Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
    Police are investigating a fatal traffic accident in Pat Heung in the small hours today (June 27) in which a man died.
At about 2.10am, a taxi driven by a 63-year-old man was travelling along Fan Kam Road towards Sheung Shui, while a private car driven by a 54-year-old man was travelling along Fan Kam Road towards Yuen Long. When reaching the vicinity of Wang Toi Shan Chuk Hang Chuen, the two vehicles reportedly collided head-on.
   The taxi driver and two male passengers, aged 41 and 43 respectively, were trapped inside the taxi and rescued by firemen. The 41-year-old male passenger sustained serious injuries and was rushed to North District Hospital in unconscious state, and was certified dead at 3.02am.
    The taxi driver sustained serious injuries to his chest and limbs and was sent to Prince of Wales Hospital in conscious state; the 43-year-old male taxi passenger sustained injuries to his head and hand and was sent to Tuen Mun Hospital in conscious state; while the private car driver sustained injuries to his waist and was sent to North District Hospital in conscious state.
    Investigation by the Special Investigation Team of Traffic, New Territories North is under way.
    Anyone who witnessed the accident or has any information to offer is urged to contact the investigating officers on 3661 3857.
European Union leaders discussed new proposals from the United States on a trade deal at a summit in Brussels on Thursday, with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen not ruling out tariff talks could fail and saying “all options remain on the table”.
Time is running out for the bloc to find a common position before a respite on higher tariffs threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump expires on July 9, which could hammer exporters from cars to pharmaceuticals.
European leaders were meeting to decide whether they want to push for a quick trade agreement or keep fighting for a better deal, with the EU’s two biggest economies apparently at odds.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged the EU to do a “quick and simple” trade deal rather than a “slow and complicated” one.
But in a separate briefing, French President Emmanuel Macron, while also wanting a quick and pragmatic trade deal, said his country would not accept terms that were not balanced.
All tools must be used to ensure a fair deal and if the U.S. baseline rate of 10% remained in place, then Europe’s response would have to have an equivalent impact, he said.
“Our goodwill should not be seen as a weakness,” Macron added.
French officials have argued that the Commission should take a firmer stance including by targeting U.S. services.
Similarly, Merz said European leaders were “basically united” on concluding the Mercosur trade deal with the South American trade bloc, but Macron said he could not support the deal in its current form.
Von der Leyen said the EU had received the latest U.S. document on Thursday for further negotiations and the bloc was still assessing it.
“We are ready for a deal. At the same time, we are preparing for the possibility that no satisfactory agreement is reached,” she told reporters. “In short, all options remain on the table.”
No specifics were immediately available on the document, which one EU diplomat described as a “two-pager, principle agreement”, adding the United States did not want to get into specific industrial sectors.
The bloc is already subject to U.S. import tariffs of 50% on its steel and aluminium, 25% for cars and car parts along with the 10% tariff on most other EU goods that Trump has threatened could rise to 50% without an agreement.
The European Union has agreed, but not imposed, tariffs on 21 billion euros ($24.55 billion) of U.S. goods and is debating a further package of tariffs on up to 95 billion euros of U.S. imports.
Among the EU rebalancing options is a tax on digital advertising, which would hit U.S. giants like Alphabet Inc’s Google GOOGL.O, Meta META.O, Apple AAPL.O, X and Microsoft MSFT.O and eat into the trade surplus in services the U.S. has with the EU.
The EU leaders also discussed ideas to carve out a new form of trade cooperation with Asia-Pacific countries that would be a way of reforming what they see as an ineffective World Trade Organisation.
Merz said the idea was in its early stages but could include mechanisms to resolve disputes, as the WTO was meant to do.
“You all know that the WTO doesn’t work any more,” he said.
OTHER ISSUES
The EU summit pivots from a NATO meeting this week that agreed to drastically raise defence spending in the military alliance but left some European countries finding it difficult to pay, and Spain explicitly demanding an opt-out.
Aside from tariffs, the EU bloc also has to tackle a raft of other issues, including its support for Ukraine and the prospect of EU membership for a country still at war against nuclear-armed Russia. Hungary is firmly opposed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had urged the EU to pass a new sanctions package on Russia targeting its oil trade and banks, as well as to give a clear signal on his country’s EU accession.
“What’s needed now is a clear political message – that Ukraine is firmly on the European path, and that Europe stands by its promises,” he told EU leaders. “Any delay by Europe at this point could create a global precedent – a reason to doubt Europe’s words and commitments.”
On the sidelines of the summit, EU leaders also sought to allay the concerns of Slovakia and Hungary over ending their access to Russian gas as foreseen by the EU’s plan to phase out all Russian gas imports by the end of 2027.
Before the start of the summit however, Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico said he would block a vote on the EU’s 18th package of sanctions against Russia until Slovak concerns on gas were addressed.
U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday said he was unaware of any intelligence suggesting Iran had moved any of its highly enriched uranium to shield it from U.S. strikes, amid continuing questions about the state of Iran’s nuclear program.
U.S. military bombers carried out strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities early Sunday local time using more than a dozen 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs.
The results of the strikes are being closely watched to see how far they may have set back Iran’s nuclear program, after President Donald Trump said it had been obliterated.
“I’m not aware of any intelligence that I’ve reviewed that says things were not where they were supposed to be, moved or otherwise,” Hegseth told an often fiery news conference.
Trump, who watched Hegseth’s exchange with reporters, echoed his defense secretary, saying it would have taken too long to remove anything.
“The cars and small trucks at the site were those of concrete workers trying to cover up the top of the shafts. Nothing was taken out of (the) facility,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, without providing evidence.
Several experts have cautioned that Iran likely moved a stockpile of near weapons-grade highly enriched uranium out of the deeply buried Fordow site before the strikes, and could be hiding it in unknown locations.
They noted satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies showing “unusual activity” at Fordow on Thursday and Friday, with a long line of vehicles waiting outside an entrance to the facility. A senior Iranian source told Reuters on Sunday most of the 60% highly enriched uranium had been moved to an undisclosed location before the attack.
WHEREABOUTS OF URANIUM
The Financial Times, citing European intelligence assessments, reported that Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile remains largely intact since it was not concentrated at Fordow.
Hegseth’s comments denying such claims came at the news briefing where he also accused journalists of downplaying the success of the strikes following a leaked preliminary assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency suggesting they may have only set back Iran by months.
He said the assessment was low confidence, and, citing comments from CIA Director John Ratcliffe, had been overtaken by intelligence showing Iran’s nuclear program was severely damaged and would take years to rebuild.
U.S. senators briefed later on Thursday by Ratcliffe, Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it was clear the strikes had damaged Iran’s nuclear facilities, though it would take time to assess by how much.
“I will say it was not part of the mission to destroy all their enriched uranium or to seize it or anything else,” Republican Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton of Arkansas told reporters after the classified briefing, adding that he was confident the mission was “extraordinary.”
Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Intelligence Committee Democrat, said the only way to be certain about Iran’s nuclear capabilities was to have inspectors on the ground.
“It was clear, and again, this is long before this brief, that some of the enriched uranium was never going to be taken out by a bunker-buster bomb, so some of that obviously remains,” Warner said.
Tulsi Gabbard, who normally would conduct such briefings as director of national intelligence, did not participate. Trump said last week that she was wrong in suggesting there was no evidence Iran was building a nuclear weapon.
The four officials were due to brief the House of Representatives on Friday.
Senators are expected to vote this week on a resolution that would require congressional approval for strikes against Iran, which is not expected to be enacted.
At the Pentagon news conference, Hegseth described the strikes as “historically successful.” His comments came after Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran would respond to any future U.S. attack by striking American military bases in the Middle East.
Khamenei claimed victory after 12 days of war, and promised Iran would not surrender despite Trump’s calls.
MEDIA ‘HATRED’
During the news conference, Hegseth criticized the media, without evidence, for having an anti-Trump bias.
“It’s in your DNA and in your blood to cheer against Trump because you want him not to be successful so bad,” Hegseth said.
“There are so many aspects of what our brave men and women did that … because of the hatred of this press corps, are undermined,” he said.
Trump praised Hegseth’s news conference as: “One of the greatest, most professional, and most ‘confirming’ News Conferences I have ever seen!”
On X, Hegseth thanked Trump for his praise.
During the press conference, Caine, the top U.S. general, largely stuck to technical details, showing a video testing the bombs on a bunker like the ones struck on Sunday.
Caine declined to provide his own assessment of the strike, deferring to the intelligence community. He denied being under pressure to present a more optimistic view of the U.S. strikes and said he would not change his assessment due to politics.
Uniformed military officials are supposed to remain apolitical.
“I’ve never been pressured by the president or the secretary to do anything other than tell them exactly what I’m thinking, and that’s exactly what I’ve done,” Caine said.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
As China emerges as a global hub for smart manufacturing and technological innovation, German companies are ramping up their presence and partnerships in the country, moving beyond traditional technology transfer to embrace joint R&D and ecosystem-level collaboration.
At the Sino-German Smart Manufacturing Matchmaking Conference held from Tuesday to Thursday in Hefei, east China’s Anhui Province, nearly 100 German enterprises — including industry leaders like BMW and Siemens — gathered to explore new opportunities, signaling a renewed momentum in bilateral industrial cooperation.
The three-day conference included field visits, matchmaking sessions and in-depth exchanges, resulting in 28 trade and investment deals worth over 6.8 billion yuan (about 949.46 million U.S. dollars). These covered a wide range of sectors, from new energy and intelligent connected vehicles to high-end equipment, life sciences, environmental protection, and artificial intelligence.
For Helmut Heuser, managing director of Wurth Electronic ICS (Shenyang) Co., Ltd., it was already his third trip to Anhui this year — a province now widely recognized for its high-tech orientation and smart manufacturing strengths.
“This region’s automotive industry and innovation capabilities are booming,” said Heuser. “We hope to gain new customers, discover new market possibilities, and seize fresh opportunities here.”
His company has already provided battery management systems and smart controllers for several Chinese companies, including Anhui-based auto giant JAC Motors, and is collaborating in fields like industrial robotics to co-develop new intelligent solutions.
As China’s innovation engine gathers strength, Sino-German cooperation is evolving from one-way technology import into a model of joint innovation and mutual empowerment, offering a collaborative blueprint for global smart manufacturing.
“We are cooperating for decades and decades in the past 40 years. It was very successful, mainly because German companies brought a lot of technology here and support the Chinese companies to upgrade,” said Maximilian Butek, executive director and board member of the German Chamber of Commerce in China, the east China region.
However, he noted that the two sides are now engaged in a different game, as Chinese enterprises and talent are demonstrating strong innovation potential, attracting many German companies to carry out R&D in China and export technologies to the global market.
According to the 2024/2025 Business Confidence Survey by the German Chamber of Commerce in China, 92 percent of member companies plan to stay in China, and about half intend to increase their investment over the next two years.
This long-term commitment reflects not only confidence in the Chinese market, but also recognition of the country’s growing innovation capacity.
In fact, 55 percent of German companies operating in China expect their Chinese counterparts to become innovation leaders in their industries within the next five years, and nearly half of the surveyed firms plan to enhance competitiveness through partnerships with Chinese players.
German high-tech firm Trumpf Group, a century-old leader in machine tools and laser technology, has seen rapid growth in China since entering the market in 2000. It has also deepened cooperation with local partners in advancing manufacturing digitization.
“In the new energy vehicle sector alone, over 2,000 processes require lasers. For example, copper and aluminum alloys — key materials in power batteries — are highly reflective and can create welding splashes that pose safety risks,” said Yang Gang, president of Trumpf Group (China). “By working with Chinese partners, we’ve developed processes to suppress splatter and overcome these technical bottlenecks.”
Sino-German cooperation is now scaling from individual projects to ecosystem-level coordination, encompassing shared technologies, harmonized standards, and integrated production capacity.
Reflecting this growing momentum, earlier this year BMW deepened its local AI ecosystem by integrating DeepSeek, following its strategic partnership with Alibaba in large language models. In June, the Sino-German Standardization Innovation Center was officially launched, aiming to produce more joint standardization outcomes in smart manufacturing and beyond.
Meanwhile, Feiwo Technology signed a strategic cooperation agreement with German aerospace parts manufacturer Heggemann, combining China’s cost-efficiency and Germany’s lean production expertise to jointly develop core aircraft components.
Smart manufacturing has been identified as a national priority in China. And international cooperation — particularly with Germany, a long-time industrial partner — plays a crucial role in driving technological advancement and industrial upgrading.
In the face of growing global uncertainties, many German companies noted that Sino-German cooperation in smart manufacturing is expected to generate mutual benefits and contribute to greater stability in global supply chains.
“Sino-German cooperation offers mutual benefits,” said Heuser. “For China, it is access to German industrial know-how and EU market pathways. For Germany, it is faster innovation cycles and access to China’s vast data resources. Together, we believe we can set global benchmarks for Industry 4.0, combining Germany’s quality-first approach with China’s speed-to-market advantage.”
An alleged car thief in Napier picked the wrong location to try her luck – getting arrested within 10 minutes of stealing a vehicle parked opposite the Police station.
Shortly before 10am today, a courier driver was delivering a parcel to a premises on Station Street, opposite the Napier Police Station.
Senior Sergeant Su Robinson says the driver left his vehicle running, as was his usual practice, when a woman got into the vehicle and drove off with the van loaded full of parcels.
“The driver has urgently run into the front counter of the Police Station and let front desk staff know,” she says.
“An immediate call went out to all staff on the radio with the details, and staff have sprung into action.”
Officers have made area enquiries, and located both the van and the woman on Masefield Avenue.
The 27-year-old woman was arrested, and she is due in Napier District Court on 3 July charged with unlawfully taking a motor vehicle.
Senior Sergeant Robinson says the woman will also face a burglary charge, after the arresting officer located property on her relating to a previous burglary.
“While officers were fortunate to make an incredibly quick arrest on this occasion, we’d urge anyone leaving their vehicle even for a short time to please ensure it is locked – as it only takes a second for someone to steal it.”
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
The Northern Territory Police Force attended a large disturbance at Willowra community yesterday afternoon.
About 5pm, the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre received reports of up to 60 people armed with various weapons involved in a disturbance. Two vehicles are also believed to have been deliberately set on fire.
Ti-Tree Police deployed to the community and the group dispersed.
Investigations are ongoing.
Anyone with information is urged to make contact on 131 444. Anonymous reports can be made via Crime Stopper on 1800 333 000.
Investigations are continuing into the murder of a 39-year-old man in Port Lincoln earlier this month.
Police wish to reassure the public that the accused a, 34-year-old local woman Tamika Chesser, remains in custody charged with murder, and that this was not a random incident.
Just before 3.30pm on Thursday 19 June, police and emergency services were called to a unit on Flinders Highway, Port Lincoln after reports of a small fire.
When police entered the property, they located a deceased man. He is believed to be the occupant and Tamika’s partner, Julian Story, 39 years old.
It was a confronting scene for police and emergency services personnel as Julian’s body had been dismembered. Julian’s head had been removed during the dismemberment and, despite extensive searches, has not yet been located.
Investigators believe Julian was killed around midnight on the Tuesday 17 June.
Police are trying to track Tamika’s movements in the week of the murder, particularly between midnight on Tuesday night and the report of the fire at 3.30 pm on Thursday afternoon.
Major Crime detectives have released images of the clothing she was wearing during this time in the hope that it will jog people’s memories. Police are appealing to local residents to review any CCTV or dashcam footage they have which may assist the investigation. (Images below)
Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke said, “All murders cause pain and grief for victims’ families and friends. The circumstances of this murder are particularly harrowing, confronting and distressing. Major Crime detectives have spoken with Julian’s family who are devastated by his loss and also by the circumstances surrounding his death.
“We are releasing the details of this horrific crime because it is vital for Julian’s family to peacefully lay him to rest.
“We know that Tamika did not drive a vehicle and regularly walked around the township of Port Lincoln. We are appealing to anyone who can help us to identify Tamika’s movements to please contact police.”
Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au – you can remain anonymous.
CO2500025517
Statement from Julian Story’s family:
On behalf of our family, we want to sincerely thank the South Australian Police, emergency services, and first responders for their compassion and professionalism during this devastating time. We are navigating an unimaginable loss, and your care has brought comfort amid the chaos. We are also deeply grateful to our family and friends and this extraordinary community whose kindness and support have helped carry us through. Your prayers, presence, and quiet strength mean more than words can say. This will be our only statement. For any further information, please direct all enquiries to the South Australian Police.
Vinicius Jr scored one and set up another as Real Madrid secured a 3-0 victory over RB Salzburg on Thursday to seal top spot in Group H and advance to the Club World Cup round of 16.
The Spaniards finished with seven points, two clear of Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal, who defeated Pachuca 2-0 in the day’s other group fixture. Austria’s Salzburg, with four points, and Mexican side Pachuca, who failed to register a point, were eliminated.
Real Madrid will next face Group G runners-up Juventus on Tuesday at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, while Al-Hilal take on Manchester City in Orlando on Monday.
Under steady rain in Philadelphia, Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid dominated proceedings against a lacklustre Salzburg, who created few clear-cut chances.
Salzburg’s 18-year-old goalkeeper Christian Zawieschitzky was sharp from the outset and denied Vinicius an early opener with a point-blank save.
The Brazilian forward squandered further opportunities while Gonzalo Garcia also missed a golden chance from a Vinicius cross near the half-hour mark.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 40th minute with Jude Bellingham threading a perfectly timed pass through to Vinicius, who danced past two defenders and unleashed from the edge of the box to leave Zawieschitzky with no chance.
Vinicius played a pivotal role in Real’s second during first-half added time, picking up a loose ball in the box and delivering an audacious back-heeled pass to Federico Valverde, who fired home from close range.
Real Madrid maintained control in the second half but continued to waste chances in front of goal and it was not until the 84th minute that Gonzalo Garcia wrapped up the win, lobbing over the Salzburg goalkeeper in a quick counter.
“I’m very happy with the goal and the assist. But now comes the most important part, the knockouts, and we’re looking forward to it,” Vinicius told DAZN.
“The vibes were good. We played very well in the first half, but we were a bit slower in the second. That’s normal given the matches coming up, where we can’t afford to slip up.”
Real should also be able to call on Kylian Mbappe for the knockout rounds after the French forward missed the entire group stage due to illness.
Mbappe returned to training on Wednesday after being struck down by acute gastroenteritis last week but Alonso said they decided to leave him out of the Salzburg match to allow him to make a full recovery for the knockout stage.
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
The NT Police Force arrested an 18-year-old male after he allegedly assaulted a shop attendant in Millner yesterday afternoon.
About 2pm, the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre received reports of male allegedly threatening shop attendants at a local grocery shop on Sabine Road. The male allegedly went behind the counter and attempted to open the register before the shop attendants and members of the public intervened.
One of the shop attendants was struck with a stapler that was thrown at his head causing a minor laceration. The male fled the scene before police arrival.
The Dog Operations Unit and Territory Safety Division officers responded. Patrol Dog Wedge was deployed and tracked the male to a location nearby where he was arrested without incident.
The 18-year-old male has since been charged with Assault with intent to steal, Assault a worker – Suffers harm and two counts of Assault a worker. He was remanded to appear in Darwin Local Court today.
Strike Force Trident has carriage of the investigation.
Anyone with information in relation to this incident is urged to contact police on 131 444. You can make an anonymous report via Crime Stoppers by calling 1800 333 000.
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Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
A 30-year-old male has been arrested after he escaped custody yesterday evening in Alice Springs.
Around 9:30pm, the male was arrested at a casino on Barrett Drive for engaging in disorderly behaviour and drinking in a public place.
As he was being walked to the police vehicle, two males aged 32 and 34 began harassing the police member maintaining custody of the offender.
The 30-year-old escaped custody and fled into the Todd River, evading police attempts to apprehend him.
Additional units attended and a cordon was established. At 10:20pm, the male was re-arrested without incident. He has since been charged with Escape from custody, Disorderly behaviour in a public place and Nuisance public drinking. He was bailed to appear in court on 29 July.
The 32 and 34-year-olds were taken into protective custody.
Anyone who witnesses crime or antisocial behaviour is urged to contact police on 131 444. In an emergency, dial 000. Anonymous reports can be made through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via https://crimestoppersnt.com.au/.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Palestinians gather to receive food aid at a food assistance distribution point in Gaza City, on June 26, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
UN humanitarians said Thursday that its partners delivering health aid in Gaza reported a spike in preventable diseases linked to a lack of clean water, sanitation and fuel.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that in the last two weeks, more than 19,000 cases of acute watery diarrhea were recorded, alongside more than 200 cases each of acute jaundice syndrome and bloody diarrhea.
“These outbreaks are directly linked to the lack of clean water and sanitation in Gaza, underscoring the urgent need for fuel, medical supplies, and water, sanitation and hygiene items to prevent further collapse of the public health system,” the humanitarians said.
Palestinians collect items in the rubble of a destroyed building after an Israeli airstrike at the Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, on June 26, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
The partners also reported yet another mass casualty incident for Al Aqsa Hospital following an airstrike in Deir al-Balah.
They said the hospital received more than 20 people killed and 70 others injured. Additional wounded patients had to be transferred to Nasser Medical Complex and two other health facilities.
“Civilians in Gaza continue to be killed or injured daily, whether in Israeli airstrikes, shelling, or while trying to find food for their families,” said OCHA. “These tragic events must not be normalized and must come to an immediate end.”
On a more positive note, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported delivering its first medical shipment into Gaza since March 2, when Israel imposed a full blockade on the strip. Nine trucks carrying essential medical supplies, 2,000 units of blood, and 1,500 units of plasma were transported from the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem border crossing.
Palestinians carry aid they received from trucks that entered the northern Gaza Strip, at a street north of Gaza City, on June 22, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
The WHO said the supplies were being distributed to priority hospitals. The blood and plasma were delivered to the cold storage facility at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, to be distributed to hospitals facing critical shortages amid a growing influx of injuries, many linked to incidents at the non-UN, militarized food distribution sites run by the United States.
The WHO said the shipment of the badly needed medical supplies is only a drop in the ocean.
OCHA said that to meet humanitarian needs and help reduce looting, it is essential to increase the flow of humanitarian and essential commercial goods into Gaza through multiple crossings and routes and facilitate their safe distribution across the strip.
The office said that on Wednesday, six out of 17 attempts to coordinate humanitarian movements inside Gaza were rejected outright by the Israeli authorities. The planned UN missions included trucking water and repairing roads. Nine other coordination attempts, including the removal of solid waste and collection of cargo from the crossings, were facilitated by the Israeli authorities. Two additional attempts were not made.
“The continued restrictions on humanitarian access are severely undermining life-saving operations,” the office said.
People carry the bodies of three Palestinians killed in an Israeli settler attack in the town of Kafr Malik east of Ramallah, central West Bank, on June 26, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
OCHA said it is gravely concerned about escalating violence and Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank.
The office said it documented an attack where three Palestinians were killed and several others injured when hundreds of settlers, some armed and accompanied by Israeli forces, raided the village of Kafr Malik and set fire to occupied homes on Wednesday. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics in the Ramallah governorate reported that Kafr Malik has a population exceeding 3,000.
OCHA said that in another attack on Wednesday, about 20 settlers set fire to farmland in Asira al Qibliya village in Nablus governorate.
“Civilians continue to bear the brunt of this prolonged Israeli occupation,” the office said of violence in Gaza and the West Bank. “OCHA reiterates its call for the protection of civilians and humanitarian personnel, full respect for international law, and unfettered humanitarian access.”
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei attends the second round of Iran’s 12th parliamentary election in Tehran, Iran, May 10, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Thursday the United States gained nothing from the war against Iran and instead received a “harsh slap” in the face.
He made the remarks in a video message broadcast by state-run IRIB TV while congratulating the Iranian nation on its “victory” in the war with Israel and the United States.
“Despite all its propaganda and claims, Israel was almost knocked down and crushed under Iran’s blows,” said Khamenei.
He added that the Iranian missiles and other weapons managed to pass through Israel’s “advanced multi-layered defense” and raze to the ground many of Israel’s urban and military areas.
Khamenei said Israel should know that any aggression against Iran would be heavily costly for it.
He added the United States entered the war to rescue Israel, “but accomplished nothing from this war.”
He noted that the United States exaggerated its achievements in the war because they failed to achieve their objective and needed that to cover up the truth, emphasizing that “here again, the Islamic Republic of Iran achieved victory and responded by giving the United States a harsh slap in the face.”
Khamenei said Iran attacked U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, “which is among the U.S. important bases in the West Asia region,” and inflicted damages, stressing that some sought to downplay it and said nothing had happened.
On June 13, Israel launched major airstrikes on different areas in Iran, including nuclear and military sites, killing several senior commanders, nuclear scientists and many civilians. Iran responded by launching several waves of missile and drone attacks on Israel, inflicting casualties and damage.
On Saturday, the U.S. Air Force bombed three Iranian nuclear sites of Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. In retaliation, Iran on Monday struck the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar with missiles.
Following the 12-day war, a ceasefire between Iran and Israel was achieved on Tuesday.
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on June 27, 2025.
Travelling with food allergies? These 8 tips can help you stay safer in the skies Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Koplin, Evidence and Translation Lead, National Allergy Centre of Excellence; Chief Investigator, Centre of Food Allergy Research; Associate Professor and Group Leader, Childhood Allergy & Epidemiology Group, Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland Anchiy/Getty Images With the school holidays approaching, many families will be
Cats at 40: a dazzling cast – stuck in an outdated show Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karen Cummings, Lecturer in Singing, University of Sydney The star of the 40th anniversary production of Cats – which premiered at the Theatre Royal Sydney last week – is the performing ensemble. Some ensemble scenes, such as The Jellicle Ball, offered the same joy and exhilaration as
Earth is trapping much more heat than climate models forecast – and the rate has doubled in 20 years Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Sherwood, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney NASA, CC BY-NC-ND How do you measure climate change? One way is by recording temperatures in different places over a long period of time. While this works well, natural variation can make it harder to
The NDIA is changing how it pays for disability supports. What does that mean for rural communities? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edward Johnson, Lecturer in Social Entrepreneurship and Co-Founder of Umbo, University of Sydney Shutterstock Each year, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) reviews its pricing rules to ensure services funded under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) remain sustainable. This year’s annual pricing review outlines changes that
1 in 5 community footy umpires have been assaulted, while others cop death threats: new research Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alyson Crozier, Senior Lecturer, Exercise and Sport Psychology, University of South Australia Scott Barbour/Getty Images Umpires’ decisions often upset sports fans, especially during a close contest. At most games, spectators boo loudly, coaches throw their hands up in frustration and players can yell or even physically intimidate
NATO’s 5% of GDP defence target ramps up pressure on Australia to spend vastly more Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Parker, Adjunct Fellow, Naval Studies at UNSW Canberra, and Expert Associate, National Security College, Australian National University After lobbying by US President Donald Trump, NATO leaders have promised to boost annual defence spending to 5% of their countries’ gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035. A NATO
Beyond playgrounds: how less structured city spaces can nurture children’s creativity and independence Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jose Antonio Lara-Hernandez, Senior Researcher in Architecture, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Children’s play is essential for their cognitive, physical and social development. But in cities, spaces to play are usually separated, often literally fenced off, from the rest of urban life. In our new study,
Lung cancer screening is about to start. What you need to know if you smoke or have quit Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Olver, Adjunct Professsor, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide Magic mine/Shutterstock From July, eligible Australians will be screened for lung cancer as part of the nation’s first new cancer screening program for almost 20 years. The program aims to detect
The drought in southern Australia is not over – it just looks that way Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew B. Watkins, Associate research scientist, School of Earth, Atmopshere & Environment, Monash University Andrew Watkins How often do you mow your lawn in winter? That may seem like an odd way to start a conversation about drought. But the answer helps explain why our current drought
One bad rainstorm away from disaster: why proposed changes to forestry rules won’t solve the ‘slash’ problem Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Bloomberg, Adjunct Senior Fellow, Te Kura Ngahere-New Zealand School of Forestry, University of Canterbury Murry Cave/Gisborne District Council, CC BY-SA The biggest environmental problems for commercial plantation forestry in New Zealand’s steep hill country are discharges of slash (woody debris left behind after logging) and sediment
Whatever happened to the Albanese government’s wellbeing agenda? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Sollis, Research Fellow, University of Tasmania DavideAngelini/Shutterstock The Albanese government devoted time and energy in its first term to developing a wellbeing agenda for the economy and society. It was a passion project of Treasurer Jim Chalmers, who wanted better ways to measure national welfare beyond
What do the Bible, the Quran and the Torah say about the justification for war? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Associate Professor, New Testament, & Director of The Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy, University of Divinity Wars are often waged in the name of religion. So what do key texts from Christianity, Islam and Judaism say about the justification for war?
Brands want us to trust them. But as the SPF debacle shows, they need to earn it Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Harrison, Director, Master of Business Administration Program (MBA); Co-Director, Better Consumption Lab, Deakin University It’s quite unsettling to discover something so central to our cultural rituals – the “slop” in the Aussie mantra of “Slip! Slop! Slap!” – can no longer be trusted. We’ve never really
Streaming giants have helped bring Korean dramas to the world – but much is lost in translation Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sung-Ae Lee, Lecturer, Macquarie University In less than a decade, Korean TV dramas (K-dramas) have transmuted from a regional industry to a global phenomenon – partly a consequence of the rise of streaming giants. But foreign audiences may not realise the K-dramas they’ve seen on Netflix don’t
‘Don’t surrender’ to Indonesian pressure over West Papua, Bomanak warns MSG Asia Pacific Report A West Papuan independence movement leader has warned the Melanesian Spearhead Group after its 23rd leaders summit in Suva, Fiji, to not give in to a “neocolonial trade in betrayal and abandonment” over West Papua. While endorsing and acknowledging the “unconditional support” of Melanesian people to the West Papuan cause for decolonisation,
Grattan on Friday: Jim Chalmers juggles expectations and ambition in pursuing tax reform Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Next week will be the 40th anniversary of the Hawke government’s tax summit. Dominated by then treasurer Paul Keating’s unsuccessful bid to win support for a consumption tax, it was the public centrepiece of an extraordinary political and policy story.
There’s gold trapped in your iPhone – and chemists have found a safe new way to extract it Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Justin M. Chalker, Professor of Chemistry, Flinders University A sample of refined gold recovered from mining and e-waste recycling trials. Justin Chalker In 2022, humans produced an estimated 62 million tonnes of electronic waste – enough to fill more than 1.5 million garbage trucks. This was up
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Ken Henry on changing the tax system to give struggling workers a fairer go Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In August, the Albanese government will hold an economic “roundtable” that will discuss productivity, budget sustainability and resilience. Australia’s tax system will be one of the central issues, and stakeholders are gearing up with their varying arguments for changes. Ken
As one of Shakespeare’s least performed plays, Coriolanus is startlingly relevant under Trump 2.0 Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kirk Dodd, Lecturer in English and Writing, University of Sydney Brett Boardman/Bell Shakespeare Coriolanus is one of Shakespeare’s least performed plays; perhaps because the hero is so pugnacious and classist, impressive in his strident vehemence, but lacking the vulnerability of a Macbeth or Othello. Set in the
Magpies may not be a pesky Australian import – new research finds their ancestors thrived in NZ a long time ago Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vanesa De Pietri, Senior Research Fellow in Palaeontology, University of Canterbury Shutterstock/Russ Jenkins For many New Zealanders, the Australian magpie is a familiar, if sometimes vexing, sight. Introduced from Australia in the 1860s, magpies are known for their territorial dive-bombing during nesting season, which has cemented their
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Driverless sedans glide smoothly to the curb, autonomous shuttles whisk travelers through airport terminals, and robotic sweepers hum along busy streets. These once-futuristic scenes are fast entering everyday life across the globe, and many of them are powered by Chinese technology.
From San Jose of California to Paris and Riyadh, China’s swiftly advancing autonomous driving industry is gaining ground, exporting cutting-edge solutions that are quietly transforming how people move and how cities function.
“Chinese autonomous driving firms are accelerating their global expansion, fueled by mature technologies, swift deployment cycles and rising international demand,” said Liu Jinshan, a professor at Jinan University in south China’s Guangzhou.
This photo taken on April 17, 2025 shows a WeRide Robobus (front) operating at an airport in Zurich, Switzerland. [Photo/Xinhua]
Going global
In late May, Chinese autonomous driving firm WeRide made headlines as its self-driving vehicles began rolling through the streets of the capital Riyadh and the historic city of AlUla in Saudi Arabia.
Almost simultaneously, another major player, Guangzhou-based Pony.ai, also shifted its global ambitions into higher gear, announcing a strategic partnership with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to launch autonomous transport services.
These moves are among the latest examples of a broader trend — a larger push by Chinese autonomous vehicle (AV) developers to expand their global presence.
Chinese-developed autonomous driving technologies have made inroads into a growing number of global markets — including the United States, France, Spain, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Chinese tech giant Baidu serves as a prime example of this momentum. In the first quarter of 2025, its autonomous ride-hailing arm, Apollo Go, completed over 1.4 million rides, up 75 percent year on year, bringing its global total to over 11 million rides by May.
Much of this success can be attributed to China’s innovation-friendly environment. By the end of 2024, the country had established 17 national-level intelligent connected vehicle testing zones, with more than 32,000 kilometers of open test roads and over 120 million kilometers of cumulative test mileage, according to official figures.
As Chinese AV firms gain global traction, collaboration with global players is deepening. Uber, for instance, has teamed up with WeRide and Pony.ai to integrate Chinese-developed AVs into its ride-hailing platform, starting with pilot operations in the Middle East.
“It’s clear that the future of mobility will be increasingly shared, electric and autonomous,” said Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. “We look forward to working with Chinese leading AV companies to help bring the benefits of autonomous technology to cities around the world.”
This photo taken on March 11, 2025 shows an interior view of a WeRide Robobus operating in downtown Barcelona, Spain. [Photo/Xinhua]
Mutual benefits
The rise of China’s autonomous driving industry is creating ripple effects across global markets, offering development opportunities far beyond transportation.
Peng Jun, co-founder and CEO of Pony.ai, said the company’s overseas expansion has sparked deep collaboration across the broader mobility value chain — spanning auto manufacturing, R&D, logistics and smart mobility services.
“Deploying autonomous vehicles attracts global component suppliers to invest in local facilities, which helps form industrial clusters and boosts the competitiveness of local manufacturing,” Peng noted.
The benefits go beyond factories. According to Zhang Yuxue, WeRide’s director of PR and marketing, local partnerships have also led to job creation in areas such as safety operations, fleet management and technical support.
Notably, as Chinese AV companies venture into regions with varied road conditions, climates and regulatory environments, their technologies are evolving in step.
“Expanding globally helps us sharpen our algorithms to adapt to complex, real-world scenarios, ranging from the narrow urban roads of Europe to the extreme heat of the Middle East,” said Zhang.
Wu Qiong, an autonomous driving expert at Baidu, said Apollo Go is building a “full-spectrum technical validation chain” as it expands overseas. “For example, we’re testing in Switzerland, a right-hand-drive country with some of the world’s most stringent traffic laws, which offers one of the toughest proving grounds for autonomous vehicles,” Wu said.
This photo taken on May 25, 2025 shows a WeRide Robobus operating in the historic city of AlUla in Saudi Arabia. [Photo/Xinhua]
Challenges on road ahead
Despite impressive strides, industry insiders note that autonomous driving remains in the early stages of commercialization and global expansion.
China’s autonomous driving industry still faces significant headwinds on its path to global growth, said Wu Zhanchi, a professor at Jinan University. “Challenges range from adapting to overseas regulatory frameworks and overcoming high technical localization barriers, to ensuring compliance with cross-border data regulations and fierce competition from international giants,” Wu added.
“The sector also faces significant challenges in technological innovation and the development of sustainable business models,” said Zhu Xichan, professor at Tongji University in Shanghai.
Zhu emphasized that achieving scale is crucial for the long-term viability of the AV industry. “Global expansion not only broadens the range of real-world application scenarios but also boosts deployment volumes, both of which are vital for refining technologies and developing commercially viable models,” he said.
Yet, several companies have begun to tackle these hurdles head-on. Peng Jun of Pony.ai said the company has overcome key challenges — such as cost reduction and front-end mass production. “Our products have reached a level of maturity, and we have achieved positive unit economics,” he noted.
Looking ahead, Peng said Pony.ai will continue to expand in Asia, the Middle East and Europe, leveraging existing partnerships to accelerate the growth of its global footprint.
Zhang Yuxue echoed this sentiment, saying that WeRide is committed to broadening its international reach by promoting a diverse fleet of autonomous solutions, ranging from robotaxis and minibuses to freight trucks, sanitation vehicles and advanced self-driving systems.
General Manager of Apollo Go for Europe and the Middle East Zhang Liang said Baidu aims to build the largest driverless fleet in Abu Dhabi by partnering with local stakeholders to jointly foster a robust autonomous driving ecosystem.
In addition, Baidu is exploring cooperation with local new energy firms to develop innovative services, including battery swapping, which Zhang said will help improve operational efficiency.
“Given their growing track record in both domestic and international markets, there is good reason to believe that Chinese AV firms will secure a strong foothold in this global mobility market, ultimately becoming a hallmark of ‘Made-in-China’ innovation,” Wu noted.
A sample of refined gold recovered from mining and e-waste recycling trials.Justin Chalker
In 2022, humans produced an estimated 62 million tonnes of electronic waste – enough to fill more than 1.5 million garbage trucks. This was up 82% from 2010 and is expected to rise to 82 million tonnes in 2030.
This e-waste includes old laptops and phones, which contain precious materials such as gold. Less than one quarter of it is properly collected and recycled. But a new technique colleagues and I have developed to safely and sustainably extract gold from e-waste could help change that.
Our new gold-extraction technique, which we describe in a new paper published today in Nature Sustainability, could also make small-scale gold mining less poisonous for people – and the planet.
Soaring global demand
Gold has long played a crucial role in human life. It has been a form of currency and a medium for art and fashion for centuries. Gold is also essential in modern industries including the electronics, chemical manufacture and aerospace sectors.
Deforestation and use of toxic chemicals are two such problems. In formal, large-scale mining, highly toxic cyanide is widely used to extract gold from ore. While cyanide can be degraded, its use can cause harm to wildlife, and tailings dams which store the toxic byproducts of mining operations pose a risk to the wider environment.
In small-scale and artisanal mining, mercury is used extensively to extract gold. In this practice, the gold reacts with mercury to form a dense amalgam that can be easily isolated. The gold is then recovered by heating the amalgam to vaporise the mercury.
Small-scale and artisanal mining is the largest source of mercury pollution on Earth, and the mercury emissions are dangerous to the miners and pollute the environment. New methods are required to reduce the impacts of gold mining.
Our interdisciplinary team of scientists and engineers has developed a new technique to extract gold from ore and e-waste. The aim was to provide a safer alternative to mercury and cyanide and reduce the health and environmental impacts of gold mining.
Many techniques have previously been reported for extracting gold from ore or e-waste, including mercury- and cyanide-free methods. However, many of these methods are limited in rate, yield, scale and cost. Often these methods also consider only one step in the entire gold recovery process, and recycling and waste management is often neglected.
In contrast, our approach considered sustainability throughout the whole process of gold extraction, recovery and refining. Our new leaching technology uses a chemical commonly used in water sanitation and pool chlorination: trichloroisocyanuric acid.
When this widely available and low-cost chemical is activated with salt water, it can react with gold and convert it into a water-soluble form.
To recover the gold from the solution, we invented a sulphur-rich polymer sorbent. Polymer sorbents isolate a certain substance from a liquid or gas, and ours is made by joining a key building block (a monomer) together through a chain reaction.
Our polymer sorbent is interesting because it is derived from elemental sulphur: a low-cost and highly abundant feedstock. The petroleum sector generates more sulphur than it can use or sell, so our polymer synthesis is a new use for this underused resource.
Our polymer could selectively bind and remove gold from the solution, even when many other types of metals were present in the mixture.
The simple leaching and recovery methods were demonstrated on ore, circuit boards from obsolete computers and scientific waste. Importantly, we also developed methods to regenerate and recycle both the leaching chemical and the polymer sorbent. We also established methods to purify and recycle the water used in the process.
In developing the recyclable polymer sorbent, we invented some exciting new chemistry to make the polymer using light, and then “un-make” the sorbent after it bound gold. This recycling method converted the polymer back to its original monomer building block and separated it from the gold.
The recovered monomer could then be re-made into the gold-binding polymer: an important demonstration of how the process is aligned with a circular economy.
A long and complex road ahead
In future work, we plan to collaborate with industry, government and not-for-profit groups to test our method in small-scale mining operations. Our long-term aim is to provide a robust and safe method for extracting gold, eliminating the need for highly toxic chemicals such as cyanide and mercury.
There will be many challenges to overcome including scaling up the production of the polymer sorbent and the chemical recycling processes. For uptake, we also need to ensure that the rate, yield and cost are competitive with more traditional methods of gold mining. Our preliminary results are encouraging. But there is still a long and complex road ahead before our new techniques replace cyanide and mercury.
They typically operate in remote and rural regions with few other economic opportunities. Our goal is to support these miners economically while offering safer alternatives to mercury. Likewise, the rise of “urban mining” and e-waste recycling would benefit from safer and operationally simple methods for precious metal recovery.
Success in recovering gold from e-waste will also reduce the need for primary mining and therefore lessen its environmental impact.
Justin M. Chalker is an inventor on patents associated with the gold leaching and recovery technology. Both patents are wholly owned by Flinders University. This research was supported financially by the Australian Research Council and Flinders University. He has an ongoing collaboration with Mercury Free Mining and Adelaide Control Engineering: organisations that supported the developments and trials reported in this study.
Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Associate Professor, New Testament, & Director of The Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy, University of Divinity
Wars are often waged in the name of religion. So what do key texts from Christianity, Islam and Judaism say about the justification for war?
We asked three experts for their views.
The Bible
Robyn J. Whitaker, University of Divinity
The Bible presents war as an inevitable reality of human life. This is captured in the cry of the Teacher in Ecclesiastes:
for everything there is a season […] a time for war and a time for peace.
In this sense, the Bible reflects the experiences of the authors and communities who shaped the texts over more than a thousand years as they experienced both victory and defeat as a small nation among the large empires of the ancient near east.
When it comes to God’s role in war, we cannot shirk from the problematic violence associated with the divine. At times, God orders the Hebrew people to go to war and enact horrendous violence. Deuteronomy 20 is a good example of this: God’s people are sent to war with the blessing of the priest but told to first offer terms of peace. If peace terms are accepted, the town is enslaved. Certain enemies, however, are decreed worthy of total annihilation, and the Hebrew army is commanded to destroy anyone and anything that doesn’t produce food.
On other occasions, war is interpreted as a tool, a punishment where God uses foreign nations against the Hebrew people because they have gone astray (Judges 2:14). You can also find an underlying ethic to treat the captives of war justly. Moses commands that women captured in war are to be treated as wives, not slaves (Deuteronomy 21), and in 2 Chronicles, captives are allowed to return home.
In contrast to war as divinely authorised, many of the Hebrew prophets express hope in a time where God will bring peace and people will “neither learn war any more” (Micah 3:4) but rather turn their weapons into tools for agriculture (Isaiah 2:4).
War is viewed as a result of human sinfulness, something that God will ultimately transform into peace. And that peace (Hebrew: shalom) is more than an absence of war. It is about human flourishing and unity between peoples and God.
Most of the New Testament was written during the first century CE, when Jews and emerging Christians were a minority within the Roman Empire. The military power of Rome is harshly critiqued as evil in resistance texts such as the Book of Revelation. Many early Christians refused to fight in the Roman army.
In this context, Jesus says nothing specific about war but generally rejects violence. When Jesus’s disciple Peter seeks to defend him with a sword, Jesus tells him to put away his sword because a sword only leads to more violence (Matthew 26:52). This is consistent with Jesus’s other teachings such as “blessed are the peacemakers” or his commands to “turn the other cheek” when struck or to “love your enemies”.
The reality is that we find various war ideologies in the Bible’s pages. If you want to find a justification for war in the Bible, you can. If you want to find a justification for peace or pacifism, that is there too. Later Christians would develop ideas of “just war” and pacifism based on biblical ideas, but these are developments rather than explicit within the Bible.
For Christians, Jesus’s teaching provides an ethical framework for interpreting earlier war texts through the lens of love for enemies. This counterpoint to divine violence and war points readers back to the prophets, whose hopeful visions imagine a world where violence and suffering are no more and peace is possible.
The Quran
Mehmet Ozalp, Charles Sturt University
Islam and Muslims emerged onto the world stage in the hostile environment of the seventh century. In response to major challenges, including warfare, Islam introduced pioneering legal and ethical reforms. The Quran and the Prophet Muhammad’s example laid out clear legal and ethical guidelines for the conduct of war, well before similar frameworks appeared in other societies.
Islam did this by defining a new term, “jihad” rather than the usual Arabic word for war, “harb”. While harb refers broadly to warfare, jihad was defined within Islamic teachings as a legal, morally justified struggle, which includes but is not limited to armed conflict. In the context of warfare, jihad refers specifically to fighting in a just cause under clear legal and ethical guidelines, rather than belligerent or aggressive warfare.
Between 610-622, Prophet Muhammad practised active non-violence in the face of the constant suffering, persecution and economic embargo he and his followers endured in Mecca, despite insistent approaches by his followers to take up arms. This showed that armed struggle cannot be taken up within the members of the same society, as this would lead to anarchy.
After leaving his home town to escape persecution, he established a pluralistic and multi-faith society in Medina. He took active steps to sign treaties with neighbouring tribes. Despite following a deliberate strategy of peace and diplomacy, the hostile Meccans and allied tribes attacked the Muslims in Medina. Engaging these attackers in an armed struggle was unavoidable.
The permission to fight was given to Muslims by the Quran verses 22:39-40:
The believers against whom war is waged are given permission to fight in response, for they have been wronged. Surely, God has full power to help them to victory. Those who have been driven from their homeland against all right, for no other reason than that they say, “Our Lord is God” […]
This passage not only permits armed struggle but also offers a moral justification for just war. It means war is clearly just when defensive — while aggression is unjust and condemned. Elsewhere, the Quran emphasises this point:
If they withdraw from you and do not fight against you, and offer you peace, then God allows you no way (to war) against them.
Verse 22:39 outlines two ethical justifications for warfare. The first is when people are driven from their homes (and land) – in other words, through occupation by a foreign power. The second is when people are attacked because of their beliefs to the point of violent persecution and attack.
Importantly, verse 22:40 includes churches, monasteries and synagogues. If believers in God do not defend themselves, all places of worship would be destroyed, so this is to be prevented by force if necessary.
The Quran does not allow for aggression, since “God loves not the aggressors” (2:190). It also provides detailed regulations on who is to fight and who is exempted (9:91); when hostilities must cease (2:193); and prisoners should be treated humanely and with fairness (47:4).
Verses such as 2:294 emphasise that warfare and any response to violence and aggression must be proportional and within limits:
Whoever attacks you, attack them in like manner as they attacked you. Nevertheless, fear God and remain within the bounds.
In the event of unavoidable war, every opportunity to end it must be pursued:
But if the enemy inclines towards peace, then you must also incline towards peace and trust in God.
The aim of military action is to end hostilities and remove the reason for warfare, not to humiliate or annihilate the enemy.
Military jihad cannot be pursued for personal ambition or to further nationalistic or ethnic disputes. Muslims cannot wage war on nations that have no hostility towards them (60:8). But if there is open hostility and attack, Muslims have a right to defend themselves.
The Prophet and the early caliphs specifically warned military leaders and all combatants that they must not act treacherously or engage in indiscriminate killing and pillage. He said:
Do not kill women, children, the elderly, or the sick. Do not destroy palm trees or burn houses.
Because of these teachings, Muslims have had legal and ethical guidelines throughout much of history to help limit human suffering caused by war.
The Torah
Suzanne D. Rutland, University of Sydney
Judaism is not a pacifist religion, but in its traditions it values peace above all else, and prayers for peace are central to Jewish liturgy. At the same time, there is a recognition of the need to fight defensive wars, but only within certain boundaries.
In the Torah, the Five Books of Moses, the recognition of the need for war is clear. Throughout their journeying in the desert, the Israelites (Children of Israel) fight various battles. At the same time, in Deuteronomy, the Israelites are instructed (chapter 12, verse 10):
When you go forth against your enemies and are in camp, then you should keep yourself from every evil thing.
The story of Amalek is the symbol of ultimate evil in Jewish tradition. Scholars argue this is because his army attacked the Israelites from the rear – killing defenceless women and children.
The Torah also stresses that army service is compulsory. Yet, Deuteronomy elaborates four categories of people who are exempt:
someone who has built a home but has not yet dedicated it
someone who has planted a vineyard but has not yet eaten of its fruit
someone who is engaged or in his first year of marriage
someone who is afraid, in case he influences other soldiers with his fear.
Judaism is not a pacifist religion, but in its traditions it values peace above all else. Shutterstock
It is important to point out that the disdain of war is so strong that King David was not permitted to build the temple in Jerusalem because of his military career. His son, Solomon, was allocated this task, but no iron was to be used in the building because this represented war and violence, while the temple was to represent peace, the ideal virtue.
The vision of peace for all humanity is further developed in the prophetic writings and the concept of the Messiah. This is seen particularly in the writings of the prophet Isiah, who envisaged an age when, as he describes in his idyllic vision:
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
The Mishnah, the first part of the Talmud, raises the concept of an “obligatory war” (milhemet mizvah). This encompasses the biblical wars against the seven nations said to inhabit the Promised Land, the war against Amalek, and the Jewish nation’s defensive wars. It is, accordingly, a clearly defined and recognisable class.
Not so the second category, “permitted war” (milhemet reshut), which is more open-ended and, as scholar Avi Ravitsky writes, “could relate to a preemptive war”.
After the Talmudic period, which ended in the 7th century, this debate became theoretical, since Jews living in Palestine and the diaspora no longer had an army. This was largely the case from the time of the defeat of the Bar Kokhba Rebellion against the Romans (132–135 CE), apart from a few small Jewish kingdoms in Arabia.
However, with the return of the early Zionist pioneers to the Land of Israel in the late 19th and 20th century, the rabbinic debates of what constitutes an obligatory, defensive war and what is a permitted war, as well as the characteristics of a forbidden war has reignited. This is a subject of deep concern and controversy for both academics and rabbis today.
Robyn J. Whitaker is affiliated with The Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy.
Mehmet Ozalp is affiliated with Islamic Sciences and Research Academy
Suzanne Rutland has received an Australian Research Council grant for her research on the Australian Jewry and funding from the Pratt Foundation, as well as an Australian Prime Ministers Centre (APMC) fellowship for her research on Soviet Jewry and Australia. She is also involved with numerous NGOs, including the Australian Jewish Historical Society (patron), the Australian Association for Jewish Studies (past president and committee member), and the Australian government’s expert delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. In addition, she is a board member of the Freilich Project for the Study of Bigotry at ANU; she is on an academic advisory committee at the Sydney Jewish Museum; she is the director of the Australian Academic Alliance Against Antisemitism; and she is an Australian board member for Boys Town Jerusalem and a board member of Better Balance Futures for faith communities These roles are all undertaken in an honorary capacity. She is also writing the history of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry in an honorary capacity.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
ZHENGZHOU, June 27 (Xinhua) — The 10,000th Yutong bus, intended for Central Asian countries, rolled off the assembly line in Zhengzhou on Thursday.
Yutong, headquartered in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province in central China, is one of the country’s major bus suppliers. The first Yutong buses were delivered to Kazakhstan back in 2005.
Over the past 20 years, the company has steadily strengthened its position in the Central Asian market, having supplied a total of 10,000 buses to date, including more than a thousand new energy buses. Yutong has now become the best-selling Chinese bus brand in Central Asia.
Earlier this year, the company signed a contract with Turkmenistan to supply 700 city buses. After the products are handed over to the customer, Yutong will provide 24-hour after-sales service, the company’s press service said.
Yutong buses, which operate on the roads of Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, are generally in good technical condition. The technical characteristics of the company’s products and the level of service have been recognized by our customers, said Geng Jinke, the company’s product manager for the Central Asian market.
Yutong’s products cover city buses, tourist buses, school buses and other special-purpose vehicles.
By the end of 2024, the company had sold more than 46,000 Yutong buses, and the operating income of the enterprise exceeded 37 billion yuan. In total, about 200,000 Yutong new energy buses have been sold worldwide, the company’s press service said.
Fire and Emergency is supporting Civil Defence in both Nelson-Tasman and Marlborough in the response to widespread flooding across the top of the South Island.
Response Coordinator Steve Trigg says crews are rescuing people trapped in vehicles, assisting with evacuations and pumping water from flooded homes. As at 11.15am they have responded to 31 calls since 4am today.
Two Fire and Emergency Specialist Water Rescue Teams have been deployed to Nelson and Blenheim. They are providing additional support to local brigades.
Fire and Emergency has activated its Local Coordination Centre in Nelson to coordinate its response activities across the whole top of the South area.
Steve Trigg is warning people not to drive through floodwater and to respect all “road closed” signs. “It’s impossible to judge the depth of the water so when people become stranded they are in danger of drowning.”
The Specialist Water Rescue Team has already undertaken a rescue from a vehicle in Upper Moutere this morning while other rescues around the top of the South have been carried out by local brigades.
Source: United States Small Business Administration
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the availability of low interest federal disaster loans to Oregon small businesses, private nonprofits and residents to offset physical and economic losses from severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides occurring March 13-20. The SBA issued a disaster declaration in response to a request received from Gov. Tina Kotek on June 23.
The declaration covers the Oregon counties of Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath and Lane.
Businesses and nonprofits are eligible to apply for business physical disaster loans and may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.
Homeowners and renters are eligible to apply for home and personal property loans and may borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property, such as clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances. Homeowners may apply for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.
Applicants may be eligible for a loan increase of up to 20% of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements include insulating pipes, walls and attics, weather stripping doors and windows, and installing storm windows to help protect property and occupants from future disasters.
SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to eligible small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries and private nonprofit (PNP)organizations impacted by financial losses directly related to this disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for aquaculture enterprises.
EIDLs are for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the business or PNP did not suffer any physical damage. They may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.
Interest rates are as low as 4% for businesses, 3.62% for PNPs, and 2.75% for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not begin to accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.
When disasters strike, SBA’s Disaster Loan Outreach Centers play a vital role in helping small businesses and their communities recover,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “At these centers, SBA specialists assist business owners and residents with disaster loan applications and provide information on the full range of recovery programs available.”
Beginning Friday, June 27 SBA customer service representatives will be on hand at the following Disaster Loan Outreach Center (DLOC) to answer questions about SBA’s disaster loan program, explain the application process and help each individual complete their application. Walk-ins are accepted, but you can schedule an in-person appointment in advance at appointment.sba.gov.
The DLOC hours of operation are as follows:
DOUGLAS COUNTY Disaster Loan Outreach Center Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) Third Floor Conference Room 738 W. Harvard Ave. Roseburg, OR 97471
Opens at 12:00 p.m., Friday, June 27
Mondays – Fridays, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Closed Friday, July 4 for Independence Day
Permanently closes at 4:30 p.m., Monday, July 21
To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
The deadline to return physical damage applications is Aug. 25, 2025. The deadline to return economic injury applications is March 24, 2026.
###
About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Chinese tech firm Xiaomi unveiled its first electric SUV, the YU7, and its first AI-powered smart glasses at a product launch in Beijing on Thursday evening.
Priced starting at 253,500 yuan (about 35,400 U.S. dollars), the YU7 SUV is available in three configurations with nine color options, with the base model offering a range of 835 kilometers under the China Light-duty Vehicle Test Cycle.
Xiaomi’s AI glasses integrate an intelligent assistant that supports photography, videography, real-time Q&A, and translation across 10 languages. The glasses also support multimodal encyclopedia access and contactless payment via visual scanning.
The base model of these AI glasses is priced at 1,999 yuan, which is described by Lei Jun, founder and chairman of Xiaomi as “a personal AI gateway for the next era of portable technology.”
At the event, the company unveiled over 10 new items, including foldable smartphones and smart home appliances, while Lei also announced a 200 billion yuan commitment to core technology research and development over the next five years.
Xiaomi entered the electric vehicle market in 2021. Since March 2024, Xiaomi has delivered over 250,000 vehicles, quickly emerging as a key player in China’s rapidly growing new energy vehicle market by leveraging advanced smart manufacturing and a favorable policy environment to fuel its rapid ascent.
China’s auto market maintains strong growth. In the first five months this year, China’s new energy vehicles production surged 45.2 percent year on year to nearly 5.7 million units, with sales up by 44 percent year on year to 5.61 million units, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
Please attribute to Counties Manukau District Commander, Superintendent Shanan Gray:
Police are continuing with a critical incident investigation surrounding the events leading up to a fatal crash in Manurewa overnight.
We are now in a position to release further information as our enquiries continue.
The driver of the Mitsubishi vehicle remains in a critical condition at Middlemore Hospital, and was due to undergo surgery today.
Police have spoken with the man taken into custody at the scene this morning.
At this stage, the 56-year-old man has been charged with driving dangerously causing death, dangerous driving causing injury and driving while forbidden.
He will appear in Manukau District Court today.
Police enquiries will continue, and further charges cannot be ruled out as we investigate further.
While matters are before the Court, we can advise that parties in both vehicles were known to each other.
Until the next of kin notifications have been carried out, further details regarding the deceased are unable to be released.
We would like to acknowledge the impact this event will have had on the community and our thoughts are with everyone involved.
There are now several investigations underway, including a critical incident investigation.
Police are still seeking information from any witnesses who may have been in the area at the time, or prior to this incident occurring.
If you have information, please update Police online now or call 105.
Please use reference number 250627/8090 or cite ‘Operation Highbury’.
A youth has been arrested and charged in relation to a burglary in Pukete on Wednesday.
The burglary happened at around 2:20am on Wednesday morning at a restaurant on Church Road.
Two youths in a stolen vehicle smashed a glass door and took around 35 bottles of alcohol and 17 electronic tablets before fleeing the scene.
Police were notified later that morning, and a scene examination was conducted. Upon receiving CCTV, fast working officers identified and arrested one of the offenders the following morning.
The stolen vehicle was recovered, and all the tablets have been returned to the victim.
A 16-year-old appeared in the Hamilton Youth Court Thursday afternoon charged with burglary and unlawfully using a motor vehicle.
Police continue to make enquiries to identify the second offender involved.
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
The Northern Territory Police Force has arrested a 47-year-old male in relation to an aggravated robbery in Pinelands yesterday afternoon.
Around 5:00pm, the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre received reports of a disturbance involving a male allegedly armed with a machete on the Stuart Highway in Pinelands.
It is alleged a trailer containing construction equipment was stolen from a business premises along the Stuart Highway in Pinelands, before the victim observed it was missing a short time later. The victim drove around before stopping nearby after noticing the suspected stolen property attached to a vehicle broken down on the side of the road nearby.
Initial investigations indicate the alleged offender threatened the victim with a machete after the victim approached him. The offender then allegedly entered the victims vehicle to jump start his own personal vehicle before fleeing the scene.
Shortly after, the vehicle broke down nearby the Stuart Highway and Tiger Brennan Drive on-ramp, where the male fled into nearby bushland.
The Dog Operations Unit and general duties members attended on scene swiftly.
Patrol Dog (PD) Wedge was deployed and tracked the alleged offender 400 metres where they located and apprehended him while concealed within the bush.
The male was arrested and is likely to be charged later today.
A machete was seized and the stolen property was returned to the victim.
The Crime Command has carriage of the investigation.
Acting Superintendent Meacham King stated, “This is another good example of the essential work the dog operations unit undertakes in tracking violent offenders and apprehending them.
PD Wedge and his handler are a highly effective team protecting the community.”
Anyone who witnessed the incident, particularly anyone with dash cam footage from the area at the time, is urged to contact police on 131 444. Please quote reference number P25171430. Anonymous reports can be made through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday that no arrangement or commitment had been made to resume negotiations with the United States, amid heightened tensions following attacks by Israel and the United States on Iranian territory.
In an interview with state broadcaster IRIB, Araghchi said the possibility of restarting talks was under consideration but would depend on whether Tehran’s national interests were protected.
“Our decisions will be based solely on Iran’s interests,” he said. “If our interests require a return to negotiations, we will consider it. But at this stage, no agreement or promise has been made and no talks have taken place.”
Araghchi accused Washington of betraying Iran during previous rounds of negotiations on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal and lifting U.S. sanctions.
The Iranian diplomat also confirmed that a law suspending cooperation with the United Nations nuclear watchdog had become binding after being passed by parliament and approved by the Guardian Council, a top constitutional oversight body.
“The law is now obligatory and will be implemented. Our cooperation with the IAEA will take a new shape,” he said.
Araghchi also said the damage caused by the 12-day war with Israel was “serious” and that experts from the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran were conducting a detailed assessment. He said the question of demanding reparations was high on the government’s agenda.
The conflict began on June 13 when Israel launched airstrikes on multiple targets across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, killing several senior commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians. The attacks came just days before Iran and the United States were expected to resume indirect nuclear negotiations in Muscat, Oman, on June 15.
In response, Iran launched waves of missile and drone strikes on Israel, causing casualties and damage.
On Saturday, the U.S. Air Force struck three key Iranian nuclear sites. In retaliation, Iran fired missiles at the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Monday.
The 12-day conflict ended with a ceasefire between Iran and Israel on Tuesday.
Children’s play is essential for their cognitive, physical and social development. But in cities, spaces to play are usually separated, often literally fenced off, from the rest of urban life.
In our new study, we compare children’s use of such spaces in Auckland, New Zealand, and Venice, Italy. Our findings present a paradox: playgrounds built for safety can stifle creativity and mobility, while self-organising open spaces offer rich opportunities to explore and belong.
In Auckland, places such as Taumata Reserve are a testimony to contemporary playground design – grassy, shaded, equipped with slides and swings, and buffered from traffic. Such places are an oasis cherished by caregivers for the sense of perceived safety they provide.
Yet during our observations, we noted how these spaces function not necessarily as an oasis or a point for social encounter, but rather as isolated refuge islands, disconnected from the city’s everyday life. Children’s independent mobility and opportunities for diverse play activities remained limited and predefined.
Children in urban spaces in Venice are free to find their own spontaneous activities. Antonio Lara-Hernandez, CC BY-SA
Contrast this with Venice’s Santa Croce neighbourhood. Car-free streets and piazzas, such as Campo San Giacomo dell’Orio above, pulsate with life. We saw children play ball, draw on pavements, chase each other and even water plants. These spaces are shared inter-generational stages.
To compare children’s experience, we measured the diversity of activities (a proxy for creativity). Auckland’s Taumata Reserve scored just 1.46. In contrast, Venice scored 2.33, with more than 2,600 spontaneous acts in the streets, reflecting a child-led play culture.
Why this matters
Play is not a luxury. It is a fundamental necessity of life to understand, navigate and adapt to the complexities of the world.
From a deterministic perspective, contemporary Western cultures (such as in Europe and New Zealand) prescribe diverse benefits of play. This includes learning and developing resilience, spatial awareness and social skills.
In Auckland, safety is the focus. While inclusion for children with special needs is understandable, it may inadvertently limit the collective capacity for vital and formative developmental experiences at the neighbourhood scale.
Global research shows declining children’s mobility, linked to car dependency and adult-controlled routines. This reduces children’s activity radius, constrains confidence and diminishes connection to place. For one of us, a father of two, watching his daughters navigate parks underscores this: children need to be able to learn risk competency.
Venice is a cultural model we can draw lessons from. Its pedestrian streets let children roam, climb statues and play hide-and-seek on bridges. This exposure to risks builds judgement, adaptability and agency. It also makes children co-creators of urban life.
Children in Venice’s car-free piazza San Giacomo dell’Orio play ball, draw on pavements and chase each other. Authors provided, CC BY-SA
Our study uses what we call “temporary appropriation” – when children use spaces in unplanned, creative ways – and a design framework called SPIRAL, which draws from individual experiences and cultural narratives to build public spaces.
Auckland’s rules and fences curb this; Venice’s human-scale design invites it.
Venice’s conditions foster risk competency in children and caregivers, strengthening community bonds through a culture of care. Auckland’s spaces for play are spatially fragmented, limiting social encounters and the risk-taking skills vital for development.
Auckland’s playgrounds tend to be separated and limit the development of risk-taking skills. Shutterstock/Mary Star
From a New Zealand perspective, it is also essential to recognise the significance of place-based belonging from a Māori worldview. Concepts such as whakapapa (genealogy), whenua (land) and whanaungatanga (relational ties) emphasise deep, inter-generational connections to place.
In this view, play is not merely recreation but a cultural expression; a way for children to experience turangawaewae (a place to stand).
What other cities can learn
From our research, we can draw lessons for how urban spaces might be reimagined to better support children’s wellbeing and autonomy. This includes:
Designing public spaces with natural elements, “risky art”, loose parts and creative equipment for open-ended play that balances safety without compromising opportunities for discovery and risk-taking
reclaiming streets so that all people and animals can have positive adventures
prioritising policies for car-free or traffic-calmed areas across neighbourhoods and in proximity to social places (schools, libraries, shops, parks) to contribute to a culture where safety is a collective responsibility and a commitment towards a stronger social cohesion
proactively involving children in urban design through place-making and temporary appropriation; it is their right to be heard and listened to through the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
and collaboratively modifying the environment over time.
We envision cities where children roam freely, invent and experience deeper and authentic belonging. Venice proves that shared public spaces help children enrich and shape cities, as much as the rest of the population does.
Safe playgrounds are only a starting point. For healthy, regenerative and vibrant cities to work, we need to realise that children should have agency to shape the complex assemblage that cities really are. Let’s build urban futures where children don’t just play, but can have positive adventures.
The choices we make today matter. We can either feed the fear or meet the cultural challenge together by embracing the positive adventures of life, with a sense of collective wellbeing, care and stewardship.
Jose Antonio Lara-Hernandez received funding for the Horizon 2020 CRUNCH project and was a member of the curatorial team of the Italian Pavilion for the Venice Biennale 2021. He is a senior member of City Space Architecture and the International Society of City and Regional Planners.
Gregor Mews has previously served as a founding director of the Australian Institute of Play and currently serves as a council board member of City Space Architecture as well as a member of the International Society of City and Regional Planners.
Source: United Nations – Convention to Combat Desertification
Food, water, energy crises, human tragedies in 2023-2025 detailed in sweeping analysis by U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.
Fuelled by climate change and relentless pressure on land and water resources, some of the most widespread and damaging drought events in recorded history have taken place since 2023, according to a UN-backed report launched today.
Says UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw: “Drought is a silent killer. It creeps in, drains resources, and devastates lives in slow motion. Its scars run deep.”
“Drought is no longer a distant threat,” he adds. “It is here, escalating, and demands urgent global cooperation. When energy, food, and water all go at once, societies start to unravel. That’s the new normal we need to be ready for.”
“This is not a dry spell,” says Dr. Mark Svoboda, report co-author and NDMC Founding Director. “This is a slow-moving global catastrophe, the worst I’ve ever seen. This report underscores the need for systematic monitoring of how drought affects lives, livelihoods, and the health of the ecosystems that we all depend on.”
“The Mediterranean countries represent canaries in the coal mine for all modern economies,” he adds. “The struggles experienced by Spain, Morocco and Türkiye to secure water, food, and energy under persistent drought offer a preview of water futures under unchecked global warming. No country, regardless of wealth or capacity, can afford to be complacent.”
A wide-ranging crisis
The new report synthesizes information from hundreds of government, scientific and media sources to highlight impacts within the most acute drought hotspots in Africa (Somalia, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Botswana, Namibia), the Mediterranean (Spain, Morocco, Türkiye), Latin America (Panama, Amazon Basin), Southeast Asia, and beyond.
Africa:
Over 90 million people across Eastern and Southern Africa face acute hunger. Some areas have been enduring their worst ever recorded drought.
Southern Africa, already drought-prone, was devastated with roughly 1/6th of the population (68 million) needing food aid in August 2024.
In Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi, maize and wheat crops have failed repeatedly. In Zimbabwe alone, the 2024 corn crop was down 70% year on year, and maize prices doubled while 9,000 cattle died of thirst and starvation.
In Somalia, the government estimated 43,000 people died in 2022 alone due to drought-linked hunger. As of early 2025, 4.4 million people – a quarter of the population – face crisis-level food insecurity, including 784,000 expected to reach emergency levels.
Zambia suffered one of the world’s worst energy crises as the Zambezi River in April 2024 plummeted to 20% of its long-term average. The country’s largest hydroelectric plant, the Kariba Dam, fell to 7% generation capacity, causing blackouts of up to 21 hours per day and shuttering hospitals, bakeries, and factories.
Mediterranean:
Spain: Water shortages hit agriculture, tourism, and domestic supply. By September 2023, two years of drought and record heat caused a 50% drop in Spain’s olive crop, causing its olive oil prices to double across the country.
Morocco: The sheep population was 38% smaller in 2025 relative to 2016, prompting a royal plea to cancel traditional Eid sacrifices.
Türkiye: Drought accelerated groundwater depletion, triggering sinkholes that present hazards to communities and their infrastructure while permanently reducing aquifer storage capacity.
Latin America:
Amazon Basin: Record-low river levels in 2023 and 2024 led to mass deaths of fish and endangered dolphins, and disrupted drinking water and transport for hundreds of thousands. As deforestation and fires intensify, the Amazon risks transitioning from a carbon sink to a carbon source.
Panama Canal: Water levels dropped so low that transits were slashed by over one-third (from 38 to 24 ships daily between October 2023 and January 2024), causing major global trade disruptions. Facing multi-week delays, many ships were rerouted to longer, costlier paths via the Suez Canal or South Africa’s infamous Cape of Good Hope. Among the knock-on effects, U.S. soybean exports slowed, and UK grocery stores reported shortages and rising prices of fruits and vegetables.
Southeast Asia:
Drought disrupted production and supply chains of key crops such as rice, coffee, and sugar. In 2023-2024, dry conditions in Thailand and India, for example, triggered shortages leading to a 8.9% increase in the price of sugar in the US.
“A Perfect Storm” of El Niño and climate change
The 2023–2024 El Niño event amplified already harsh climate change impacts, triggering dry conditions across major agricultural and ecological zones. Drought’s impacts hit hardest in climate hotspots, regions already suffering from warming tr
NEW YORK, June 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — GraniteShares has announced it will execute a forward share split for the GraniteShares 2x Long PLTR (the “Fund”). The total market value of the shares outstanding will not be affected as a result of these splits.
After the close of the markets on July 08, 2025 (the “Payable Date”), the Fund will effect a forward split of its issued and outstanding shares as follows:
As a result of the share split, shareholders of the Fund will receive fifteen shares for each share held as indicated in the table above. Accordingly, the number of the Fund’s issued and outstanding shares will increase by the approximate percentage indicated above.
The ticker and CUSIP will not be affected by the transaction.
The share split will apply to shareholders of record as of the close of the NASDAQ Stock Market (the “NASDAQ”) on July 08, 2025 (the “Record Date”), payable after the close of the NASDAQ on the Payable Date. Shares of the Funds will begin trading on the NASDAQ on a split-adjusted basis on July 09, 2025 (the “Ex-Date”). On the Ex-Date, the opening market value of the Fund’s issued and outstanding shares, and thus a shareholder’s investment value, will not be affected by the share split. However, the per share net asset value (“NAV”) and opening market price on the Ex-Date will be approximately one-fifteenth. The table below illustrates the effect of a hypothetical fifteen-for-one split on a shareholder’s investment.
15-for-1 forward split
Period
# of shares owned
Hypothetical NAV
Total Market Value
Pre-Split
10
US$ 300
US$ 3,000
Post-Split
150
US$ 20
US$ 3,000
About GraniteShares
GraniteShares is an independent ETF issuer headquartered in New York City. GraniteShares offers the following leveraged single stock ETFs:
ETF Name
Ticker
Underlying Stock
Management Fee/Total Expense with fee waiver(1) /Total Expense without fee waiver(3)
In addition, GraniteShares’ ETF suite includes the following ETFs:
(1) GraniteShares Advisors LLC has contractually agreed to waive its fees and/or pay for operating expenses of the Fund to ensure that total annual fund operating expenses (exclusive of any (i) interest, (ii) brokerage fees and commission, (iii) acquired fund fees and expenses, (iv) fees and expenses associated with instruments in other collective investment vehicles or derivative instruments (including for example options and swap fees and expenses), (v) interest and dividend expense on short sales, (vi) taxes, (vii) other fees related to underlying investments (such as option fees and expenses or swap fees and expenses), (viii) expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization or (ix) extraordinary expenses such as litigation) will not exceed 1.15%. This agreement is effective until December 31, 2025, and it may be terminated before that date only by the Trust’s Board of Trustees. GraniteShares Advisors LLC may request recoupment of previously waived fees and paid expenses from the Fund for three years from the date such fees and expenses were waived or paid, if such reimbursement will not cause the Fund’s total expense ratio to exceed the expense limitation in place at the time of the waiver and/or expense payment and the expense limitation in place at the time of the recoupment.
(2) Estimated total cost in the absence of fee waiver or reimbursement.
Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the GraniteShares funds (the “Funds”) carefully before investing. For a prospectus or summary prospectus with this and other information about the Funds, please call (844) 476 8747, or visit the website atwww.graniteshares.com. Read the prospectus or summary prospectus carefully before investing.
Except as described above regarding the liquidation of the ETFs, shares of the Funds may be sold during trading hours on the exchange through any brokerage account, shares are not individually redeemable, and shares may only be redeemed directly from a Fund by Authorized Participants. There can be no assurance that an active trading market for shares in a Fund will develop or be maintained. Shares may trade above or below NAV. Brokerage commissions will apply.
Fund Risks
Multiple funds have a limited operating history of less than a year and risks associated with a new fund. The Leveraged and Daily Inverse Funds are not suitable for all investors. The investment program of the funds is speculative, entails substantial risks and include asset classes and investment techniques not employed by most ETFs and mutual funds. Investments in the ETFs are not bank deposits and are not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged (2X) or daily inverse (-1X and -2X) investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. For periods longer than a single day, the Fund will lose money if the Underlying Stock’s performance is flat, and it is possible that the Fund will lose money even if the Underlying Stock’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. An investor could lose the full principal value of his/her investment within a single day. The funds do not directly invest in the underlying stock.
The Funds seek daily inverse or leveraged investment results and are intended to be used as short-term trading vehicles. Each Fund with “Long” in its name attempts to provide daily investment results that correspond to the respective long leveraged multiple of the performance of an underlying stock (each a Leveraged Long Fund). Each Fund with “Short” in its name attempts to provide daily investment results that correspond to the inverse (or opposite) multiple of the performance of an underlying stock (each an Inverse Fund).
Investors should note that the Long Leveraged Funds and the Daily Inverse Funds pursue daily leveraged investment objectives and daily inverse investment objectives (respectively), which means that the fund is riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage and inverse strategies because the fund magnifies the performance of their underlying security. The volatility of the underlying security may affect a Funds’ return as much as, or more than, the return of the underlying security.
For the Leveraged Long Funds because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Stock over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Underlying Stock’s performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Stock volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Underlying Stock’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day.
For the Daily Inverse Funds because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from -100% and 200% of the return of the Underlying Stock over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Underlying Stock’s performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Stock volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Underlying Stock’s performance decreases over a period longer than a single day.
Shares are bought and sold at market price (not NAV) and are not individually redeemed from the ETF. There can be no guarantee that an active trading market for ETF shares will develop or be maintained, or that their listing will continue or remain unchanged. Buying or selling ETF shares on an exchange may require the payment of brokerage commissions and frequent trading may incur brokerage costs that detract significantly from investment returns.
An investment in the Fund involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. The Fund is non-diversified and includes risks associated with the Fund concentrating its investments in a particular industry, sector, or geographic region which can result in increased volatility. The use of derivatives such as futures contracts and swaps are subject to market risks that may cause their price to fluctuate over time. Risks of the Fund include Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk, Inverse Risk, Market Risk, Counterparty Risk, Rebalancing Risk, Intra-Day Investment Risk, Daily Index Correlation Risk, Other Investment Companies (including ETFs) Risk, and risks specific to the securities of the Underlying Stock and the sector in which it operates. These and other risks can be found in the prospectus.
Investing in physical commodities, including through commodity-linked derivative instruments such as Commodity Futures, Commodity Swaps, as well as other commodity-linked instruments, is speculative and can be extremely volatile and may not be suitable for all investors. Market prices of commodities may fluctuate rapidly based on numerous factors, including: changes in supply and demand relationships (whether actual, perceived, anticipated, unanticipated or unrealized); weather; agriculture; trade; domestic and foreign political and economic events and policies; diseases; pestilence; technological developments; currency exchange rate fluctuations; and monetary and other governmental policies, action and inaction.
A liquid secondary market may not exist for the types of commodity-linked derivative instruments the Fund buys, which may make it difficult for the Fund to sell them at an acceptable price. The Fund is new with no operating history. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it could ultimately liquidate.
Derivatives may be more sensitive to changes in market conditions and may amplify risks and losses.
This information is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy shares of any Funds to any person in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. Please consult your tax advisor about the tax consequences of an investment in Fund shares, including the possible application of foreign, state, and local tax laws. You could lose money by investing in the ETFs. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Funds will be achieved. None of the Funds should be relied upon as a complete investment program.
Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. For a prospectus or summary prospectus with this and other information about the Funds, please call (844) 476 8747 or visitwww.graniteshares.com.Read the prospectus or summary prospectus carefully before investing.
The investment program of the funds is speculative, entails substantial risks and include asset classes and investment techniques not employed by more traditional mutual funds.
PRINCIPAL FUND RISKS (see the Prospectus for more information)
GraniteShares Leveraged Long and Inverse Daily ETFs are not suitable for all investors. The funds seek daily leveraged investment results and are intended to be used as short-term trading vehicles. The funds pursue daily leveraged investment objectives, which means that the funds are riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the fund magnifies the performance of the underlying security. The volatility of the underlying security may affect the fund return as much as, or more than, the return of the underlying security. Investors who do not understand the Funds, or do not intend to actively manage their funds and monitor their investments, should not buy the Funds. The Funds are designed to be utilized only by traders and sophisticated investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily inverse and/or leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and/or short sales and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. For periods longer than a single day, the Funds will lose money if the underlying stock’s performance is flat, and it is possible that the Funds will lose money even if the underlying stock’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. An investor could lose the full principal value of his/her investment within a single day. The Funds track the price of a single stock rather than an index, eliminating the benefits of diversification that most mutual funds and exchange-traded funds offer. Although the Funds will be listed and traded on an exchange, an investment in a Fund may not be suitable for every investor. The Funds pose risks that are unique and complex.
This information is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy shares of any Funds to any person in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction.
THE FUNDS ARE DISTRIBUTED BY ALPS DISTRIBIUTORS, INC. GRANITESHRES IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH ALPS DISTRIBUTORS, INC
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)
WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) and Maxwell Frost (FL-10) are introducing legislation on the one-year anniversary of the disastrous City of Grants Pass v. Johnson decision, which allows cities to criminalize homelessness. The Housing Not Handcuffs Act aims to prohibit the criminalization of homeless persons on public lands when there is nowhere else to go.
“Every single person in the richest country in the world should be able to have a roof over their head and a safe place to sleep, it’s that simple,” said Jayapal. “There is nowhere in this country where you can pay rent on a minimum wage salary. By criminalizing aspects of homelessness, cities and states across this country are only creating greater barriers for people to access housing — something that is already far too scarce. Fining people who already can’t afford to live makes no sense and will only result in longer-term homelessness.”
“Since the Grants Pass decision, cities across the country have passed nearly 220 bills to criminalize homelessness, including in my own district. These policies don’t solve homelessness instead they dehumanize our unhoused, saddle them with criminal records, and make it even harder for them to find stable housing. It’s a vicious cycle that the Housing Not Handcuffs Act seeks to end,” said Rep. Maxwell Frost. “At a time when the cost of living is at an all-time high and Trump’s Big Ugly Bill will only help the rich get richer and the working poor get poorer— we’re fighting to make sure everyone has access to safe, decent, and affordable housing, not handcuffs.”
In 2024, homelessness increased by 18 percent nationwide, with a record high of 771,480 people experiencing homelessness. At the same time, there is a nationwide shortage of 200,000 shelter beds and a shortage of 7.1 million affordable and available rental homes.
Since the Grants Pass ruling, over 260 anti-homeless laws have been passed by cities and states. Criminalizing homelessness creates greater barriers to accessing housing. Typically, these punishments come with fines, which create further financial strain on people who can already not afford the basics, and may create a criminal record, making it more difficult to get a job or apply for housing.
The Housing Not Handcuffs Act will ensure that people who are homeless cannot be criminally or civilly punished for:
Living on federal lands unless safe, decent, accessible shelter is available;
Asking for or sharing food, water, money, or other donations in public places;
Praying, meditating, or practicing religion in public spaces;
Occupying a lawfully parked motor vehicle;
Storing their possessions and enjoying privacy in their personal property to the same degree as property in a private dwelling.
The legislation is sponsored by Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson (GA-04), Jr (GA-04), Summer Lee (PA-12), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), and Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07).
It is also endorsed by A Way Home America; American Civil Liberties Union; Catalyst Montana; Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund; Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO); Equal Justice Under Law ; Fines & Fees Justice Center; Fund for Empowerment; Funders Together to End Homelessness; Health Students Taking Action Together (H-STAT); Homeless Action Center; Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky; Homeless Rights Advocacy Project; Hygiene4All; Invisible People; Justice in Aging; Juvenile Law Center; Kairos Center for Religions, Rights and Social Justice; Law Enforcement Action Partnership; Legal Action Center; Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency; Miriam’s Kitchen; Mountain State Justice, Inc.; National Alliance to End Homelessness; National Coalition for the Homeless; National Harm Reduction Coalition; National Health Care for the Homeless Council; National HIV/AIDS Housing Coalition; National Homelessness Law Center, National Housing Law Project; National Low Income Housing Coalition; National Network to End Domestic Violence; National Vehicle Residency Collective ; One Love World ; Open Table Nashville ; People’s Action; Prison Policy Initiative; RESULTS Educational Fund; Sexual Violence Law Center; Southern Poverty Law Center; Street Books; Street Democracy; University of Miami School of Law Human Rights Clinic; VOCAL-TX; Voice of the Experienced; Voters Organized to Educate; Western Regional Advocacy Project.
Issues: Housing, Transportation, & Infrastructure, Public Safety & Criminal Justice
