Peace Corps volunteers to Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu.
Health security was another critical area highlighted in 2024 the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Declaration.
The Democratic Party’s commitment to the World Health Organisation (WHO) bodes well, in contrast to the previous Trump administration’s withdrawal from the WHO during the covid-19 pandemic.
It continued a long-running programme called ‘The Academy for Women Entrepreneurs’ which gives enterprising women from more than 100 countries with the knowledge, networks and access they need to launch and scale successful businesses.
While both Trump and Harris may differ on critical issues for the Pacific such as the climate crisis and multilateralism, both see China as the primary external threat to US interests. Image: 123RF/RNZ
Guam’s take Known as the tip of the spear for the United States, Guam is the first strike community under constant threat of a nuclear missile attack.
It was seen as a signal of China’s missile capabilities which had the US and South Pacific Defence Ministers on edge and deeply “concerned”.
China’s Defence Ministry said in a statement the launch was part of routine training by the People’s Liberation Army’s Rocket Force, which oversees conventional and nuclear missile operations and was not aimed at any country or target.
The US has invested billions to build a 360-degree missile defence system on Guam with plans for missile tests twice a year over the next decade, as it looks to bolster its weaponry in competition with China.
Despite the arms race and increased military presence and weaponry on Guam, China is known to have fewer missiles than the US.
The US considers Guam a key strategic military base to help it stop any potential attacks. Image: RNZ Pacific/Eleisha Foon
However, Guamanians are among the four million disenfranchised Americans living in US territories whose vote does not count due to an anomaly in US law.
“While territorial delegates can introduce bills and advocate for their territory in the US Congress, they have no voice on the floor. While Guam is exempted from paying the US federal income tax, many argue that such a waiver does not make up for what the tiny island brings to the table,” according to a BenarNews report.
US Congressman for Guam James Moylan has spent his time making friends and “educating and informing” other states about Guam’s existence in hopes to get increased funding and support for legislative bills.
Moylan said he would prefer a Trump presidency but noted he has “proved he can also work with Democrats”.
Under Trump, Moylan said Guam would have “stronger security”, raising his concerns over the need to stop Chinese fishing boats from coming onto the island.
Moylan also defended the military expansion: “We are not the aggressor. If we put our guard down, we need to be able to show we can maintain our land.”
Moylan defended the US military expansion, which his predecessor, former US Congressman Robert Underwood, was concerned about, saying the rate of expansion had not been seen since World War II.
“We are the closest there is to the Indo-Pacific threat,” Moylan said.
“We need to make sure our pathways, waterways and economy is growing, and we have a strong defence against our aggressors.”
“All likeminded democracies are concerned about the current leadership of China. We are working together…to work on security issues and prosperity issues,” US Ambassador to New Zealand Tom Udall said.
When asked about the military capabilities of the US and Guam, Moylan said: “We are not going to war; we are prepared to protect the homeland.”
Moylan said that discussions for compensation involving nuclear radiation survivors in Guam would happen regardless of who was elected.
The 23-year battle has been spearheaded by atomic veteran Robert Celestial, who is advocating for recognition for Chamorro and Guamanians under the RECA Act.
Celestial said that the Biden administration had thrown their support behind them, but progress was being stalled in Congress, which is predominantly controlled by the Republican party.
But Moylan insisted that the fight for compensation was not over. He said that discussions would continue after the election irrespective of who was in power.
“It’s been tabled. It’s happening. I had a discussion with Speaker Mike Johnson. We are working to pass this through,” he said.
US Marine Force Base Camp Blaz. Image: RNZ Pacific/Eleisha Foon
If Trump wins Dr Powles said a return to Trump’s leadership could derail ongoing efforts to build security architecture in the Pacific.
There are also views Trump would pull back from the Pacific and focus on internal matters, directly impacting his nation.
For Trump, there is no mention of the climate crisis in his platform or Agenda47.
This is in line with the former president’s past actions, such as withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement in 2019, citing “unfair economic burdens” placed on American workers and businesses.
Trump has maintained his position that the climate crisis is “one of the great scams of all time”.
The America First agenda is clear, with “countering China” at the top of the list. Further, “strengthening alliances,” Trump’s version of multilateralism, reads as what allies can do for the US rather than the other way around.
“There are concerns for Donald Trump’s admiration for more dictatorial leaders in North Korea, Russia, China and what that could mean in a time of crisis,” Dr Powles said.
A Trump administration could mean uncertainty for the Pacific, she added.
While Trump was president in 2017, he warned North Korea “not to mess” with the United States.
“North Korea [is] best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met by fire and fury like the world has never seen.”
North Korea responded deriding his warning as a “load of nonsense”.
Although there is growing concern among academics and some Pacific leaders that Trump would bring “fire and fury” to the Indo-Pacific if re-elected, the former president seemed to turn cold at the thought of conflict.
In 2023, Trump remarked that “Guam isn’t America” in response to warning that the US territory could be vulnerable to a North Korean nuclear strike — a move which seemed to distance the US from conflict.
If Harris wins Dr Powles said that if Harris wins, it was important to move past “announcements” and follow-through on all pledges.
A potential win for Harris could be the fulfilment of the many “promises” made to the Pacific for climate financing, uplifting economies of the Pacific and bolstering defence security, she said.
Pacific leaders want Harris to deliver on the Pacific Partnership Strategy, the outcomes of the two Pacific Islands-US summits in 2022 and 2023, and the many diplomatic visits undertaken during President Biden’s presidency.
The Biden administration recognised Cook Islands and Niue as sovereign and independent states and established diplomatic relationships with them.
Harris has pledged to boost funding to the Green Climate Fund by US$3 billion. She also promised to “tackle the climate crisis with bold action, build a clean energy economy, advance environmental justice, and increase resilience to climate disasters”.
Dr Powles said that delivery needed to be the focus.
“What we need to be focused on is delivery [and that] Pacific Island partners are engaged from the very beginning — from the outset to any programme right through to the final phase of it.”
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
The 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) opens next week in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The summit takes place between 11 and 22 November, and decisions made there will impact all of us. To date, the international community has failed to rein in the deadly activities of the fossil fuel industry, which continues to pollute, burn, and ransack the planet in the face of mounting human suffering.
COP29 is a critical opportunity for world leaders to break with these past failures. Here’s what you need to know about the most important climate event on the global calendar:
1. Who’s going?
Between 40,000 and 50,000 delegates are expected to attend COP29. This will include government representatives from all UN member states, as well as the State of Palestine, the Holy See, Niue, the Cook Islands, and the European Union. All of these are parties to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and most have also joined the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. COP29 will also host diplomats, UN officials, journalists, climate scientists, trade union leaders, and policy experts. NGOs, activists, and Indigenous leaders are also planning to participate – although the involvement of independent media workers and human rights defenders from Azerbaijan itself has been curbed by an ongoing government crackdown.
2. What is the aim of COP29?
The overall aim of COP29 is for states to agree, develop and share plans for addressing climate change. This means preventing further global warming, and also helping those who have been most affected so far to adapt or to rebuild their lives.
In 2015, the Paris Agreement made it a legal requirement for all states to set targets for reducing their greenhouse gas emissions, in order to limit the global temperature increase to 2°C above pre-industrial levels. Since then, however, the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) has stressed that the most catastrophic effects of climate change can only be avoided if we limit global warming to 1.5°C by the end of this century.
At COP29, countries’ progress on addressing climate change will be measured against this 1.5°C goal. It is important to note that even 1.5°C of warming will entail mass displacement, harm to livelihoods, and loss of life, with lower-income countries the worst affected. At present, the world is on track for an increase of 2.6 to 3.1°C this century.
3. What’s on the agenda this year?
COP29 has been called “the finance COP”, due to its focus on scaling up climate finance. Climate finance refers to the funding that is needed to help lower-income countries transition to zero-carbon economies, and to help the most affected communities adapt to the effects of climate change. A major objective of COP29 is to increase this funding and to produce a new goal for future climate finance.
4. Where will that money come from?
Under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, the funding must come from the high-income countries that are historically most responsible for climate change. In addition, under international human rights law, all states in a position to do so must also contribute.
In addition to setting a financial target, COP29 negotiators must also agree clear timeframes for the provision of funds to lower-income countries. Money should be given in the form of grants, not loans, to avoid worsening existing debt crises.
5. What should the funds be used for?
This target should also contain sub-goals to make clear where the money should go. For example, Amnesty International is also calling for the target to include loss and damage finance. This is essentially compensation, paid by high-income countries to lower income ones, to help them recover from the existing impacts of climate change, and from others that they will unavoidably face in the future.
One of the Azerbaijan presidency’s more positive moves has been to make adaptation, long sidelined in climate negotiations, a priority of the talks. While preventing further climate change through a full, fast fair and funded phase -out of fossil fuels is critical, the reality is that climate change is already here. Helping people adjust to existing and future impacts of global warming is a crucial part of climate justice.
6. How much money is needed?
Trillions of dollars are needed to help lower-income states carry out the climate action needed, including transitioning away from fossil fuels in a way that protects peoples’ rights. Amnesty International and others in the climate justice movement are calling for a target of at least 1 trillion USD annually.
Azerbaijan has an alarming human rights record, with longstanding restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly.
7. What are Amnesty’s human rights concerns regarding Azerbaijan?
Azerbaijan has an alarming human rights record, with longstanding restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. Peaceful protests, including those held by environmental groups, are routinely met with violent suppression, and according to the local NGOs more than 300 people are currently imprisoned on politically motivated charges. The work of independent media outlets in Azerbaijan is severely hampered by draconian laws, and the constant threat of retaliation for any real or perceived criticism of the authorities. Most independent media outlets have been crushed out of existence, as have vast swathes of Azerbaijan’s civil society. Torture and other ill-treatment in detention are widespread in Azerbaijan, and impunity is entrenched.
8. Have there been any improvements since Azerbaijan was given the COP29 Presidency?
No. In fact, the grave human rights situation in Azerbaijan has worsened since the country was announced as the host of COP29 in December 2023. The authorities claim they are “ensuring everyone’s voices are heard” at the summit – but they have prosecuted more than a dozen activists and journalists this year, and silenced key voices on the climate crisis.
In April, for example, Azerbaijani authorities arrested human rights and climate justice activist Anar Mammadli on bogus “smuggling” charges, and placed him in pre-trial detention, where he remains. Anar Mammadli was among the first activists in Azerbaijan to speak about the connection between human rights and climate justice, and he has been involved in international advocacy at the EU and UN level. In prison he has been denied adequate medical treatment for several worsening health conditions, and he is facing a lengthy sentence.
9. How does the human rights situation in Azerbaijan affect COP29?
It is essential that civil society can participate in climate negotiations. Activists, union leaders, and human rights defenders help to advocate for ambitious targets and play a vital role in ensuring that the plans developed at COP29 align with governments’ human rights obligations and that they are actually implemented. But the involvement of Azerbaijan’s own civil society is likely to be extremely limited. Threats and harassment have forced many local activists to leave the country, while others are arbitrarily detained on politically motivated charges. The few remaining independent voices risk prosecution and retaliation if they dare to voice any criticism during COP29.
The void left by local civil society groups has been filled in part by organizations known as GONGOs (government-organized non-governmental organizations). These state-supported groups do not provide the independent perspectives needed, but their presence allows Azerbaijani authorities to project a false picture of respect for freedom of expression and association.
Amnesty International is monitoring the crackdown in Azerbaijan, and will continue to document violations, both during and after the summit.
10 .What about Azerbaijan’s record on climate change?
Fossil fuel makes up about half of Azerbaijan’s economy and the vast majority of its export revenues. The state-owned oil and gas company, SOCAR, is a major source of income for President Ilham Aliyev’s government. Nonetheless, Azerbaijan must also do its fair share to achieve a fast and fair fossil fuel phase out; this means no new fossil fuel projects anywhere. But earlier this year, President Aliyev announced plans for expanding gas production which are grossly incompatible with Azerbaijan’s commitments under the Paris Agreement.
Like previous climate summits, COP29 will host many participants whose agendas are seriously at odds with climate justice. Thousands of fossil fuel lobbyists, along with the heads of oil giants like Shell and BP, are expected to be in attendance. These participants have used previous summits to advance their own interests, opposing essential efforts to phase out fossil fuels and pushing for false solutions like carbon offsetting. Amnesty International is calling for a robust conflict of interest policy to prevent fossil fuel lobbyists undermining the aims of global climate treaties.
11. How has climate change impacted people in 2024?
Climate change is causing a dramatic increase in the frequency of extreme temperatures, and 2024 is expected to be the hottest year ever recorded. Around the world, people have been displaced by floods, hurricanes, droughts and other unnatural disasters, all made worse by global warming. Worldwide, Indigenous Peoples and land-dependent communities continue to bear the heaviest burden of biodiversity loss.
Lives have been lost; livelihoods, languages, and entire cultures are in peril; and disease, hunger and displacement is causing extreme suffering. The cost of these losses amounts to trillions of dollars in damages, which dwarf the cost of current investments in renewable energy, and threaten governments’ capacity to fund policies to protect human rights.
12. What is Amnesty calling for at COP29?
Human rights must be at the heart of all climate action decision-making;
States in a position to do so must massively scale up climate finance and funding for loss and damage;
All states must commit to fully phasing out fossil fuels, in a way that is fast and fair;
COP29 participants must not chase risky technologies, like carbon capture and storage and removals, or push gas as a “transition fuel”, as a means of distracting from the urgent need to phase out fossil fuels;
The UNFCCC Secretariat, the government of Azerbaijan, and other governments must protect civic space, and guarantee the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.
Source: New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade – Safe Travel
Reviewed: 4 November 2024, 14:48 NZDT
Still current at: 4 November 2024
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If you are planning international travel at this time, please read our COVID-19 related travel advice here, alongside our destination specific travel advice below.
Do not travel to Burkina Faso due to the volatile security situation and the high threat of kidnapping, terrorism and armed banditry (level 4 of 4).
Burkina Faso
Terrorism There is a high threat of terrorism in Burkina Faso, particularly in border areas with Mali and Niger. States of emergencies remain in place in several border regions. In 2018, terrorist groups released a statement declaring their intention to target westerners and western companies in the Sahel. There have been multiple attacks in the capital and elsewhere in the country since 2016, including:
On 11 June 2022, over 100 people were killed in an attack in Seytenga, Seno Province.
On 4 and 5 June 2021, over 160 people were killed in attack on Solhan village, in the northeast.
On 26 April 2021, 3 foreign nationals were killed in an ambush on the PK 60 road between Fada-N’Gourma and Pama.
On 1 December 2019, at least 14 people were killed in a shooting attack inside a church in Hantoukoura.
On 5 November 2019, 37 people were killed and a further 60 injured in an attack on a convoy carrying workers to a Canadian gold mine near Boungou.
On March 2, 2018, extremists attacked the French Embassy and Burkina Faso’s military headquarters in downtown Ouagadougou. Eight security force personnel, including soldiers and police officers were killed and over 80 others were injured.
On 13 August 2017, gunmen attacked the Aziz Istanbul restaurant in Ouagadougou, killing at least 18 people.
On 15 January 2016, armed gunmen attacked the Splendid Hotel and Café Cappuccino in Ouagadougou resulted in 30 deaths, a large number of whom were foreign nationals.
Terrorist attacks could occur at anytime, anywhere in Burkina Faso and may be directed at locations with foreign interests or known to be frequented by foreigners, such as embassies, hotels, bars, restaurants, markets, airports, shopping areas, tourist sites, public transport facilities, mining operations and places of worship.
New Zealanders throughout Burkina Faso are advised to maintain a high degree of security awareness at all times, particularly in public areas. Avoid all large gatherings, including music festivals, concerts, sporting events and any public demonstrations or protests. Keep yourself informed of potential risks to safety and security by monitoring the media and other local sources of information and follow the instructions of local authorities at all times.
Kidnapping There is a heightened threat of kidnapping in Burkina Faso. Terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) have stated their intention to kidnap foreigners and may cross the borders from Mali and Niger to carry out kidnappings.
A number of foreigners have previously been kidnapped in Burkina Faso and the wider Sahel region. In April 2022, a Polish national was kidnapped in north-eastern Burkina Faso and in September 2022, a US national was kidnapped in Yalgo, also in north-eastern Burkina Faso. The threat is likely to continue.
New Zealanders in Burkina Faso are strongly advised to seek professional security advice or protection before travelling to areas of particular risk.
Political Situation/Civil Unrest The security situation has deteriorated significantly in recent years. The political situation continues to evolve following the military coup on 30 September 2022.
Demonstrations occur regularly and have taken place in major cities. They have the potential to result in violence or clashes, gunfire has been reported in Ougadougou. Expect an increased security presence country-wide and comply with any instructions issued by the local authorities, including any curfews or restrictions of movement. Continued disruptions to internet and other telecommunication services are possible.
New Zealanders in Burkina Faso are advised to avoid all protests, demonstrations and large gatherings.
Banditry Banditry is a security concern in Burkina Faso. There continue to be reports of attacks by armed criminals on vehicles, including buses, travelling on a variety of main and secondary roads across the country. Criminals have used road blocks to stop and rob travellers and have been known to open fire on vehicles that refuse to stop. While bandits mainly steal valuables, they may physically harm victims during the course of a robbery.
The highest number of incidents occur in the eastern region but there have been a number of attacks in other regions and the threat exists throughout Burkina Faso. Remote and border regions are especially vulnerable.
New Zealanders in Burkina Faso are advised to travel in convoy if possible, stay on clearly marked roads and avoid travel by night outside major centres. You should seek local advice before setting out and follow a police patrol where possible.
Crime Street crime is prevalent in Burkina Faso and foreigners may be specifically targeted due to their perceived wealth. Bag-snatchings, muggings and theft from hotel rooms are common, particularly in Ouagadougou. The central market and the area around the United Nations circle are often targeted by thieves. Theft is often perpetrated by one or two people on motorbikes.
Criminals in urban areas may carry knives in order to cut straps on bags and can become violent if the victim is non-compliant. Sexual assault occurs periodically in smaller towns and within Ouagadougou.
New Zealanders are advised to exercise particular vigilance in crowded or public areas, avoid showing signs of affluence and keep personal belongings secure at all times.
When driving you should keep doors locked, windows up and keep any valuables out of sight. Avoid travelling alone at night, as risks increase after dark.
Scams Commercial and internet fraud is a common problem in Burkino Faso. New Zealanders in Burkina Faso should be wary of any offers that seem too good to be true, as they may be a scam. For further information see our advice on Internet Fraud and International Scams and Internet dating scams.
General Travel Advice As there is no New Zealand diplomatic presence in Burkina Faso, the ability of the government to provide consular assistance to New Zealand citizens is extremely limited.
We offer advice to New Zealanders about contingency planning that travellers to Burkina Faso should consider.
New Zealanders are advised to respect religious and social traditions in Burkina Faso to avoid offending local sensitivities.
Modern medical services in Burkina Faso are very limited, New Zealanders travelling or living in Burkina Faso should have a comprehensive travel insurance policy in place that includes provision for medical evacuation by air.
New Zealanders in Burkina Faso are strongly encouraged to register their details with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
