Source: State Library of NSW
The Heritage Map Room will be temporarily closed from Tuesday 18 February until Saturday 1 March for a refresh and rehang of maps from our exceptional cartographic collection.
Visitors are welcome to explore our other exhibitions, including the Michael Crouch Room, which also features selections from our cartographic collection.
While the Heritage Map Room is being refreshed, we invite you to explore our extensive digital collection through our online catalogue.
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist in Avarua, Rarotonga
Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown hopes to have “an opportunity to talk” with the New Zealand government to “heal some of the rift”.
Brown returned to Avarua on Sunday afternoon (Cook Islands Time) following his week-long state visit to China, where he signed a “comprehensive strategic partnership” to boost its relationship with Beijing.
Prior to signing the deal, he said that there was “no need for New Zealand to sit in the room with us” after the New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister raised concerns about the agreement.
Responding to reporters for the first time since signing the China deal, he said: “I haven’t met the New Zealand government as yet but I’m hoping that in the coming weeks we will have an opportunity to talk with them.
“Because they will be able to share in this document that we’ve signed and for themselves see where there are areas that they have concerns with.
“But I’m confident that there will be no areas of concern. And this is something that will benefit Cook Islanders and the Cook Islands people.”
He said the agreement with Beijing would be made public “very shortly”.
“I’m sure once the New Zealand government has a look at it there will be nothing for them to be concerned about.”
Not concerned over consequences
Brown said he was not concerned by any consequences the New Zealand government may impose.
The Cook Islands leader is returning to a motion of no confidence filed against his government and protests against his leadership.
“I’m confident that my statements in Parliament, and my returning comments that I will make to our people, will overcome some of the concerns that have been raised and the speculation that has been rife, particularly throughout the New Zealand media, about the purpose of this trip to China and the contents of our action plan that we’ve signed with China.”
1News Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver was at the airport but was not allowed into the room where the press conference was held.
The New Zealand government wanted to see the agreement prior to Brown going to China, which did not happen.
A spokesperson for New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Brown had a requirement to share the contents of the agreement and anything else he signed under the 2001 Joint Centenary Declaration.
‘Healing some of the rift’
Brown said the difference in opinion provides an opportunity for the two governments to get together and “heal some of the rift”.
“We maintain that our relationship with New Zealand remains strong and we remain open to having conversations with the New Zealand government on issues of concern.
“They’ve raised their concerns around security in the Pacific. We’ve raised our concerns around our priorities, which is economic development for our people.”
Brown has previously said New Zealand did not consult the Cook Islands on its comprehensive strategic partnership with China in 2014, which they should have done if the Cook Islands had a requirement to do so.
He hoped people would read New Zealand’s deal along with his and show him “where the differences are that causes concern”.
Meanwhile, the leader of Cook Islands United Party, Teariki Heather, said Cook Islanders were sitting nervously with a question mark waiting for the agreement to be made public.
“That’s the problem we have now, we haven’t been disclosed or told of anything about what has been signed,” he said.
“Yes we hear about the marine seabed minerals exploration, talk about infrastructure, exchange of students and all that, but we haven’t seen what’s been signed.”
However, Heather said he was not worried about what was signed but more about the damage that it could have created with New Zealand.
Heather is responsible for filing the motion of no confidence against the Prime Minister and his cabinet.
The opposition only makes up eight seats of 24 in the Cook Islands Parliament and the motion is about showing support to New Zealand, not about toppling the government.
“It’s not about the numbers for this one, but purposely to show New Zealand, this is how far we will go if the vote of no confidence is not sort of accepted by both of the majority members, at least we’ve given the support of New Zealand.”
Heather has also been the leader for a planned planned today local time (Tuesday NZ).
“Protesters will be bringing their New Zealand passports as a badge of support for Aotearoa,” he said.
“Our relationship [with New Zealand] — we want to keep that.”
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
Source: City of Leicester
NEWS that Leicester is to receive initial funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Places programme has been welcomed by the city council.
Thanks to National Lottery players, Leicester will have access to an initial grant of £250,000, which will allow the council and community partners to develop the first stage of an Inclusive Heritage programme for the city.
The long-term project will aim to give a voice to all of Leicester’s diverse communities, ensuring that everyone in Leicester feels involved in, and represented by, the cultural activity and heritage initiatives that take place in the city.
With just 80% of adults in Leicester currently actively participating in cultural and creative activity, compared to the national average of 90%, research partner The Audience Agency will now run extensive consultation with local stakeholders and communities to establish where engagement with heritage activities is low and to collect evidence that will help shape a long-term plan for more inclusive programming. Key to this will be 10 locally-recruited community heritage researchers, whose outreach work within communities will gather new perspectives that will help inform the next stage of the project.
The funding will also allow the council to appoint a part-time programme manager who will coordinate the project over the next two years.
Once a plan has been agreed and developed, further funding will be applied for from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support Leicester’s Inclusive Heritage programme until 2033.
Assistant city mayor for culture Cllr Vi Dempster – who will chair the project’s steering group – said: “Much work has been done in recent years to tell the stories of those who typically don’t engage with heritage initiatives, but this Heritage Places funding gives us an opportunity to build on that and ensure that in a city as culturally-diverse as Leicester, the lives and interests of all of its people are properly represented.
“Thanks to National Lottery players, we will be able to reach out to our communities and ask what heritage means to them. And that could include traditions that now risk being lost, or a way of life that might be forgotten – or maybe stories relating to fashion, food, music or other aspects of everyday life.
“The research we do in stage one of this project will help identify the celebrations, exhibitions, events or other community-led heritage initiatives that could feature in the second stage funding application.
“By engaging with all of Leicester’s diverse communities and listening to their stories, we aim to make sure that inclusivity is at the heart of the city’s heritage initiatives.”
Robyn Llewellyn, Area Director, England, Midlands & East at The National Lottery Heritage Fund said: “We are delighted to support Leicester City Council with £250,000 to begin developing heritage programming that involves and includes Leicester’s diverse communities. We’re supporting partnerships in Leicester, one of our Heritage Places, to unlock the possibilities of this city’s heritage. Their ambitions show how heritage can be a powerful force to bring people together and inspire pride in place.”
Designed to boost local economies and local pride by unlocking the potential of local history and heritage, The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Places initiative aims to transform 20 places around the UK by 2033, using a dedicated funding pot of £200million.
Leicester was one of the first Heritage Places to be announced in October 2023.
(ends)
Notes to editors:
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.
Over the next 10 years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities.
Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter/X, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery #HeritageFund
About The Audience Agency
The Audience Agency is an independent research and development organisation whose purpose is to enable a thriving, people-centred cultural sector. We provide research, insight, data-tools and other services, which help our network of clients and stakeholders adapt for, and with, their communities.
Source: Republic Of China Taiwan 2
Director General David Cheng-Wei Wu and Mrs. Wu were delighted to celebrate Taiwan’s Night Lunar New Year with the Australian Taiwanese Friendship Association (ATFA), joined by VIPs including Federal MP Paul Fletcher, NSW MPs Hugh McDermott, Tim James, and Matt Cross, as well as Willoughby Mayor Tanya Taylor and Councilors, all coming together to show their strong support for TW-AU friendship and the Taiwanese community。
In his remarks, DG Wu highlighted:
As Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at Ryde Lunar New Year Festival, the Lunar New Year is a wonderful time of year—one that has become such a cherished fixture on the Australian calendar, with families, friends, and communities coming together in joy and celebration to share in centuries of tradition.
Indeed, the Taiwanese community brings energy and vibrancy to Australia’s economy while embodying its spirit of diversity and inclusivity. Overseas Taiwanese play a key role in connecting TW with AU and the world, strengthening Taiwan’s international image and influence.
Taiwan is Australia’s only top-10 export market without an FTA. We urge the launch of FTA negotiations and look forward to Australia’s support, as the 2025 rotating chair, for Taiwan’s accession to CPTPP.
During the speeches, Federal MP Paul Fletcher expressed heartfelt gratitude for the Taiwanese community’s longstanding support and looked forward to Gisele continuing to advocate for the community. NSW MPs echoed DG Wu’s calls for a TW-AU FTA and Taiwan’s accession to the CPTPP. Mayor Tanya acknowledged the contributions of the Taiwanese community and highlighted that 10 out of 13 city councillors—nearly all—were present in support of the community.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
RAIB has today released its report into the derailment of a passenger train near Walton-on-Thames, surrey, 4 March 2024.
View towards Walton-on-Thames station along the Up Fast line showing the railway access point deck and a broken section of redundant rail.
At around 05:40 on Monday 4 March 2024, a passenger train struck a section of redundant rail that had been left foul of the track on the approach to Walton-on- Thames station. At the time of the collision with this rail, the train was travelling at around 85 mph (137 km/h). The front coach derailed, and the train came to a stand around 500 metres beyond the point of derailment.
The redundant rail had inadvertently been left there by a team that had completed work in the area over the previous weekend. Checks undertaken after the work was completed did not identify that a section of redundant rail was in a potentially hazardous position before the railway was handed back for normal operation. This was because no person in charge had supervised the work and because a track handback engineer had not been effectively briefed as to what work had been undertaken before they inspected the track.
RAIB found that the arrangements in place for planning and delivering the work did not effectively manage the risk of a section of rail being left foul of the running line and that the process for inspecting the railway after the work was completed did not provide staff with clear guidance on which areas should be checked. Additionally, the relevant railway rules and standards do not clearly define the roles and responsibilities required to safely deliver work on complex work sites like the one involved in the accident.
As a result of its investigation, RAIB has made two recommendations. The first is addressed to Colas Rail (in consultation with Network Rail), to review its processes related to collecting redundant material when working on or near the line. The second is addressed to Network Rail (in consultation with the Rail Safety and Standards Board) to review the rules and standards relating to how tasks delivered in complex work sites should be co‑ordinated and supervised and to create a coherent process for confirming that the line is safe for the passage of trains after the work is complete.
Additionally, two learning points have been identified. The first reinforces the importance of infrastructure maintainers arranging adequate site lighting. The second concerns the importance of railway organisations ensuring that guidance material relating to superseded standards is removed from resource libraries when new standards are issued.
Andrew Hall, Chief Inspector of Rail Accidents said:
Following a passenger train striking redundant rail on the track in 2018, RAIB issued Urgent Safety Advice to Network Rail regarding safety of the line after engineering work. Since this advice was issued, RAIB has examined a number of further accidents caused by objects, including temporary road-rail access points and a trolley, being left on the track after the completion of maintenance work. These accidents caused damage to the railway infrastructure, the trains involved and resulted in temporary closures to the affected lines. This most recent accident at Walton-on-Thames resulted in a passenger train derailing at speed. Although no one was hurt on this occasion, the train could easily have deviated from the line of the track and struck other trains or objects.
Maintenance work is often carried out at night which makes ensuring the line is subsequently safe for the passage of trains particularly challenging. The risk is very clear. Unfortunately, this accident happened because that risk was not effectively managed. This, following other similar recent incidents, should serve as a stark reminder of the importance of effectively managing the risk of objects being left on the track after overnight maintenance.
The sole purpose of RAIB investigations is to prevent future accidents and incidents and improve railway safety. RAIB does not establish blame, liability or carry out prosecutions.
RAIB operates, as far as possible, in an open and transparent manner. While our investigations are completely independent of the railway industry, we do maintain close liaison with railway companies and if we discover matters that may affect the safety of the railway, we make sure that information about them is circulated to the right people as soon as possible, and certainly long before publication of our final report.
For media enquiries, please call 01932 440015.
Published 17 February 2025
Source: Republic of China Taiwan
Details
2025-02-11
President Lai meets Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla of the Kingdom of Eswatini
On the afternoon of February 11, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla of the Kingdom of Eswatini. In remarks, President Lai thanked Eswatini for continuing to support Taiwan’s international participation at international venues. The president stated that Taiwan and Eswatini work closely in such areas as agriculture, the economy and trade, education, and healthcare, and expressed hope that the two countries will continue to support each other on the international stage and strive together for the well-being of both peoples. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: I warmly welcome our distinguished guests to the Presidential Office. Deputy Prime Minister Dladla previously visited Taiwan while serving as minister of foreign affairs. This is her first time leading a delegation here as deputy prime minister. I want to extend my sincerest welcome. Deputy Prime Minister Dladla has earned a high degree of recognition and trust from His Majesty King Mswati III. She was not only Eswatini’s first woman foreign minister, but is also the second woman to have held her current key position. She shows an active interest in people’s welfare, and has a reputation for being deeply devoted to her compatriots. I have great admiration for this. I am truly delighted to meet with Deputy Prime Minister Dladla today. I would like to take this opportunity to once again express my gratitude to His Majesty the King for leading a delegation to attend the inauguration ceremony for myself and Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao last year. This demonstrated the close diplomatic ties between our countries. I also want to thank Eswatini for continuing to support Taiwan’s international participation at international venues. I would ask that when Deputy Prime Minister Dladla returns to Eswatini, she conveys Taiwan’s greetings and gratitude to His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen Mother Ntombi Tfwala. Diplomatic ties between Taiwan and Eswatini have endured for over half a century. Our two nations have continued to work closely in such areas as agriculture, the economy and trade, education, and healthcare. Our largest collaboration to date has been assisting Eswatini in the construction of a strategic oil reserve facility. We will continue to push forward with this project, and look forward to achieving even greater results in all areas. I understand that Deputy Prime Minister Dladla is very concerned about issues regarding gender equality and women’s empowerment. During her term as foreign minister, she facilitated bilateral cooperation in those areas. Now, as deputy prime minister, she is actively attending to the disadvantaged and advancing social welfare. These policies are very much in line with the priorities of my administration. I look forward to strengthening cooperation with Deputy Prime Minister Dladla for the benefit of both our societies. Taiwan and Eswatini are peace-loving nations. Faced with a constantly changing international landscape and the growing threat posed by authoritarianism, we hope that our two countries will continue to support each other on the international stage and strive together for the well-being of both our peoples. In closing, I wish Deputy Prime Minister Dladla and our distinguished guests a pleasant and successful visit. Deputy Prime Minister Dladla then delivered remarks, first greeting President Lai on behalf of the King, the Queen Mother, and the people of Eswatini, and extending gratitude for the warm reception afforded to her and her delegation, which underscores the strong bonds of friendship between our two nations. The deputy prime minister stated that, in reflecting on the fruits of our partnership, the evidence of Taiwan’s commitment to Eswatini is all around us. The strategic oil reserve project launching in April, she indicated, will redefine Eswatini’s energy security, and the Central Bank complex and electrification project stand as monuments of Taiwan’s vision for Eswatini’s progress and indicate that our partnerships are very strong. Deputy Prime Minister Dladla pointed out that education is the foundation of any nation’s progress, and that Taiwan’s contribution to Eswatini’s education sector cannot be overstated. Through Ministry of Foreign Affairs scholarship programs, she said, Eswatini has sent numerous students to Taiwan, where they’ve received world-class education in various disciplines, including engineering, business, and medicine. In turn, she said, these graduates are now contributing to the development of Eswatini. The deputy prime minister stated that Taiwan has also strengthened Eswatini’s industrial and technological sectors, with collaborations and partnerships that create new opportunities for employment and innovation, and that Taiwan’s technical and medical assistance has strengthened Eswatini’s healthcare systems and uplifted the expertise of its professionals. Deputy Prime Minister Dladla also congratulated President Lai once again on his presidency, which she stated will lead Taiwan to new heights, adding that His Majesty coming to Taiwan personally for the inauguration was a resounding declaration of Eswatini’s enduring support for Taiwan’s sovereignty, stability, and rightful place on the world stage. She emphasized that Eswatini stands with Taiwan always and unwaveringly. In conclusion, the deputy prime minister stated that Eswatini fully agrees with Taiwan that we must all safeguard our national sovereignty and protect the lives and property of our people. She said that our common enemy will always be poverty and natural disasters, but against all odds, we will stand united, and we shall remain united and be one. The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Eswatini Ambassador Promise Sithembiso Msibi.
Details
2025-02-11
Presidential Office thanks US and Japan for joint leaders’ statement
On February 7 (US EST), President Donald Trump of the United States and Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru of Japan issued a joint leaders’ statement reiterating “the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity for the international community.” In the statement, the two leaders also “encouraged the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues, and opposed any attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force or coercion” and “expressed support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations.” Presidential Office Spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) on February 8 expressed sincere gratitude on behalf of the Presidential Office to the leaders of both countries for taking concrete action to demonstrate their firm support for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and for Taiwan’s international participation. Spokesperson Kuo pointed out that there is already a strong international consensus on the importance of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. The spokesperson emphasized that Taiwan, as a responsible member of the international community, is capable and willing to work together with the international community and will continue strengthening its self-defense capabilities as it deepens its trilateral security partnership with the US and Japan and works alongside like-minded countries to uphold the rules-based international order. The spokesperson said that Taiwan will work toward ensuring a free and open Taiwan Strait and Indo-Pacific region, as well as global peace, stability, and prosperity, as it continues to act as a force for good in the world.
Details
2025-02-11
President Lai’s response to Pope Francis’s 2025 World Day of Peace message
President Lai Ching-te recently sent a letter to Pope Francis of the Catholic Church in response to his message marking the 58th World Day of Peace. The following is the full text of the president’s letter to the pope: Your Holiness, In your message for the 2025 World Day of Peace entitled Forgive us our trespasses: grant us your peace, you called for a cultural change that would bring an end to the governance of interpersonal and international relations by a logic of exploitation and oppression and herald true and lasting peace. I wholeheartedly admire and identify with your point of view. Since transitioning from a medical career to politics, I have remained true to my original intentions in the sense that, while a doctor can help only one person at a time, a public servant can simultaneously assist many people in resolving the difficulties affecting their lives. In my inaugural address in May 2024, I pledged that every day of my term, I would strive to act justly, show mercy, and be humble, which accord with the teachings of the Bible. I promised to treat the Taiwanese people as family and prove myself worthy of their trust and expectations. With an unwavering heart, I have accepted the people’s trust and taken on the solemn responsibility of leading the nation forward and building a democratic, peaceful, and prosperous new Taiwan. In this new year, the changing international landscape continues to present many grave challenges to democratic nations around the world. As the Russia-Ukraine war persists, the steady convergence of authoritarian regimes, including China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, threatens the rules-based international order and severely impacts peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and the world at large. Your Holiness has stated that war is a defeat for everyone. I, too, firmly believe that peace is priceless and that war has no winners. A high level of consensus has formed in the international community on upholding peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The Taiwanese people also maintain an unyielding commitment to safeguarding a way of life that encompasses freedom, equality, democracy, and human rights. Taiwan will continue to spare no effort in preserving regional peace and stability and serving as a pilot for global peace. In your World Day of Peace message, you urged prosperous countries to assist poorer ones. This compassion is truly touching. Taiwan is proactively implementing values-based diplomacy and, under the Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Project, enhancing allies’ development through a range of initiatives. Over many years, Taiwan has accumulated abundant and unique experience of providing foreign assistance. Seeking to foster self-reliance among disadvantaged countries, we have extended genuine support to help alleviate poverty through such avenues as strengthening basic infrastructure, transferring technology, and cultivating talent. In your message, you reminded countries worldwide that assistance should not be merely an isolated act of charity and pointed to the need to devise a new global financial framework so that food crises, climate change, and other challenges could be jointly addressed. I hold this view in high regard. I therefore earnestly hope that international organizations will stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons. Taiwan is willing to shoulder its international responsibilities so that it can contribute and share its valuable experience through many global platforms. On behalf of the government and people of the Republic of China (Taiwan), I again express our interest in collaborating with the Holy See to advance world peace through concrete action. We also aspire to demonstrate Taiwanese values and the Taiwanese spirit and work together with the Holy See to uphold the core values of justice, democracy, freedom, and peace. Please accept, Your Holiness, the renewed assurances of my highest consideration, as well as my best wishes for your good health and the continued growth of the Catholic Church.
Details
2025-02-11
President Lai meets former US Vice President Mike Pence
On the afternoon of January 17, President Lai Ching-te met with former Vice President of the United States Mike Pence. In remarks, President Lai thanked former Vice President Pence for his contributions to the deepening of Taiwan-US relations, noting that he actively helped to strengthen Taiwan-US cooperation and facilitate the normalization of military sales to Taiwan, and did his utmost to deepen the Taiwan-US economic partnership. The president indicated that former Vice President Pence also spoke up for Taiwan on numerous occasions at international venues, backing Taiwan’s international participation. President Lai expressed hope for a stronger Taiwan-US partnership to maintain peace and stability throughout the world, and that the two sides can advance bilateral exchanges in such areas as the economy, trade, and industry. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: I am delighted to welcome former Vice President Pence and Mrs. Karen Pence to the Presidential Office. Former Vice President Pence is not only an outstanding political leader in the US, but also a staunch supporter of Taiwan on the international stage. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I would like to take this opportunity to extend our deepest gratitude to former Vice President Pence for his contributions to the deepening of Taiwan-US relations. Thanks to former Vice President Pence’s strong backing, ties between Taiwan and the US rose to unprecedented heights during President Donald Trump’s first administration. Former Vice President Pence actively helped to strengthen Taiwan-US security cooperation and facilitate the normalization of military sales to Taiwan, helping Taiwan reinforce its self-defense capabilities. He also did his utmost to deepen the Taiwan-US economic partnership. Former Vice President Pence also paid close attention to the military threats and diplomatic isolation faced by Taiwan. He spoke up for Taiwan on numerous occasions at international venues, taking concrete action to back Taiwan’s international participation. We were truly grateful for this. As we speak, China’s political and military intimidation against Taiwan persist. China and other authoritarian regimes, such as Russia, North Korea, and Iran, are continuing to converge and present serious challenges to democracies around the globe. At this moment, free and democratic nations must come together to bolster cooperation. I believe that a stronger Taiwan-US partnership can be an even more powerful force in maintaining peace and stability throughout the world. Former Vice President Pence has previously supported the signing of a trade agreement between Taiwan and the US. Taiwan looks forward to continuing to work with the new US administration and Congress to advance bilateral exchanges in such areas as the economy, trade, and industry. This is the first time that former Vice President Pence and Mrs. Pence are visiting Taiwan, and their visit is significantly meaningful for Taiwan-US exchanges. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I want to extend a warm welcome. Moving forward, I hope we will jointly realize even more fruitful achievements through Taiwan-US cooperation. Former Vice President Pence then delivered remarks, thanking President Lai for his hospitality on his and his wife’s first visit to Taiwan, saying that it is an honor to be here to reaffirm the bonds of friendship between the people of America and the people of Taiwan, which are strong and longstanding. The former vice president indicated that the American people admire the people of Taiwan and all that has been accomplished in a few short decades for Taiwan to rise to one of the world’s preeminent economic powers and free societies. He said that he is grateful for President Lai’s courageous and bold leadership of Taiwan, and grateful to be able to express the support of the overwhelming majority of the American people for this alliance. Former Vice President Pence indicated that the values shared by Taiwan and the US, including freedom, the rule of law, and respect for human rights, bind us together in a partnership that transcends geographic boundaries and cultures. He then assured President Lai that China’s increasingly aggressive posture in the Taiwan Strait and across the Indo-Pacific, for the values and interests that both sides share, is deeply concerning to the American people. Former Vice President Pence stated that America is a Pacific nation, and is committed to the status quo, adding that they recognize it is China that wants to change the status quo that America, Taiwan, and other allies in the region want to preserve, which has created an environment of extraordinary growth and prosperity. The former vice president concluded by once again thanking President Lai and his team for their gracious hospitality and conveying best wishes to him and the people of Taiwan. Former Vice President Pence then assured President Lai that just as Taiwan will never surrender its freedom, he will continue to be a voice for a strong US-Taiwan relationship in the defense and the benefit of Taiwan, the US, and the free world. Later that day, Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao hosted a banquet for former Vice President Pence and his delegation at Taipei Guest House to thank him for his longstanding friendship and staunch support for Taiwan-US ties.
Details
2025-02-11
President Lai meets delegation to 60th Inaugural Ceremonies of US president and vice president
On the morning of January 16, President Lai Ching-te met with Taiwan’s delegation to the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies of the President and Vice President of the United States. In remarks, President Lai stated that democratic Taiwan stands united, working hard to deepen Taiwan-US ties together. He then entrusted the delegation with three missions: to convey best wishes from the people of Taiwan, convey our firm commitment to democracy, and help Taiwan-US relations reach a new milestone. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: The 60th Inaugural Ceremonies of the President and Vice President of the US will be held on January 20. I want to thank Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), president of the Legislative Yuan, for accepting my invitation to lead our nation’s representative delegation to the event. I also thank Legislative Yuan Members Ko Chih-en (柯志恩), Wang Ting-yu (王定宇), Ko Ju-chun (葛如鈞), Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀), Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷), Kuo Yu-ching (郭昱晴), and Chen Gau-tzu (陳昭姿) for joining this visit to the US to attend the inauguration of President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance. We have gathered together today despite differences in party affiliation because in democratic Taiwan, while parties may compete domestically, when it comes to engagement externally, they stand united and share responsibility, working hard to deepen Taiwan-US ties and strive for the best interests of the nation. We share the value of defending freedom and democracy, and we share the goal of advancing peace and prosperity. Today, we engage with the world together as those from the same country – the Republic of China (Taiwan). In this complex and volatile new international landscape, and as the nation faces difficulties and challenges, I want to stress that in Formosa, there is no hostility that cannot be let go, and no hardship that cannot be overcome. Unity is the most important, and I hope that Taiwan can stand united, because there is true strength in unity. Democratic Taiwan must stand united in engaging with the world and initiate exchanges with confidence. On that ground, I am entrusting this delegation with three key missions. First, convey best wishes from the people of Taiwan. Just last year, Taiwan and the US celebrated the 45th anniversary of the passage of the Taiwan Relations Act. And on May 20, the US sent a senior bipartisan delegation to congratulate me and Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao on our inauguration. As the leader of this cross-party delegation, Speaker Han must clearly convey the well-wishes of the people of Taiwan, congratulate President Trump and Vice President Vance on their inauguration, and wish success to the new administration and prosperity to the US. Second, clearly convey the firm commitment of the people of Taiwan to democracy. The theme of these inaugural ceremonies is “Our Enduring Democracy: A Constitutional Promise.” Taiwan and the US share the universal value of democracy and are staunch allies. I hope that the delegation can faithfully convey the firm commitment to democracy that the people of Taiwan have, which will not change even in the face of authoritarian threats. Taiwan is willing to stand side by side with the US and other members of the democratic community to defend the sustainable development of global democracy and prevent the expansion of authoritarianism. Third, help Taiwan-US relations reach a new milestone. In recent years, Taiwan-US relations have continued to grow, with the first agreement under the Taiwan-US Initiative on 21st Century Trade having formally taken effect last month. This morning, the House of Representatives also passed the US-Taiwan Expedited Double-Tax Relief Act. I hope that the delegation can help Taiwan-US relations reach a new milestone through these exchanges so that our relations continue to grow, our cooperation expands even more, and so that we can achieve even greater success after the new administration takes office. Four years ago, Taiwan’s representative to the US inaugural ceremonies was Vice President Hsiao, who was then our representative to the US. Everyone has a lot to learn from her. I have specially invited everyone here to converse so that you can draw from Vice President Hsiao’s experience and ensure an even smoother visit. Washington, DC was also hit by a rare blizzard recently, and the weather has been very cold, so make sure to stay warm. I am sending everyone off with hand warmers and thermoses so that you can bring some warmth from Taiwan with you on your journey. And I ask that Speaker Han exercise his wisdom to help generate some warmth between the ruling and opposition parties through cooperation, which they can then bring back to Taiwan. Let us unite to give our all for diplomacy so that we can unite to give our all for Taiwan. I wish the delegation a smooth and safe trip, and hope your missions can be carried out successfully. Speaker Han then delivered remarks, stating that it was an honor to be invited by President Lai to organize a delegation to represent our nation at the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies of the President and Vice President of the US in Washington, DC, and express the Republic of China’s sincere and cordial best wishes. The Legislative Yuan’s president has assumed this important task numerous times in the past, he said, not only to represent the government of the Republic of China, but also to take on the mission of conveying the voices of 23 million people. He went on to say that he is honored to take up the baton, lead eight legislators to the US to attend this celebration that will attract global attention, and express sincere best wishes to newly elected President Trump, Vice President Vance, and the new administration’s team. As enjoined by President Lai, he hopes the delegation’s trip will help open a new chapter in Taiwan-US exchanges. Speaker Han stated that the US is the most free and democratic country in the world. He noted that in 1776 in the US Declaration of Independence, founding father Thomas Jefferson propounded the concept of “unalienable rights,” and emphasized that the people have a right to freedom and the pursuit of happiness, democratic ideas that have long been rooted in the people’s hearts. Today, he said, democracy is also embedded in the DNA of Taiwan’s 23 million people, and this hard-won democratic achievement is a result of the concerted efforts of our pioneering predecessors, thinkers, and activists over the past 100 years. Speaker Han stated that during this visit, the Legislative Yuan delegation hopes to convey the voice of Taiwan as a democratic country. Taiwan’s security, he said, is like the four legs of a table: The first leg is defending the Republic of China, the second is defending freedom and democracy, the third is maintaining Taiwan-US relations, and the fourth is maintaining cross-strait peace. The delegation will travel to the US amidst severe cold weather to show that we value our relationship with the US, and our citizens have great hopes and expectations. Speaker Han stated that this will be a cross-party delegation of eight legislators, all of whom have a strong sense of mission. He hopes that all democratic nations will acknowledge Taiwan’s importance, and pay attention to Taiwan’s 23 million people. The delegation, he said, will do its utmost to convey the goodwill and warmth that the people of Taiwan give to each and every one of our good friends.
Details
2025-02-14
President Lai holds press conference following high-level national security meeting
On the morning of February 14, President Lai Ching-te convened the first high-level national security meeting of the year, following which he held a press conference. In remarks, President Lai announced that in this new year, the government will prioritize special budget allocations to ensure that Taiwan’s defense budget exceeds 3 percent of GDP. He stated that the government will also continue to reform national defense, reform our legal framework for national security, and advance our economic and trade strategy of being rooted in Taiwan while expanding globally. The president also proposed clear-cut national strategies for Taiwan-US relations, semiconductor industry development, and cross-strait relations. President Lai indicated that he instructed the national security and administrative teams to take swift action and deliver results, working within a stable strategic framework and according to the various policies and approaches outlined. He also instructed them to keep a close watch on changes in the international situation, seize opportunities whenever they arise, and address the concerns and hope of the citizens with concrete actions. He expressed hope that as long as citizens remain steadfast in their convictions, are willing to work hand in hand, stand firm amidst uncertainty, and look for ways to win within changing circumstances, Taiwan is certain to prevail in the test of time yet again. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: First, I would like to convey my condolences for the tragic incident which occurred at the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store in Taichung, which resulted in numerous casualties. I have instructed Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) to lead the relevant central government agencies in assisting Taichung’s municipal government with actively resolving various issues regarding the incident. It is my hope that these issues can be resolved efficiently. Earlier today, I convened this year’s first high-level national security meeting. I will now report on the discussions from the meeting to all citizens. 2025 is a year full of challenges, but also a year full of hope. In today’s global landscape, the democratic world faces common threats posed by the convergence of authoritarian regimes, while dumping and unfair competition from China undermine the global economic order. A new United States administration was formed at the beginning of the year, adopting all-new strategies and policies to address challenges both domestic and from overseas. Every nation worldwide, including ours, is facing a new phase of changes and challenges. In face of such changes, ensuring national security, ensuring Taiwan’s indispensability in global supply chains, and ensuring that our nation continues to make progress amidst challenges are our top priorities this year. They are also why we convened a high-level national security meeting today. At the meeting, the national security team, the administrative team led by Premier Cho, and I held an in-depth discussion based on the overall state of affairs at home and abroad and the strategies the teams had prepared in response. We summed up the following points as an overall strategy for the next stage of advancing national security and development. First, for overall national security, so that we can ensure the freedom, democracy, and human rights of the Taiwanese people, as well as the progress and development of the nation as we face various threats from authoritarian regimes, Taiwan must resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, strengthen self-sufficiency in national defense, and consolidate national defense. Taiwan must enhance economic resilience, maintain economic autonomy, and stand firm with other democracies as we deepen our strategic partnerships with like-minded countries. As I have said, “As authoritarianism consolidates, democratic nations must come closer in solidarity!” And so, in this new year, we will focus on the following three priorities: First, to demonstrate our resolve for national defense, we will continue to reform national defense, implement whole-of-society defense resilience, and prioritize special budget allocations to ensure that our defense budget exceeds 3 percent of GDP. Second, to counter the threats to our national security from China’s united front tactics, attempts at infiltration, and cognitive warfare, we will continue with the reform of our legal framework for national security and expand the national security framework to boost societal resilience and foster unity within. Third, to seize opportunities in the restructuring of global supply chains and realignment of the economic order, we will continue advancing our economic and trade strategy of being rooted in Taiwan while expanding globally, strengthening protections for high-tech, and collaborating with our friends and allies to build supply chains for global democracies. Everyone shares concern regarding Taiwan-US relations, semiconductor industry development, and cross-strait relations. For these issues, I am proposing clear-cut national strategies. First, I will touch on Taiwan-US relations. Taiwan and the US have shared ideals and values, and are staunch partners within the democratic, free community. We are very grateful to President Donald Trump’s administration for their continued support for Taiwan after taking office. We are especially grateful for the US and Japan’s joint leaders’ statement reiterating “the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity for the international community,” as well as their high level of concern regarding China’s threat to regional security. In fact, the Democratic Progressive Party government has worked very closely with President Trump ever since his first term in office, and has remained an international partner. The procurement of numerous key advanced arms, freedom of navigation critical for security and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and many assisted breakthroughs in international diplomacy were made possible during this time. Positioned in the first island chain and on the democratic world’s frontline countering authoritarianism, Taiwan is willing and will continue to work with the US at all levels as we pursue regional stability and prosperity, helping realize our vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific. Although changes in policy may occur these next few years, the mutual trust and close cooperation between Taiwan and Washington will steadfastly endure. On that, our citizens can rest assured. In accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances, the US announced a total of 48 military sales to Taiwan over the past eight years amounting to US$26.265 billion. During President Trump’s first term, 22 sales were announced totaling US$18.763 billion. This greatly supported Taiwan’s defensive capabilities. On the foundation of our close cooperation with the past eight years’ two US administrations, Taiwan will continue to demonstrate our determination for self-defense, accelerate the bolstering of our national defense, and keep enhancing the depth and breadth of Taiwan-US security cooperation, along with all manner of institutional cooperation. In terms of bilateral economic cooperation, Taiwan has always been one of the US’s most reliable trade partners, as well as one of the most important cooperative partners of US companies in the global semiconductor industry. In the past few years, Taiwan has greatly increased both direct and indirect investment in the US. By 2024, investment surpassed US$100 billion, creating nearly 400,000 job opportunities. In 2023 and 2024, investment in the US accounted for over 40 percent of Taiwan’s overall foreign investment, far surpassing our investment in China. In fact, in 2023 and 2024, Taiwanese investment in China fell to 11 percent and 8 percent, respectively. The US is now Taiwan’s biggest investment target. Our government is now launching relevant plans in accordance with national development needs and the need to establish secure supply systems, and the Executive Yuan is taking comprehensive inventory of opportunities for Taiwan-US economic and trade cooperation. Moving forward, close bilateral cooperation will allow us to expand US investment and procurement, facilitating balanced trade. Our government will also strengthen guidance and support for Taiwanese enterprises on increasing US investment, and promote the global expansion and growth of Taiwan’s industries. We will also boost Taiwan-US cooperation in tech development and manufacturing for AI and advanced semiconductors, and work together to maintain order in the semiconductor market, shaping a new era for our strategic economic partnership. Second, the development of our semiconductor industry. I want to emphasize that Taiwan, as one of the world’s most capable semiconductor manufacturing nations, is both willing and able to address new situations. With respect to President Trump’s concerns about our semiconductor industry, the government will act prudently, strengthen communications between Taiwan and the US, and promote greater mutual understanding. We will pay attention to the challenges arising from the situation and assist businesses in navigating them. In addition, we will introduce an initiative on semiconductor supply chain partnerships for global democracies. We are willing to collaborate with the US and our other democratic partners to develop more resilient and diversified semiconductor supply chains. Leveraging our strengths in cutting-edge semiconductors, we will form a global alliance for the AI chip industry and establish democratic supply chains for industries connected to high-end chips. Through international cooperation, we will open up an entirely new era of growth in the semiconductor industry. As we face the various new policies of the Trump administration, we will continue to uphold a spirit of mutual benefit, and we will continue to communicate and negotiate closely with the US government. This will help the new administration’s team to better understand how Taiwan is an indispensable partner in the process of rebuilding American manufacturing and consolidating its leadership in high-tech, and that Taiwan-US cooperation will benefit us both. Third, cross-strait relations. Regarding the regional and cross-strait situation, Taiwan-US relations, US-China relations, and interactions among Taiwan, the US, and China are a focus of global attention. As a member of the international democratic community and a responsible member of the region, Taiwan hopes to see Taiwan-US relations continue to strengthen and, alongside US-China relations, form a virtuous cycle rather than a zero-sum game where one side’s gain is another side’s loss. In facing China, Taiwan will always be a responsible actor. We will neither yield nor provoke. We will remain resilient and composed, maintaining our consistent position on cross-strait relations: Our determination to safeguard our national sovereignty and protect our free and democratic way of life remains unchanged. Our efforts to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, as well as our willingness to work alongside China in the pursuit of peace and mutual prosperity across the strait, remain unchanged. Our commitment to promoting healthy and orderly exchanges across the strait, choosing dialogue over confrontation, and advancing well-being for the peoples on both sides of the strait, under the principles of parity and dignity, remains unchanged. Regarding the matters I reported to the public today, I have instructed our national security and administrative teams to take swift action and deliver results, working within a stable strategic framework and according to the various policies and approaches I just outlined. I have also instructed them to keep a close watch on changes in the international situation, seize opportunities whenever they arise, and address the concerns and hope of the citizens with concrete actions. My fellow citizens, over the past several years, Taiwan has weathered a global pandemic and faced global challenges, both political and economic, arising from the US-China trade war and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Through it all, Taiwan has persevered; we have continued to develop our economy, bolster our national strength, and raise our international profile while garnering more support – all unprecedented achievements. This is all because Taiwan’s fate has never been decided by the external environment, but by the unity of the Taiwanese people and the resolve to never give up. A one-of-a-kind global situation is creating new strategic opportunities for our one-of-a-kind Taiwanese people, bringing new hope. Taiwan’s foundation is solid; its strength is great. So as long as everyone remains steadfast in their convictions, is willing to work hand in hand, stands firm amidst uncertainty, and looks for ways to win within changing circumstances, Taiwan is certain to prevail in the test of our time yet again, for I am confident that there are no difficulties that Taiwan cannot overcome. Thank you.
Source: Ministers for Social Services
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
Topics: Family and domestic violence; Men’s behaviour change; Additional funding for Tasmania; Election timing.
KYLIE BAXTER, HOST: We all know the figures around domestic violence. They are terrible and seem to be getting worse. Not everywhere, but in a lot of places. Now, Federal Labor has promised funding to tackle the issue, but the big question is, will it actually make a difference? I’m joined by Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth. Thank you for joining me on the program.
AMANDA RISHWORTH, MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES: Great to be with you.
KYLIE BAXTER: So, what is the current situation around domestic violence? I mean, how bad is it?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: What we have in Australia is really unacceptable levels of family and domestic violence. When you look at the statistics, one woman loses their life around every 10 days, which is just unacceptable. Partly we are seeing, of course, an important conversation about this, often domestic and family violence. We knew it may be happening behind closed doors and we weren’t talking about it. It’s really important we have a conversation about it, but we’ve got to have action as well. That’s what I’ve been doing over the last two and a half years. But this new national partnerships agreement with the Tasmanian government allows us to roll out more support where it’s needed.
KYLIE BAXTER: Okay, so let’s talk about Tasmania. How are we faring in relation to domestic violence?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, look, each state and territory has its own challenges, but it also has some really important options and services available for people. And when it comes to Tasmania, there’s been a lot of work done delivering, for example, rural family violence outreach programs. We know Tasmania is a pretty spread out place and so some of the funding that we previously worked with the Tasmanian Government has been looking at rural family violence outreach programs, but also, for example, family violence training for legal professionals, which is really important. So, look, Tasmania has some of the same challenges as the rest of the country, but also there are some other challenges, such as the spread out population, which also needs to be looked at how we address that as well.
KYLIE BAXTER: This funding announcement from the Labor Federal Government of more than $15.7 million, what exactly is it going to be used for?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: This will be used for a number of things and it complements the other investments we’ve made across the country, including to things like our Escaping Violence Program, which is a national program which people can get funds to leave a violent situation. But this particular new agreement will allow for funding for specialised services for women, services to support those exposed to family and domestic violence, to heal and recover, and also in particular working with men, including men’s behaviour change programs. One particular program that’s been identified by the Tasmanian government in which they could invest in is an early intervention program with young men, particularly around the ages of 12 to 17, really to break that cycle. They may have witnessed violence being used themselves and maybe showing signs of recreating that pattern. And so this program is really one example of a really important program about breaking that cycle.
KYLIE BAXTER: If you’ve just joined me, you’re listening to the voice of Amanda Rishworth who is the Federal Social Services Minister. Now, when we have these conversations, despite the fact that men are mostly the perpetrators against women, we often receive texts asking, but what about men? Is there dedicated money for men? Possibly, I guess for things like psychologists and psychiatrists to help break the cycle. I mean, you’ve obviously mentioned, you know, younger men aged 12 and up, but what about guys of different age groups? I mean, is any money available to help them go and see a psychologist or a psychiatrist if they need it?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Yes, look, there are a lot of programs. Firstly, I would say that while we do acknowledge that men can also be victims of domestic and family violence, the vast majority are women and it is perpetrated by men. But we do acknowledge that men can be victims too. And so things like 1800RESPECT or the Escaping Violence Program is open to all victim-survivors. But if we talk about what’s available to men and bringing men into the conversation, about how we solve it. You’re absolutely right, there’s a number or many programs that we’ve funded over the last two years to try and engage men. As you mentioned, we’ve been funding work with young boys and men, but also looking at how we have behaviour changed. So, there is No To Violence, which is a national phone line in which people can get telephone online counselling information about how they might, they might be concerned about their behaviour. This is dedicated to them to actually have a conversation. A lot of people, a lot of men decide to call Mensline as well. And that is also a very important option if people want, in a non judgmental way, to have a conversation about things that they might be concerned with and get the help they might need to engage with a behaviour change program, for example.
KYLIE BAXTER: And I guess the important question is, when are these initiatives actually going to be rolled out?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, the funding will begin from the first of July this year. That’s the agreement through the national partnerships. But it is not the only money that we have contributed to the Tasmanian Government. This builds on an extra $23 million that we’ve provided already to the Tasmanian Government to boost things like their frontline workforce and other programs. So, this is an additional money to continue this important work.
KYLIE BAXTER: Obviously this is an election promise and so do you have concerns if Labor is not re-elected, how will things roll then for victims of domestic violence?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: We hope that whoever wins the election will commit to this funding. Of course, we’ve signed this agreement with the Tasmanian Government but I can’t speak for the Liberal National Party of whether they would seek to rip up this agreement. I hope they don’t. But this is our clear commitment to making a difference when it comes to these issues.
KYLIE BAXTER: And have you had any closed door meetings in the past few days or week in relation to an election date?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Oh, look, I have to be honest, election dates are above my pay grade. So, no, I can’t, I can’t give you the inside scoop today. Unfortunately there is one person that I don’t know if he’s made up his mind yet, but one person that knows when that election is, and that’s our Prime Minister.
KYLIE BAXTER: Thank you very much for your time. Appreciate you coming on the Drive program.
Source: European Parliament 3
An EP survey of EU citizens aged 16-30 shows social media is their main information source, and that the majority are also aware of the risks of online disinformation.
Rising prices and the cost of living are a concern for 40% of the 16-30 year-olds who took part in the latest Eurobarometer Youth Survey published on Monday. One third of respondents said they believed the EU should focus its attention on the environment and climate change over the next five years, while 31% believe the economic situation and job creation should be a priority.
Almost three in ten (29%) want the EU to prioritise social protection, welfare and access to healthcare. More than one in five respondents highlighted education and training (27%), housing (23%) and the EU’s defence and security (21%) as important priorities for the EU. European defence is of particular concern for young people in Czechia (36%), Poland (33%), and Estonia (32%).
Roberta Metsola said: “Listening to young Europeans and their concerns is vital for politicians, policy-makers and European democracy. Young people today are worried about rising prices, climate change, security and their chances of finding a good job. These are concerns that we must address in every decision we take and every law that we pass. Otherwise, we risk losing a generation to disillusionment.”
Social media outrun TV as main source of information
Social media is the top source of information on political and social issues for 42% of respondents aged 16-30, with television being the second most-popular source (39%). The preference for TV is particularly noticeable among those aged 25-30. This age bracket is also more likely to use online news platforms and radio than 16-18 year-olds. Younger participants (16-18) rely more on social media (45%) than 25-30 year-olds (39%), and trust friends, family or colleagues for information (29% compared to 23%).
“The information landscape is rapidly changing. With most young people predominantly getting their news from social media, politicians and social media platforms have a particular responsibility to fight increasing disinformation,” President Metsola added.
TV also remains the leading source of information for young people in Portugal (53%), Italy (52%), Slovenia (45%), and France (43%). Online press and/or news platforms and radio are sources of information for 26% of the younger participants and 16% of their older counterparts. In the 2021 edition of the survey, the main sources of news were social media and news websites (each of which was mentioned by 41% of respondents).
Instagram and TikTok are the most used social media for news
Instagram is the top platform for obtaining political and social news among young people (47%), followed by TikTok (39%). X (formerly Twitter) is only used by 21% of young people, the survey shows.
Young people are aware of their exposure to disinformation
A significant majority (76%) of young people believed they had previously been exposed to disinformation and fake news.
In nine EU countries, more than half of respondents report having been exposed to disinformation ‘often’ or ‘very often’, with the highest proportions from Malta (59%), Hungary (58%), Greece (57%), Luxembourg (55%), and Belgium (54%). By contrast, the share of those who believe they have never been exposed to disinformation and fake news is the highest in Romania (19%) followed by Bulgaria (11%).
70% of the participants in the survey were confident they could recognise disinformation. Respondents from Malta and Croatia were the most confident in their ability to recognise disinformation, while those from Austria, Germany and Slovenia felt the least confident.
Background
The Eurobarometer Youth Survey was carried out by Ipsos between 25 September and 3 October 2024 in all 27 EU member states. A total of 25,863 young people aged 16-30 were surveyed via Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI) using online panels. The results were weighted according to the proportion of this age group within each EU country.
The full results can be found here.
Young people discuss EU action at EYE2025
Insights from the Eurobarometer Youth Survey provide a detailed understanding of the political participation of young Europeans and their needs and concerns. These findings will help ensure that Parliament’s flagship youth event,EYE2025, addresses topics that matter most to the EU’s young generation.
Registration for EYE2025 is open until 21 February. From 13-14 June 2025, the EYE will bring together thousands of young people from across the EU and beyond to debate, exchange views, and contribute to shaping Europe’s future in Parliament’s Strasbourg premises.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
The funding is the latest step in the Plan for Change to deliver economic growth across the country
£15 million confirmed for Wales cultural projects in the latest step to deliver economic growth across the country.
Regional growth regeneration will get a much-needed boost as two major culture projects across Wales will receive £15 million funding to help boost growth and spark regional regeneration, the government confirmed today (17 February).
Funding will be ‘critical’ in showcasing the UK as a world-leader in culture and bring in visitors from across the globe.
Just as importantly this will help drive growth in all parts of the country – a key element of the government’s Plan for Change – by creating jobs and in some cases building new homes.
Projects in Wales receiving funding include:
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said:
Every corner of the UK has something unique to offer, and our rich creative capital must not be underestimated.
Our Plan for Change promises growth for every region and I’ve seen first-hand how these projects are igniting growth in their communities.
Through investing in these critical cultural projects we can empower both local leaders and people to really tap into their potential and celebrate everything their home town has to offer. This means more tourism, more growth and more money in people’s pockets.”
Alex Norris, Minster for Local Growth said:
The benefits of these fantastic projects go far beyond community and county borders, they are key to unlocking a regional and nationwide celebration of UK culture and creativity as well as driving growth and regeneration.
This investment marks a huge step forward in our decade of national renewal as committed to in our Plan for Change – creating jobs and boosting tourism and regeneration in our regions is the type of long-term, sustainable growth the government is prioritising to ultimately put more money in people’s pockets.”
Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said:
Venue Cymru and the Newport Transporter Bridge are iconic landmarks in their local communities, and I am delighted that this UK Government funding will be used to boost Wales’ already world-leading tourism and culture sectors.
Our investment in these two fantastic projects is an example of how our Plan for Change will lead to a decade of national renewal for people the length and breadth of Wales. This is a UK Government that is delivering regeneration and economic growth for every community.”
These projects will celebrate and raise awareness of the unique social value and cultural history of Wales while also supporting crucial economic growth through creating local jobs and attracting tourism on a national scale.
Projects that are most advanced and will see benefits spread beyond regional borders and attract investment have been prioritised to maximise public spending and deliver long-term growth.
Published 17 February 2025
Source: City of Coventry
A report on Coventry City Council’s budget plans for April 2025 to March 2026 will recommend that fewer savings are needed than first feared.
Councillors will hear that the Local Authority has received a better than expected funding package from the government and that, coupled with the Council’s rigorous and careful approach to its financial planning, means not all of the cutbacks consulted on will be needed.
There will also be £2.2m of one-off investment to boost services covering highways, street cleansing, community safety and community events.
However, financial challenges are still there as the Council tries to deal with the impact of chronic historical underfunding.
Cllr Richard Brown, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, said: “I have always said that we should hope for the best but prepare for the worst and the settlement from the government is better than expected.
“We have always been very careful with our financial management, and ongoing work has put us in a better financial position than many other local councils. It means that many of the savings identified won’t be needed, which I’m really pleased about.
“We’ve listened to the consultation feedback from the public and stakeholders and have identified areas that we are recommending should not now be included in the budget setting process.
“At the same time, looking at the years ahead, the same challenges are still here. A combination of higher demand on services, inflation, and historical underfunding leaves us still well below the national average of government funding compared to other councils.”
Savings proposals that are no longer needed include:
Despite the improved financial position, the Council will still be forced to announce an increase in Council Tax.
Cllr Brown added: “We still have to increase Council Tax to achieve a balanced budget, and this is an expectation that the government places on all local authorities. In future years I hope that reforms to the Council Tax system can be introduced that reduce the burden on local residents.
“The additional money we are receiving is welcome and it is good to know that the new government is listening to what we have been saying and the lobbying we have been doing on a fairer funding deal for local authorities for the last two years is being heard.
“That work will continue because if the city received the national average, then we’d have an additional £17m for our services for the residents in the city and we would be talking about investment in services rather than savings.
“We are not asking for special treatment but just that funding more accurately reflects the levels of need, demand and deprivation the city has overall.”
The Council is already investing £10m in new, LED streetlights that more efficient than the lights they will replace. It means that eventually lights will be kept on overnight through the savings made.
The Council is also proposing setting aside more than £2m in additional one-off funding to improve services. It includes £700,000 extra for road and pavement defects and £500,000 for tackling fly-tipping – two of the issues highlighted by residents during the recent consultation.
The Council report will be considered at its full Council meeting by all Council members on Tuesday 25 February before a final decision is made.
Financial pressures facing the Council include:
Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements
G7 foreign ministers and the EU gave a joint statement on the margins of the Munich Security Conference on 15 February 2025.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy with G7 foreign ministers and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas at the Munich Security Conference.
Joint statement:
The G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union, met on the margins of the Munich Security Conference for the first time under Canada’s 2025 Presidency.
The G7 members discussed Russia’s devastating war in Ukraine. They underscored their commitment to work together to help to achieve a durable peace and a strong and prosperous Ukraine and reaffirmed the need to develop robust security guarantees to ensure the war will not begin again.
The G7 members welcomed their discussion today with Andrii Sybiha, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. They recalled the G7’s important contribution towards ending the war in Ukraine, including through measures pursuant to the G7 Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine, by supporting Ukraine financially through the use of extraordinary revenues stemming from Russian Sovereign Assets, by imposing further cost on Russia, if they do not negotiate in good faith, through caps on oil and gas prices, and by making sanctions against Russia more effective. Any new, additional sanctions after February should be linked to whether the Russian Federation enters into real, good-faith efforts to bring an enduring end to the war against Ukraine that provides Ukraine with long-term security and stability as a sovereign, independent country. The G7 members reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine in defending its freedom, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
The G7 members discussed the provision to Russia of dual-use assistance by China and of military assistance by DPRK and Iran. They condemned all such support.
The G7 members discussed political, security and humanitarian issues in the Middle East, including in Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Iran, and their commitment to advancing regional peace and stability. They underscored the importance of a durable, Israeli-Palestinian peace. They reaffirmed their support for the full implementation of the ceasefire reached between Israel and Hamas, including for the release of all hostages and the expansion of humanitarian aid in Gaza. The G7 members stand behind the ongoing efforts of Egypt, Qatar and the United States in continuing to work towards a permanent ceasefire. They reiterated their unequivocal condemnation of Hamas and the need to ensure that Hamas neither reconstitutes militarily nor participates in governance. They recognized Israel’s inherent right to self-defence, consistent with international law.
The G7 members welcomed the outcomes of the International Conference on Syria, hosted by France on February 13, 2025. They reiterated their shared commitment to the people of Syria and their support for an inclusive political transition process, in the spirit of UN Security Council Resolution 2254. They welcomed, as well, positive developments in Lebanon, including the recent election of President Joseph Aoun, the designation of Nawaf Salam as Prime Minister, and the formation of a new government. The G7 members reaffirmed their commitment to both countries’ stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
The G7 members unequivocally condemned Iran’s destabilizing actions, including its rapid advancement of uranium enrichment without credible civil justification, its facilitation of terrorism organizations and armed groups across the Middle East and Red Sea, its proliferation of ballistic missiles and drones, and its transnational repression and violation of fundamental human rights.
The G7 members reiterated their commitment to a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific region, grounded in respect for the rule of law and sovereignty. They strongly opposed any attempts to change unilaterally the status quo using force and underscored the importance of resolving disputes peacefully. They strongly opposed China’s attempts to restrict freedom of navigation through militarization and coercive activities in the East and South China Sea.
The G7 members expressed serious concern over the DPRK’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs and reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. They demanded that the DPRK abandon all its nuclear weapons, existing nuclear programs, and any other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner in accordance with all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs). They underscored that direct DPRK support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine marks a dangerous expansion of the conflict, with serious consequences for European and Indo-Pacific security. They urged the DPRK to cease immediately all assistance for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, including by withdrawing its troops. The called upon DPRK to resolve the abductions issue immediately.
The G7 members also discussed urgent situations of conflict and instability elsewhere in the world, including in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan, and in Haiti and Venezuela.
The G7 Foreign Ministers looked forward to their meeting in Canada in Charlevoix, Quebec on March 12-14.
Published 15 February 2025
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ben Noble, Associate Professor of Russian Politics, UCL
This is the best day of the past five months for me … This is my home … I am not afraid of anything and I urge you not to be afraid of anything either.
These were Alexei Navalny’s words after landing at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport on January 17 2021. Russia’s leading opposition figure had spent the past months recovering in Germany from an attempt on his life by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). Minutes after making his comments, Navalny was detained at border control. And he would remain behind bars until his death on February 16 2024, in the remote “Polar Wolf” penal colony within the Arctic Circle.
“Why did he return to Russia?” That’s the question I’m asked about Navalny most frequently. Wasn’t it a mistake to return to certain imprisonment, when he could have maintained his opposition to Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, from abroad?
But Navalny’s decision to return didn’t surprise me. I’ve researched and written about him extensively, including co-authoring Navalny: Putin’s Nemesis, Russia’s Future?, the first English-language, book-length account of his life and political activities. Defying the Kremlin by returning was a signature move, reflecting both his obstinacy and bravery. He wanted to make sure his supporters and activists in Russia did not feel abandoned, risking their lives while he lived a cushy life in exile.
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Besides, Navalny wasn’t returning to certain imprisonment. A close ally of his, Vladimir Ashurkov, told me in May 2022 that his “incarceration in Russia was not a certainty. It was a probability, a scenario – but it wasn’t like he was walking into a certain long-term prison term.”
Also, Navalny hadn’t chosen to leave Russia in the first place. He was unconscious when taken by plane from Omsk to Berlin for treatment following his poisoning with the nerve agent Novichok in August 2020. Navalny had been consistent in saying he was a Russian politician who needed to remain in Russia to be effective.
In a subsequent interview, conducted in a forest on the outskirts of the German capital as he slowly recovered, Navalny said: “In people’s minds, if you leave the country, that means you’ve surrendered.”
Two days after Navalny’s final return to Russia, the Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF) – the organisation he established in 2011 – published its biggest ever investigation. The YouTube video exploring “Putin’s palace” on the Black Sea coast achieved an extraordinary 100 million views within ten days. By the start of February 2021, polling suggested it had been watched by more than a quarter of all adults in Russia.
Outrage at Navalny’s detention, combined with this Putin investigation, got people on to the streets. On January 23 2021, 160,000 people turned out across Russia in events that did not have prior approval from the authorities. More than 40% of the participants said they were taking part in a protest for the first time.
But the Russian authorities were determined to also make it their last time. Law enforcement mounted an awesome display of strength, detaining protesters and sometimes beating them. The number of participants at protests on January 31 and February 2 declined sharply as a result.
Between Navalny’s return to Russia in January 2021 and his death in February 2024, aged 47, he faced criminal case after criminal case, adding years and years to his time in prison and increasing the severity of his detention. By the time of his death, he was in the harshest type of prison in the Russian penitentiary system – a “special regime” colony – and was frequently sent to a punishment cell.
The obvious intent was to demoralise Navalny, his team and supporters – making an example of him to spread fear among anyone else who might consider mounting a challenge to the Kremlin. But Navalny fought back, as described in his posthumously published memoir, Patriot. He made legal challenges against his jailers. He went on hunger strike. And he formed a union for his fellow prisoners.
He also used his court appearances to make clear his political views, including following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, declaring: “I am against this war. I consider it immoral, fratricidal, and criminal.”
Navalny’s final public appearance was via video link. He was in good spirits, with his trademark optimism and humour still on display. Tongue firmly in cheek, he asked the judge for financial help:
Your Honour, I will send you my personal account number so that you can use your huge salary as a federal judge to ‘warm up’ my personal account, because I am running out of money.
Navalny died the following day. According to the prison authorities, he collapsed after a short walk and lost consciousness. Although the Russian authorities claimed he had died of natural causes, documents published in September 2024 by The Insider – a Russia-focused, Latvia-based independent investigative website – suggest Navalny may have been poisoned.
Whether or not Putin directly ordered his death, Russia’s president bears responsibility – for leading a system that tried to assassinate Navalny in August 2020, and for allowing his imprisonment following Navalny’s return to Russia in conditions designed to crush him.
Commenting in March 2024, Putin stated that, just days before Navalny’s death, he had agreed for his most vocal opponent to be included in a prisoner swap – on condition the opposition figure never returned to Russia. “But, unfortunately,” Putin added, “what happened, happened.”
Putin is afraid of Alexei, even after he killed him.
Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny’s wife, wrote these words on January 10 2025 after reading a curious letter. His mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, had written to Rosfinmonitoring – a Russian state body – with a request for her son’s name to be removed from their list of “extremists and terrorists” now he was no longer alive.
The official response was straight from Kafka. Navalny’s name could not be removed as it had been added following the initiation of a criminal case against him. Even though he was dead, Rosfinmonitoring had not been informed about a termination of the case “in accordance with the procedure established by law”, so his name would have to remain.
This appears to be yet another instance of the Russian state exercising cruelty behind the veil of bureaucratic legality – such as when the prison authorities initially refused to release Navalny’s body to his mother after his death.
“Putin is doing this to scare you,” Yulia continued. “He wants you to be afraid to even mention Alexei, and gradually to forget his name. But no one will forget.”
Today, Navalny’s family and team continue his work outside of Russia – and are fighting to keep his name alive back home. But the odds are against them. Polling suggests the share of Russians who say they know nothing about Navalny or his activities roughly doubled to 30% between his return in January 2021 and his death three years later.
Navalny fought against an autocratic system – and paid the price with his life. Given the very real fears Russians may have of voicing support for a man still labelled an extremist by the Putin regime, it’s not easy to assess what people there really think of him and his legacy. But we will also never know how popular Navalny would have been in the “normal” political system he fought for.
Navalny didn’t mean for the humble yellow rubber duck to become such a potent symbol of resistance.
In March 2017, the ACF published its latest investigation into elite corruption, this time focusing on then-prime minister (and former president), Dmitry Medvedev. Navalny’s team members had become masters of producing slick videos that enabled their message to reach a broad audience. A week after posting, the film had racked up over 7 million views on YouTube – an extraordinary number at that time.
The film included shocking details of Medvedev’s alleged avarice, including yachts and luxury properties. In the centre of a large pond in one of these properties was a duck house, footage of which was captured by the ACF using a drone.
Such luxuries jarred with many people’s view of Medvedev as being a bit different to Putin and his cronies. As Navalny wrote in his memoir, Medvedev had previously seemed “harmless and incongruous”. (At the time, Medvedev’s spokeswoman said it was “pointless” to comment on the ACF investigation, suggesting the report was a “propaganda attack from an opposition figure and a convict”.)
But people were angry, and the report triggered mass street protests across Russia. They carried yellow ducks and trainers, a second unintended symbol from the film given Medvedev’s penchant for them.
Another reason why so many people came out to protest on March 26 2017 was the organising work carried out by Navalny’s movement.
The previous December, Navalny had announced his intention to run in the 2018 presidential election. As part of the campaign, he and his team created a network of regional headquarters to bring together supporters and train activists across Russia. Although the authorities had rejected Navalny’s efforts to register an official political party, this regional network functioned in much the same way, gathering like-minded people in support of an electoral candidate. And this infrastructure helped get people out on the streets.
The Kremlin saw this as a clear threat. According to a December 2020 investigation by Bellingcat, CNN, Der Spiegel and The Insider, the FSB assassination squad implicated in the Novichok poisoning of Navalny had started trailing him in January 2017 – one month after he announced his run for the presidency.
At the protests against Medvedev, the authorities’ growing intolerance of Navalny was also on display – he was detained, fined and sentenced to 15 days’ imprisonment.
The Medvedev investigation was far from the beginning of Navalny’s story as a thorn in the Kremlin’s side. But this episode brings together all of the elements that made Navalny the force he was: anti-corruption activism, protest mobilisation, attempts to run as a “normal” politician in a system rigged against him, and savvy use of social media to raise his profile in all of these domains.
In Patriot, Navalny writes that he always “felt sure a broad coalition was needed to fight Putin”. Yet over the years, his attempts to form that coalition led to some of the most controversial points of his political career.
In a 2007 video, Navalny referred to himself as a “certified nationalist”, advocating for the deportation of illegal immigrants, albeit without using violence and distancing himself from neo-Nazism. In the video, he says: “We have the right to be Russians in Russia, and we’ll defend that right.”
Although alienating some, Navalny was attempting to present a more acceptable face of nationalism, and he hoped to build a bridge between nationalists and liberals in taking on the Kremlin’s burgeoning authoritarianism.
But the prominence of nationalism in Navalny’s political identity varied markedly over time, probably reflecting his shifting estimations of which platform could attract the largest support within Russia. By the time of his thwarted run in the 2018 presidential election, nationalist talking points were all but absent from his rhetoric.
However, some of these former comments and positions continue to influence how people view him. For example, following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, Navalny tried to take a pragmatic stance. While acknowledging Russia’s flouting of international law, he said that Crimea was “now part of the Russian Federation” and would “never become part of Ukraine in the foreseeable future”.
Many Ukrainians take this as clear evidence that Navalny was a Russian imperialist. Though he later revised his position, saying Crimea should be returned to Ukraine, some saw this as too little, too late. But others were willing to look past the more controversial parts of his biography, recognising that Navalny represented the most effective domestic challenge to Putin.
Another key attempt to build a broad political coalition was Navalny’s Smart Voting initiative. This was a tactical voting project in which Navalny’s team encouraged voters to back the individual thought best-placed to defeat the ruling United Russia candidate, regardless of the challenger’s ideological position.
The project wasn’t met with universal approval. Some opposition figures and voters baulked at, or flatly refused to consider, the idea of voting for people whose ideological positions they found repugnant – or whom they viewed as being “fake” opposition figures, entirely in bed with the authorities. (This makes clear that Navalny was never the leader of the political opposition in Russia; he was, rather, the leading figure of a fractious constellation of individuals and groups.)
But others relished the opportunity to make rigged elections work in their favour. And there is evidence that Smart Voting did sometimes work, including in the September 2020 regional and local elections, for which Navalny had been campaigning when he was poisoned with Novichok.
In an astonishing moment captured on film during his recovery in Germany, Navalny speaks to an alleged member of the FSB squad sent to kill him. Pretending to be the aide to a senior FSB official, Navalny finds out that the nerve agent had been placed in his underpants.
It’s like a member of the family has died.
This is what one Russian friend told me after hearing of Navalny’s death a year ago. Soon afterwards, the Levada Center – an independent Russian polling organisation – conducted a nationally representative survey to gauge the public’s reaction to the news.
The poll found that Navalny’s death was the second-most mentioned event by Russian people that month, after the capture of the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka by Russian troops. But when asked how they felt about his death, 69% of respondents said they had “no particular feelings” either way – while only 17% said they felt “sympathy” or “pity”.
And that broadly fits with Navalny’s approval ratings in Russia. After his poisoning in 2020, 20% of Russians said they approved of his activities – but this was down to 11% by February 2024.
Of course, these numbers must be taken for what they are: polling in an authoritarian state regarding a figure vilified and imprisoned by the regime, during a time of war and amid draconian restrictions on free speech. To what extent the drop in support for Navalny was real, rather than reflecting the increased fear people had in voicing their approval for an anti-regime figure, is hard to say with certainty.
When asked why they liked Navalny, 31% of those who approved of his activities said he spoke “the truth”, “honestly” or “directly”. For those who did not approve of his activities, 22% said he was “paid by the west”, “represented” the west’s interests, that he was a “foreign agent”, a “traitor” or a “puppet”.
The Kremlin had long tried to discredit Navalny as a western-backed traitor. After Navalny’s 2020 poisoning, Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that “experts from the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency are working with him”. The Russian state claimed that, rather than a patriot exposing official malfeasance with a view to strengthening his country, Navalny was a CIA stooge intent on destroying Russia.
Peskov provided no evidence to back up this claim – and the official propaganda wasn’t believed by all. Thousands of Russians defied the authorities by coming out to pay their respects at Navalny’s funeral on March 1 2024. Many, if not all, knew this was a significant risk. Police employed video footage to track down members of the funeral crowd, including by using facial recognition technology.
The first person to be detained was a Muscovite the police claimed they heard shouting “Glory to the heroes!” – a traditional Ukrainian response to the declaration “Glory to Ukraine!”, but this time referencing Navalny. She spent a night in a police station before being fined for “displaying a banned symbol”.
Putin always avoided mentioning Navalny’s name in public while he was alive – instead referring to him as “this gentleman”, “the character you mentioned”, or the “Berlin patient”. (The only recorded instance of Putin using Navalny’s name in public when he was alive was in 2013.)
However, having been re-elected president in 2024 and with Navalny dead, Putin finally broke his long-held practice, saying: “As for Navalny, yes he passed away – this is always a sad event.” It was as if the death of his nemesis diminished the potency of his name – and the challenge that Navalny had long presented to Putin.
Someone else will rise up and take my place. I haven’t done anything unique or difficult. Anyone could do what I’ve done.
So wrote Navalny in the memoir published after his death. But that hasn’t happened: no Navalny 2.0 has yet emerged. And it’s no real surprise. The Kremlin has taken clear steps to ensure nobody can become another Navalny within Russia.
In 2021, the authorities made a clear decision to destroy Navalny’s organisations within Russia, including the ACF and his regional network. Without the organisational infrastructure and legal ability to function in Russia, no figure has been able to take his place directly.
More broadly, the fate of Navalny and his movement has had a chilling effect on the opposition landscape. So too have other steps taken by the authorities.
Russia has become markedly more repressive since the start of its war on Ukraine. The human rights NGO First Department looked into the number of cases relating to “treason”, “espionage” and “confidential cooperation with a foreign state” since Russia introduced the current version of its criminal code in 1997. Of the more than 1,000 cases, 792 – the vast majority – were initiated following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Russian law enforcement has also used nebulous anti-extremism and anti-terrorism legislation to crack down on dissenting voices. Three of Navalny’s lawyers were sentenced in January 2025 for participating in an “extremist organisation”, as the ACF was designated by a Moscow court in June 2021. The Russian legislature has also passed a barrage of legislation relating to so-called “foreign agents”, to tarnish the work of those the regime regards as foreign-backed “fifth columnists”.
Mass street protests are largely a thing of the past in Russia. Restrictions were placed on public gatherings during the COVID pandemic – but these rules were applied selectively, with opposition individuals and groups being targeted. And opportunities for collective action were further reduced following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Freedom of speech has also come under assault. Article 29, point five of the Russian constitution states: “Censorship shall be prohibited.” But in September 2024, Kremlin spokesperson Peskov said: “In the state of war that we are in, restrictions are justified, and censorship is justified.”
Legislation passed very soon after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine made it illegal to comment on the Russian military’s activities truthfully – and even to call the war a war.
YouTube – the platform so central to Navalny’s ability to spread his message – has been targeted. Without banning it outright – perhaps afraid of the public backlash this might cause – the Russian state media regulator, Roskomnadzor, has slowed down internet traffic to the site within Russia. The result has been a move of users to other websites supporting video content, including VKontakte – a Russian social media platform.
In short, conditions in Russia are very different now compared to when Navalny first emerged. The relative freedom of the 2000s and 2010s gave him the space to challenge the corruption and authoritarianism of an evolving system headed by Putin. But this space has shrunk over time, to the point where no room remains for a figure like him within Russia.
In 2019, Navalny told Ivan Zhdanov, who is now director of the ACF: “We changed the regime, but not in the way we wanted.” So, did Navalny and his team push the Kremlin to become more authoritarian – making it not only intolerant of him but also any possible successor?
There may be some truth in this. And yet, the drastic steps taken by the regime following the start of the war on Ukraine suggest there were other, even more significant factors that have laid bare the violent nature of Putin’s personal autocracy – and the president’s disdain for dissenters.
How can we win the war when dedushka [grandpa] is a moron?
In June 2023, Evgeny Prigozhin – a long-time associate of Putin and head of the private military Wagner Group – staged an armed rebellion, marching his forces on the Russian capital. This was not a full-blown political movement against Putin. But the target of Prigozhin’s invective against Russia’s military leadership had become increasingly blurry, testing the taboo of direct criticism of the president – who is sometimes referred to, disparagingly, as “grandpa” in Russia.
And Prigozhin paid the price. In August 2023, he was killed when the private jet he was flying in crashed after an explosion on board. Afterwards, Putin referred to Prigozhin as a “talented person” who “made serious mistakes in life”.
In the west, opposition to the Kremlin is often associated with more liberal figures like Navalny. Yet the most consequential domestic challenge to Putin’s rule came from a very different part of the ideological spectrum – a figure in Prigozhin leading a segment of Russian society that wanted the Kremlin to prosecute its war on Ukraine even more aggressively.
Today, there is plenty for Russians to be angry about, and Putin knows it. He recently acknowledged an “overheating of the economy”. This has resulted in high inflation, in part due to all the resources being channelled into supporting the war effort. Such cost-of-living concerns weigh more heavily than the war on the minds of most Russians.
A favourite talking point of the Kremlin is how Putin imposed order in Russia following the “wild 1990s” – characterised by economic turbulence and symbolised by then-president Boris Yeltsin’s public drunkenness. Many Russians attribute the stability and rise in living standards they experienced in the 2000s with Putin’s rule – and thank him for it by providing support for his continued leadership.
The current economic problems are an acute worry for the Kremlin because they jeopardise this basic social contract struck with the Russian people. In fact, one way the Kremlin tried to discredit Navalny was by comparing him with Yeltsin, suggesting he posed the same threats as a failed reformer. In his memoir, Navalny concedes that “few things get under my skin more”.
Although originally a fan of Yeltsin, Navalny became an ardent critic. His argument was that Yeltsin and those around him squandered the opportunity to make Russia a “normal” European country.
Navalny also wanted Russians to feel entitled to more. Rather than be content with their relative living standards compared with the early post-Soviet period, he encouraged them to imagine the level of wealth citizens could enjoy based on Russia’s extraordinary resources – but with the rule of law, less corruption, and real democratic processes.
When looking at forms of criticism and dissent in Russia today, we need to distinguish between anti-war, anti-government, and anti-Putin activities.
Despite the risk of harsh consequences, there are daily forms of anti-war resistance, including arson attacks on military enlistment offices. Some are orchestrated from Ukraine, with Russians blackmailed into acting. But other cases are likely to be forms of domestic resistance.
Criticism of the government is still sometimes possible, largely because Russia has a “dual executive” system, consisting of a prime minister and presidency. This allows the much more powerful presidency to deflect blame to the government when things go wrong.
There are nominal opposition parties in Russia – sometimes referred to as the “systemic opposition”, because they are loyal to the Kremlin and therefore tolerated by the system. Within the State Duma, these parties often criticise particular government ministries for apparent failings. But they rarely, if ever, now dare criticise Putin directly.
Nothing anywhere close to the challenge presented by Navalny appears on the horizon in Russia – at either end of the political spectrum. But the presence of clear popular grievances, and the existence of organisations (albeit not Navalny’s) that could channel this anger should the Kremlin’s grip loosen, mean we cannot write off all opposition in Russia.
Navalny’s wife, Yulia, has vowed to continue her husband’s work. And his team in exile maintain focus on elite corruption in Russia, now from their base in Vilnius, Lithuania. The ACF’s most recent investigation is on Igor Sechin, CEO of the oil company Rosneft.
But some have argued this work is no longer as relevant as it was. Sam Greene, professor in Russian politics at King’s College London, captured this doubt in a recent Substack post:
[T]here is a palpable sense that these sorts of investigations may not be relevant to as many people as they used to be, given everything that has transpired since the mid-2010s, when they were the bread and butter of the Anti-Corruption Foundation. Some … have gone as far as to suggest that they have become effectively meaningless … and thus that Team Navalny should move on.
Navalny’s team are understandably irritated by suggestions they’re no longer as effective as they once were. But it’s important to note that this criticism has often been sharpest within Russia’s liberal opposition. The ACF has been rocked, for example, by recent accusations from Maxim Katz, one such liberal opposition figure, that the organisation helped “launder the reputations” of two former bank owners. In their response, posted on YouTube, the ACF referred to Katz’s accusations as “lies” – but this continued squabbling has left some Russians feeling “disillusioned and unrepresented”.
So, what will Navalny’s long-term legacy be? Patriot includes a revealing section on Mikhail Gorbachev – the last leader of the Soviet Union, whom Navalny describes as “unpopular in Russia, and also in our family”. He continues:
Usually, when you tell foreigners this, they are very surprised, because Gorbachev is thought of as the person who gave Eastern Europe back its freedom and thanks to whom Germany was reunited. Of course, that is true … but within Russia and the USSR he was not particularly liked.
At the moment, there is a similar split in perceptions of Navalny. Internationally, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, awarded the Sakharov Prize by the European Parliament, and a documentary about him won an Oscar.
But there are also those outside of Russia who remain critical: “Navalny’s life has brought no benefit to the Ukrainian victory; instead, he has caused considerable harm,” wrote one Ukrainian academic. “He fuelled the illusion in the west that democracy in Russia is possible.”
Inside Russia, according to Levada Center polling shortly after his death, 53% of Russians thought Navalny played “no special role” in the history of the country, while 19% said he played a “rather negative” role. Revealingly, when commenting on Navalny’s death, one man in Moscow told RFE/RL’s Russian Service: “I think that everyone who is against Russia is guilty, even if they are right.”
But, for a small minority in Russia, Navalny will go down as a messiah-like figure who miraculously cheated death in 2020, then made the ultimate sacrifice in his battle of good and evil with the Kremlin. This view may have been reinforced by Navalny’s increasing openness about his Christian faith.
Ultimately, Navalny’s long-term status in Russia will depend on the nature of the political system after Putin has gone. Since it seems likely that authoritarianism will outlast Putin, a more favourable official story about Navalny is unlikely to emerge any time soon. However, how any post-Putin regime tries to make sense of Navalny’s legacy will tell us a lot about that regime.
While he was alive, Navalny stood for the freer Russia in which he had emerged as a leading opposition figure – and also what he called the “Beautiful Russia of the Future”. Perhaps, after his death, his lasting legacy in Russia remains the ability for some to think – if only in private – of other possible Russias.
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Ben Noble has previously received funding from the British Academy and the Leverhulme Trust. He is an Associate Fellow of Chatham House.
– ref. What is Navalny’s legacy for Russia? – https://theconversation.com/what-is-navalnys-legacy-for-russia-249692
Source: City of Wolverhampton
A report will go before Cabinet on Wednesday (19 February) with councillors recommended to approve the proposed increase to help sustain the adult social care market.
The hourly rate paid to home care providers, for reablement and home based respite, nursing and residential care providers supporting under 65s, older people and older people with dementia, supported living services, Shared Lives and providers of day care services will rise by 6.6% if the proposals are agreed.
Meanwhile, the agency rate for Direct Payments for adults, carers and children will increase by 6.6%, while the rate for employed personal assistants will rise by 9.91% and self employed personal assistants by 9.33%.
If the proposals are approved, the new fee structure will be introduced on 7 April, 2025.
Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, Cabinet Member for Adults and Wellbeing, said: “Our city’s adult social care providers have a vital role to play in supporting our most vulnerable residents, and we are determined to do all we can to support the sector.
“We know that, like other employers, adult care and support providers are continuing to face a perfect storm of rising costs – compounded by inflation and changes to the National Living Wage and National Insurance – along with recruitment issues and so we are pleased to be able to propose these above inflation increases, despite the well documented pressures the council is also facing at this time.
“These proposed increases of between 6.6% and 9.91% for the next financial year follow on from the significant increase in rates we announced for 2023 to 2024 of between 7.45% and 9.79% and 11.85% and 20.36% the year before, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to local adult social care providers.”
She added: “Quality of provision across all adult social care sectors has been factored when considering the proposed care fee increases, and this will be monitored through our improved quality assurance processes to ensure we are delivering high quality services across the city, while delivering value for money for taxpayers.”
Source: City of Leeds
Leeds City Council has today welcomed confirmation of £15m in central government funding for two major cultural projects.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has committed £10m to help breathe fresh life into Holbeck’s historic Temple Works building, paving the way for it to become the home of a new British Library North.
A further £5m in funding has been confirmed in support of plans to create a National Poetry Centre at the landmark Trinity St David’s Church on Woodhouse Lane.
Councillor James Lewis, leader of Leeds City Council, said:
“The British Library North project aims to create a world-class space for learning, research, exhibitions and events that would unlock the huge potential of Temple Works and boost the ongoing regeneration of the wider Holbeck and South Bank areas.
“It is therefore really welcome news that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has confirmed that, following a consultation, this £10m of funding is now in place to support the process of bringing the Temple Works building into public ownership and back into use.
“We have worked hard in recent months with partners, including the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Homes England and the British Library itself, to make the case for this funding.
“Together we were able to emphasise the importance of the scheme and the economic and social benefits it would bring to Leeds, West Yorkshire and the North, not least through engagement and connections with local communities.
“We were very pleased to welcome the Deputy Prime Minister to Temple Works last week so she could see first-hand what this remarkable heritage asset is all about.
“We will now continue to work alongside partners on detailed plans for the full funding, design and development of a project that remains a complex and challenging undertaking, but one that offers a major regeneration opportunity for both Temple Works and the surrounding area.
“The council also welcomes today’s confirmation that £5m in funding for Leeds’s proposed National Poetry Centre is now in place.
“We were pleased to have the opportunity, during the MHCLG consultation, to add our voice to the widespread support for this project, which is being led by the National Poetry Centre Charitable Trust with the University of Leeds and poet laureate Simon Armitage.”
ENDS
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
Dubai, Feb. 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — – Tectum, the next-generation performance-driven blockchain, has officially launched Tectum 4.0 – its public Layer-1 mainnet, delivering industry-leading scalability and efficiency to support real-world applications, seamless digital payments, and enterprise adoption.
Tectum 4.0 vs. Tectum 3.0: A Dual-Layer Blockchain for Performance & Payments
Tectum operates a dual-blockchain ecosystem, where Tectum 4.0 functions as a public, high-performance Layer-1 blockchain optimized for speed, scalability, and decentralized applications (dApps). This allows developers to build scalable, real-world solutions that leverage blockchain efficiency without bottlenecks.
In contrast, Tectum 3.0 is a private centralized blockchain specifically designed to support SoftNote, Tectum’s flagship transactionless payment system. The private nature of Tectum 3.0 ensures zero-fee transactions, making SoftNote an optimal payment solution that functions without gas fees or network congestion.
This hybrid architecture allows Tectum 4.0 to power high-speed smart contracts and dApps, while Tectum 3.0 ensures seamless, fee-free crypto transactions through SoftNote.
SoftNote vs. Traditional Crypto Payments: A Paradigm Shift
Unlike traditional crypto payments, which require on-chain confirmations, high gas fees, and network processing delays, SoftNote eliminates these barriers by offering a transactionless model that allows instant peer-to-peer transfers of Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), USDT, and other digital assets.
Key Advantages of SoftNote Over Traditional Crypto Payments:
With 1.7 million SoftNote bills already minted globally, SoftNote is driving mainstream adoption of crypto payments, making digital transactions as seamless as using cash.
“Blockchain must evolve beyond speculation to drive real-world utility,” said Alexander Guseff, Founder & CEO of Tectum. “With the launch of Tectum 4.0, we are setting a new standard for speed and scalability, while SoftNote transforms digital payments by making crypto as seamless as cash. By eliminating fees, delays, and infrastructure barriers, SoftNotization bridges the gap between blockchain and everyday transactions, positioning Tectum at the forefront of the PayFi movement.”
SoftNotization vs. Tokenization: Enabling Mass Crypto Adoption
While tokenization converts real-world assets into digital blockchain-based tokens, SoftNotization is a step beyond tokenization – it allows digital assets to be used in physical form, making crypto spendable in everyday transactions.
With SoftNotization, users can convert their crypto holdings into SoftNotes, enabling them to spend Bitcoin, Ethereum, stablecoins, or any digital asset just like cash – even in regions where crypto wallets and Web3 complexity hinder adoption.
This makes SoftNotization a critical driver of crypto mass adoption, especially in unbanked and underbanked economies, where a familiar cash-like payment system can simplify blockchain adoption for businesses and consumers alike.
What’s Next for Tectum?
Following the mainnet launch, Tectum will activate full consensus mechanisms in March 2025, strengthening security, decentralization, and transactional integrity. As PayFi adoption grows, Tectum will roll out SDKs on the public mainnet, equipping developers to build scalable applications for digital payments. The company is also expanding its ecosystem with new products and services.
At the forefront is Tectum Labs, an innovation hub for business tokenization and CBDCs, launching in Q1 2025. It will drive projects such as FreeSolar, TectumKeys, and SyntezNote, showcasing Tectum’s multi-industry reach. Additionally, Tectum Keys, a quantum-resistant security solution, launches in Q2 2025, setting a new standard for digital asset protection.
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About Tectum
Tectum is transforming digital payments with Tectum 4.0, its high-performance Layer-1 blockchain, designed for scalability and real-world adoption.
Built on Tectum 3.0, SoftNote enables zero-fee, instant peer-to-peer crypto transactions, eliminating network confirmations and gas fees. The SoftNote ecosystem includes the SoftNote Wallet for secure storage, the SoftNote Merchant Terminal for seamless point-of-sale transactions, and the SoftNote Pay App for simplified everyday payments.
Beyond payments, Tectum Labs specializes in asset tokenization and CBDC solutions, helping businesses digitize assets and supporting governments in CBDC development.
Tectum empowers Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to become truly spendable, breaking barriers to adoption and enabling seamless micropayments. Its ecosystem includes the Tectum Emission Token ($TET) for SoftNote minting and quantum-proof authentication (XFA) for enhanced security.
A subsidiary of Crispmind Ltd., Tectum is committed to scalable, secure, and inclusive blockchain solutions that redefine global transactions. To learn more, visit www.tectum.io.
Media Contact:
Aroma Kumar, aroma@lunapr.io
Luna PR
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
The CMA has found that Topps Tiles’ acquisition of CTD Tiles could reduce competitive deals and product choice for customers and businesses in parts of England and Scotland.
iStock
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has found that Topps Tiles’ £9 million purchase of 30 CTD Tiles stores raises competition concerns in 4 areas of the United Kingdom.
Topps Tiles is the biggest specialist tile retailer in the UK. Before entering administration in August 2024, CTD was the second largest specialist tile retailer in the UK. As part of the deal Topps Tiles acquired 30 stores, as well as supporting infrastructure such as stock and all related intellectual property for CTD Tiles, CTD Architectural, and CTD Housebuilders .
Following completion of the deal the CMA received several complaints, which included concerns relating to how the deal impacted businesses and retail customers in specific areas of the country. Following a Phase 1 investigation, the CMA found that a small number of sites in Dorking, Edinburgh, Inverness and Aberdeen created competition concerns in the supply of tiles to retail customers and business customers.
The investigation found both companies compete closely for retail and business customers. After reviewing the deal, including internal documents and evidence from customers and competitors, the CMA concluded that in most areas there are sufficient remaining competitors but that in a small number of areas, the deal could lead to worse deals and service for customers.
Joel Bamford, Executive Director for Mergers at the CMA, said:
Having looked at the evidence, we’re concerned Topps Tiles’ purchase of CTD Tiles may >reduce competition in Dorking, Edinburgh, Inverness and Aberdeen.
This loss of competition could lead to worse deals and service in those areas. Whether you’re retiling your own home or a business that provides renovation services, the merger could make such projects more expensive.
Topps Tiles now has the opportunity to offer solutions to our concerns, otherwise this case will proceed to a more in-depth investigation.
More information can be found on the Topps Tiles / CTD Tiles case page.
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Notes to editors:
Topps Tiles has until Monday 24 February to submit proposals which resolve the CMA’s concerns.
Topps Tiles Plc (Topps) is a UK-wide tile retailer for both businesses and consumers based in Enderby, Leicestershire. It is the largest tile specialist in the UK with over 300 stores (and serves customers through direct sales teams and websites). The business is listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Topps acquired certain assets of Tildist Realisations Limited (formerly CTD Tiles Limited), including 30 of its stores, intellectual property such as branding and customer lists, and business divisions that supply tiles to architectural and housebuilder customers as part of a pre-pack administration deal.
For media enquiries, contact the CMA press office on 020 3738 6460 or press@cma.gov.uk
Published 17 February 2025
Source: China State Council Information Office 2
China’s first privately-funded aeroengine test facility has begun construction in Chongzhou, Sichuan Province.
The groundbreaking ceremony on Feb. 13 marked the official launch of the 2.25-billion-yuan (about 314 million U.S. dollars) project, led by ZhongFaTianXin (SiChuan) Aviation Technology Co., Ltd, which aims to address long-standing challenges in high-altitude testing for small and medium-sized aircraft engines, according to the publicity office of the Chongzhou municipal government.
Slated for completion by 2027, the facility, also a light aircraft engine production base, will provide critical research and development support for next-generation aircraft, including drones, flying cars, and low-altitude vehicles, while advancing China’s burgeoning low-altitude economy, said Liu Chen, chairman of ZhongfaTianxin.
Aeroengines, often dubbed the “heart of aircraft,” require rigorous testing under extreme conditions to ensure reliability. In recent decades, China has invested heavily in high-altitude simulation infrastructure to develop indigenous engines.
Li Tao, head of the regional cooperation department of the Chongzhou economic development zone, said that there are currently limited high-performance testing platforms for aeroengines in the country, and those available for the civil market are even rarer.
“A high-performance testing platform that serves all society will provide significant support for the development of Chongzhou’s low-altitude aviation economy and facilitate the gathering of upstream and downstream industries. This will become the testing ground for the ‘heart of aircraft,’” said Li.
The Chongzhou facility will enable manufacturers to test engines for thrust, durability, and safety without relying on foreign technology.
“This facility is 100 percent domestically designed and controlled, with performance reaching international standards,” said Liu, noting that the project timeline has been shortened from five to three years to accelerate innovation.
Additionally, Feb. 13 also marked a major milestone for the Hongyuan aviation power industrial park project in Chongzhou. With a total investment of 600 million yuan, the project aims to establish a research, manufacturing, and maintenance base for large turbofan engine components. The base will also see the completion of drones, small aeroengines, as well as carbon fiber prepregs and composite structural components, according to the publicity office of the Chongzhou municipal government.
These projects underscore Chongzhou’s ambition to build a “Sky City” by 2027 — a vision of integrated manufacturing, testing and urban air mobility services.
Source: Green Party
The Government’s newly announced funding for biodiversity and tourism of $30-million over three years is a small fraction of what is required for conservation in this country.
“Touting this funding announcement as a win for biodiversity is frankly embarrassing, given the deep cuts made to conservation last year,” says the Green Party spokesperson for Conservation, Marama Davidson.
“We can and must do more to protect biodiversity in our country by adequately funding conservation programmes through comprehensive, government-backed stewardship.
“This new funding is a mere drop in the bucket compared to what the Government’s own officials have told it is required for conservation – it also does very little to make up for the huge shortfalls the Department of Conservation is facing.
“The Department of Conservation manages a third of our country’s land. Officials say that they are $25 million a year short just to maintain their assets, and yet last year they had another $31 million a year cut from its budget by this ideologically driven Government with its relentless push to reduce public spending – regardless of the consequences.
“Unfortunately we have seen this Government repeatedly undermine Aotearoa New Zealand’s conservation priorities in favour of commercial interests, despite full knowledge of the challenge we as a country face to protect our biodiversity.
“Cuts by this Government are dismantling environmental agencies, including the Ministry for the Environment, and the Climate Change Commission, all the while eroding science capability across the public service.
“When the Green Party was last in government, we oversaw the largest funding injection for conservation in over a decade. Let’s fully resource DOC and environmental bodies so future generations can enjoy Te Taiao” says Marama Davidson.
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
Under the strong support of various Mainland authorities and medical institutions, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government said it once again received a cross-boundary organ donation from the Mainland, and a heart transplant was successfully done for an eight-month-old girl, Whitney, at Hong Kong Children’s Hospital (HKCH) yesterday evening.
In a press release, the Hong Kong SAR Government thanked the Mainland authorities for their strong support in providing emergency assistance to Hong Kong citizens.
Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau pointed out that upon the central government’s approval, more than 100 personnel from 18 Mainland authorities worked together to ensure the safe and smooth transportation of the organ across multiple locations.
“The second cross-boundary organ donation case this time has demonstrated a more effective co-operation between the Mainland and Hong Kong.
“This once again exemplified that both the Mainland and Hong Kong share the principle and mission in protecting and saving lives, which is of great significance.”
Whitney’s parents expressed gratitude for the assistance from the Mainland authorities and the Hong Kong SAR Government in finding a suitable heart for their daughter. They were also thankful to the Mainland and Hong Kong medical teams for their unwavering effort in saving Whitney’s life.
Moreover, they were very thankful for the altruistic decision made by the donor’s family during their time of difficulty, and stressed that this selflessness has given Whitney a chance for a new life.
HKCH Cardiothoracic Surgery Consultant Dr Nicholson Yam, who was in-charge of the transplant, explained that the heart procurement operation was performed in the Mainland earlier yesterday by heart transplant experts sent by the National Quality Control Centre for Health Transplantation in Beijing, while the HKCH performed the transplant operation immediately upon receiving the heart in the afternoon on the same day.
Whitney is now being closely monitored in the intensive care unit. The clinical team will strive to provide optimal care according to her conditions and medical needs.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
The visit was part of Westminster Foundation for Democracy’s partnership with the National Parliament of Solomon Islands which began in 2022.
The MPs also met the Speaker of the House of Commons, Rt. Hon. Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP.
It has been a learning experience for three National Members of Parliament from Solomon Islands who toured Westminster and Tynwald (Isle of Man) Parliament in the UK last month.
The MPs included Member of Parliament for Maringe Kokota Constituency Hon. Cathy Launa Nori; Member of Parliament for Ngella Constituency Hon. Choylin Yim Douglas and Member of Parliament for Central Kwara’ae Constituency Hon. Ricky Fuo’o.
The visit was part of Westminster Foundation for Democracy’s partnership with the National Parliament of Solomon Islands which began in 2022 with the aim to strengthening parliamentary profile, practices and procedures towards enhanced democratic capacity and resilience.
The Member of Parliament for Central Kwara’ae, Ricky Fuo’o shared his experience in London saying:
Democracy is not just about elections but about a system of governance that respects human rights, allows for genuine political competition and holds leaders accountable. It is up to all of us leaders, institutions, and citizens to safeguard democracy and prevent it from sliding into authoritarian rule disguised as ‘democratic governance.
While I was there, I had to opportunity to be invited to the parliament to witness the questioning of the Prime Minister. What really surprised me is that it was not just the opposition doing the questioning, but the Ministers and Backbenchers of the ruling government were also questioning the prime minister.
The MPs also had meetings with Rt. Hon the Lord Bruce of Bennachie and Dr. Victoria Hasson, who work closely with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy and have visited Solomon Islands for the programme on several occasions.
Clerk to the National Parliament of Solomon Islands, Jefferson Hallu, accompanied the MPs who also observed a Westminster Hall Debate. They had the opportunity to observe the Prime Minister’s Question Time at the House of Commons Chamber at the Palace of Westminster.
The MPs also met with the Speaker of the House of Commons, Rt. Hon. Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP; Liam Laurence Smyth, Clerk of Legislation, House of Commons, Bob Blackman MP, Backbench Business Committee Chair amongst others at Westminster and held a meeting with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.
Westminster Foundation for Democracy is the UK public body dedicated to strengthening democracy around the world.
Published 17 February 2025
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ella Barclay, Senior Lecturer, School of Art and Design, Australian National University
Despite the perceived outrage at Khaled Sabsabi’s depiction of Hassan Nasrallah in his 2007 work You, Australian art has long made subjects of outlaws and questionable figures. And it is all the richer for it.
On Thursday, Shadow Arts Minister and self-described defender of free speech Claire Chandler asked Senator Penny Wong:
Why is the Albanese government allowing a person who highlights a terrorist leader in his artwork to represent Australia on the international stage at the Venice Biennale?
Without seeing the work, Senator Wong said
I agree with you that any glorification of the Hezbollah leader Nasrallah is inappropriate.
This was followed by disapproval from Arts Minister Tony Burke. Within 24 hours, Creative Australia’s board announced Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino, the nominated artistic team for the Australian Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, had been scratched.
The news sparked shock resignations at Creative Australia, private funding retractions and widespread outrage across the Australian and international arts sectors.
The work in question, You, isn’t related to Sabsabi’s proposed 2026 Biennale work. It is an experimental video artwork which engages with the complexities of the 2006 Lebanon War and how Sabsabi, who was born in Tripoli and migrated to Australia in 1978, may have experienced this war remotely via newsfeed.
The work features images of now-deceased Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. It should be noted the work was made in 2007, 14 years before Australia determined Hezbollah to be a terrorist organisation. It resides in the prestigious collection of Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art.
Prior to Sabsabi, a number of prominent Australian artists have depicted outlaws and controversial figures in their work. So how were those works received?
Let’s look at Sidney Nolan’s Ned Kelly series as an example. These 27 famous paintings depict the notorious bushranger Edward (Ned) Kelly’s final days in 1880. Nolan painted the series between 1946 and 1947, in the aftermath of the catastrophic second world war.
The works can be understood as an effort to investigate homegrown violence in Australia’s history, wherein the outlaw is a metaphor used to explore conflicting migrant/settler cultures among the bright and dusty central Victorian landscape.
Similarly, late Australian painter and 2000 Archibald Prize winner Adam Cullen did not meet much controversy when his 2002 portrait of convicted violent criminal Mark “Chopper” Read was installed in the Art Gallery of NSW. That same year, Cullen illustrated Mark Read’s children’s book, Hooky the Cripple.
An acclaimed artist, Cullen is revered for depicting violence and darkness in Australian culture. His works reside in most state and national collections.
Marri Ngarr artist Ryan Presley’s 2018 series Blood Money revises Australian banknotes to feature historical First Nations figures, and forms part of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s art collection.
Works in the series include First Nations colonial resistance fighters and outlaws Jandamarra (1873–97), Woloa (1800-31), Pemulwuy (1750-1802) and Dundalli (circa 1820-55).
These individuals waged violence against the Crown and were classified as enemy combatants in their time. Yet it’s fair to say they make compelling and appropriate subjects for Presley’s art, which helps us better understand Australia’s complex and violent history.
Iranian-born Australian photographer Hoda Afshar’s Agonistes (2020), an award-winning portrait series with accompanying video, features various Australian whistleblowers, including Witness K Lawyer Bernard Collaery and the incarcerated Afghan Files whistleblower David McBride.
Each figure depicted in Afshar’s portraits has faced punishment and persecution by local authorities, in part due to Australia’s weak whistleblower protection laws.
Khaled Sabsabi is a distinguished Australian artist whose Biennale proposal won a rigorous open tender to be exhibited in Venice 2026. Spanning 30 years, his work examines spiritualism, optimism and the intricate beauty of a migrant Australian experience that’s particularly unique to the global microcosm of Western Sydney.
If artists are to be cancelled for making works that spark “divisive debate”, as Creative Australia has called it, there won’t be much art left to see.
Ella Barclay has previously received funding from Creative Australia.
– ref. Would Sidney Nolan be cancelled for painting Ned Kelly today? That’s what Creative Australia has done to Khaled Sabsabi – https://theconversation.com/would-sidney-nolan-be-cancelled-for-painting-ned-kelly-today-thats-what-creative-australia-has-done-to-khaled-sabsabi-249952
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Davis, Associate Professor in Conservation, Edith Cowan University
Humans have been poisoning rodents for centuries. But fast-breeding rats and mice have evolved resistance to earlier poisons. In response, manufacturers have produced second generation anticoagulant rodenticides such as bromadiolone, widely used in Australian households.
Unfortunately, these potent poisons do not magically disappear after the rodent is dead. For example, it’s well known owls who eat poisoned rodents suffer the same slow death from internal bleeding.
Our new research shows the problem is much bigger than owls. We found Australia’s five largest marsupial predators – the four quoll species and the Tasmanian devil – are getting hit by these poisons too.
Half of the 52 animals we tested had these poisons in their bodies. Some had died from it. These species are already threatened by foxes and feral cats. Rat poison is yet another threat – and one they may not be able to survive. Other countries have moved to ban these poisons. But in Australia, they’re widely available.
Quolls and Tasmanian devils are carnivores. They eat mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles, finding food by hunting – or by scavenging dead bodies, including rats and mice. But do they eat enough poisoned rats and mice to be at risk?
To find out, we analysed liver samples from all four of Australia’s quoll species as well as the iconic Tasmanian devil. The samples came from dead animals from a range of sources, including animals dying in veterinary care, found as roadkill, or simply found dead.
Each of these species is endangered or vulnerable. Together, they represent the largest remaining Australian carnivorous marsupials – native animals at the top of their food chains.
We tested samples from 52 animals. Half of these were positive for second generation anticoagulant rodenticides. Of these, 21% tested positive for more than one rodenticide.
Unfortunately, many animals we tested had consumed doses high enough to kill. Around 15% of the Tasmanian devils, 20% of the eastern quolls, 22% of chuditch (western quolls) and 20% of the spotted-tailed quolls tested were very likely to die either from the poison itself or a related cause such as longer-term sickening.
We found one chuditch from a Perth suburb had been exposed to three different second-generation rodenticides. It had levels of one poison, brodifacoum, at 1.6 milligrams per kilo, far above the rate presumed to be lethal to mammals. This is likely the highest recorded exposure rate in an Australian marsupial.
Some 5% of Tasmanian devils had also been exposed to lethal levels of these second-generation poisons and a further 10% were exposed to potentially lethal levels.
Even when these poisons don’t directly kill the quoll or devil, they can leave it worse off.
All five species are threatened, meaning their populations are a fraction of what they used to be. Even small changes to populations can trigger more rapid decline.
Our analysis indicates an increase in deaths of just 2–4% of the chuditch population could increase extinction risk by 75%. This figure is dwarfed by how many chuditch are at risk from rat poisons, which we estimate at 22% of any given population in each generation, based on the exposure rates here.
So, exposure to rat poison alone is likely enough to tip the species towards extinction – even without other threats such as being killed by foxes and cats.
After the poison kills a mouse or rat, it remains lethal for some time.
The poisons we examined take several months to halve in toxicity, meaning during this time they can kill owls, reptiles, frogs and small and medium-sized mammals such as possums.
In Australia and around the world, evidence is mounting that these second-generation rodenticides are killing many more animals than those targeted. The poisons are hitting a wide range of carnivores including otters, wolves, foxes and raccoons. Even the famous Californian condor is threatened by rodenticides.
Efforts to use thousands of litres of bromadiolone to stop a mouse plague in New South Wales triggered strong criticism. But to date, criticism has done little to curb their use in Australia.
Australia is an outlier on this issue. In European and North American nations, these products are restricted to use by licensed pest controllers and banned for home use. Some nations have gone further and banned these poisons altogether. But here, you can buy them at Bunnings, Coles or Woolworths.
Last year, a delegation of Australian researchers lobbied politicians to do more to regulate the use of these poisons.
The institution responsible for ensuring poisons are safe is the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicine Authority. At present, the authority is weighing a decision on whether to introduce restrictions on these second-generation poisons, expected in April.
Four other threatened Australian species – the Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle, Tasmanian masked owl, powerful owl and Carnaby’s black cockatoo – have previously been found to be exposed to these rodenticides. Our research takes this tally to nine threatened species.
In the absence of regulation, you can make a difference at home. Don’t use second-generation poisons which rely on brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difethialone, difenacoum or flocoumafen. Get rid of your mouse or rat problem with first-generation poisons containing warfarin, coumatetralyl or other chemicals.
If you only have a mouse or two, consider looking at non-poison alternatives.
Taking a moment to consider these alternatives could save Australia’s most threatened native predators from an agonising death.
Acknowledgements: Michael Lohr (Birdlife Australia) was the lead author on the research behind this article. Cheryl Lohr (Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Western Australia) contributed to the research.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
– ref. Lethal second-generation rat poisons are killing endangered quolls and Tasmanian devils – https://theconversation.com/lethal-second-generation-rat-poisons-are-killing-endangered-quolls-and-tasmanian-devils-250035
Source: Australian Ministers for Education
New data released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows the number of school students staying in school until year 12 has gone up for the first time in almost 10 years.
The former Liberal Government ripped $30 billion out of schools. Since then, the number of students finishing high school in public schools dropped from 83 per cent to 73 per cent. The Liberal Party also attacked our teachers and called them “duds”.
The Albanese Labor Government has a different approach which is about fixing the funding of our schools, tying it to reform and backing our teachers.
According to the ABS:
“The overall growth in the proportion of students staying from year 10 until year 12 was largely driven by students at government schools, which was up 1.3 percentage points to 74.3 per cent in 2024.”
This is good news. We want more young people to finish school and then go on to TAFE or university. We are now finally seeing this head in the right direction for the first time in almost a decade.
We are also seeing more teachers in the classroom and more people wanting to become a teacher.
The ABS data highlights a rise in teacher numbers across the country, with the average student-to-teacher ratio falling to a new low since 2006 of 12.9 students to one teacher.
Australian schools had 320,377 full-time equivalent teaching staff in 2024, a 2.8 per cent rise from 2023.
This follows recent analysis of preliminary data from the Department of Education that showed both applications and offers are up for people wanting to study an undergraduate course in education.
Overall, preliminary results from tertiary admission centres are showing a 7 per cent increase in applications and a 14 per cent increase in offers compared to 2024.
These positive results come after the Albanese Labor Government and state and territory governments have been working together to tackle the teacher workforce shortage through the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan.
Many states and territories have delivered significant pay increases for the teaching profession over the past two years. They have also taken important steps to help reduce teacher workload.
We have brought back teaching scholarships worth up to $40,000 each to encourage more people to study teaching.
And for the first time ever, the Australian Government is introducing a Prac Payment for teaching students which provides financial support while they do the practical part of their course.
These initiatives come on top of the biggest reforms to teacher training in a generation, which include a stronger focus on how to teach children to read and write and do maths and manage behaviour.
Comment attributable to Minister for Education, Jason Clare:
“This is good news. We are starting to see things heading in the right direction for the first time in almost a decade.
“The Liberals ripped the guts out of school funding, called our teachers duds and did nothing to lift standards.
“We are starting to turn this around but there is a lot more to do.”
Source: ACT Party
After a rainbow event at Te Atatū Community Centre was stormed and shut down over the weekend, ACT Justice spokesperson Todd Stephenson is calling for cross-party commitment to free speech, freedom of assembly, and the rule of law.
“A group of Kiwis should be able to get together at a private event to share values and ideas. On Saturday, a group was denied that right. Brian Tamaki’s mob used sheer numbers to push past library staff and shut down a rainbow event.
“Activists on the political left have spent years embracing cancel culture, deplatforming, and the thug’s veto. Now their conservative opponents are using the exact same tactics.
“Two years ago, a left-wing mob shut down a transgender-critical event in Albert Park, assaulting some of the attendees. Labour and Green MPs celebrated the success of the thug’s veto – the same MPs who are now aghast at Tamaki’s successful use of the same tactic.
“When it comes to free speech, you don’t get to pick and choose. Parties on both sides of politics need to loudly and consistently stand up for the rights of not just their allies, but their political opponents, to peacefully assemble and speak.
“Supporters of the thug’s veto often justify violence on the basis of safety. Brian Tamaki has suggested children at the Te Atatu event were being put at risk. If you think that’s the case, you should call the Police, not call up your mates to deal out vigilante justice. And if it’s found the speaker isn’t breaking any law, you can use your democratic rights to get the law changed. That’s how things work under rule of law and democracy.”
Source: New Zealand Government
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters will travel to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, China, Mongolia, and the Republic of Korea later this week.
“New Zealand enjoys long-standing and valued relationships with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, both highly influential actors in their region. The visit will focus on building on economic growth opportunities, as well as discussing Middle East issues,” Mr Peters says.
In Riyadh, Mr Peters will also attend the 2025 Saudi Cup – one of the world’s richest horse race meetings, where he will meet with potential investors in the New Zealand racing sector.
He will also attend Kiwi boxer Joseph Parker’s world heavyweight IBF title challenge against Briton Daniel Dubois, with the bout attracting global attention.
“Saudi Arabia is expanding investment in foreign bloodstock markets, and we will explore interest in New Zealand which could have significant growth potential for our racing sector.
“And Joseph Parker’s world heavyweight title bout is a unique opportunity to capitalise on promoting New Zealand in the sporting and commercial sectors in the Middle East,” Mr Peters says.
In Beijing, Mr Peters will hold talks with senior Chinese leaders, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi.This will continue a personal connection with China by Mr Peters spanning four decades.
“China is one of New Zealand’s most significant and complex relationships, encompassing important trade, people-to-people, and cultural connections. We intend to maintain regular high-level political dialogue with China,” Mr Peters says.
“We will discuss the bilateral relationship, as well as Pacific, regional, and global issues of interest to both countries.”
Mr Peters will then travel on to Ulaanbaatar, where he will discuss areas of cooperation in agriculture and tourism, as well as mark the 50th anniversary of New Zealand’s diplomatic relations with Mongolia.
Mr Peters will also visit Seoul to meet Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and look at economic opportunities for New Zealand.
Mr Peters departs New Zealand on 20 February and returns on 2 March.
Source: Australian Treasurer
Natarsha Belling:
Good afternoon, Treasurer. Thanks for joining us this afternoon.
Jim Chalmers:
Thanks very much, Natarsha.
Belling:
Surely you are hoping for a rate cut tomorrow.
Chalmers:
Because I respect the independence of the Reserve Bank, its governor, and its board, I try not to make predictions or pre‑empt the discussions that are going on right now in Sydney about future movements in interest rates. I know that the independent Reserve Bank has a job to do and some issues to consider. I’m focused on my job. And because we’ve been working so hard on the cost of living and fighting inflation, what we’ve been able to do in Australia is get inflation down and wages up and keep unemployment low. That’s my job and I’m focused on that.
Belling:
Inflation is down now, but it certainly hasn’t been. And wages may be increasing, but the cost of living is hurting millions of Australians. Surely you have to admit that.
Chalmers:
I do, Australians are under pressure. That is still the case. Even though we have made very substantial progress together on inflation and now sustained progress on inflation, we know that Australians are still doing it tough and that’s why the cost of living is the Albanese government’s primary focus. But when it comes to inflation, even just last week a couple of the major bank economists released new forecasts for inflation. They lowered them substantially. So, we have made that very significant progress together as Australians when it comes to inflation. We have been delivering lower inflation, higher wages and low unemployment. But we know that the job’s not done and people are still under the pump.
Belling:
So, in regards to inflation at the moment, if inflation is coming under control and if there is a cut to the official rate tomorrow, we know that is going to take a long time to actually really dent into those family budgets. If people do have a mortgage, it will take many months to take effect and they’re still dealing with skyrocketing costs.
Chalmers:
First of all, again, I don’t want to engage in a hypothetical. We’ll know tomorrow afternoon whether the independent Reserve Bank’s decided to cut interest rates or not. But I do accept your broader point and that is that these cost‑of‑living pressures are pretty widespread and that’s why we’ve got the tax cuts rolling out, the energy bill relief, cheaper medicines, cheaper early childhood education, it’s why we’re getting wages moving again, more rent assistance, fee‑free TAFE – all of these things are about recognising that people are under substantial pressure. The government’s got a role to play in easing that pressure wherever it responsibly can. And that’s what we’ve been doing, really, over the course of the 2 and a half years, almost 3 years that we’ve been in office. The cost of living has been the number one focus of this government. And that will continue to be the case no matter what the Reserve Bank decides independently tomorrow.
Belling:
Now, the cost‑of‑living crisis is number one at the top of the agenda with how Australians will vote on the upcoming federal election. Do you concede that they won’t vote you in because they are having to deal with this cost‑of‑living crisis?
Chalmers:
Look, I don’t obsess over the polls, and that’s because my job is to – my job is to focus on a different set of numbers in the economy. And to the extent they’re related, I think it just reflects the fact, as you and I have been talking about today, that people are under pressure and they express that sometimes in the political system. But my focus as the Treasurer, our focus as the government, is on a different set of numbers in the economy: inflation, unemployment, wages, all of the things that you and I have been talking about today.
Belling:
Ok, Treasurer, there is speculation that you have been privately telling MPs not to speculate on what the Reserve Bank may do. Is that true?
Chalmers:
I say the same thing to my colleagues behind closed doors that I say publicly, and that is not to take any outcome from the Reserve Bank for granted, and I mean that. I have so much respect for the Reserve Bank, its governor and its board, that I don’t engage in a running commentary on what they might decide. I don’t predict or pre‑empt those discussions that are underway right now, I say that to my colleagues as well. They will announce their decision in due course. Our job as the Cabinet in the Albanese Labor government is to alleviate the cost‑of‑living pressures wherever we responsibly can, to work around the clock as we have been, on getting inflation down at the same time as we get wages up and keep unemployment low. And we have made some really good progress there, but we don’t pretend that there isn’t more work to do.
Belling:
Treasurer, a Budget is scheduled for March, but can you commit to that at this stage? Surely you’ll then have some more sweeteners and then go into a May election. So, can you say that Budget is locked and loaded for March?
Chalmers:
That’s what we’re working towards. The final decision on the timing of the election will be up to the Prime Minister, as is always the case. But Katy Gallagher and I are working very hard with the Expenditure Review Committee to put together that Budget for March. And what people can expect in our fourth Budget is what they saw in the first 3. We will continue to take the right economic decisions for the right reasons. We’ll continue to prioritise getting on top of inflation without ignoring the risks to growth in our economy. It’s been that combination, that balance that we’ve struck in the first 3 Budgets that has helped us get inflation down and wages up and keep unemployment low. And that’s the approach that we’ll continue to take in the fourth Budget.
Belling:
Treasurer, if Labor does lose the federal election, will you be the next Labor leader?
Chalmers:
I’m not even thinking about that – 100 per cent of my time is spent putting together the Budget, putting together our economic policies with our colleagues, working around the clock not just to see the return of the Albanese Labor government, but also to make sure that we can continue to make progress in the economy. The alternative to that, the big risk posed to progress in the economy, would be a change of government. We know that Australians would already be thousands of dollars worse off if Peter Dutton had his way, worse off still if he wins the election. And so my job is to work as hard as I can as Anthony Albanese’s Treasurer in this Labor government to keep making the right economic decisions to win the next election so we can continue to deliver for the Australian people, particularly when it comes to the cost of living.
Belling:
Jim Chalmers, thank you for joining us this afternoon.
Source: China State Council Information Office 2
Two survivors of the Nanjing Massacre passed away on Saturday, bringing the number of living registered survivors to 28, according to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders on Sunday.
Yi Lanying, who died at the age of 99, had a front tooth knocked out by a Japanese officer during the massacre. She also witnessed a Japanese soldier stab to death with his bayonet a young man who had been eating breakfast, as well as a group of Japanese soldiers searching homes and abducting more than 70 young men.
These traumatic experiences left her with deep fear that led to panic attacks, heart palpitations and tinnitus. During her life, she expressed her hope that future generations would never forget the innocent lives that were lost in the massacre.
Tao Chengyi, who died at the age of 89, lost his father, uncle and cousin at the hands of the Japanese invaders. “After my father was killed, my mother struggled to make a living by running a small business with us children. The war destroyed my childhood,” Tao had said.
The Nanjing Massacre occurred when Japanese troops captured the then Chinese capital on Dec. 13, 1937. Over six weeks, they killed approximately 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers in one of the most barbaric episodes of World War II.
In 2014, China’s top legislature designated Dec. 13 as a national memorial day for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre.
Source: China State Council Information Office
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi shakes hands with his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha in Munich, Germany, February 15, 2025. [Photo/Chinese Foreign Ministry]
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reaffirmed China’s commitment to peace and dialogue during a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha in Munich, Germany on Saturday, held on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee, emphasized the long-standing friendship and strategic partnership between China and Ukraine, established in 2011. He noted that, despite challenging global circumstances, China remains Ukraine’s largest trading partner, a testament to the enduring potential for cooperation between the two nations.
Highlighting China’s view of Ukraine as both a friend and a partner, Wang expressed China’s willingness to work with Ukraine to overcome challenges and further develop bilateral ties. He also expressed hope that Ukraine would continue to ensure the safety of Chinese institutions and citizens within its borders.
On the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, Wang reiterated China’s firm stance on promoting peace and dialogue. He emphasized the principles laid out by President Xi Jinping, which he said have proven to be objective, impartial, and pragmatic in guiding the resolution process.
China will remain committed to these principles, continuing to play a constructive role in the political settlement of the crisis and the pursuit of peace, Wang affirmed. He added that China supports all efforts focused on peace and advocates for a fair, lasting, and binding peace agreement accepted by all parties involved. Wang also noted that the “Friends of Peace” platform, led by China and other Global South countries, will continue its work to foster international consensus on peace and dialogue.
Sybiha, for his part, acknowledged the strong bilateral ties and friendly relations between the peoples of Ukraine and China. He stressed Ukraine’s adherence to the one-China principle and its readiness to strengthen exchanges and deepen its strategic partnership with China. Sybiha also assured that Ukraine would continue to protect Chinese institutions and citizens.
Furthermore, Sybiha expressed Ukraine’s respect for China’s global influence and its appreciation for China’s balanced approach to international issues. He called on China to play a key role in achieving comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the region.
Source: NASA
NASA’s Small Spacecraft Systems Virtual Institute (S3VI) is pleased to announce the official release of the highly anticipated 2024 State-of-the-Art Small Spacecraft Technology report. This significant accomplishment was made possible by the contributions of numerous dedicated people across NASA who graciously supported the preparation of the document as authors and reviewers. We also want to extend our gratitude to all the companies, universities, and organizations that provided content for this report.
The 2024 report can be found online at https://www.nasa.gov/smallsat-institute/sst-soa. The report is also available in PDF format as a single document containing all report content as well as individual chapters available on their respective chapter webpages. This 2024 edition reflects updates in several chapters to include: the Formation Flying and Rendezvous and Proximity Operations section within the “Guidance, Navigation, and Control” chapter; the Additive Manufacturing section within the “Structures, Materials, and Mechanisms” chapter; the Free Space Optical Communications section within the “Communications” chapter; and the Hosted Orbital Services section within the “Complete Spacecraft Platforms” chapter.
As in previous editions, the report contains a general overview of current state-of-the-art SmallSat technologies and their development status as discussed in open literature. The report is not intended to be an exhaustive representation of all technologies currently available to the small spacecraft community, nor does the inclusion of technologies in the report serve as an endorsement by NASA. Sources of publicly available date commonly used as sources in the development of the report include manufacturer datasheets, press releases, conference papers, journal papers, public filings with government agencies, and news articles. Readers are highly encouraged to reach out to companies for further information regarding the performance and maturity of described technologies of interest. During the report’s development, companies were encouraged to release test information and flight data when possible so it may be appropriately captured. It should be noted that technology maturity designations may vary with change to payload, mission requirements, reliability considerations, and the associated test/flight environment in which performance was demonstrated.
Suggestions or corrections to the 2024 report toward a subsequent edition, should be submitted to the NASA Small Spacecraft Systems Virtual Institute Agency-SmallSat-Institute@mail.nasa.gov for consideration prior to the publication of the future edition. When submitting suggestions or corrections, please cite appropriate publicly accessible references. Private correspondence is not considered an adequate reference. Efforts are underway for the 2025 report and organizations are invited to submit technologies for consideration for inclusion by August 1, 2025.
NASA’s Small Spacecraft Technology program within the Space Technology Mission Directorate funds the Small Spacecraft Systems Virtual Institute.
Source: US State of California 2
What you need to know: California’s work to pre-deploy resources ahead of this week’s major storms paid off with successful rescue efforts and no major damage reported.
SACRAMENTO — Governor Gavin Newsom today praised the proactive emergency response efforts that helped save lives and prevent significant impacts from the latest major winter storms. Thanks to California’s advanced planning, coordination and strategic pre-deployment of state and local emergency resources, the storm resulted in only minor debris flows, with no major structural damage or significant injuries reported.
The Governor directed the pre-deployment of resources earlier in the week, ahead of the storm. Specifically, the California National Guard cleared debris basins near burn scars ahead of this week’s rain event. CalGuard proactively removed 298,335 cubic yards of debris and materials from the Sierra Madre Villa Basin and Eaton Canyon Reservoir which worked as intended to protect homes from debris runoff.
Additionally, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) Watershed and Debris Flow Task Force deployed over 120 miles of protective measures in an unprecedented effort to protect vulnerable communities.
In the face of another severe weather event, California once again demonstrated the power of preparation. Our pre-storm efforts saved lives and kept our communities safe. We continue to be grateful to our first responders for running into danger and saving countless lives and property.
Governor Gavin Newsom
Pre-deployed personnel, equipment, and resources in 20 counties across the state led to life-saving efforts:
“The close coordination between state, local, and federal partners played a critical role in protecting lives and property,” said Cal OES Director Nancy Ward. “This storm was another reminder that California must remain vigilant and ready to respond as our climate brings increasingly severe weather patterns.”
The state-of-the-art ALERTCalifornia wildfire and disaster monitoring system operated by the University of California San Diego in partnership with Cal OES, CAL FIRE and other agencies provided real-time access to over 1,000 cameras strategically positioned across California.
During the storm, ALERTCalifornia played a critical role in situational awareness by enabling first responders and the public to assess rain conditions, debris flows, and make data-driven decisions to protect communities.
Californians are encouraged to sign up for emergency alerts, review their evacuation plans, and heed warnings from local officials.
