Giant panda Ri Ri is loaded into a special container at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 29, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
Beloved giant pandas Ri Ri and Shin Shin left Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo in the early hours of Sunday to fly back to their home country China due to age-related health concerns.
Despite the pre-dawn hour, panda enthusiasts gathered outside the zoo to bid them farewell, with many shedding tears.
The two pandas were scheduled to fly from Narita Airport to China, where they will be housed at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.
In the days leading up to their departure, Ueno Zoo saw an influx of visitors. On Saturday, the final public viewing day for the panda pair, more than 2,000 fans lined up before opening to say their goodbyes.
Ri Ri and Shin Shin have brought warmth and joy to the Japanese during their stay in Tokyo, like a ray of light in the time of hardships, says Yasumasa Tomita, deputy director of Ueno zoo.
Some fans, like Sumida from Aichi Prefecture, even camped overnight to catch a final glimpse of the pandas. “I fell in love with them at first sight and discovered how lively pandas really are,” Sumida said, expressing her gratitude for the fond memories.
Giant panda Shin Shin is loaded into a special container at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 29, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
The two pandas arrived in Japan in February 2011, shortly before the 9.0-magnitude earthquake. Their public appearances provided comfort and joy to the Japanese people during a difficult time.
“It has been 13 years since the earthquake, and I’m grateful for the healing they’ve brought us,” said Tokyo resident Yoshihara Mutsuko, who missed the chance to see the pandas but planned to visit them in China in the future.
Giant panda Ri Ri, a male, and female giant panda Shin Shin, both from southwest China’s Sichuan Province, arrived at Ueno Zoo in 2011 under a leasing agreement.
They gave birth to the celebrity giant panda Xiang Xiang in 2017, which was returned to China last year, as well as twin cubs Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei in 2021. All the three pandas, born and raised at the zoo, attracted crowds of panda lovers from both home and abroad.
According to Ueno Zoo, both pandas, now 19 years old, have developed health issues such as high blood pressure due to their advanced age.
Visitors take photos of giant pandas Ri Ri (L) and Shin Shin at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 28, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
Japanese and Chinese experts have maintained close communication and conducted joint consultations to provide appropriate medical treatments. Upon discussions between the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the China Wildlife Conservation Association, it was decided they should be sent back to China for better care and treatment.
Following their departure, Ueno Zoo will be home to two pandas, the twins Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei.
At least four people were killed and 49 others wounded on Sunday in Israeli airstrikes on Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported, citing health sources.
The al-Masirah TV described the attacks as “Israeli aggression,” detailing that the port in the Ras Issa area and power stations in the districts of Al-Hali and Al-Katheeb were attacked.
“Four people were killed, including a port worker and three engineers at Al-Hali electricity power station,” the television said, adding that 49 others were injured and rescue operations are still ongoing.
Earlier in the day, Israel’s military said it had conducted airstrikes on Houthi targets in Hodeidah, striking power plants and a seaport which it alleged the Houthis used for transferring weapons, military supplies, and oil.
The air raid involved dozens of aircraft, including fighter jets, mid-air refueling planes, and intelligence aircraft, with the targets located approximately 1,800 km from Israel.
A pro-government Yemeni official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua that more than ten airstrikes targeted key infrastructure, including oil tanks, airport, and other port facilities along the Red Sea coast.
Meanwhile, residents said they heard jets roaring overhead, and ambulances were seen rushing through the streets. They added that Houthi fighters have cordoned off the targeted areas.
Meanwhile, the Houthi group issued a statement, informing residents in areas under its control that “it has already taken the necessary measures for any emergency and that the fuel supply is stable.”
The Israeli military said that “the strikes were carried out in response to recent attacks by the Houthis against Israel,” referring to two missiles launched toward central Israel from Yemen — one fired at a military target in the Jaffa area of Tel Aviv on Friday and the other targeting the Ben Gurion Airport, near Tel Aviv, on Saturday. Both missiles, intercepted by Israel’s aerial defenses, caused no injuries.
The Israeli airstrikes on Houthi targets expanded its confrontation with Iran’s allies in the region after killing Hezbollah’s top leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, on Friday in an escalating conflict in Lebanon.
Yemen’s Houthis have launched sporadic attacks on Israel and disrupted “Israeli-linked” shipping in the Red Sea since November last year, allegedly to support Palestinians in their conflict with Israelis.
This file photo shows a renovated residential building in a community in Yanta District of Xi’an, northwest China’s Shaanxi Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
The People’s Bank of China and the National Financial Regulatory Administration rolled out a wave of policies on Sunday to stabilize the real estate market.
The mortgage rates for first homes, second homes and more are required to be reduced no lower than 30 basis points below the loan prime rate (LPR) by Oct. 31, 2024 to ease financial burdens on property owners.
In principle, 18 national commercial banks need to release their plans for adjustments before Oct. 12.
The minimum down payment ratio for individuals’ commercial housing mortgages will be lowered to no less than 15 percent for both first-home and second-home purchases.
The pricing mechanism for interest rates of individuals’ commercial housing mortgages will be refined so that the rates can be adjusted dynamically based on agreements between borrowers and banks.
The central bank will increase funding for financial institutions if they issue loans to support local state-owned enterprises to acquire completed yet unsold commercial housing at reasonable prices for use as affordable housing.
In addition, some financial policies for the property market will be extended.
This array of stimulus measures came after a recent meeting of the Political Bureau of Communist Party of China Central Committee underlined efforts to reverse the downturn of and stabilize the real estate market.
The China-ASEAN Commercial Arbitration Cooperation Center has been inaugurated in Nanning, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, according to China’s Ministry of Justice.
An inauguration ceremony was held at the China-ASEAN Commercial Law Forum to mark the event.
Initiated by the arbitration association of Guangxi, the center is a non-profit communication and cooperation platform for international commercial arbitration. It was established jointly by arbitration bodies, legal services agencies, business associations and university think tanks from China and ASEAN countries.
It aims to deepen and expand exchange and cooperation on arbitration among China and ASEAN countries, according to the ministry. It also aims to provide high-quality, efficient and professional arbitration-related services and support for China-ASEAN trade and regional economic development.
The center’s first batch of initiating units comprises the arbitration association of Guangxi, the ASEAN Law Association, the Asian Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution and eight other units.
Around 1,600 people from various sectors in Taiwan gathered at an event Saturday, calling for a distancing from “Taiwan independence” and expressing their desire and determination for peace, dialogue and reunification. Most attendees wore coordinated jackets with the following message printed on the back: “Supporting the 1992 Consensus, caring for people’s well-being, rejecting ‘Taiwan independence,’ and advocating cross-Strait peace and shared prosperity.” The event in New Taipei City involved a number of political parties and civil organizations. The 1992 Consensus serves as the political foundation for mutual trust between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, with its core meaning being that both sides belong to one China, said Hung Hsiu-chu, former chairperson of the Chinese Kuomintang party and chair of the Taiwan-based Chinese Cyan Geese Peace Education Foundation, at the event. Hung criticized the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities for ignoring and distorting history, suppressing dissent on the island, clinging to the United States, and provoking confrontation with the mainland. Calling on the two sides of the Strait to work together toward national reunification, she urged the people of Taiwan, especially the youth, to understand and identify with Chinese history and cultural traditions, and to be aware of the historical mission they shoulder. “I am Chinese and I am proud. As Chinese people, we should not be afraid to say it openly,” said Wu Cheng-tien, chairman of the New Party, at the event. For both sides of the Strait, there is no better path than peaceful reunification and people in Taiwan bear the great responsibility to strive together for the cause, Wu added. Wu Jung-yuan, chairman of the Labor Party in Taiwan, urged the people of Taiwan to be highly vigilant given the current situation where Taiwan, through the collusion of “Taiwan independence” separatists and external forces, has been tied to a war machine — which is dragging the island toward the brink of conflict. The event, at which people stood up to voice opposition to war and “Taiwan independence” and show support for peaceful reunification, aimed to demonstrate that the “Taiwan independence” path is not supported by most people in Taiwan, said Gao An-go, a retired military officer and one of the event’s organizers. “We all earnestly hope for a peaceful and stable environment, but right now, this beautiful island is rapidly slipping into a dangerous situation, and the people of Taiwan feel a deep sense of fear and helplessness about the future,” said Xiong Zi-jie, president of the Hunan Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan. “This is why we must completely sweep ‘Taiwan independence’ separatists into the dustbin of history and restore a peaceful and prosperous Taiwan for its people. Once the scourge of ‘Taiwan independence’ is removed, peaceful reunification will be within reach,” he said.
China’s Ministry of Veterans Affairs on Sunday announced that it has confirmed the identities of eight martyrs whose remains were found in the Ngari Prefecture of the country’s southwestern Xizang Autonomous Region last year. Xi Yufeng, the ministry official in charge of the recovery of martyrs’ remains, said at a press conference that a national search team and a DNA lab that identifies martyrs’ remains have been working together since 2023 to recover and identify the eight sets of remains in Ngari. It was the first time a national search team has worked in a high-altitude environment since China officially established these teams in 2022, according to the ministry. The ministry also worked on facial reconstruction with forensic experts at Shanghai’s Fudan University. At a press conference earlier this month, it announced that it had located living family members of over 60,000 martyrs through an online service, which collects inquiries from the public.
As of Aug. 30, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region has transmitted 14.6 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of clean energy outside the region since 2015, according to a press conference held on Sunday. The power has been transmitted to provincial-level regions in other parts of China, helping reduce the use of standard coal by about 4.48 million tonnes and cutting carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide emissions by approximately 11.17 million tonnes and 340,000 tonnes, respectively, said the State Grid Xizang Electric Power Company Limited. In recent years, Xizang’s power grid has experienced rapid development. As of August, the accumulated investment in the region’s power grid construction has reached nearly 85.6 billion yuan (about 12.21 billion U.S. dollars) and its total installed capacity has reached nearly 6.82 million kilowatts, an increase of some 5.8 million kilowatts compared with 2012. Boasting abundant solar and wind power resources, Xizang began sending electricity to other provincial-level regions for the first time in 2015. Xizang now has a comprehensive energy system with hydropower as the main source, complemented by geothermal, wind and solar energy, among others.
Tianjin University’s Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology, in collaboration with Tianjin Huanhu Hospital, has made a major breakthrough in DNA-based data storage, introducing the innovative DNA Palette coding scheme. This new method enables the successful encoding of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data into DNA, as well as lossless decoding and the 3D reconstruction of imaging data, paving the way for the development of advanced medical data storage technologies. The results of the study that saw this breakthrough have been published in the National Science Review. Brain MRI scans are an essential tool for clinical diagnosis, surgical planning and treatment evaluation. However, the vast amounts of data generated during these scans pose significant challenges for long-term storage methods. This issue is particularly critical for diseases such as juvenile Parkinson’s, epilepsy and neurogenetic disorders, as lifelong data accumulation and analysis are essential in such cases. Current storage mediums struggle to meet the high demand for large-scale, long-term data storage. DNA, known to have exceptional stability and storage density, has emerged as a promising medium for data storage. The Tianjin University research team successfully encoded 11.28 megabytes of brain MRI data into approximately 250,000 DNA sequences, achieving an impressive data density of 2.39 bits per base. The encoded oligos, which are single strands of synthetic DNA, are stored in dry powder form, weigh just 3 micrograms and support over 300 read operations under current technical standards. This breakthrough demonstrates DNA’s potential as a long-term, efficient, secure storage medium for medical data. This study marks a crucial step toward the practical application of DNA data storage, offering a new technical route for the secure storage of large amounts of medical data and accelerating the broader adoption of DNA-based storage technologies.
Wang Huning, China’s top political advisor, on Sunday called for greater efforts in building the community for the Chinese nation. Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, made these remarks while meeting with a visiting group of role models for ethnic unity and progress honored by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council this year. Hailing the role models for their remarkable contributions, Wang expressed hope that they would continue to set good examples of supporting the Party, being patriotic and loving the people. He also urged them to take the lead in forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation, promoting comprehensive and in-depth reform, and realizing common prosperity for people of all ethnic groups. A grand meeting honoring role models for ethnic unity and progress was held in Beijing this Friday, where 352 groups and 368 individuals were honored.
China has released a set of revised regulations for commending fallen heroes ahead of the country’s Martyrs’ Day, which falls on Sept. 30. Premier Li Qiang signed a State Council decree to promulgate the revised regulations, which emphasize upholding the leadership of the Communist Party of China, safeguarding the dignity and honor of fallen heroes, and protecting the rights and interests of their families. The revised regulations stipulate improved criteria and assessment procedures for identifying martyrs, better financial support and preferential treatment for their families, and strengthened protection and management of their memorial facilities. The revised regulations also highlight the need to strengthen the dissemination of martyrs’ heroic deeds and improve the protocols when paying homage to them. The revised regulations will take effect on Jan. 1, 2025. China has been marking Martyrs’ Day annually since 2014.
Fire Danger Ratings tell you how dangerous a fire could be if one started.
They are important because they help you decide what actions to take to protect yourself and others from bushfires and grassfires.
A new Fire Danger Rating system was introduced in 2022 across Australia so whether you’re at home or travelling, you will see the same rating system.
The new Fire Danger Ratings
There are four levels of fire danger in the new system:
Moderate – Plan and prepare
High – Be ready to act
Extreme – Take action now to protect your life and property
Catastrophic – For your survival, leave bushfire risk areas
Fire Danger Ratings will be issued on days when there is a fire risk.
Each fire danger rating will have a clear set of messages including the actions the community can take to reduce their risk.
Ratings are forecast using Bureau of Meteorology data for up to four days in advance, based on weather and other environmental conditions such as vegetation.
The rating is your trigger to take action to stay safe.
What do the ratings mean and what should you do?
CATASTROPHIC
What does it mean?
If a fire starts and takes hold, lives are likely to be lost.
These are the most dangerous conditions for a fire.
What should I do?
For your survival, leave bushfire risk areas.
Your life may depend on the decisions you make, even before there is a fire.
For your survival, do not be in bushfire risk areas.
Stay safe by going to a safer location early in the morning or the night before.
Homes cannot withstand fires in these conditions. You may not be able to leave and help may not be available.
EXTREME
What does it mean?
Fires will spread quickly and be extremely dangerous.
These are dangerous fire conditions.
Expect hot, dry and windy conditions.
What should I do?
Take action now to protect your life and property
Check your bushfire plan and that your property is fire ready
If a fire starts, take immediate action. If you and your property are not prepared to the highest level, go to a safer location well before the fire impacts.
Reconsider travel through bushfire risk areas.
Leaving bushfire risk areas early in the day is your safest option.
HIGH
What does it mean?
Fires can be dangerous.
What should I do?
Be ready to act.
There’s a heightened risk. Be alert for fires in your area.
Decide what you will do if a fire starts.
If a fire starts, your life and property may be at risk. The safest option is to avoid bushfire risk areas.
MODERATE
What does it mean?
Most fires can be controlled.
What should I do?
Plan and prepare.
Stay up to date and be ready to act if there is a fire.
NO RATING
The system also introduces an ‘off’ level for days where no proactive action is required by the community. This does not mean that fires cannot happen, but that they are not likely to move or act in a way that threatens the safety of the community. This rating is the thin white wedge on the colour wheel sitting under ‘Moderate’.
Fire Danger Ratings tell you how dangerous a fire could be if one started.
They are important because they help you decide what actions to take to protect yourself and others from bushfires and grassfires.
A new Fire Danger Rating system was introduced in 2022 across Australia so whether you’re at home or travelling, you will see the same rating system.
The new Fire Danger Ratings
There are four levels of fire danger in the new system:
Moderate – Plan and prepare
High – Be ready to act
Extreme – Take action now to protect your life and property
Catastrophic – For your survival, leave bushfire risk areas
Fire Danger Ratings will be issued on days when there is a fire risk.
Each fire danger rating will have a clear set of messages including the actions the community can take to reduce their risk.
Ratings are forecast using Bureau of Meteorology data for up to four days in advance, based on weather and other environmental conditions such as vegetation.
The rating is your trigger to take action to stay safe.
What do the ratings mean and what should you do?
CATASTROPHIC
What does it mean?
If a fire starts and takes hold, lives are likely to be lost.
These are the most dangerous conditions for a fire.
What should I do?
For your survival, leave bushfire risk areas.
Your life may depend on the decisions you make, even before there is a fire.
For your survival, do not be in bushfire risk areas.
Stay safe by going to a safer location early in the morning or the night before.
Homes cannot withstand fires in these conditions. You may not be able to leave and help may not be available.
EXTREME
What does it mean?
Fires will spread quickly and be extremely dangerous.
These are dangerous fire conditions.
Expect hot, dry and windy conditions.
What should I do?
Take action now to protect your life and property
Check your bushfire plan and that your property is fire ready
If a fire starts, take immediate action. If you and your property are not prepared to the highest level, go to a safer location well before the fire impacts.
Reconsider travel through bushfire risk areas.
Leaving bushfire risk areas early in the day is your safest option.
HIGH
What does it mean?
Fires can be dangerous.
What should I do?
Be ready to act.
There’s a heightened risk. Be alert for fires in your area.
Decide what you will do if a fire starts.
If a fire starts, your life and property may be at risk. The safest option is to avoid bushfire risk areas.
MODERATE
What does it mean?
Most fires can be controlled.
What should I do?
Plan and prepare.
Stay up to date and be ready to act if there is a fire.
NO RATING
The system also introduces an ‘off’ level for days where no proactive action is required by the community. This does not mean that fires cannot happen, but that they are not likely to move or act in a way that threatens the safety of the community. This rating is the thin white wedge on the colour wheel sitting under ‘Moderate’.
Fire Danger Ratings tell you how dangerous a fire could be if one started.
They are important because they help you decide what actions to take to protect yourself and others from bushfires and grassfires.
A new Fire Danger Rating system was introduced in 2022 across Australia so whether you’re at home or travelling, you will see the same rating system.
The new Fire Danger Ratings
There are four levels of fire danger in the new system:
Moderate – Plan and prepare
High – Be ready to act
Extreme – Take action now to protect your life and property
Catastrophic – For your survival, leave bushfire risk areas
Fire Danger Ratings will be issued on days when there is a fire risk.
Each fire danger rating will have a clear set of messages including the actions the community can take to reduce their risk.
Ratings are forecast using Bureau of Meteorology data for up to four days in advance, based on weather and other environmental conditions such as vegetation.
The rating is your trigger to take action to stay safe.
What do the ratings mean and what should you do?
CATASTROPHIC
What does it mean?
If a fire starts and takes hold, lives are likely to be lost.
These are the most dangerous conditions for a fire.
What should I do?
For your survival, leave bushfire risk areas.
Your life may depend on the decisions you make, even before there is a fire.
For your survival, do not be in bushfire risk areas.
Stay safe by going to a safer location early in the morning or the night before.
Homes cannot withstand fires in these conditions. You may not be able to leave and help may not be available.
EXTREME
What does it mean?
Fires will spread quickly and be extremely dangerous.
These are dangerous fire conditions.
Expect hot, dry and windy conditions.
What should I do?
Take action now to protect your life and property
Check your bushfire plan and that your property is fire ready
If a fire starts, take immediate action. If you and your property are not prepared to the highest level, go to a safer location well before the fire impacts.
Reconsider travel through bushfire risk areas.
Leaving bushfire risk areas early in the day is your safest option.
HIGH
What does it mean?
Fires can be dangerous.
What should I do?
Be ready to act.
There’s a heightened risk. Be alert for fires in your area.
Decide what you will do if a fire starts.
If a fire starts, your life and property may be at risk. The safest option is to avoid bushfire risk areas.
MODERATE
What does it mean?
Most fires can be controlled.
What should I do?
Plan and prepare.
Stay up to date and be ready to act if there is a fire.
NO RATING
The system also introduces an ‘off’ level for days where no proactive action is required by the community. This does not mean that fires cannot happen, but that they are not likely to move or act in a way that threatens the safety of the community. This rating is the thin white wedge on the colour wheel sitting under ‘Moderate’.
Fire Danger Ratings tell you how dangerous a fire could be if one started.
They are important because they help you decide what actions to take to protect yourself and others from bushfires and grassfires.
A new Fire Danger Rating system was introduced in 2022 across Australia so whether you’re at home or travelling, you will see the same rating system.
The new Fire Danger Ratings
There are four levels of fire danger in the new system:
Moderate – Plan and prepare
High – Be ready to act
Extreme – Take action now to protect your life and property
Catastrophic – For your survival, leave bushfire risk areas
Fire Danger Ratings will be issued on days when there is a fire risk.
Each fire danger rating will have a clear set of messages including the actions the community can take to reduce their risk.
Ratings are forecast using Bureau of Meteorology data for up to four days in advance, based on weather and other environmental conditions such as vegetation.
The rating is your trigger to take action to stay safe.
What do the ratings mean and what should you do?
CATASTROPHIC
What does it mean?
If a fire starts and takes hold, lives are likely to be lost.
These are the most dangerous conditions for a fire.
What should I do?
For your survival, leave bushfire risk areas.
Your life may depend on the decisions you make, even before there is a fire.
For your survival, do not be in bushfire risk areas.
Stay safe by going to a safer location early in the morning or the night before.
Homes cannot withstand fires in these conditions. You may not be able to leave and help may not be available.
EXTREME
What does it mean?
Fires will spread quickly and be extremely dangerous.
These are dangerous fire conditions.
Expect hot, dry and windy conditions.
What should I do?
Take action now to protect your life and property
Check your bushfire plan and that your property is fire ready
If a fire starts, take immediate action. If you and your property are not prepared to the highest level, go to a safer location well before the fire impacts.
Reconsider travel through bushfire risk areas.
Leaving bushfire risk areas early in the day is your safest option.
HIGH
What does it mean?
Fires can be dangerous.
What should I do?
Be ready to act.
There’s a heightened risk. Be alert for fires in your area.
Decide what you will do if a fire starts.
If a fire starts, your life and property may be at risk. The safest option is to avoid bushfire risk areas.
MODERATE
What does it mean?
Most fires can be controlled.
What should I do?
Plan and prepare.
Stay up to date and be ready to act if there is a fire.
NO RATING
The system also introduces an ‘off’ level for days where no proactive action is required by the community. This does not mean that fires cannot happen, but that they are not likely to move or act in a way that threatens the safety of the community. This rating is the thin white wedge on the colour wheel sitting under ‘Moderate’.
Fire Danger Ratings tell you how dangerous a fire could be if one started.
They are important because they help you decide what actions to take to protect yourself and others from bushfires and grassfires.
A new Fire Danger Rating system was introduced in 2022 across Australia so whether you’re at home or travelling, you will see the same rating system.
The new Fire Danger Ratings
There are four levels of fire danger in the new system:
Moderate – Plan and prepare
High – Be ready to act
Extreme – Take action now to protect your life and property
Catastrophic – For your survival, leave bushfire risk areas
Fire Danger Ratings will be issued on days when there is a fire risk.
Each fire danger rating will have a clear set of messages including the actions the community can take to reduce their risk.
Ratings are forecast using Bureau of Meteorology data for up to four days in advance, based on weather and other environmental conditions such as vegetation.
The rating is your trigger to take action to stay safe.
What do the ratings mean and what should you do?
CATASTROPHIC
What does it mean?
If a fire starts and takes hold, lives are likely to be lost.
These are the most dangerous conditions for a fire.
What should I do?
For your survival, leave bushfire risk areas.
Your life may depend on the decisions you make, even before there is a fire.
For your survival, do not be in bushfire risk areas.
Stay safe by going to a safer location early in the morning or the night before.
Homes cannot withstand fires in these conditions. You may not be able to leave and help may not be available.
EXTREME
What does it mean?
Fires will spread quickly and be extremely dangerous.
These are dangerous fire conditions.
Expect hot, dry and windy conditions.
What should I do?
Take action now to protect your life and property
Check your bushfire plan and that your property is fire ready
If a fire starts, take immediate action. If you and your property are not prepared to the highest level, go to a safer location well before the fire impacts.
Reconsider travel through bushfire risk areas.
Leaving bushfire risk areas early in the day is your safest option.
HIGH
What does it mean?
Fires can be dangerous.
What should I do?
Be ready to act.
There’s a heightened risk. Be alert for fires in your area.
Decide what you will do if a fire starts.
If a fire starts, your life and property may be at risk. The safest option is to avoid bushfire risk areas.
MODERATE
What does it mean?
Most fires can be controlled.
What should I do?
Plan and prepare.
Stay up to date and be ready to act if there is a fire.
NO RATING
The system also introduces an ‘off’ level for days where no proactive action is required by the community. This does not mean that fires cannot happen, but that they are not likely to move or act in a way that threatens the safety of the community. This rating is the thin white wedge on the colour wheel sitting under ‘Moderate’.
(Left to right): Ms Paula Ward, Mr Tom Steer, Mr Paul Beard, Mr Bruce Lines, Professor Steve Larkin, Professor Joanne Cys, Professor Jessica Gallagher, Professor Peter Høj AC, Professor David Lloyd FTSE, Professor John Williams AM, and Professor Anton Middelberg FTSE.
Adelaide University has today announced the appointment of its first Deputy Vice Chancellors (DVCs).
The selection of these important roles marks a significant milestone in the creation of a globally recognised institution committed to educational excellence and societal impact.
Adelaide University co-Vice Chancellors, Professor Peter Høj and Professor David Lloyd, said the selection of the DVCs will provide strong foundational leadership through this time of transition and transformation.
The Adelaide University DVCs are:
Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic: Professor John Williams AM
Deputy Vice Chancellor Corporate: Mr Paul Beard
Deputy Vice Chancellor Indigenous: Professor Steve Larkin
Deputy Vice Chancellor International & External Engagement: Professor Jessica Gallagher
Deputy Vice Chancellor People & Culture: Ms Paula Ward
Deputy Vice Chancellor Research & Innovation: Professor Anton Middelberg FTSE
Deputy Vice Chancellor Student Experience & Success: Mr Tom Steer
Provost & Deputy Vice Chancellor: Professor Joanne Cys
“We congratulate our newly appointed colleagues who we know will provide the vision, expertise and guidance in realising our collective ambitions for a new university for the future,” Professors Lloyd and Høj said.
“This leadership group have a tremendous depth of talent and we very much look forward to continuing our important work in creating a world-class contemporary and comprehensive institution and member of Australia’s prestigious and research-intensive Group of Eight [Go8].”
The extensive recruitment process was conducted independently by nation-leading firm, Boyden Australia.
The appointed DVCs will commence their roles on 1 October 2024 and Adelaide University will commence its operations on 1 January 2026.
International student applications are now open and research degrees will be open for application in early 2025.
Local student applications and acceptances for coursework programs will open in August 2025 ahead of the 2026 academic year.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alister McKeich, Lecturer and Researcher in Law, Criminology and Indigenous Studies, Victoria University, Victoria University
The onslaught in the Middle East has brought to the world’s attention once again the “crime of crimes”, genocide.
Both the the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court (ICC) have brought allegations of genocide against Israel as a state and Israeli and Hamas leaders as individuals.
The Australian government’s response to the Gaza crisis has included temporarily freezing of A$6 million of funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine. Though funding has been flowing again since March, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been referred to the ICC by a law firm for being “an accessory to genocide”.
Against this backdrop, Australia’s own genocide legislation is under parliamentary scrutiny. A bill tabled by independent Senator Lidia Thorpe (for whom I work as a casual legal researcher) seeks to change the way Australia deals with genocide.
So what do our current laws say and what’s the case for changing them?
Yet it was not until 2002, once the ICC was established, that the Commonwealth Criminal Code was amended to create a new division of atrocity crimes.
Through this legislation, Australia may prosecute any person accused of a Rome Statute crime (such as genocide) under Australian law.
At the moment, written consent from the attorney-general is required before legal proceedings about genocide and other atrocity crimes can commence. This is called the “attorney-general’s fiat”.
Further, the attorney-general’s decision is final. It “must not be challenged, appealed against, reviewed, quashed or called into question”.
Thorpe’s bill seeks to overturn these two measures.
The explanatory memorandum in the 2002 amendment did not say why the attorney-general’s consent was necessary.
Consent from an attorney-general (or similar position) is not an international requirement.
Australia is only one of a handful of other countries (including the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Canada) where the fiat also exists.
Why is it a problem?
The Australian government has justified the rule on the basis that prosecutions for atrocity crimes against individuals could affect Australia’s international relations and national security.
However, submissions from legal experts and community groups to a senate inquiry looking at the issue point out flaws.
They say this rule prevents access to justice for victims and survivors of atrocity crimes. It can also create the potential for government bias.
Submissions also say the lack of explanation or appeal process ignores fundamental principles of jurisprudence.
Has the rule been used?
The attorney-general’s fiat has been used in a limited number of cases.
In 2009, Palestinian rights groups Australians for Palestine issued a request for consent for the prosecution of former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, who was visiting at the time.
The Australian Centre for International Justice states in its submission how then-attorney-general Robert McClellend denied the request. He cited matters of international state sovereignty and the difficulties of pursuing such a case in an overseas jurisdiction.
Then, in 2011, Arunchalam Jegastheeswaran, an Australian citizen of Tamil
background, sought the attorney-general’s consent for the prosecution of then Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was due to visit Australia.
McClellend again denied the request, saying Rajapaska was protected under “head of state immunity”. This concept is controversial in international law, given it’s often heads of state who commit atrocity crimes.
Head of state protection was also offered to former Myanmar (Burma) leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was in government when the 2017 genocide against the Rohingya was committed.
With Suu Kyi due to be in Australia for an ASEAN conference in 2018, the Australian Rohingya community sought a prosecution. It was denied by then attorney-general Christian Porter.
And in 2019, retired Sri Lankan General Jagath Jayasuriya visited Australia. Despite concerted efforts to raise evidence to prosecute Jayasuriya of war crimes, delays with the Australian Federal Police meant the case never reached the point of attorney-general consent.
First Nations plaintiffs such as Paul Coe and Robert Thorpe have also sought to bring cases of genocide before the domestic courts, with no success.
What would changing the laws mean?
As it’s unlikely an attorney-general would consent to prosecutions against its own government, submissions to the inquiry argue the rule creates a direct conflict of interest.
For First Nations people seeking justice for crimes of “ongoing genocide” perpetuated by the Commonwealth, any government is hardly going to rule in their favour.
Some Indigenous community groups argue the high rates of First Nations children in protection, deaths in custody, hyper-incarceration and cultural, land and environmental damage amount to genocide crimes.
Submissions to the inquiry recommend instead of requiring the consent of the attorney-general, claims of genocide should be directed to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions. This would ensure greater independence from government.
The director has a mandate for this sort of work. It already investigates similar crimes such as people smuggling, human trafficking, slavery and child exploitation.
Internationally, the implications of this bill, if passed, will be consequential. The Australian Centre for International Justice estimates up to 1,000 Australian citizens have returned to Israel to fight as part of the Israel Defense Forces. Israel has been accused of serious atrocity crimes in Gaza.
Should any of those citizens return, there could be attempts to mount a case. The government would then have to consider Australia’s political and economic ties with Israel.
Whether the bill is passed will depend on parliament. But the situation highlights a paradox: the state itself will be deciding whether to remove its own inbuilt protections against charges of genocide.
Alister McKeich is a casual legal researcher with the office of Senator Lidia Thorpe.
The development of “superhuman” strength and power has long been admired in many cultures across the world.
This may reflect the importance of these physical fitness characteristics in many facets of our lives from pre-history to today: hunting and gathering, the construction of large buildings and monuments, war, and more recently, sport.
Potentially, the current peak of human strength and power is demonstrated in the sport of strongman.
What is strongman?
Strongman is becoming more common, with competitions now available at regional, national and international levels for men and women of different ages and sizes.
Strongman training and competitions typically involve a host of traditional barbell-based exercises including squats, deadlifts and presses but also specific strongman events.
The specific strongman events – such as the vehicle pull, farmer’s walk, sandbag/keg toss or stones lift – often require competitors to move a range of awkward, heavy implements either higher, faster or with more repetitions in a given time period than their competitors.
Researching one of the greats
Strongman has enjoyed substantial growth and development since the introduction of the World’s Strongest Man competition in the late 1970s.
However, from a scientific perspective, there are few published studies focusing on athletes at the elite level.
In particular, very little is currently known about the overall amount of muscle mass these athletes possess, how their mass is distributed across individual muscles and to what extent their tendon characteristics differ to people who are not training.
However a recent study sought to shed some light on these extreme athletes. It examined the muscle and tendon morphology (structure) of one of the world’s strongest ever men – England’s Eddie Hall.
Measuring an exceptionally strong person such as Hall – who produced a 500kg world record deadlift and won the “World’s Strongest Man” competition in 2017 – provided the opportunity to understand what specific muscle and tendon characteristics may have contributed to his incredible strength.
Eddie Hall is one of world strongman’s finest competitors.
What can we learn from a single case study?
A limited number of athletes reach the truly elite level of strongman and even fewer set world records or win premier events.
Because it’s so difficult to recruit even a small group of such rare athletes, conducting a case study with one elite strongman provided a unique opportunity to understand more about his muscle and tendon characteristics.
Case studies have many limitations, including an inability to determine cause and effect or generalise findings to other individuals from the same group.
However, the study of Hall was insightful, as his muscle and tendon results could be compared directly with various groups from the authors’ earlier published research.
These groups included untrained people, people who have regularly resistance trained for several years, and competitive track sprinters.
The inclusion of these comparative populations allowed meaningful interpretation of what makes Hall’s muscle and tendon characteristics so special.
What they found
Hall’s lower body muscle size was almost twice that of an untrained group of healthy active young men.
And the manner in which his muscle mass was distributed across his lower body exhibited a very specific pattern.
Three long thin muscles, referred to as “guy ropes”, were particularly large (some 2.5 to three times bigger) compared to untrained people.
The guy rope muscles connect to the shin bone via a shared tendon and provide stability to the thigh and hips by fanning out and attaching to the pelvis at diverse locations.
Highly developed guy rope muscles would be expected to offer enhanced stability with heavy lifting, carrying and pulling.
Hall’s thigh (quadriceps) muscle structure was more than twice that of untrained people, yet the tendon at the knee that is connected to this muscle group was only 30% larger than an untrained population.
This finding indicates muscle and tendon growth, within this case of extreme quadriceps muscle development, do not occur to the same extent.
What do the results mean?
The obvious implication is, the larger the relevant muscles, the greater the potential for strength and power.
However, sports like strongman and even everyday activities like climbing stairs, carrying groceries and lifting objects off the ground require the coordinated activity of many stabilising muscles as well as major propulsive muscles such as the quadriceps.
While Hall’s quadriceps were substantially bigger than untrained people, the largest relative differences occurred in the calves and the long thin “guy rope” muscles that help stabilise the hip and knee.
These results pose a question about whether additional or more specific training for these smaller muscles may further enhance strength and power.
This could benefit strongman athletes as well as everyday people.
Also, the relatively small differences in tendon size between Hall and untrained populations suggests tendons do not grow to the same extent as muscles do.
As muscular forces are transmitted through tendons to the bones, the substantially greater growth of muscle than tendon may mean athletes such as Hall have a greater relative risk of tendon than muscle injury.
Justin Keogh is the Associate Dean of Research, Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University, an exercise scientist and a former strongman competitor.
Tom Balshaw is a Lecturer in Kinesiology, Strength and Conditioning employed by Loughborough University
Minister for the NDIS the Hon. Bill Shorten MP has thanked outgoing Acting NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commissioner Michael Phelan APM for his outstanding contribution to the NDIS Commission over the last six months, as new Commissioner Louise Glanville and Associate Commissioner Natalie Wade prepare to take the helm from tomorrow.
Minister Shorten said Acting Commissioner Phelan’s strong focus on weeding out unscrupulous providers while strengthening the NDIS Commission’s processes and keeping a focus on safeguarding the rights of people with disability, had resulted in significant improvements.
“Mike Phelan was absolutely the right person for the tough gig of leading the NDIS Commission into its next phase as a trusted and effective regulator of the NDIS,” Minister Shorten said.
“While the initial Acting Commissioner role was only for three months, Mike agreed to stay on for an additional three months while we found the right replacement, because he understood the importance of the Commission’s role.
“The improvements that have been made in that short time have been extraordinary and are due in large part to Mike’s extensive experience in the policing and financial crime worlds but are also a testament to the inherent empathy and humanity of the man himself.
“Mike has been an exceptional leader who has guided the NDIS Commission to a new stage of maturity, to become a regulator with teeth.”
To enable this evolution, the Australian Government last year invested in an effective doubling of the NDIS Commission workforce, and over the next four years the organisation will be strengthening its systems and capabilities through the $160 million Data and Regulatory Transformation (DART) Program.
Minister Shorten said during Acting Commissioner Phelan’s tenure the NDIS Commission:
Initiated the design of a fit-for-purpose risk-based Prioritisation Model to ensure the NDIS Commission’s resources are directed to the matters of the highest priority
Implemented a state-of-the-art communication system in the Contact Centre, that has resulted in twice as many calls handled
Advocated for the proposed reforms to registration to be prioritised, which will commence with compulsory registration for platform providers, support coordinators and SIL providers
Strengthened compliance and enforcement processes and prioritised intelligence functions to maximise the return on the Australian Government’s investment in DART
Commissioned an external Human Resources review to bolster the NDIS Commission’s HR function as it matures
Appointed the firm led by former Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick to lead a comprehensive review into the workplace culture of the NDIS Commission.
“Mike has made an invaluable contribution in his short time at the NDIS Commission, and I wholeheartedly thank him for his commitment, his leadership and his dedication to realising the potential of the organisation,” Minister Shorten said.
“From tomorrow, the NDIS Commission welcomes new Commissioner Louise Glanville, who is highly experienced in both the legal and disability sectors, and who will be tasked with picking up what Mike has started and delivering on this incredibly important program of work.
“Natalie Wade, who is an experienced disability rights lawyer and advocate, will also be joining the NDIS Commission as Associate Commissioner, with responsibility for registration and reform.”
Police are appealing for community members who have information about those responsible for a Te Kamo aggravated robbery to come forward.
Whangārei CIB has been investigating since the events of Saturday evening at a residential address on Te Puia Street.
Detective Senior Sergeant John Clayton says the victim suffered facial injuries as a result of the offenders’ actions.
“At this point in our enquiries, we know three offenders entered the property at about 8.30pm,” he says.
“The victim was the sole occupant at the time and was assaulted by these offenders, suffering facial injuries as well as having several teeth knocked out.
“Ambulance staff treated the man at the scene, but he is extremely shaken by the events of Saturday night.”
Cash and jewellery were stolen from the property.
“There is no place for such unnecessary violence in our community,” Detective Senior Sergeant Clayton says.
“People in the community associated with these offenders will know exactly what they have done, and now is the time for them to do the right thing.”
Detective Senior Sergeant Clayton says the community can report information anonymously and in confidence.
People can contact Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Alternatively, if you have information, please update us online now or call 105.
Nick Ritchie, Strategic Advisor – Chief Executive Succession Planning at Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission relished the opportunity to have free and frank conversations with other leaders as part of New Zealand Defence Force’s (NZDF) Lead Capability programme.
Based in Upper Hutt over 8 days, Nick connected with a diverse group of leaders across the Public Service and New Zealand Defence Force. Alongside classroom activities as a group, leaders were split into smaller syndicates to review their Hogan 360 assessments and discuss learnings from the main class. Nick found these syndicate discussions particularly valuable.
“The free and frank conversations gave you a real chance to discuss aspects of leadership and how to adjust your style depending on your Hogan’s scores and the context of your role.
“Understanding challenges or potential derailers as a leader and then looking at methods to mitigate these challenges were invaluable to my growth as a person and a leader.”
Nick’s syndicate of leaders on Lead Capability.
Nick initially applied for the programme as he sought a leadership development opportunity with a strong operational element to support his work at the Commission.
“I think it really helped me implement strategies to cut through ambiguity and focus on delivering the key outcomes of my role. It also helped to shape the way I interact with my 1 up or 2 up managers. For example, how to effectively present challenges and solutions to senior leaders in the most efficient manner as well as understanding the key pieces of context they would need from you to make effective operational decisions.”
Another aspect of the course Nick enjoyed was the diversity of leaders.
“One of the Air Force members of my syndicate was one of the first trained pilots on the P8 while the Army Officers has completed two tours of Afghanistan. NZDF leaders were equally interested in the work we do at the Commission.”
Nick is still in touch with members of his syndicate and enjoys getting updates on how everyone is doing particularly the ones who have been deployed overseas.
Nick’s cohort of New Zealand Defence Force’s Lead Capability.
Applications for Public Service leaders to join New Zealand Defence Force leadership development programmes are now open with spaces available on Lead Capability. Learn more on the NZDF programme page.
The end of free Rapid Antigen Tests today is another sign the Government is giving up on the challenge of protecting the community from Covid-19.
“We cannot afford to become complacent with Covid, testing is a tool that should remain accessible to all,” says the Green Party’s Health spokesperson, Hūhana Lyndon.
“Testing is critical to protection, alerting people when they have Covid and when they should avoid interacting with others. It’s one of the most effective things we can do to help protect our immunocompromised and elderly communities.
“By withdrawing funding for tests, many will miss out, which could lead to the virus spreading and proliferating under the radar. The Government is effectively waving a white flag for this deadly virus to spread more through our communities when the need for protection remains high.
“The Health Ministry still advises people who are symptomatic to test and take precautions against spreading the virus, so it also should provide access to testing.
“At up to $11.00 per test it is a cost that many families cannot afford – especially under the current government’s regime, which is leaving so many behind.
“While members of this coalition Government may like to think the pandemic never happened, it is clear that the legacy of the virus lives on.
“Many people became ill with different strains of Covid this past Winter season, and remain sick. As people socialise more towards the end of year, the risk of Covid spreading doesn’t simply abate.
“We must ensure RAT tests are not just accessible for those who can afford it,” says Hūhana Lyndon.
Imagine scrolling through social media or playing an online game, only to be interrupted by insulting and harassing comments. What if an artificial intelligence (AI) tool stepped in to remove the abuse before you even saw it?
This isn’t science fiction. Commercial AI tools like ToxMod and Bodyguard.ai are already used to monitor interactions in real time across social media and gaming platforms. They can detect and respond to toxic behaviour.
The idea of an all-seeing AI monitoring our every move might sound Orwellian, but these tools could be key to making the internet a safer place.
However, for AI moderation to succeed, it needs to prioritise values like privacy, transparency, explainability and fairness. So can we ensure AI can be trusted to make our online spaces better? Our two recent research projects into AI-driven moderation show this can be done – with more work ahead of us.
Whether it’s a single offensive comment or a sustained slew of harassment, such harmful interactions are part of daily life for many internet users.
The severity of online toxicity is one reason the Australian government has proposed banning social media for children under 14.
But this approach fails to fully address a core underlying problem: the design of online platforms and moderation tools. We need to rethink how online platforms are designed to minimise harmful interactions for all users, not just children.
This is where proactive AI moderation offers the chance to create safer, more respectful online spaces. But can AI truly deliver on this promise? Here’s what we found.
‘Havoc’ in online multiplayer games
In our Games and Artificial Intelligence Moderation (GAIM) Project, we set out to understand the ethical opportunities and pitfalls of AI-driven moderation in online multiplayer games. We conducted 26 in-depth interviews with players and industry professionals to find out how they use and think about AI in these spaces.
Interviewees saw AI as a necessary tool to make games safer and combat the “havoc” caused by toxicity. With millions of players, human moderators can’t catch everything. But an untiring and proactive AI can pick up what humans miss, helping reduce the stress and burnout associated with moderating toxic messages.
But many players also expressed confusion about the use of AI moderation. They didn’t understand why they received account suspensions, bans and other punishments, and were often left frustrated that their own reports of toxic behaviour seemed to be lost to the void, unanswered.
Participants were especially worried about privacy in situations where AI is used to moderate voice chat in games. One player exclaimed: “my god, is that even legal?” It is – and it’s already happening in popular online games such as Call of Duty.
Our study revealed there’s tremendous positive potential for AI moderation. However, games and social media companies will need to do a lot more work to make these systems transparent, empowering and trustworthy.
Right now, AI moderation is seen to operate much like a police officer in an opaque justice system. What if AI instead took the form of a teacher, guardian, or upstander – educating, empowering or supporting users?
Enter AI Ally
This is where our second project AI Ally comes in, an initiative funded by the eSafety Commissioner. In response to high rates of tech-based gendered violence in Australia, we are co-designing an AI tool to support girls, women and gender-diverse individuals in navigating safer online spaces.
We surveyed 230 people from these groups, and found that 44% of our respondents “often” or “always” experienced gendered harassment on at least one social media platform. It happened most frequently in response to everyday online activities like posting photos of themselves, particularly in the form of sexist comments.
Interestingly, our respondents reported that documenting instances of online abuse was especially useful when they wanted to support other targets of harassment, such as by gathering screenshots of abusive comments. But only a few of those surveyed did this in practice. Understandably, many also feared for their own safety should they intervene by defending someone or even speaking up in a public comment thread.
These are worrying findings. In response, we are designing our AI tool as an optional dashboard that detects and documents toxic comments. To help guide us in the design process, we have created a set of “personas” that capture some of our target users, inspired by our survey respondents.
We allow users to make their own decisions about whether to filter, flag, block or report harassment in efficient ways that align with their own preferences and personal safety.
In this way, we hope to use AI to offer young people easy-to-access support in managing online safety while offering autonomy and a sense of empowerment.
We can all play a role
AI Ally shows we can use AI to help make online spaces safer without having to sacrifice values like transparency and user control. But there is much more to be done.
Other, similar initiatives include Harassment Manager, which was designed to identify and document abuse on Twitter (now X), and HeartMob, a community where targets of online harassment can seek support.
Until ethical AI practices are more widely adopted, users must stay informed. Before joining a platform, check if they are transparent about their policies and offer user control over moderation settings.
The internet connects us to resources, work, play and community. Everyone has the right to access these benefits without harassment and abuse. It’s up to all of us to be proactive and advocate for smarter, more ethical technology that protects our values and our digital spaces.
The AI Ally team consists of Dr Mahli-Ann Butt, Dr Lucy Sparrow, Dr Eduardo Oliveira, Ren Galwey, Dahlia Jovic, Sable Wang-Wills, Yige Song and Maddy Weeks.
Dr Lucy Sparrow receives funding from the eSafety Commissioner’s Preventing Tech-Based Abuse Against Women grant program for the “AI Ally” project.
Dr Eduardo Oliveira receives funding from the eSafety Commissioner’s Preventing Tech-Based Abuse Against Women grant program for the “AI Ally” project.
Dr Mahli-Ann Butt receives funding from the eSafety Commissioner’s Preventing Tech-Based Abuse Against Women grant program for the “AI Ally” project.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne
The US presidential election will be held on November 5. In analyst Nate Silver’s aggregate of national polls, Democrat Kamala Harris leads Republican Donald Trump by 49.3–46.0 – a slight widening of the competition since last Monday, when Harris led Trump by 49.2–46.2.
President Joe Biden’s final position before his withdrawal as Democratic candidate on July 21 was a national poll deficit against Trump of 45.2–41.2.
There will be a debate on Tuesday evening US time between the vice-presidential candidates, Democrat Tim Walz and Republican JD Vance. Vice-presidential debates in previous elections have not had a significant influence on the contest.
The US president isn’t elected by the national popular vote, but by the Electoral College, in which each state receives electoral votes equal to its federal House seats (population based) and senators (always two). Almost all states award their electoral votes as winner-takes-all, and it takes 270 electoral votes to win (out of 538 total).
The Electoral College is biased to Trump relative to the national popular vote, with Harris needing at least a two-point popular vote win in Silver’s model to be the Electoral College favourite.
In Silver’s polling averages, Harris leads Trump by one to two points in Pennsylvania (19 electoral votes), Michigan (15), Wisconsin (ten) and Nevada (six). If Harris wins all these states, she is likely to win the Electoral College by at least a 276–262 margin. Trump is ahead by less than a point in North Carolina (16 electoral votes) and Georgia (16), and if Harris wins both, she wins by 308–230.
In Silver’s model, Harris has a 56% chance to win the Electoral College, up from 54% last Monday but down from her peak of 58% two days ago. Earlier this month, there were large differences in win probability between Silver’s model and the FiveThirtyEight model, which was more favourable to Harris. But these models have nearly converged, with FiveThirtyEight now giving Harris a 59% win probability.
There are still more than five weeks until election day, so polls could change in either Trump’s or Harris’ favour by then. Harris’ one to two point leads in the key states are tenuous, and this explains why Trump is still rated a good chance to win.
Silver wrote on September 1 that polls in 2020 and 2016 were biased against Trump, but polls in 2012 were biased against Barack Obama. In the last two midterm elections (2022 and 2018), polls have been good. It’s plausible there will be a polling error this year, but which candidate such an error would favour can’t be predicted.
On Sunday, Silver said if there was a systematic error of three or four points in the polls in either Trump’s or Harris’ favour, that candidate would sweep all the swing states and easily win the Electoral College. There are other scenarios in which one candidate underperforms the polls with some demographics but overperforms with other demographics.
I wrote about the US election for The Poll Bludger last Thursday, and also covered bleak polls and byelection results in Canada for the governing centre-left Liberals ahead of an election due by October 2025, a dreadful poll for UK Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the new French prime minister, a German state election and a socialist win in Sri Lanka’s presidential election.
Upwardly revised economic data
Last Thursday, a revised estimate of June quarter US GDP was released. There was a large upward revision in real disposable personal income compared to the previously reported figures. This has resulted in the personal savings rate being revised up to 4.9% in July from the previously reported 2.9%, and it was 4.8% in August.
With these upward revisions, Silver’s economic index that averages six indicators is now at +0.25, up from +0.09. As the incumbent party’s candidate, a better economy than was previously believed should help Harris.
Coalition gains narrow lead in Essential
In Australia, a national Essential poll, conducted on September 18–22 from a sample of 1,117 people, gave the Coalition a 48–47 lead (including undecided voters) after a 48–48 tie in early September. It’s the Coalition’s first lead in the Essential poll since mid-July.
Primary votes were 35% Coalition (steady), 29% Labor (down one), 12% Greens (down one), 8% One Nation (steady), 2% UAP (up one), 9% for all Others (up one) and 5% undecided (steady).
Anthony Albanese’s net approval was up five points since August to –5, with 47% disapproving and 42% approving. Peter Dutton’s net approval was down one to net zero.
On social media regulations, 48% thought them too weak, 43% about right and 8% too tough. By 67–17, voters supported imposing an age limit for children to access social media (68–15 in July). By 71–12, voters supported making doxing (the public release of personally identifiable data) a criminal offence (62–19 in February).
By 49–18, voters supported Labor’s Help to Buy scheme, and by 57–13 they supported the build-to-rent scheme. The questions give detail that few voters would know.
Voters were told the Liberals and Greens had combined to delay Labor’s housing policies in the senate. By 48–22, voters thought the Liberals and Greens should pass the policies and argue for their own policies at the next election, rather than block Labor’s policies. Greens voters supported passing by 55–21.
Labor keeps narrow lead in Morgan
A national Morgan poll, conducted September 16–22 from a sample of 1,662 people, gave Labor a 50.5–49.5 lead, unchanged from the September 9–15 Morgan poll.
Primary votes were 37.5% Coalition (steady), 32% Labor (up 1.5), 12.5% Greens (steady), 5% One Nation (down 0.5), 9.5% independents (down 0.5) and 3.5% others (down 0.5).
The headline figure is based on respondent preferences. By 2022 election preference flows, Labor led by an unchanged 52–48.
Adrian Beaumont does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Community consultation for the City of Wanneroo’s Draft Local Planning Strategy opens this week and residents and local business owners are encouraged to share their views.
The Strategy is intended to guide future land use planning and development in the City and focusses on facilitating urban growth while providing housing diversity, supporting economic growth, delivering quality public spaces and protecting our environmental and community assets.
All community members are invited to complete our online survey or attend our drop-in sessions to provide feedback and help shape the future of the City.
Mayor Linda Aitken said the document was the City’s first Local Planning Strategy and encouraged residents to have their say.
“As one of the State’s fastest growing local government areas, the City continues to play an important role in accommodating population growth, supporting economic opportunities, delivering connected infrastructure, all while balancing our impact on the environment,” she said.
“Our community wants diverse housing choices, a range of transport services and infrastructure to support walking, cycling, public transport and car use.
“The Strategy aims to protect our unique local character and sense of place while we plan for future growth and development.”
Once finalised, the Strategy will inform a new Planning Scheme, as well as land use plans and policies.
Have your say at here or access a hard copy at the Civic Centre.
Community drop-in sessions
Thursday 10 October, 5pm to 7pm, Pearsall Hocking Community Centre, Pearsall
Tuesday 15 October, 5pm to 7pm, Phil Renkin Function Room, Two Rocks
Thursday 17 October, 5pm to 7pm, Community Centre Activity room, Koondoola
Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti
3 hours ago
A recent Ōtātara Outdoor Learning Centre (ŌOLC) staff meeting on the EIT Hawke’s Bay Campus.
Protecting and preserving an EIT Hawke’s Bay campus outdoor learning sanctuary is important environmentally and culturally for the future, says EIT new kaitiaki (guardian) of the Ōtātara Outdoor Learning Centre (ŌOLC).
Gerard Henry, a tutor in EIT’s School of Primary Industries, takes up the role while maintaining his teaching duties in EIT’s environmental management and horticulture programmes. Gerard will be supported by the wider Primary Industries team.
The ŌOLC has been inspirational for students and staff across numerous EIT Schools as well as local schools and organisations, and Gerard believes it can play an even greater role in connecting the campus with nature. “There are many opportunities for programmes to utilise this special space as part of their delivery, enriching the learning experience for ākonga”.
Initially the ŌOLC was established as the base for the Learning in Nature (LIN) education initiative, an innovative collaboration between EIT, Ngāti Pārau (the mana whenua hapū for Ōtātara), Te Papa Atawhai (the Department of Conservation), Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, and local environmental groups. Financial support from the Air New Zealand Environment Trust helped get the OOLC underway. In 2021, EIT won the Benefiting Society Category of the prestigious Australasian Green Gown Awards for its ‘Ko au te taiao, ko te taiao ko au: I am nature, nature is me’ project.
Gerard Henry is the new kaitiaki (guardian) of the Ōtātara Outdoor Learning Centre (ŌOLC) on the EIT Hawke’s Bay Campus.
The ŌOLC has a steady stream of local school children and community groups utilising the facility. The team recently hosted ākonga from seven Ōtatāra Kāhui kura where children participated in various outdoor activities and enjoyed helping to organise some planting “Part of my role is to liaise with different community groups so that they can enjoy what ŌOLC has to offer” says Gerard.
Students and staff from a wide range of EIT programmes are invested in the space and work collaboratively on various projects to improve and celebrate the spaces and the amazing resource we have.
Gerard says “it was at the first planting project at ŌOLC in 2018 with a Sustainability cohort that he understood the meaning the place will have for ākonga, kaimahi and visitors”. EIT are privileged to be connected with “Ōtātara, one of the most outstanding Pa sites in New Zealand”. Kaitiakitanga and Mātauranga Māori will be guiding principles in leading the development of ŌOLC into the future.
Paul Keats, the Assistant Head of School for Primary Industries, said the ŌOLC is a perfect fit with our School and as well as benefiting our teaching, it’s an asset for the community.
It is important for people to know that the ŌOLC is now fully functional after the cyclone for EIT and community use. For inquiries, contact the team at OtataraOutdoorLearningCentre@eit.ac.nz
The Government’s Quarter Four (Q4) Action Plan will be focused on making it easier and faster to build infrastructure in New Zealand as part of its wider plan to rebuild the economy, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says.
“My Government has been working at pace to get the country back on track since we came to office almost a year ago, and there will be no slowing down as we approach the end of this year,” Mr Luxon says.
“Our final action plan for 2024 will build on the previous action plans and continue to deliver on the Government’s core priorities of rebuilding the economy, restoring law and order, and delivering better public services.
“The plan features a particularly strong focus on the delivery of modern, reliable infrastructure as part of a major effort to make it easier to get things built in this country.
“That includes clearing away the barriers to growth and development through comprehensive resource management reform – but also confirming a fresh approach to the funding and financing of infrastructure.
“With inflation and interest rates falling, we’re now shifting focus to creating the foundations for growth. Our latest plan is critical to achieving that.”
The Q4 Action Plan has 43 actions that include:
Passing the Fast-track Approvals Bill to speed up delivery of regional and national projects of significance.
Passing the first Resource Management Amendment Bill to reduce the regulatory burden on farmers and the primary sector.
Introducing the second amendment bill for the Resource Management Act to cut through red and green tape holding back growth in the infrastructure, energy, housing and farming sectors.
Taking Cabinet decisions on funding and financing tools to get more housing built.
Introducing legislation to make it easier to build offshore wind farms.
Taking Cabinet decisions to get local councils back to basics.
“We will also take further action on restoring law and order, and delivering better public services,” Mr Luxon says.
“By the end of this year, we plan to introduce legislation to enable stronger consequences for serious youth offending, begin the phased rollout of free breast cancer screening for women to age 74, and release the final curriculum for English and Maths for use in primary schools in 2025.
“Kiwis can head into the summer break confident that they have a Government focused on action and delivery to make their and their family’s lives better.”
New Zealanders will be safer as a result of the Government’s crackdown on crime which includes tougher laws for offenders and gangs delivered as part of the Quarter Three (Q3) Action Plan, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says.
“I’m proud to say we have delivered on 39 of the 40 actions in our Q3 Action Plan, which had a particularly strong focus on restoring law and order,” Mr Luxon says.
“Every New Zealander deserves to feel safe in their homes, businesses and communities, but in recent years that feeling has turned to fear for too many.
“That is why our Government promised to restore law and order, and our Q3 plan has driven significant progress toward that with the passing of four new laws that crack down on criminal activity and support offenders to turn their lives around.”
The four new law and order bills passed as part of the Q3 Action Plan are:
Gangs Legislation Amendment Bill – to give Police tough powers to go after gangs by restricting their ability to associate and banning gang patches in public.
Firearms Prohibition Orders Legislation Amendment Bill – to give Police more power to get guns out of the hands of criminals.
Corrections Amendment Bill – to increase access to effective rehabilitation for prisoners on remand.
Courts (Remote Participation) Amendment Bill – to improve efficiency in the courts and increase access to justice.
“We have also introduced major sentencing reforms that will ensure criminals receive tougher sentences that reflect the harm they cause to their fellow Kiwis,” Mr Luxon says.
“Alongside actions to restore law and order, the Q3 plan also saw progress toward rebuilding the economy and delivering better public services.”
Actions the Government has taken this quarter include:
Passed the Local Water Done Well Bill to replace Three Waters.
Signed the new speed limit rule to reverse blanket speed limit reductions.
Introduced legislation to eliminate barriers to overseas building products being used in New Zealand.
Opened the $1.2 billion Regional Infrastructure Fund for applications to help reduce New Zealand’s infrastructure deficit.
Released a plan for achieving the Government’s five health targets, including faster cancer treatment and improved immunisation for children.
Released a draft of the new primary schools’ English and Maths curriculum for sector and public consultation.
Introduced the Stepped Attendance Response (STAR) system to get kids back into the classroom.
The one action that has only been partially completed is the publication of an updated health workforce plan. The mental health workforce plan has been published, however the Government appointed a Commissioner to replace the board of Health NZ in July and the national health workforce plan will now be considered by Cabinet in quarter four, prior to publication.
“Our Government is getting New Zealand back on track, with clear plans to deliver on the core priorities that Kiwis elected us on – rebuilding the economy, restoring law and order, and delivering better public services.”
