Global Pulse

作者： admin

  • China unveils large model for carbon emission accounting

    China unveils large model for carbon emission accounting

    In a landmark technological advance that reshapes global climate action infrastructure, China publicly launched a groundbreaking generative artificial intelligence large model dedicated to carbon emission accounting in Shanghai on Wednesday. This launch marks the first full-spectrum carbon accounting system in the world that integrates measurement across production-side emissions, consumption-side emissions, and natural carbon sources, according to its developer, the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

    Carbon emission accounting serves as a non-negotiable foundation for global climate policy compliance, a core underpinning for international carbon pricing mechanisms, and a mandatory prerequisite for nations working to meet their peak carbon and carbon neutrality commitments. For decades, the field has been held back by persistent bottlenecks: steep knowledge barriers for practitioners, convoluted and time-consuming data processing workflows, long analysis timelines, and low spatial and temporal resolution in results. The new large model is specifically engineered to overcome these limitations, leveraging generative AI to rewrite the standard operating paradigm of carbon accounting.

    Built upon CAS’s existing foundational scientific model ScienceOne, the new carbon accounting model rests on three core technical pillars. First, it incorporates eight independently owned proprietary datasets that support high-frequency data updates and seamless cross-source data fusion. Second, it relies on a home-grown methodological framework powered by a large language model-based multi-agent collaboration system, which drastically improves the accuracy of accounting results. Third, it operates on a hybrid computing cluster that optimizes resource allocation across internal institutional servers and external high-performance computing centers.

    Currently, the model’s open service interface hosts a 32-billion-parameter vertical-domain large language model paired with an intelligent emissions database, offering access through both conversational user interfaces and open programming interfaces for developers and researchers. Five functionally distinct specialized intelligent agents have been integrated into the system, each tailored to handle specific core tasks: digital simulation and process optimization for industrial systems, accounting for carbon transfer embedded in cross-border trade, full product life cycle assessment, natural carbon source accounting, and systematic uncertainty analysis of results.

    Of particular note is the life cycle assessment agent, which can autonomously complete the entire end-to-end workflow of product carbon footprint accounting — from defining assessment goals and scope, compiling emissions inventories, conducting formal accounting, to interpreting final results — fully automating a process that previously required extensive manual input from specialized experts.

    Building on the model’s high-resolution calculation capabilities, research teams have already completed an initial high-precision national-level carbon holographic map. Using 2022 emissions data as a test case, the model’s new, scientifically more equitable accounting framework produced adjusted emission figures for major economies that differed significantly from traditional production-side calculations published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): China’s total emissions were adjusted downward by 17.7%, while the United States’ emissions were adjusted upward by 15.2% and Japan’s by 7.2%.

    The model’s analysis also uncovered a key systemic bias in current international carbon policy: the default emission factors used in the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) systematically overestimate the carbon intensity of Chinese manufactured goods, a finding that underscores the urgent need for more accurate accounting and the adoption of localized, region-specific emission factors for trade policy.

    Beyond identifying structural gaps in global carbon governance, the model also quantifies the global climate benefits of China’s green technology exports. For example, it calculated that Chinese-produced wind turbines and photovoltaic products exported in 2024 generated roughly 2 million tonnes of carbon emissions during their domestic manufacturing phase, but will deliver an estimated 350 million tonnes of cumulative carbon emission reductions during their operational lifetime around the world.

    For China, the new model provides critical technical support for compiling national greenhouse gas inventories, developing the national carbon trading market, driving the green transition of high-emission key industries, and formulating evidence-based responses to international carbon-related trade policies. On the global stage, the breakthrough offers Chinese technical expertise to international efforts to build a fairer, more scientifically rigorous global system for carbon accounting and climate responsibility allocation, strengthening China’s technological influence in global climate governance.

  • Thousands of fans gather as BTS launches world tour in South Korea

    Thousands of fans gather as BTS launches world tour in South Korea

    SEOUL, South Korea – Thousands of dedicated BTS fans defied pouring rain Thursday to fill a Seoul-area stadium and witness the K-pop global supergroup officially open their first world tour in nearly four years, marking the band’s full return after all members completed South Korea’s mandatory military service requirements.

    The seven-member ensemble – RM, Jin, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook – has prepared a career-spanning performance setlist that pulls from their years of hit records alongside their brand-new fifth studio album *ARIRANG*, the group’s first full release since every member finished their compulsory service. Six of the seven members completed active military duty, while Suga fulfilled his requirement as a social service agent due to a pre-existing shoulder injury; he was the final member to be discharged in June 2025.

    This opening show marks BTS’ first headlining tour stop since their 2021–2022 *Permission to Dance on Stage* tour. Even with steady downpour, the 40,000-capacity venue reached full occupancy, a testament to the unwavering loyalty of the group’s global fanbase, known officially as ARMY. The Seoul tour run is scheduled to continue through April 12, kicking off a global itinerary that includes dozens of shows across the United States, Europe, Asia, North America, South America and Australia. Industry analysts project the tour could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in quarterly revenue, a staggering figure that underscores the band’s enduring commercial power years after their last group performances.

    The stadium launch comes less than one month after BTS first celebrated their full group comeback with a free open-air concert at Seoul’s iconic Gwanghwamun Square, drawing hundreds of thousands of fans from across the globe to the city center. Their new album *ARIRANG*, named for the centuries-old Korean folk song widely considered the unofficial anthem of the Korean peninsula, has already claimed the number one spot on the Billboard 200 album chart, while the record’s lead single “Swim” has also topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

    For context, South Korea’s mandatory conscription system requires all able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 28 to complete up to 21 months of military service, a policy designed to maintain national defense readiness amid ongoing tensions with North Korea. The requirement had forced BTS to pause group activities starting in 2022, as members entered service one by one over the following years.

    First debuting in June 2013 under South Korea’s Big Hit Music, BTS – short for Bangtan Sonyeondan, translated as “Bulletproof Boy Scouts” – built their global following gradually. The group launched with the hip-hop focused single album *2 Cool 4 Skool*, released three full-length projects, and earned their first major career momentum with the 2016 album *Wings*. Their global breakthrough arrived in 2017, when their hit single “DNA” became the first track by a Korean boy band to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart. A subsequent performance at the American Music Awards cemented their international popularity, turning their fanbase ARMY into one of the most engaged and widespread fan communities in the world.

    Following the conclusion of the South Korea shows, BTS will next travel to Tokyo for the next leg of the tour, before continuing on to stops across North America, Europe, South America, and the rest of Asia. The tour is scheduled to wrap in Manila next March, after a run of Australian shows scheduled for early 2027.

  • Japan’s arms export plan triggers concern

    Japan’s arms export plan triggers concern

    A controversial proposal to drastically roll back Japan’s decades-long restrictions on arms exports is triggering growing alarm among both policy experts and ordinary Japanese citizens, who warn the shift threatens the nation’s post-war pacifist foundations and risks inflating regional security tensions.

    Multiple Japanese media outlets, including Kyodo News, have confirmed that the ruling administration is on track to finalize revisions to the country’s Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology as early as April 2026, with core details of the overhaul already settled. The current framework strictly regulates international military transfers: it bans certain sales outright, permits only limited non-lethal transfers after rigorous, transparent reviews, and enforces strict oversight to prevent diverted use or unauthorized third-party resales.

    The draft revision, however, would upend this framework fundamentally. Under the new rules, lethal weapon exports would be permitted in principle — a sharp departure from the current ban on selling combat-capable equipment abroad. The changes would also allow arms exports to nations actively engaged in armed conflicts through a new exception system, and replace mandatory pre-approval from Japan’s parliament with weaker ex post facto reporting requirements.

    The proposal encountered no major pushback during an initial government meeting this week, and could be referred for review to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s security affairs research council as early as next week, clearing the way for formal adoption.

    Makoto Konishi, a retired officer from Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, warned the rewrite would reposition Japan as a full-fledged major global arms exporter. Against a backdrop of years of stagnant economic growth, Tokyo has steadily ramped up military spending year after year, creating a trajectory that will be increasingly difficult to reverse, Konishi explained. The steady erosion of restrictions has also left the pacifist principles enshrined in Japan’s post-war constitution increasingly vague and unenforced, he added. The government’s ongoing expansion of defense spending and push to rewrite arms export rules go far beyond modest upgrades to national defense capabilities, Konishi argued, amounting to the slow, deliberate construction of a war-focused institutional framework. “This process will not only heighten public anxiety but also put Japan on a dangerous path,” he said.

    The push for arms export liberalization comes as Japan’s legislature has just approved a record-breaking national budget for fiscal year 2026, which runs through March 2027. The total budget crossed 122 trillion yen, equivalent to roughly $770 billion, with defense spending topping 9 trillion yen for the first time in Japanese history.

    Jusen Asuka, an emeritus professor at Tohoku University, pointed out that Japan is already grappling with a pressing energy crisis and widespread economic hardship that should take priority over expanding military outlays. From a macroeconomic perspective, he argued, increased investment in the defense sector will not deliver meaningful sustained growth to Japan’s GDP, because a large share of defense spending goes toward purchasing weapons from the United States, with capital ultimately flowing out of the domestic economy.

    Asuka has been a vocal opponent of revising the arms export principles, noting that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has pushed the overhaul forward aggressively since taking office. Changes to arms export rules, alongside ongoing discussions to revise Japan’s pacifist constitution, directly challenge the core post-war principles Japan has upheld for nearly 80 years, he said. He added that widespread opposition to such changes among the Japanese public has already translated to mass protests across the country.

    On Wednesday, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside Japan’s National Diet building in central Tokyo, chanting anti-war slogans including “No to war” and calling on Takaichi’s administration to uphold the country’s pacifist constitution. Similar demonstrations were held at more than 100 locations across Japan this week. On the social platform X, organizers of the “Protect the Pacifist Constitution” initiative have called for broader public participation and pressured major Japanese media outlets, including national public broadcaster NHK, to cover the growing protest movement.

    Over the weekend, opposition politicians and thousands of citizens rallied near Tokyo’s Ikebukuro Station to oppose both the easing of arms export rules and the broader military expansion, voicing deep unease about the direction the country is taking. Tetsu Tatara, a spokesperson for the protest organizing committee, said the government’s push for large-scale military buildup and arms exports directly contradicts the will of the Japanese public.

    Tatara noted that the government has justified the changes by citing the so-called “China threat” narrative, a framing that has only deepened public anxiety and pushed more ordinary citizens to speak out against the shifts. Organizers of the Ikebukuro rally reported that more than 6,000 people attended the event, holding signs reading “Force does not bring peace” and “Takaichi step down” while chanting consistent anti-war messaging.

  • Young HK musicians link cultures on US tour

    Young HK musicians link cultures on US tour

    A dynamic ensemble of emerging young musicians from Hong Kong has embarked on a landmark West Coast tour of the United States, leveraging the universal language of music to build cross-community connections and deepen mutual cultural understanding between East and West.

    Organized by the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA), the HKAPA Nexus Ensemble brings together a select group of the institution’s most outstanding current music students and accomplished alumni. This multi-faceted U.S. tour blends formal public performances with immersive educational exchanges at leading higher education institutions, including the University of San Francisco and Los Angeles’ prestigious Colburn School.

    Composer Karry Li, part of the touring group, explained the dual mission driving the project: “We hope to bring our music to both American and Chinese-American audiences across the West Coast, while also giving our young musicians the opportunity to visit leading conservatories and universities for interactive learning and peer-to-peer exchange.”

    Beyond formal recitals, collaborative rehearsals, skill-building workshops and informal personal interactions have allowed young musicians from Hong Kong and the U.S. to discover shared passions and common ground that extends far beyond the concert stage. Claire Wong, a violist performing with the ensemble, noted that the time spent co-rehearsing with American music students evolved into a transformative cultural exchange experience.

    “During those collaborative moments, we shared our diverse perspectives on music education, cultural traditions and everyday life. That open dialogue really helped us understand each other on a much deeper level,” Wong said.

    On Monday, the ensemble headlined the Hong Kong Cultural Evening hosted at Los Angeles’ Chinese American Museum, where they presented a carefully curated program that seamlessly wove together canonical Western classical works and original compositions rooted in Hong Kong’s unique cultural identity. Standout pieces included *Over the Harbour*, a contemporary work inspired by the iconic, ever-shifting vistas of Victoria Harbour, alongside beloved Hong Kong classic *Below the Lion Rock*.

    The tour also shone a spotlight on the longstanding, multifaceted ties between Hong Kong and the U.S. state of California. D.C. Cheung, director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco, used the event to share updates on Hong Kong’s evolving economic outlook while emphasizing how people-to-people cultural exchange lays the groundwork for broader cooperation.

    “There is no surplus or deficit in sharing music — the more we share, the more we have,” Cheung said. “One small step in cultural exchange here in Los Angeles could lead to much larger cooperation in other fields down the line.”

    For Los Angeles’ cultural institutions, the ensemble’s visit aligns with ongoing efforts to connect younger generations across borders through shared cultural heritage and global perspectives. Gay Yuen, board chair of the Friends of the Chinese American Museum, underscored the long-term value of cross-cultural youth exchanges like this tour.

    “We are rooted in Chinese culture, and it’s important for young people to understand both their history and what is happening in the wider world,” Yuen said.

  • Antonio Conte is never one to sit still. He’s hinting at a Napoli exit and a return to the Italy job

    Antonio Conte is never one to sit still. He’s hinting at a Napoli exit and a return to the Italy job

    ROME — For iconic Italian soccer coach Antonio Conte, the pattern of success followed by a new challenge has become a well-worn career trajectory — and now, less than 12 months after delivering Napoli’s fourth Italian top-flight Scudetto, it appears the outspoken coach is set to move on once again.

    Conte has publicly thrown his name into the running for the vacant head coaching position of the Italian men’s national team, a role he previously held a decade ago during the 2014 European Championship. The vacancy opened after the Azzurri failed to qualify for their third consecutive World Cup, triggering resignations from both head coach Gennaro Gattuso and Italian Soccer Federation (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina. New federation presidential elections are scheduled for June 22, leaving the organization led by an interim lame-duck leadership for the time being.

    Speaking to reporters following Napoli’s tight 1-0 win over AC Milan this Monday, Conte made his ambitions clear. “If I were the federation president I would consider myself,” he stated. “I’ve already been with the national team and I know what it’s like.”

    The move would align with Conte’s long-established career pattern: following a title-winning campaign, he departs for a new opportunity almost immediately. This trend stretches back to 2009, when he left Bari just after securing the Serie B title. It continued at Juventus in 2014, where he exited after claiming his third straight Serie A crown; at Chelsea in 2018, one year after winning the Premier League and just after lifting the FA Cup; and most recently at Inter Milan in 2021, where he left immediately after delivering a Scudetto.

    While the national team speculation swirls, Conte remains focused on Napoli’s current late-season Serie A push. Napoli recently overtook AC Milan to claim second place in the league table, and will face Parma in an upcoming fixture this Sunday. Despite Napoli’s strong recent form, Conte struck a realistic tone about the club’s title chances: current league leader Inter Milan holds a seven-point advantage with only seven matchdays remaining.

    “It’s not a question of believing or not; it’s about being realistic,” Conte explained. “We would have to be perfect and Inter would have to make several missteps. And from what we’ve seen, that seems unlikely because Inter is strong.”

    This weekend, Inter faces a uniquely short away trip when they travel to face nearby Como. Inter’s Appiano Gentile training facility, located north of Milan, sits less than 20 kilometers from Como’s Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia — less than half the distance of the trip from the training ground to Inter’s home San Siro stadium. The two sides have recent history: Inter secured a 4-0 rout of Como back in December, but Como held Inter to a goalless draw in the first leg of the Italian Cup semifinal at Sinigaglia last month. The second leg of that cup fixture is scheduled for April 21.

    Inter comes into the match off a confidence-boosting 5-2 thrashing of AS Roma last weekend, the club’s first league victory since February. Como, led by former Barcelona and Arsenal star Cesc Fàbregas, enters the match unbeaten for nearly two months, and sits in fourth place fighting to hold onto the final guaranteed Champions League qualification spot.

    One player set to capture attention this weekend is Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu. The Turkish playmaker delivered one of the goals of the season against Roma, a 30-yard long-range stunner that dipped under the crossbar. The goal marked Calhanoglu’s ninth league goal of the season, to go with three assists, and he recently helped Turkey qualify for its first World Cup since 2002.

    In injury news, Juventus star center forward Dusan Vlahovic will miss another three weeks of action with a calf injury. The injury comes just after Vlahovic recovered from a previous muscular issue he sustained back in November, and the ongoing fitness problems could complicate his ongoing contract negotiations with Juventus, which has offered the striker a short-term extension at a reduced salary.

    Off the pitch, current Juventus head coach Luciano Spalletti, who was fired as Italy national team coach last year after an opening qualifying loss to Norway, has proposed a structural solution to Italy’s national team struggles. Spalletti suggested that the FIGC mandate every Serie A club field at least one Italian under-19 player in their starting lineup each match to develop homegrown talent.

  • China’s anti-graft chief stresses high-quality disciplinary inspection for sound five-year plan launch

    China’s anti-graft chief stresses high-quality disciplinary inspection for sound five-year plan launch

    BEIJING – At a national work conference on disciplinary inspection held on April 8, 2026, Li Xi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chief of the central disciplinary inspection leading group, delivered a keynote address emphasizing that high-standard disciplinary inspection work is a critical guarantee for a solid and smooth start to China’s 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).

    The conference did not only set priorities for this year’s disciplinary inspection work, but also officially marked the kickoff of the seventh round of disciplinary inspection carried out by the 20th Central Committee of the CPC. This round of inspection will cover Party organizations within 36 state institutions and key units, bringing the ongoing anti-corruption and disciplinary supervision drive to a new stage.

    In his remarks, Li stressed that advancing the high-quality development of disciplinary inspection is core to safeguarding the unity, solidarity and cohesion of the entire Party. He underlined that inspection teams must prioritize addressing corrupt practices and official misconduct that directly harm public interests, a measure that will further solidify the political foundation for the Party’s long-term governance.

    According to Li, this latest round of inspection will place a key focus on assessing whether Party officials across the covered institutions hold a correct and solid understanding of proper governance performance. This focus builds on a Party-wide education campaign launched earlier in 2026, which is aimed at cultivating and implementing a shared, correct understanding of competent governance across all levels of the Party.

    This new round of inspection aligns with China’s long-running efforts to tighten intra-Party supervision and root out systemic corruption, as the country enters a new five-year development cycle focused on high-quality economic and social progress. Official observers note that the push for robust disciplinary inspection ahead of the full implementation of the 15th Five-Year Plan reflects the Party’s commitment to clean governance that supports sustained national development.

  • China launches new internet satellite group

    China launches new internet satellite group

    On the morning of April 9, 2026 Beijing time, China successfully carried out a new orbital launch mission at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center located in northern China’s Shanxi Province, sending a freshly developed batch of low-orbit internet satellites into their pre-planned operational orbit. The mission utilized an upgraded variant of the Long March 6 carrier rocket, a workhorse of China’s domestic commercial and scientific launch fleet that has been repeatedly modified and optimized over years of operational use to improve payload capacity and launch reliability for low-orbit satellite constellation deployment. This specific satellite cluster marks the 21st batch of satellites launched for China’s expanding low-orbit internet constellation, a infrastructure project designed to deliver global high-speed internet coverage, particularly to remote and underserved regions that lack access to consistent terrestrial connectivity. The launch also marks a key milestone for China’s entire Long March carrier rocket program, standing as the 637th flight mission completed by the Long March series, the country’s most long-serving and versatile family of launch vehicles. Since the first Long March launch in 1970, the rocket series has supported nearly all of China’s space initiatives, from crewed space missions and lunar exploration to commercial satellite deployment, cementing its reputation as a reliable foundation for the country’s growing space sector. This latest launch continues China’s steady cadence of low-orbit satellite deployment, as countries around the world expand their space-based internet infrastructure to meet growing global demand for connectivity from aviation, maritime, remote industrial, and rural user bases.

  • Dutch police launch campaign to find and offer help to victims of sextortion

    Dutch police launch campaign to find and offer help to victims of sextortion

    A high-stakes transnational sextortion case has opened in a Dutch court, prompting law enforcement from the Netherlands and the United States to launch a coordinated cross-border social media campaign to locate and support uncounted unidentified victims, many of whom are underage young women. The 22-year-old Dutch suspect, publicly identified only as Damian A. in compliance with the Netherlands’ strict privacy regulations, went on trial Wednesday in the city of Dordrecht. He was arrested in early 2023, and both prosecution and defense teams confirm he has confessed to all charges against him; a verdict is expected to be delivered within weeks.

    Authorities from both countries say the sprawling scheme traces back to a simple but devastating manipulation tactic: Damian A. allegedly pretended to be a young woman matching the age of his targets to trick them into sharing explicit photos of themselves online. Once he obtained the images, he used blackmail to force his victims into completing increasingly degrading acts. Reports confirm he required some victims to write the phrase “Owned by Turpien” — the online alias he used to operate — on their bodies or handmade signs during these abusive acts. He also reportedly sold explicit images of the victims to other internet users, amplifying the harm inflicted on the survivors. To date, investigations launched from an initial tip from U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) have confirmed at least 50 victims between the ages of 13 and 20, spread across six nations: the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, Montenegro and Canada.

    Evidence pulled from the suspect’s seized electronic devices has led investigators to believe dozens more victims have not yet come forwrad or been identified. That is why Rotterdam Police’s Sexual Crimes Team has launched a public social media outreach campaign to locate these unknown survivors. Team representative Milou van der Kolk told the Associated Press that law enforcement holds deep concern for the unreported victims, noting the extreme, prolonged trauma the known survivors have endured. Beyond locating and supporting victims, the campaign also aims to reassure any unknown survivors that their abuser is already in custody and cannot harm them further. The Dutch campaign includes direct contact information, such as dedicated phone lines and web links, for victims to access confidential support services, and it aligns with an ongoing U.S. initiative called Know2Protect that specifically targets online child exploitation.

    Eben Roberts, HSI’s attaché based in The Hague, emphasized that this cross-border case underscores the critical need for robust international law enforcement collaboration to protect vulnerable young people online and hold cross-border offenders accountable. “HSI is committed to solidify these partnerships to bring these child predators to face justice,” Roberts said in a written statement to the AP.

    Court documents outline that a court-ordered psychiatric assessment of the suspect found he lives with an autism spectrum disorder and a clinical sexual sadism disorder. Prosecutors have requested the presiding judges hand down a nine-year prison sentence paired with court-mandated compulsory psychiatric treatment. Damian A. faces a wide slate of charges, including online sexual assault, online rape, extortion, and the production, possession, and distribution of child pornography.

    The case draws attention to a fast-growing public safety crisis targeting young people globally. Dutch prosecutors note that sextortion has become an increasingly urgent societal problem: the Netherlands alone recorded more than 3,000 online sex crime cases linked to this tactic in 2025, representing a 46% jump in reported cases compared to the previous year.

  • ‘Increasingly challenging’: Charity founded by former Australian of the Year Grace Tame winds up operation

    ‘Increasingly challenging’: Charity founded by former Australian of the Year Grace Tame winds up operation

    Three weeks after former Australian of the Year Grace Tame revealed she had lost professional income following widespread backlash over her participation in a high-profile pro-Palestine protest, the prominent advocacy organisation she founded is set to cease operations. The Grace Tame Foundation, launched in 2021 to uplift survivors of child sexual abuse and advance critical legal reforms across Australia, will wind down its operations in the coming weeks, its board confirmed in an official statement released Thursday.

    The core driver behind the organisation’s closure is persistent, growing financial pressure that has made long-term operation unworkable, according to the board. Sustaining consistent, sufficient funding to support the foundation’s programs and advocacy work has become “increasingly challenging” over time, the statement noted. Since its founding, the organisation has left an indelible mark on Australia’s national conversation around child safety, earning broad acclaim for shifting public discourse and pushing through systemic change.

    Key achievements credited to the foundation include driving landmark national legislative changes, leading the push to harmonise survivor identification laws across all Australian states and territories, championing mandatory anti-grooming education in schools, and providing direct support to hundreds of survivors navigating the justice system. Latest financial filings show the foundation held roughly $129,563 in equity, with core expenses allocated to critical survivor services including psychological support, legal assistance, as well as staffing and recruitment costs.

    Tame, who serves as one of four board members alongside child safety scholar Professor Michael Salter, solicitor Michael Bradley, and fellow survivor Scarlett Franks, has long been recognised nationally for her unflinching, uncompromising advocacy on behalf of abuse survivors. She was named Australian of the Year in 2021 for her groundbreaking work pushing for reforms that allow survivors of child sexual abuse to speak publicly about their experiences.

    The closure of the foundation comes amid a period of intense public and political scrutiny for Tame. Earlier this year, she sparked fierce national backlash after leading a chant of “globalise the intifada” at a pro-Palestine demonstration outside Sydney’s Town Hall. The incident drew widespread condemnation from federal and state politicians, as well as Australian Jewish community leaders, with multiple public figures calling for Tame’s Australian of the Year title to be revoked or reviewed.

    Tame has pushed back against the criticism, framing the backlash as a coordinated “smear campaign” that has cost her paid speaking engagements and professional work. She has repeatedly stressed that she rejects antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all forms of bigotry and hatred in any context.

    Even as the organisation prepares to close, the board emphasized that the foundation’s work and mission will have a lasting legacy beyond the organisation itself. “The mission it has championed will continue through the many survivors, advocates, and organisations working to protect children and drive reform,” the board’s statement read.

  • High-speed rail pet transport service upgraded

    High-speed rail pet transport service upgraded

    China’s national railway operator has launched a fully upgraded pet transportation service for high-speed rail networks across the country, rolling out expanded coverage and flexible booking options to address rapidly growing demand from pet-owning travelers that emerged after a successful one-year pilot program.

    The updated service builds on the initial pilot scheme launched on April 8, 2025, which first allowed pet shipments on high-speed services. According to data from China Railway Express, the pilot operated without major disruptions over its 12-month run, moving more than 15,000 pets safely between destinations across the country. The national upgrade extends the service to 121 major high-speed railway stations and 228 regular high-speed train services, representing a key expansion of customized passenger amenities in China’s rail sector.

    To accommodate a wide range of travel needs, the upgraded service introduces two distinct shipping options: a companion travel model where passengers share the same train as their pets, and a separate cargo model that lets pets travel independently without their owners.

    Under the “travel with your pet” option, passengers can reserve both their own train tickets and pet transport slots directly through China’s official 12306 mobile ticketing app. Each passenger is permitted to bring up to two pets per trip. To avoid disrupting other passengers and maintain biosecurity standards, pets are not allowed in regular passenger cabins. Instead, they are secured in purpose-built dedicated transport containers and housed in a separate, sealed onboard compartment for the full duration of the journey.

    The second option, “pet travels alone”, caters to customers who need to ship a pet but do not plan to make the trip themselves. For this service, pets are integrated into the railway’s existing logistics network and transported to the destination station, where the designated recipient can collect them upon arrival.

    Pricing for the service follows a transparent distance-based structure with two tiers: standard rates and discounted rates for passengers traveling on the same train as their pet. For a benchmark trip between Beijing and Shanghai, one of China’s busiest high-speed rail corridors, the standard rate for a single pet is 658 yuan (approximately $96), while passengers traveling with their pet qualify for a reduced fare of 460 yuan for the same route. Every pet shipment automatically includes 2,000 yuan in basic insurance coverage to address unexpected incidents during transit.

    Veterinary experts note that high-speed rail pet transport offers notable advantages over air travel for animal welfare and efficiency. Zhao Enman, vice-dean of the Beijing University of Agriculture’s animal hospital, explained that commercial airlines typically require pets to go through multiple layers of strict security screening and extended waiting periods before departure. In contrast, high-speed rail operational processes are far more streamlined, which cuts down total transit time and reduces the stress and physical discomfort that pets often experience during long waits and complicated handling procedures.

    Early users of the service have also shared generally positive feedback. Cui Na, a pet owner who used the pilot pet transport service on a previous trip, praised the reliability of the service and the quality of the specialized shipping containers. “The transport box on high-speed rail is very professional. If it were available for purchase, I would consider using one at home,” she said, though she acknowledged that she still felt some anxiety about her pet’s wellbeing during the journey.

    Railway officials emphasized that the service adheres to a strict isolated transport protocol to ensure both passenger comfort and pet safety. All pets remain in sealed, climate-controlled containers in separate compartments for the entire trip, and trained railway staff monitor animals’ conditions through built-in sensor systems. All transport equipment is thoroughly disinfected after every trip to prevent the spread of pathogens.

    Looking ahead, Chinese railway authorities announced plans to continue refining the service based on user feedback and explore innovative new service models. One potential expansion being considered is integrating pet transport services with leisure tourism products, to allow pet owners to bring their animals on vacation trips more easily and further improve the overall customer travel experience.