A contingent of the Indian Air Force reached Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates to participate in Exercise Desert Flag-10, a premier multinational air combat exercise. The IAF is fielding MiG-29 and Jaguar aircraft in the exercise.
Exercise Desert Flag is a multinational exercise being hosted by the UAE Air Force, with participating contingents from the Air Forces of Australia, Bahrain, France, Germany, Qatar Saudi Arabia, Republic of Korea, Turkey, UAE, United Kingdom, and the United States in addition to the Indian Air Force. The exercise is scheduled to take place between 21 April to 08 May 2025.
The aim of the exercise is to undertake complex and diverse fighter engagements, with exchange of operational knowledge and best practices with some of the most capable Air Forces in the world. Participation in such exercises enhances mutual understanding interoperability, and strengthens military cooperation among the participating nations.
The IAF’s participation underscores India’s commitment to strengthening defence ties and interoperability with friendly nations in the region and beyond.
JAKARTA, 21 April 2025 – The Second Protocol to Amend the Agreement Establishing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA) (Second Protocol) has entered-into-force today, marking a pivotal moment in the continued economic collaboration in deepening economic integration between ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand.
At a time of great challenge for the global trading system, AANZFTA’s continued relevance underscores the benefits of cooperation to uphold commitments to the principles of open, predictable and transparent rules-based multilateral trade, as well as the importance of cooperative, collective and regional efforts to liberalise markets and expand the benefits of trade.
Building on the foundation laid by the original AANZFTA, signed in 2009 and effective since 2010, the Second Protocol features substantial enhancements to 13 existing chapters, including areas such as Rules of Origin, Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation, Competition, and Electronic Commerce. Moreover, it introduces new chapters on trade and sustainable development, micro, small, and medium enterprises, and government procurement, reflecting a commitment to modernising and broadening the scope of regional trade. These improvements are designed to create a more seamless, resilient, and business-friendly environment across the region, ensuring that the agreement remains relevant in an evolving global trade landscape.
“The entry-into-force of the Second Protocol underscores our collective dedication to ensuring AANZFTA remains commercially relevant and beneficial for businesses across the region, while maintaining the region’s resilience and driving sustainable economic growth, particularly amidst global uncertainties,” stated Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary-General of ASEAN.
With parties encompassing a combined GDP of over USD 5.6 trillion and a population of 703 million, the AANZFTA continues to be a cornerstone for strengthening economic ties and promoting inclusive growth. The entry into force of the Second Protocol is expected to generate new trade and investment opportunities, benefitting from streamlined trade facilitation measures that will reduce transaction costs, enhance supply chain resilience, promote the adoption of digital technologies, and foster cooperation on trade and sustainable development.
ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand remain committed to the effective implementation of the Second Protocol, working closely with businesses and stakeholders to ensure the full realisation of its benefits and drive sustainable economic growth across the region.
ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand continue to value the support for implementation of AANZFTA and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) provided through the AUD$48.7 million Regional Trade for Development (RT4D) initiative. RT4D projects respond to ASEAN’s trade policy priorities to maximise the
benefits these agreements have for our communities.
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The post Entry into Force of the Second Protocol to Amend the Agreement Establishing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA) appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.
19 April 2025 – Following the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) large-scale ground offensive on Zamzam camp that started on 11 April, hundreds of thousands of people have joined the communities already besieged and deprived of lifesaving aid in El Fasher, the neighbouring capital city of North Darfur. 25,000 more reached Tawila further west, where overwhelmed MSF teams are currently expanding activities to cope with the most pressing medical needs. We are making an urgent appeal to put an end to the siege and the atrocities, to deliver humanitarian aid, including by airdropping food and medicines to El Fasher if necessary, and to allow those who wish to flee to do so safely.
The RSF and their allied armed groups stormed Zamzam, Sudan’s largest displacement camp, which used to host at least 500,000 people near El Fasher, after months of an increasingly tight siege on the area. By 16 April, the camp, by then largely destroyed, was reportedly under RSF control. The majority of the Zamzam population is believed to have fled to El Fasher, where they remain trapped, out of reach of humanitarian aid and exposed to ongoing attacks and further mass violence.
While MSF in Tawila saw over 25,000 people arriving from Zamzam and nearby areas between 12 and 15 April, displaced people are now arriving more sporadically and at great risk for their lives along the way. Our teams set up a health post at the entrance of Tawila to provide the new arrivals with water and immediate nutritional and medical support. We refer critical cases to the local hospital where we have been working since last October. About 1,600 patients so far have required emergency outpatient services, mainly because of severe dehydration.
“We are treating children who were literally dying of thirst on their journeys. We have received so far over 170 people with gunshot and blast injuries and 40 per cent of them are women and girls”, said Marion Ramstein, MSF project coordinator in Tawila. “People tell us that many injured and vulnerable people could not make the trip to Tawila and were left behind. Almost everyone we talk to said they lost at least one family member during the attack”.
Horrific reports emerge from Zamzam camp, where hundreds of people are estimated to have been killed. Fighters were said to be going door-to-door, shooting people hiding in their homes and burning large parts of the camp. Casualties include eleven staff from the humanitarian organisation Relief International, which was running the only remaining clinic in the camp after MSF suspended all its activities in Zamzam in February due to escalating violence and blockades.
We urge the Rapid Support Forces and all armed groups in the area to spare and protect civilians and ensure that those who want to flee can do so without further harm. States and diplomatic actors must use their leverage to translate hollow statements into concrete actions. There have been repeated warnings from the UN and many observers about the risks of mass killings and ethnic violence in El Fasher and the surroundings displacement camps, mostly inhabited by people from the non-Arab Zaghawa and Fur ethnic groups, while most of the RSF fighters and their allies originate from Arab tribes.
After two years of a catastrophic war on people met by neglectful indifference, it remains inconceivable to simply resign ourselves to the current collective failure to provide vital assistance where it’s most needed. “A massive humanitarian response is needed, now more urgently than ever. If the roads to El Fasher are blocked, then air operations must be launched to bring food and medicines to the estimated one million people trapped there and being starved. A scaled-up response is also needed in Tawila, where some of the survivors are arriving and where NGOs are overwhelmed”, said Rasmane Kabore, MSF Head of mission in Sudan. MSF and several other actors are launching emergency interventions in Tawila, but much more is needed in terms of water, food, medical care and shelter.
MSF is an international, medical, humanitarian organisation that delivers medical care to people in need, regardless of their origin, religion, or political affiliation. MSF has been working in Haiti for over 30 years, offering general healthcare, trauma care, burn wound care, maternity care, and care for survivors of sexual violence. MSF Australia was established in 1995 and is one of 24 international MSF sections committed to delivering medical humanitarian assistance to people in crisis. In 2022, more than 120 project staff from Australia and New Zealand worked with MSF on assignment overseas. MSF delivers medical care based on need alone and operates independently of government, religion or economic influence and irrespective of race, religion or gender. For more information visit msf.org.au
Police investigating ram raid incident in Bridgewater
Monday, 21 April 2025 – 2:19 pm.
Bridgewater Police is calling for information to assist an investigation into a ram raid incident that occurred at a business in Bridgewater on Friday night. About 12.03am on19 April a stolen white Ford Ranger (registration K28DF) was allegedly used to commit a ram raid on the front gate of a business in Crooked Billet Drive, Bridgewater. Once inside the business, the suspects reportedly stole a number of power tools before leaving in the stolen motor vehicle. It is alleged that the vehicle was stolen from an address in Howrah sometime between 10.30pm and midnight on 18 April and has not yet been recovered. Bridgewater Police is seeking information from members of the public who may have seen, or who has CCTV or dashcam footage of the white Ford Ranger since approximately 10.30pm on 18 April. Anyone with information should call Bridgewater Police on 131 444. Information can also be provided anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at crimestopperstas.com.au
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 21, 2025.
A secret mathematical rule has shaped the beaks of birds and other dinosaurs for 200 million years Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathleen Garland, PhD Candidate, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University The faces of living and extinct theropod dinosaurs. Left: Riya Bidaye; right: Indian Roller model (NHMUK S1987) from TEMPO bird project – MorphoSource. Bird beaks come in almost every shape and size – from the straw-like beak
Curious Kids: if heat rises, why does it get colder in the mountains? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Renwick, Professor, Physical Geography (Climate Science), Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Shutterstock/EvaL Miko If heat rises, why does it get colder as you climb up mountains? – Ollie, 8, Christchurch, New Zealand That is an excellent and thoughtful question Ollie – why indeed?
From the doable to the downright impossible: your guide to making sense of election promises Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frank Rindert Algra-Maschio, PhD Candidate, Social and Political Sciences, Monash University Three weeks into the federal election campaign and both major parties have already pledged to spend billions in taxpayer dollars if elected on May 3. But with so many policies announced — and surely more to
Security without submarines: the military strategy Australia should pursue instead of AUKUS Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Palazzo, Adjunct Professor in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at UNSW Canberra, UNSW Sydney For more than a century, Australia has followed the same defence policy: dependence on a great power. This was first the United Kingdom and then the United States. Without properly
Prison needle programs could save double what they cost – our new modelling shows how Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Farah Houdroge, Mathematical Modeller, Burnet Institute ChameleonsEye/Shutterstock Needle and syringe programs are a proven public health intervention that provide free, sterile injecting equipment to people who use drugs. By reducing needle sharing, these programs help prevent the spread of blood-borne viruses such as hepatitis C and HIV
‘Puppy blues’: how to cope with the exhaustion and stress of raising a puppy Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Hazel, Associate Professor, School of Animal and Veterinary Science, University of Adelaide Lucigerma/Shutterstock Caring for a new puppy can be wonderful, but it can also bring feelings of depression, extreme stress and exhaustion. This is sometimes referred to as “the puppy blues”, and can begin anytime
A survey of Australian uni students suggests more than half are worried about food or don’t have enough to eat Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katherine Kent, Senior Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Wollongong StoryTime Studio/ Shutterstock Being a university student has long been associated with eating instant noodles, taking advantage of pub meal deals and generally living frugally. But for several years, researchers have been tracking how students are
Low effort, high visibility: what bumper stickers say about our values and identity Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Harrison, Director, Master of Business Administration Program (MBA); Co-Director, Better Consumption Lab, Deakin University Justin Sullivan/Getty You may have seen them around town or in the news. Bumper stickers on Teslas broadcasting to anyone who looks: “I bought this before we knew Elon was crazy.” You
How a new ‘Fishheart’ project is combining science, community and Indigenous art to restore life in the Baaka-Darling River Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claire Hooker, Senior Lecturer and Coordinator, Health and Medical Humanities, University of Sydney A new state-of-the-art tube fishway technology called the “Fishheart” has been launched at Menindee Lakes, located on the Baaka-Darling River, New South Wales. The technology – part of the NSW government’s Restoring the Darling-Baaka
Newspoll steady as both leaders’ ratings fall; Labor surging in poll of marginal seats 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 With less than two weeks to go now until the federal election, the polls continue to favour the government being returned. Newspoll was steady at 52–48 to
Indicators of alien life may have been found – astrophysicist explains what the new research means Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Whittaker, Senior Lecturer in Physics, Nottingham Trent University Darryl Fonseka/Shutterstocl What do you think of when it comes to extra terrestrial life? Most popular sci-fi books and TV shows suggest humanoid beings could live on other planets. But when astronomers are searching for extra-terrestrial life, it
A 17-year-old from Port Huon has had his vehicle clamped for 28 days after he failed to stop and evaded police on 12 April. Police from Geeveston Police Station were conducting patrols along Arve Road near the Tahune Airwalk as part of ongoing road safety operations about 2.15pm on 12 April when the driver of a Ford Falcon failed to stop for a routine check. The vehicle was located a short time later and was subsequently clamped for 28 days under Tasmania’s vehicle seizure laws. The driver, a 17-year-old from Port Huon will be proceeded against by way of summons for traffic-related offences. Police will continue to detect and deter hooning and anti-social behaviour on Tasmanian roads and urge anyone who witnesses such behaviour to report it by contacting police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1800 333 000 or online at crimestopperstas.com.au. If you can’t report it at the time but you have footage, you can upload it to police.tas.gov.au/report/
SYDNEY, Australia, April 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — XenDex is set to Launch as the Strategic Hidden Road Acquisition by Ripple founders signals XRP price surge.
The recent news of Hidden Road being acquired by the Ripple’s founding stakeholder has sent a wave of renewed excitement and hope to the Ripple community.
A new all-in-one Dex being developed on XRP is ready to harness this momentum and transform how users engage with decentralized finance on the XRP Ledger.
Introducing XenDex, the first all-in-one decentralized exchange (DEX) built on XRP to offer not only high-speed asset trading, but also non-custodial lending and borrowing options along with AI copy trading, all within a secure, community-driven ecosystem.
XenDex introduces features which XRP has never seen before; seamlessly combining the power of automation, lending protocols, AI powered copy trading, staking, and cross-chain potential.
Key features of XenDex include:
Lending and Borrowing: Use your assets as collateral to access liquidity or lend to earn passive yield.
AI-Powered Copy Trading: Let smart systems automatically mimic the trades of successful investors in real time.
Spot and Perpetual Trading: Fast, frictionless token swaps via a built-in AMM model.
Liquidity Farming & Staking: Earn rewards by providing liquidity or locking up $XDX.
DAO Governance: Every $XDX holder gets a say in platform upgrades, funding proposals, and ecosystem development.
Future Interoperability: Cross-chain compatibility for Cardano, Ethereum, BNB Chain, and more in the pipeline.
Token Details and Tokenomics
The XenDex token sale will begin soon, giving early supporters the chance to acquire the native utility token $XDX before public exchange listings begin right after token sale.
Token Information:
Token Ticker: $XDX
Total Supply: 1,000,000,000 XDX
Presale Allocation: 300,000,000 XDX
Holders of $XDX will enjoy governance rights, staking rewards, reduced platform fees, airdrops, and other premium benefits.
Ripple’s recent acquisition of Hidden Road is a powerful signal to the broader market: XRP is entering its next evolutionary phase, with increased institutional involvement, liquidity expansion, and enterprise-focused infrastructure.
“We built XenDex because the XRP Ledger needed more than just speed, it needed a full ecosystem,” said a core team member. He continued, “From AI trading to community governance and lending, XenDex is the DeFi engine XRP deserves.”
XenDex smart contracts are undergoing extensive auditing to ensure safety and transparency. The XenDex platform is fully non-custodial and will integrate community governance via on-chain voting. Early adopters will benefit from airdrops, staking bonuses, etc.
With a roadmap that includes cross-chain token bridges, Launchpad, etc. XenDex is built not just for today, but for the XRP future.
Join the presale on April 22nd and secure your spot in one of the most forward-thinking ecosystems on the XRP Ledger.
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A new state-of-the-art tube fishway technology called the “Fishheart” has been launched at Menindee Lakes, located on the Baaka-Darling River, New South Wales.
The technology – part of the NSW government’s Restoring the Darling-Baaka program – will allow native fish to move past large barriers, such as dams, weirs and regulators, when they need to. It’s hoped this will help the fish reproduce and survive, and reduce the risk of mass fish deaths in the Baaka.
At the same time, meaningful policy reform and implementation can’t be achieved without input from First Nations communities. So how do we do this? One creative collaboration on the Fishheart project suggests art may have a big role to play.
Distressing images
Several deeply distressing mass fish death events have occurred in the river since 2018, with millions of native fish, including golden perch, silver perch and Murray cod, dying due to insufficient oxygen in the water.
These events are the outcome of compounding challenges in managing the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia’s largest inland river system. The basin, which stretches from Southern Queensland to South Australia, is a water source for some three million people.
But the construction of infrastructure such as dams, weirs and regulators has profoundly disrupted the natural processes that once sustained healthy river systems. This disruption has been made worse by ineffective and conflict-ridden governance.
The Baaka is a source of life and wellbeing for numerous communities. It should be cared for with the same urgency and coordination as a critically ill patient. If too many doctors or nurses are involved without a clear shared treatment plan, the patient suffers. Likewise, when multiple agencies attempt to manage a sick river, the system can break down.
So how can better care be achieved? For Barkindji Elder David Doyle the answer lies in doing it together.
Seeking and listening to Aboriginal community
Aboriginal peoples have been explaining the importance of Australia’s inland rivers for generations. The Aboriginal community at Menindee held protests about the health of the Baaka two years before the first mass fish deaths. Yet their voices and cultural knowledges have not reconfigured river policy.
A report by the NSW Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer into the March 2023 mass fish deaths on the Lower Baaka identified the importance of including Aboriginal cultural knowledges in strategies for fish species regeneration and management.
However, according to Barkindji Ngnukuu elder Barbara Quayle, the community’s experience of “consultation” has been a tick-box activity. She says there is no trust that cultural knowledges or community perspectives will actually be listened to.
The power of the arts
Traditional cultural knowledges are often held and expressed through various artforms, from story, to dance, to gallery arts. Within rural and remote communities, the arts and art-making create conditions that can help people work together to address complex issues. In fact, there’s a long history of the arts being used to address social conflict.
Can the Fishheart help prevent fish kills? We don’t know. But the Barkindji community’s artistic input in the project is enabling a more integrated approach to finding out.
Elders and community members have come together with regional arts organisation, The Cad Factory, and the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s Fisheries branch, to design traditional knowledge-inspired art for the Fishheart pipes.
This art was painted onto the pipes by members of Barkindji community over the past month. Other community art, including collaborations with the local school, was also placed around the site.
Making the art gave everyone involved the time, space and tools to consider and discuss the project. We learned how the Fishheart technology is inspired by the human heart, with tubes resembling “veins” and “arteries” that can take fish in and “pump” them over barriers through a siphon effect, letting them circulate throughout the river.
We discussed important details on how this technology works, which includes using artificial intelligence used to detect fish in the pipes and collect real-time data and photos of the migration. We also considered how we might further care for the river, by potentially allowing the removal of invasive species, or monitoring for diseases.
The project also provided fisheries managers with the opportunity to hear community concerns, such as whether the installation of fishways might be perceived in ways associated with colonisation, or eventually lead to fish removal from the waterways.
Most importantly, seeing the pipes visually transformed by Barkindji art connected the Fishheart to place and Country. The art provides a tangible expression of uninterrupted Barkindji custodianship for the river and the species that depend on it.
With art, there is hope for creating policy together – policy that might promote the health of the river as a whole, rather than treating the symptoms of the problem.
Claire Hooker receives funding from the NHMRC, MRFF, ARC, and University of Sydney. She is affiliated with Arts Health Network NSW/ACT.
Barbara Quayle is the Vice-president of the Menindee Aboriginal Elders Council, sits on the Barkindji Native Title Board and NSW Aboriginal Water Strategy Board and is a founding guide of Barkindji cultural immersion tour group, Wontanella Tours.
Dave Doyle is a member of the Menindee Aboriginal Elders Council, a previous member of the Barkindji Native Title Board, sits on the NSW Aboriginal Water Strategy Board and is a founding guide of Barkindji cultural immersion tour group, Wontanella Tours.
Reakeeta Smallwood has received funding from ARC and NHMRC, in partnership with University of Sydney, University of Newcastle and University of New England. These funding sources are not relevant to this article or project.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Harrison, Director, Master of Business Administration Program (MBA); Co-Director, Better Consumption Lab, Deakin University
You may have seen them around town or in the news. Bumper stickers on Teslas broadcasting to anyone who looks: “I bought this before we knew Elon was crazy.”
You might assume it’s there to prevent someone from keying the car or as an attempt to defuse potential hostility in a hyper-politicised landscape. But while it may signal disapproval to like-minded passersby, a sticker is unlikely to dissuade someone already intent on committing a crime (which keying is).
What it does offer, though, is a form of symbolic insurance. You might call it a way to clarify identity in a hostile political environment.
Equal parts apology, protest and cultural timestamp, the message can say more in eight words than a full-blown op-ed. But it’s not just about a car. It’s also about values, identity management and the evolving politics of consumption.
A signal to others
At their core, car bumper stickers function as a vehicle (literally and metaphorically) for identity projection. They are symbols of what psychologists call “low-cost identity displays”, used to project who we are or perhaps more accurately, how we want to be seen.
Buying a Tesla may once have signalled innovation, environmental consciousness, or social progressivism. But Musk’s increasingly polarising public behaviour and political commentary have altered the cultural meaning of the brand.
This creates a sense of cognitive dissonance for those consumers whose values no longer align with what the brand’s owner now represents. Enter the bumper sticker.
Sales of Tesla have fallen sharply this year as Elon Musk has become more political. Shutterstock
In an increasingly fragmented society, where people are eager to differentiate themselves, even a sticker can be a subtle form of moral positioning. But more than anything, it’s often a way to signal to the groups that matter most to us, “please like me”.
Social identity theory suggests people derive part of their self-concept from their perceived membership in social groups. Bumper stickers make these group affiliations visible, projecting values, ideologies, affiliations, or even contrarian attitudes to the outside world.
My tiny fading Richmond Tigers sticker on my car may not be performative in the same way a bold political slogan might be. But it still signals a form of identity and belonging.
Bumper stickers can make affiliation with social groups visible. Shutterstock
The North Face jacket
Bumper stickers act as a form of “peacocking”. It’s similar to wearing branded clothing, like Dan Andrews’ The North Face jacket during COVID that made him appear more approachable than he would have in a formal suit. Or like even curating a bio on LinkedIn. This is a behavioural strategy where people communicate their traits to others without words.
In marketing, this links closely to the theory of conspicuous consumption, which can include symbolic consumption, where we buy and display products not just for utility, but for what they say about us.
Bumper stickers are a literal version of this. They are symbolic, declarative and public. They’re low-effort, high-visibility communicators of group affiliation, virtue, humour, rebellion or outrage.
The intention might be to inform or persuade, but their actual influence is more complicated.
Marketing class 101
In introductory marketing classes, taught at pretty much every university, awareness is often presented as the first stage of the hierarchy of effects model. The model suggests consumer action progresses from awareness to knowledge, liking, preference, conviction, and finally, purchase.
Stickers are unlikely to influence behaviour. Shutterstock
But in practice, this progression is significantly more complicated. Bumper stickers may generate awareness, but there’s little evidence they influence behaviour – especially when considered in isolation.
This is particularly relevant in areas such as tourism promotion. For example, an unofficial, but nevertheless provocative tourism slogan like the “CU in the NT” ad campaign might spark conversation and recognition, but recognition does not equate to conversion.
Despite the hope that underpins the millions of dollars spent on slogans and taglines, awareness is necessary but not sufficient for behavioural change.
Most marketing efforts fail not because people are unaware of the brand, but because they have no reason, opportunity, or inclination to act – that is, to buy the product or change behaviour.
Culture has fragmented
Contemporary consumer culture is increasingly tribal and fragmented. Social media algorithms reinforce echo chambers, while physical signals such as car stickers or even political corflute signs signal belonging and in-group and out-group boundaries.
As a result, bumper stickers probably reinforce identity for the already converted, but are unlikely to persuade those outside the tribe.
Visible preferences, however, can serve as a form of shorthand for identity, especially when they align with the symbols and language of the in-group. Although their direct influence on behaviour is limited, these signals, when repeated and reinforced within a receptive community, can shape and shift social norms over time.
In the end, bumper stickers rarely change behaviour. But they do something more subtle. They allow people to express, perform and affirm identity. They act as signals to others, markers of tribe, values, humour or defiance. They help us say this is who I am, or maybe, this is what I am not.
Paul Harrison has received research funding from Consumer Action Law Centre, Australian Securities and Investment Commission, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, and the Victorian Health Association.
In new research, we look at how the problem is getting worse.
Our research
In March 2022 and March 2024, we surveyed University of Tasmania students about their access to food.
More than 1,200 students participated in the first survey and more than 1,600 participated in the second. Students were recruited through university-wide emails and social media and included both undergraduate and postgraduate students from a range of disciplines.
We used an internationally recognised survey to assess food insecurity. It can tell us whether students are struggling and to what extent.
It asked simple but revealing questions about financial barriers to food, such as “In the past 12 months, did you ever skip meals because there wasn’t enough money for food?” or “Did the food you bought just not last, and you didn’t have money to get more?”
Students were then classified as “food secure” or as one of three levels of food insecurity:
marginally food insecure: students were worried about running out of food
moderately food insecure: students were compromising on the quality and variety of food they ate
severely food insecure: students were often skipping meals or going without food altogether.
We asked students if they regularly skipped meals or if they didn’t have money for food. Cottonbro Studio/ Pexels, CC BY
Regularly going without food
We found overall, food insecurity among students increased from 42% in 2022 to 53% in 2024.
The proportions of those experiencing marginal or moderate levels of food insecurity was stable (at about 8% and 17–18% respectively). But the number of students experiencing severe food insecurity jumped from 17% to 27%.
While food insecurity increased among most groups, younger students, those studying on campus and international students were the most at risk.
Although our study focused on the University of Tasmania, similar rates of food insecurity have recently been reported at other regional and metropolitan universities across the country. This suggests it is a widespread issue.
National data on food insecurity in the general Australian population is limited, with no regular government monitoring. The 2024 Foodbank Hunger Report estimates 32% of Australian households experienced food insecurity, including 19% with severe food insecurity.
Why is this happening?
While our study didn’t directly explore the causes of student hunger, rising inflation, high rents and limited student incomes are likely factors.
The surveys happened during a time of sustained inflation and rising living costs. We know rents, groceries and other essentials have all gone up. But student support payments have not kept pace over the study period.
Estimates suggest about 32% of Australian households in general do not have enough to eat. Armin Rimoldi/Pexels, CC BY
What can we do?
To address food insecurity among students, coordinated action is needed across universities and state and territory governments.
Universities often run food pantries to provide students with basic supplies, but they also need more long-term supports for students.
State governments can reduce the financial stress that contributes to food insecurity by expanding stipends and support for students on unpaid clinical placements in the state system. They could also expand public transport concessions to all students, including international students.
The federal government can raise Youth Allowance and Austudy to reflect real living costs. The new Commonwealth Prac Payment could be expanded beyond teaching, nursing, midwifery and social work to cover all students undertaking mandatory unpaid placements. The government’s plan to raise HECS-HELP repayment thresholds could also ease the financial pressure on recent graduates.
Katherine Kent 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.
Caring for a new puppy can be wonderful, but it can also bring feelings of depression, extreme stress and exhaustion. This is sometimes referred to as “the puppy blues”, and can begin anytime after the puppy arrives in the household.
physical exhaustion, due to all the feeding, training, cleaning, walks, management and sleep disruptions
emotional exhaustion
feeling depressed or guilty for not “doing enough” for the puppy
self-imposed perfectionist stress and feeling pressure to raise a puppy “the right way”
feelings of regret and doubt
constantly wondering if the puppy would be better off with someone else or being returned.
The good news is these feelings are generally temporary. Puppies have a number of difficult developmental states that need to be managed (each with their own unique challenges) – but these will pass as your puppy grows and settles in.
The bad news? It can be really tough, and can last weeks or months.
There is very little research into the puppy blues. But through interviews, surveys and longitudinal studies (where scholars track people’s experiences over time), researchers have begun piecing together what can help puppy owners survive these challenges.
Much like rearing children, puppy raising is hardest as a solo journey. Researchers highly recommend building a team around you and your puppy to help decrease the stress.
Seek help from parents, friends and family. Having people who you can call to puppysit and to lean on emotionally during tough times is a lifesaver for puppy owners.
Having a great local vet you trust is crucial (bonus points if you also get yourself a vet with further qualifications in animal behaviour). Chat to your vet if you are worried about your puppy’s behaviour or want to know more about force-free training.
Online communities have their place too. Seeing others go through (and survive!) similar challenges can be a great relief. These communities can also be a treasure trove of advice.
That said, remember there’s almost just as much bad advice as good online. Check with your vet if you’re unsure. The use of aversive training methods, such as smacking or yelling, is associated with more behavioural problems by the time your puppy is a year old.
And if you find yourself feeling really overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to chat to your GP about your mental health.
Make sure you have the right resources
Puppy care is full-time work. Working two full-time jobs leads to burnout. If possible, take time off work to help settle your new pet in. If your can’t, call on your village for help with puppysitting.
Consider how you can make use of long-lasting toys and safe spaces to keep your puppy entertained for a while without your input.
Long lasting chew toys, “snuffle mats” (which can be easily and cheaply made at home and can be used to hide food), and puzzle toys can also help your puppy learn to relax and settle on their own.
Play pens are also a godsend and allow you to step away or rest while they nap, eat or play.
Keep realistic expectations
There is no such thing as “perfect” when it comes to raising a puppy; chasing perfection will only lead to misery.
It can help to remember that puppies are babies. They are not supposed to know the cue to sit or stay yet, or to be able to focus on you for long during a training session.
When their teeth hurt, they’re going to grab the nearest item to chew on – which might be your hand, your shoe or your favourite sunglasses. Either way, babies are going to make mistakes, not because you’ve failed, but because their brains are too underdeveloped to do any better right now.
Training sometimes goes backwards – or out the window altogether. This is especially true when we hit new developmental periods. It’s normal and you’ve done nothing wrong (remember those underdeveloped brains!). If you’re concerned, seek professional advice from a vet.
Remember, none of the challenges will last forever. Try to enjoy the good moments, because they won’t last forever either.
Is kitten blues a thing?
While kitten blues has not been researched as much as puppy blues, many kitten owners in online forums anecdotally report similar feelings of overwhelm and exhaustion.
So it’s reasonable to assume this phenomenon exists and is likely very similar to its puppy counterpart. The advice in this article applies to both kittens and puppy owners.
Puppies and kittens are certainly not easy to raise.
But when you’re staring into those adorable eyes, wondering how this tiny creature who brings you so much love can also make you cry with exhaustion, remember: you’ve got this.
Susan Hazel has received funding from the Waltham Foundation. She is affiliated with the Dog and Cat Management Board of South Australia and the RSPCA South Australia.
Ana Goncalves Costa is affiliated with the Delta Institute and South Australian veterinary behaviour clinic Pawly Understood.
Needle and syringe programs are a proven public health intervention that provide free, sterile injecting equipment to people who use drugs. By reducing needle sharing, these programs help prevent the spread of blood-borne viruses such as hepatitis C and HIV and minimise life-threatening bacterial infections.
Australia leads the world in community-based needle and syringe programs. But they are not used in Australian prisons – which are hotspots for injection-related infections.
This is a breach of human rights and United Nations resolutions, which make clear health-care standards for people in prison must be equivalent to those in the community.
In addition to meeting human rights standards, our new modelling – the first of its kind in Australia – shows there would be significant economic benefits to implementing prison-based programs.
Needle and syringe programs in the community
Australia is a world leader in needle and syringe programs in the community. There are 4,218 sites across the country (as of 2021). Each year they distribute more than 50 million needles and syringes.
Among people who inject drugs, that’s about 508 needles and syringes per person each year — the highest rate globally, and more than double the World Health Organization’s benchmark for high needle and syringe program coverage (200 per person per year).
For reference, the country with the second-highest coverage was Finland (with 450 needles and syringes per person who injects drugs per year) followed by the Netherlands (367).
Prisons are infection hotspots
A law enforcement emphasis in responding to drug use – rather than public health focus – has resulted in grossly disproportionate rates of incarceration among people who use drugs.
In Australia, between 29% and 52% of people in prisons report injecting drugs at some point in their lives, and around 40% of people who were injecting drugs in the community before prison continue to inject inside.
Without access to sterile injecting equipment, needle sharing and unsafe injecting practices are common. As a result, people who inject drugs in prison are at higher risk of transmitting blood-borne viruses such as hepatitis C than those in the community.
But the prevention strategies used in the community – which stop infections happening again – are not used in prison. Re-infection in prisons occurs at more than twice the rate of initial infection.
However, legal and political opposition, concerns around safety and security, and funding constraints have all contributed to the lack of progress.
As of 2023, prison needle and syringe programs operated in eleven countries worldwide. The outcomes are positive for both health (reduction in needle sharing, drug use and hepatitis C and HIV transmission) and prison safety.
A 2024 study of Canada’s existing needle and syringe program, operating in nine prisons, found it will save the health-care system $C0.85 million in treatment costs between 2018 and 2030 by preventing hepatitis C and other injection-related infections. In contrast, the program cost just $C0.45 million to run. Canada has since expanded the program to eleven prisons nationwide.
Here’s what we found
To bring an economic perspective to this debate in Australia, our new study estimated the costs and benefits of introducing needle and syringe programs in all Australian prisons, aiming to reach 50% of people who inject drugs in prison between 2025 and 2030.
We drew on a similar program in Luxembourg which follows international best practice. This needle and syringe program is delivered through prison health services. Sterile injecting equipment is provided face-to-face by health staff. Used equipment is exchanged one-for-one (meaning a sterile needle-syringe can be exchanged for a used one), in a confidential and safe manner.
Then, we identified the specific components and resources needed to implement the program, such as sterile injecting equipment and annual training sessions for prison health staff. We researched their associated costs to calculate the total cost of scaling-up nationally.
Finally, we modelled the number of hepatitis C and other injection-related infections the program would prevent. These infections can have serious health consequences and are costly to treat. The money saved here helped us calculate the cost savings (that is, the benefits) of the program.
Implementing prison-based programs nationally would cost approximately $A12.2 million between 2025 and 2030. But this investment could prevent 894 hepatitis C infections and 522 injection-related bacterial and fungal infections.
We estimated these infections would cost the health-care system $31.7 million to treat – more than double the cost of preventing them with a prison needle and syringe program.
In other words: for every dollar invested in prison-based programs, more than two dollars would be saved in health-care costs.
Where to from here?
People have strong views about injecting drug use and prison-based needle and syringe programs. But countries where needle and syringe programs have been successfully implemented in prisons have several things in common.
First, there is widespread understanding among everyone involved in using, administrating or overseeing the program of its benefits. Eliminating blood-borne viruses can reduce health risks for people in prison and improve the safety of staff.
Second, successful implementation is inclusive. It ensures a range of people have meaningful input in how the program is designed and delivered, including incarcerated people, health-care professionals and policymakers, prison officers and government bodies.
Third, drug use in prison is treated as a public health issue, not a political football. The failed War on Drugs has only compounded the issue, leading to the over-incarceration of people who use drugs and the creation of lucrative prison drug markets.
If Australia is to eliminate hepatitis C by 2030 – as the national hepatitis C strategy outlines – it will be essential to combine prison-based treatment with prevention strategies, including needle and syringe programs.
We now know they are likely to save money too.
Mark Stoové has received funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Victorian Department of Health, and the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aging. He has also received investigator-initiated research funding from Gilead Sciences and AbbVie and consultant fees from Gilead Sciences for activities unrelated to this work.
Nick Scott receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, and has previously received funding from the Victorian Department of Health and the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care.
Farah Houdroge 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.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Palazzo, Adjunct Professor in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at UNSW Canberra, UNSW Sydney
For more than a century, Australia has followed the same defence policy: dependence on a great power. This was first the United Kingdom and then the United States.
Without properly considering other options, successive federal governments have intensified this policy with the AUKUS agreement and locked Australia into dependency on the US for decades to come.
A more imaginative and innovative government would have investigated different ways to achieve a strong and independent national defence policy.
One that, for instance, didn’t require Australia to surrender its sovereignty to a foreign power. Nor require the acquisition of fabulously expensive nuclear-powered submarines and the building of overpriced, under-gunned surface warships, such as the Hunter frigates.
In fact, in an age of rapidly improving uncrewed systems, Australia does not need any crewed warships or submarines at all.
Instead, Australia should lean into a military philosophy that I describe in my upcoming book, The Big Fix: Rebuilding Australia’s National Security. This is known as the “strategic defensive”.
What is the strategic defensive?
The strategic defensive is a method of waging war employed throughout history, although the term’s use only dates to the early 19th century.
It doesn’t require a state to defeat its attacker. Rather, the state must deny the aggressor the ability to achieve their objectives.
The strategic defensive best suits “status quo states” like Australia. The people of status quo states are happy with what they have. Their needs can be met without recourse to intimidation or violence.
These states also tend to be militarily weak relative to potential aggressors, and aren’t aggressors themselves.
In short: if war eventuates, Australia’s only goal is to prevent a change to the status quo.
In this way, strategic defensive would suit very well as the intellectual foundation of Australia’s security policy.
Strong reasons for a strategic defensive approach
There are also sound military and technological reasons why Australia should frame its security around the strategic defensive.
It is harder to capture ground (including sea and airspace) than it is to hold it. All aggressors must attack into the unknown, bringing their support with them. Defenders, by contrast, can fall back onto a known space and the provisions it can supply.
Military thinkers generally agree that to succeed in war, an attacker needs a three-to-one strength advantage over the defender.
And the wide water moat surrounding the Australian continent greatly complicates and increases the cost of any aggressor’s effort to harm us.
Australia could also use weapons now available to enhance the inherent power of being the defending side. Its task need only be making any attack prohibitively expensive, in terms of equipment and human life.
Long-range strike missiles and drones, combined with sensors, provide the defending nation with the opportunity to create a lethal killing zone around it. This is what China has done in the East and South China Seas.
Australia can do the same by integrating missiles, drones and uncrewed maritime vessels with a sensor network linked to a command-control-targeting system.
Missiles and drones are a better buy when compared to the nuclear-powered submarines Australia hopes to acquire from the United States, as well as the warships – including more submarines – the government plans to build in the Osborn and Henderson shipyards.
And most importantly, they are available now.
A smarter strategy
A defensive network also makes strategic sense for Australia, unlike the planned AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines. Australia has no need to operate in distant waters, such as those off the coast of China.
In addition, Australia can afford so few vessels that their deterrence effect is not credible. Missiles and drones are vastly cheaper, meaning Australia can buy them in the thousands.
Australia is making the mistake of focusing on the platform – expensive ships and planes – rather than the effect needed: the destruction of a potential enemy with swarms of weapons.
In fact, the age of large crewed warships, both on and below the sea, is coming to an end. Long-range strike technology means the sea can now be controlled from the land. Rapidly improving sensors make it impossible for attackers to hide on, below or above the surface of the ocean.
A better bet would be for Australia to invest in uncrewed surface and sub-surface maritime vessels to patrol its approaches, as well as large numbers of land-based launchers and missiles.
For a small power such as Australia, investing in this makes more sense than a small, bespoke number of extremely expensive and vulnerable warships.
It’s not too late to rethink
It is clear Australian leaders have decided to intensify Australia’s dependence on the US rather than seeking to create a military capable of securing the nation on our own .
The cost is nigh-on ruinous in terms of not just money, but also the entanglement in foreign-led wars and potential reputational loss.
Perhaps worst of all, the nation is making itself into a target – possibly a nuclear target – if war between the US and China was to eventuate.
This need not have been the outcome of the government’s recent defence reviews. But it’s not too late to rethink.
By adopting a different military philosophy as the guide for its security decision-making, Australia could manage its security largely on its own.
This only requires leaders with a willingness to think differently.
This is the first piece in a series on the future of defence in Australia.
Albert Palazzo is not a member of a political party but does occasional volunteer work for The Greens. In 2019, he retired from the Department of Defence. He was the long-serving Director of War Studies for the Australian Army.
Three weeks into the federal election campaign and both major parties have already pledged to spend billions in taxpayer dollars if elected on May 3.
But with so many policies announced — and surely more to follow — sometimes it can be hard to make sense of exactly what is being promised.
That ambiguity can come back to bite voters, and the government, during the next term.
So, how do you sort the deliverable promises from the downright impossible?
It’s a question we reckoned with while tracking Labor’s 2022 campaign promises over the last term through our Election Promise Tracker.
Politicians can make it hard to hold them accountable for their commitments later, so it’s important to know when you’re being sold a pup. Here are our tips on what to look out for in the lead-up to polling day.
Distant horizons
Promise tracking relies on clearly defined actions that can be assessed against a specific timeline, and ideally by the end of a government’s term.
But politicians have a habit of announcing policies that extend over much longer horizons, with no guarantee their party will be in government to see them through.
This can happen with large infrastructure projects and other big spending announcements, such as Labor’s 2022 promise to bring investment in the Great Barrier Reef to $1.2 billion by 2030, or the Coalition’s 2025 plan to build its first nuclear reactors by the middle of next decade.
Certainly, governments should set long-term priorities. But if pledges won’t be completely fulfilled, voters should at least know what to expect during the coming term.
One way to gauge if parties are serious about promises is if they have outlined the shorter steps required to reach their longer-term goals.
Can it be measured?
The difference between concrete promises and mere rhetoric largely boils down to whether a pledge can be objectively measured.
Sometimes a promise can seem measurable but still lack a reliable or definitive measure to assess it when the time comes.
Jobs targets are a classic example of this, seen in the Coalition’s 2022 election pitch to create “1.3 million new jobs” and also Labor’s recent boast to have delivered “a million new jobs”.
As experts have persistentlypointed out, these numbers do not account for population growth or, importantly, the fact that governments cannot take credit for every new private sector job.
Another example is Labor’s infamous promise to shave $275 off the average annual household electricity bill by 2025. While there is good data to track electricity bills, we won’t have the numbers necessary to assess the most recent term until mid-2026.
When it comes to promises that depend on specific figures, voters should consider whether they will have reliable data to assess the final outcome.
Lacking the details
Parties regularly dole out promises at press conferences along the campaign trail, but these announcements can be vaguely worded, leaving voters to fill in the blanks.
For example, Labor’s 2022 pledge to “get real wages growing” could have been understood several different ways, including as a promise to increase wages during just one quarter. (Our promise tracker took it to mean wages would be higher at the end of the government’s term than at the start.)
In fairness, parties do often publish their policies online, but these documents can be light on specifics.
During the current campaign, for example, Labor has promised to spend $1 billion in mental health support. Its policy says the funding will build or upgrade more than 100 mental health centres — but has so far neglected to say when that will happen in their policy documents.
The finer details can sometimes be found in a party’s costing documents, which also show whether funding announcements are already budgeted or genuinely new, although the major parties often release these documents only days outfrom the election.
This can leave little time for serious public scrutiny or analysis, especially for early voters, who in this election could account for half the electorate.
So before you vote, it’s worth checking whether more details have been released about the promises that matter to you.
The importance of keeping track
Promise tracking helps voters hold their government to account by ensuring politicians don’t wriggle out of their commitments.
Many will recall, for example, Labor’s 2022 pledge to “establish a Makarrata Commission with responsibility for truth-telling and treaty” — and, following the Voice referendum, the prime minister’s attempt to recast it as a general commitment to the “process” of Indigenous reconciliation.
Equally, it’s important that governments aren’t held to promises they never made.
In the case of Labor’s energy bills pledge, the Coalition has begun to claim that voters were promised a $275 “per year” saving but that household bills had instead increased by $1,300. That total appears to represent a tally of unconfirmed cumulative increases over each of the government’s three years, whereas Labor promised to deliver its $275 reduction “by 2025”.
Despite popular opinion, governments in Australia and abroad typically deliver on the majority of their promises.
But convincing voters of that fact requires giving them enough details to know what they are voting for and, ultimately, to assess whether it has been achieved.
Lisa Waller receives funding from The Australian Research Council
David Campbell, Eiddwen Jeffery, and Frank Rindert Algra-Maschio do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Renwick, Professor, Physical Geography (Climate Science), Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
If heat rises, why does it get colder as you climb up mountains?
– Ollie, 8, Christchurch, New Zealand
That is an excellent and thoughtful question Ollie – why indeed?
You’re right, when air is warmed, it rises. This is what gives us the “thermals” gliders can use to soar upwards and large birds of prey like the South American condors use to help them stay aloft for hours at a time.
But there are lots of other things influencing air temperature. When air rises, it expands because air pressure decreases with height. The energy in the air gets spread out over greater volumes and its temperature goes down.
This effect wins out over warm air rising. The warm air in a thermal will cool as it rises, until it reaches the temperature of the air around it and is no longer buoyant.
But why do we have rising air at all?
That’s because the air around us is heated from below, from Earth’s surface.
When the Sun is shining, it doesn’t heat the air in the lowest few kilometres of the atmosphere (the troposphere) as there are very few gases in that air to absorb sunlight.
The Sun’s rays heat Earth, not the air. The air is then warmed from below, from the ground, just as water in a pot on a stove is warmed from the bottom of the pot.
Earth’s greenhouse
Earth mostly sends energy back to space in the form of heat or infrared radiation (with wavelengths longer than visible light but shorter than microwaves), and there are plenty of gases in the air that are good at absorbing this kind of radiation, even if they don’t feel the sun’s energy.
These are what we call greenhouse gases – water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane and so on. Because we have these in the air, the absorption of infrared energy is the main way the air is warmed.
Again, air near the ground is warmed the most by this absorption of energy.
The warm air near Earth is buoyant so it often “bubbles up” into the atmosphere, just like the water in a pot on a stove.
But in the atmosphere, the decrease of pressure with height dictates that temperatures decrease as you go up. This is what’s known in weather jargon as the “lapse rate” – how fast temperatures decrease with height. In dry air (no water vapour), that rate is just under 10°C per kilometre, or a little under 1°C cooler per 100 metres upwards.
When we have water vapour in the air, it’s a different story. As the air rises and cools, it can’t hold so much water vapour, so some of the vapour has to condense back into liquid water. As it does that, it releases the energy it took to evaporate it in the first place.
That heat warms the air and reduces the “lapse rate”. How big this effect is depends on how much moisture was in the air to start with. On average, the temperature decrease of about 10°C per kilometre goes down to around 6.5°C per kilometre.
And what happens to that liquid water in the air? If forms tiny droplets that make clouds. If enough of those drops stick together and become heavy enough, they’ll fall back to Earth as rain.
Clouds, rain and lightning
We have clouds and rain because temperatures decrease with height. The clouds that form this way, through buoyant air rising in thermals, are known as cumulus clouds.
Cumulus always have lumpy tops, looking a bit like a cauliflower. That’s because different parts of the rising air have different amounts out water vapour in them. So different amounts of energy are released, giving the air different buoyancy in different places. The moistest, most buoyant air rises the highest, while drier less buoyant air doesn’t make it so far up.
If there is lots of moisture available, we can get a thunderstorm cloud, with thunder and lightning as well as plenty of rain. Not just rain either, but often hail (frozen rain).
That happens because the temperature in the upper parts of such deep clouds is well below freezing, so it is made up of ice crystals rather than water drops. Those ice crystals can stick together to form hail, or snow.
Lightning forms because of positive electrical charges at the top of clouds and negative charges at the bottom. Shutterstock/Athapet Piruksa
Curiously, it’s the collisions between ice crystals and water drops as they go up and down in a deep cumulus cloud that gives rise to lightning, with a build-up of positive electrical charges at the top of the cloud and negative charges at the bottom.
Getting back to your original question, why is it colder in the mountains? That’s because as we climb a mountain, we are moving into cooler layers of the atmosphere. We are getting above the surface layers of the atmosphere, going to lower pressures, and that causes the temperature to drop.
Warm air can still rise from a mountaintop, but it’ll be cooler to start with than air down at sea level, just because it’s at a lower pressure. Climbers who tackle really high mountains, like Mount Everest, usually take oxygen cylinders with them as the air is so thin near the top of such high peaks.
That’s also why snow and ice linger on mountain tops, as that’s where it is cold enough year-round to keep the ice frozen.
Hello curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to curiouskids@theconversation.edu.au. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.
James Renwick receives funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). He is a member of the Green Party.
The faces of living and extinct theropod dinosaurs.Left: Riya Bidaye; right: Indian Roller model (NHMUK S1987) from TEMPO bird project – MorphoSource.
Bird beaks come in almost every shape and size – from the straw-like beak of a hummingbird to the slicing, knife-like beak of an eagle.
We have found, however, that this incredible diversity is underpinned by a hidden mathematical rule that governs the growth and shape of beaks in nearly all living birds.
What’s more, this rule even describes beak shape in the long-gone ancestors of birds – the dinosaurs. We are excited to share our findings, now published in the journal iScience.
By studying beaks in light of this mathematical rule, we can understand how the faces of birds and other dinosaurs evolved over 200 million years. We can also find out why, in rare instances, these rules can be broken.
When nature follows the rules
Finding universal rules in biology is rare and difficult – there seem to be few instances where physical laws are so pervasive across all organisms.
But when we do find a rule, it’s a powerful way to explain the patterns we see in nature. Our team previously discovered a new rule of biology that explains the shape and growth of many pointed structures, including teeth, horns, hooves, shells and, of course, beaks.
This simple mathematical rule captures how the width of a pointed structure, like a beak, expands from the tip to the base. We call this rule the “power cascade”.
After this discovery, we were very interested in how the power cascade might explain the shape of bird and other dinosaur beaks.
Dinosaurs got their beaks more than once
Most dinosaurs, like Tyrannosaurus rex, have a robust snout with pointed teeth. But some dinosaurs (like the emu-like dinosaur Ornithomimus edmontonicus) did not have any teeth at all and instead had beaks.
In theropods, the group of dinosaurs that T. rex belonged to, beaks evolved at least six times. Each time, the teeth were lost and the snout stretched to a beak shape over millions of years.
But only one of these impeccable dinosaur groups survived the mass extinction event 66 million years ago. These survivors eventually became our modern-day birds.
The early bird catches the rule
To investigate the power cascade rule of growth, we researched 127 species of theropods. We found that 95% of theropod beaks and snouts follow this rule.
Using state-of-the-art evolutionary analyses through computer modelling, we demonstrated that the ancestral theropod most likely had a toothed snout that followed the power cascade rule.
Excitingly, this suggests that the power cascade describes the growth of not just theropod beaks and snouts, but perhaps the snouts of all vertebrates: mammals, reptiles and fish.
An evolutionary tree showing how theropod beaks and snouts follow the power cascade throughout their evolution. Garland et al., iScience 2025
The rule followers and breakers
After surviving the mass extinction, birds underwent a period of incredible change. Birds now live all over the world and their beaks are adapted to each place in very special ways.
We see beak shapes for eating fruit, netting insects, piercing and tearing meat, and even sipping nectar. The majority follow the power cascade growth rule.
All these bird beaks follow the power cascade rule of growth, despite being used for very different purposes. Eastern osprey by Phill Wall (modified, CC BY 2.0), Eurasian hoopoe by Giles Laurent (modified, CC BY-SA 4.0), common ostrich by Diego Delso (modified, CC BY-SA 4.0) and bar-tailed godwit by JJ Harrison (modified, CC BY-SA 4.0).
While rare, a few birds we studied were rule-breakers. One such rule-breaker is the Eurasian spoonbill, whose highly specialised beak shape helps it sift through the mud to capture aquatic life. Perhaps its unique feeding style led to it breaking this common rule.
The beak of a Eurasian spoonbill does not follow the power cascade rule of growth. Eurasian spoonbill by Swardeepak (modified,CC BY-SA 4.0)
We are not upset at all about rule-breakers like the spoonbill. On the contrary, this further highlights how informative the power cascade truly is. Most bird beaks grow according to our rule, and those beaks can cater to most feeding styles.
But occasionally, oddballs like the spoonbill break the power cascade growth rule to catch their special “worms”.
Now that we know that most bird and dinosaur beaks follow the power cascade, the next big step in our research is to study how bird beaks grow from chick to adult.
If the power cascade is truly a foundational growth rule in bird beaks, we may expect to find it hiding in many other forms across the tree of life.
Kathleen Garland receives funding from the Australian Government, Monash University and Museums Victoria.
Alistair Evans receives funding from the Australian Research Council and Monash University, and is an Honorary Research Affiliate with Museums Victoria.
The 15th National Games Beach Volleyball test event held at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay between April 18 and 20 concluded successfully, the National Games Coordination Office (Hong Kong) (NGCO) said today.
The three-day test event, with the participation of nine men’s teams and eight women’s teams, was organised by the NGCO and co-organised by the Volleyball Association of Hong Kong, China, with the China Volleyball Association as adviser.
Participating teams in the men’s and women’s tournaments first competed in the group stage before they reached the knockout round. Wong Pui-lam and Chong Kei-loi finally triumphed in the men’s tournament, while Tsang Ngok-ling and Wong Man-ching claimed the championship title in the women’s tournament.
The test event covered a wide array of areas, including the operation and procedures of events, organisation of competition, setup of function rooms, information systems, medical services, security, broadcast arrangements, sports presentation and award presentation, and volunteer services.
Around 1,300 national games volunteers participated in the three-day test event, providing services including assistance at the event, audience services inside and outside the venue, assistance at accreditation and security check counters.
Among the volunteers, around 170 were on duty daily throughout the event and responsible for rendering support at the competition venue, such as levelling sand at the main court and side court, retrieving balls and operating manual scoreboards.
The NGCO and related government departments and units, including the Hospital Authority, the Fire Services Department and the Auxiliary Medical Service as well as the Volleyball Association of Hong Kong, China, conducted a simulation exercise on April 19 at the venue to enhance the capabilities of each department and unit in dealing with contingencies during the event.
NGCO Head Yeung Tak-keung said that it will review the event procedures and other details with various related organisations and government departments, with a view to better preparing for the official events to be held in November.
As it seeks to gain some momentum for its campaign, the Coalition on Monday will focus on law and order, announcing $355 million for a National Drug Enforcement and Organised Crime Strike Team to fight the illicit drug trade.
A Dutton government would put Australian Federal Police teams into the states and territories, which would be nationally led and supported by specialist financial investigative and prosecutorial teams.
This would bring an anticipated “significant increase in the seizure of criminal assets and proceeds of crime, which we will reinvest into communities,” Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and shadow ministers said in a statement.
“This means every dollar seized from drug dealers and criminal cartels will go towards helping the families and communities devastated by their crimes.”
In what it dubs a crackdown on crime from “the border to the backyard” the opposition has brought together its various initiatives in a $750 million “Operation Safer Communities” package. Apart from the taskforce, other measures have been previously announced.
The initiatives include:
new laws to disrupt organised criminal syndicates
upgrading border screening to intercept drugs and cracking down on the importation of date-rape drugs used in drink spiking
extra funding for Crime Stoppers
more money for the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation, and piloting a national child sex offenders disclosure scheme that would provide more information to parents about the risks in their communities
investment in e-safety education through the Alannah and Madeline Foundation
introducing national “post and boast” laws making it illegal to post social media material glamorising involvement in crime
working with other jurisdictions to standardise knife crime laws, and funding a national rollout of detector wands
restoring the Safer Communities Fund to support local projects to improve social cohesion
reintroducing fast track processes for visa appeals to deal with bad actors overstaying.
The Coalition is also promising stronger action against antisemitism and against corruption and crime in the construction industry.
Dutton said the community felt less safe than three years ago.
“I have the experience and determination to stand up to the outlaw motor cycle gangs and organised crime syndicates which are wreaking havoc on our streets and in our communities.”
Opposition defence spending announcement this week
The Coalition this week will release its long-awaited defence policy.
The Australian Financial Review is reporting it will be based on two stages. The first would be a target above Labor’s proposed spending over the forward estimates. A second stage would be a target of spending at least 2.5% of gross domestic product annually in the early 2030s.
Greens say public service should prepare a brief on their policies too
The major parties are always saying they don’t want to get ahead of themselves – being seen to assume the outcome before the election is decided. The Greens have no such inhibition.
Greens leader Adam Bandt has written to the Secretary of the
Prime Minister’s Department, Glyn Davis, declaring minority government looks probable.
“It is increasingly clear that whoever forms government will likely rely on crossbench support, and in turn need to be in a position to discuss in detail the policy proposals put forward by members of the crossbench,” he said in his letter, sent on Thursday.
So Bandt wants the public service to prepare a brief on Greens’ policies, to assist any such negotiations.
The context is that the bureaucracy prepares so-called “red” (Labor) and “blue” (Coalition) books, which contain briefs on the policies of each side. The appropriate book is ready for whoever wins.
Bandt wants a “green book” prepared. “This will enable an incoming government to discuss and begin to implement key policy priorities of the Australian Greens, should they agree to them during negotiations in relation to the formation of government.”
Bandt said as a “top priority” in this exercise, the public service should prepare in-depth work on reforming negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount. This should cover reducing these concessions for investors owning more than one property, which the Greens support.
Bandt referred the bureaucracy to work done by the Australia Institute, a progressive think tank, and to the views of various economic commentators who have advocated reform.
He also pointed to Treasury advice on the subject, over which debate flared last week, when Anthony Albanese claimed the government had not asked for modelling. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said he had asked for a “view ” from Treasury. The government says it has no plans to change negative gearing arrangements.
Albanese has repeatedly ruled out negotiating with the Greens if he was forced into minority government. But he wouldn’t need to – the Greens have said they would not have a bar of giving support to a Dutton minority government.
How important the Greens were when it came to particular pieces of legislation in a hung parliament would depend on the actual numbers. including how many crossbenchers a minority government needed to pass bills and how big the crossbench was. The bigger the crossbench, potentially the more choice of dancing partners for the government.
The importance of the lower house Greens if there was a minority government would also depend on how many of them there were. Bandt is safe in his seat of Melbourne, but the other three Greens, all from Queensland, won their seats in 2022 and these electorates are being strongly targeted by the major parties.
Michelle Grattan 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.
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
With less than two weeks to go now until the federal election, the polls continue to favour the government being returned.
Newspoll was steady at 52–48 to Labor, but primary vote changes indicated a gain for Labor as both leaders dropped on net approval. A Redbridge marginal seats poll had Labor gaining two points since the previous week for a 54.5–45.5 lead, a 3.5-point swing to Labor in those seats since the 2022 election.
A national Newspoll, conducted April 14–17 from a sample of 1,263, gave Labor a 52–48 lead, unchanged on the April 7–10 Newspoll. Primary votes were 35% Coalition (steady), 34% Labor (up one), 12% Greens (steady), 7% One Nation (down one) and 12% for all Others (steady).
In the last two Newspolls, Labor has been a little lucky to get a 52–48 lead as this would have been given by 2022 election preference flows, and Newspoll is making a pro-Coalition adjustment to One Nation preferences. This time the 2022 election flow method would give Labor about a 53–47 lead.
This Newspoll is the only new national poll since Friday’s update. The fieldwork dates were nearly the same as for the Freshwater poll that had Labor ahead by just 50.3–49.7 (April 14–16 for Freshwater). Other polls indicate that Freshwater is likely the outlier. Here’s the Labor two-party vote chart.
In-person early voting begins on Tuesday ahead of the May 3 election, so there isn’t much time for the Coalition to turn around their deficit, if the polls are accurate.
Anthony Albanese’s net approval in Newspoll was down five points to -9, with 52% dissatified and 43% satisfied. Peter Dutton’s net approval was down three points to -22, a record low for him. Albanese led Dutton as better PM by 52–36 (49–38 previously). This is Albanese’s biggest lead since May 2024.
Here’s the graph of Albanese’s net approval in Newspoll this term. The plus signs are data points and a smoothed line has been fitted.
Albanese and Labor were preferred to Dutton and the Coalition on helping with the cost of living by 31–28. Labor also led on dealing with uncertainty caused by Donald Trump (39–32), lowering taxes (33–26) and helping Australians buy their first home (29–24). The Coalition led on growing our economy by 34–29.
For so long, it had appeared that the cost of living issue would sink Labor at this election, so this result will please Labor.
Labor surges further ahead in Redbridge marginal seats poll
A poll of 20 marginal seats by Redbridge and Accent Research for the News Corp tabloids was conducted April 9–15 from a sample of 1,000. It gave Labor a 54.5–45.5 lead, a two-point gain for Labor since the April 4–9 marginal seats poll. Primary votes were 35% Labor (steady), 34% Coalition (down two), 14% Greens (up two) and 17% for all Others (steady).
The overall 2022 vote in these 20 seats was 51–49 to Labor, so this poll implies a 3.5-point swing to Labor from the 2022 election. If applied to the national 2022 result of 52.1–47.9 to Labor, Labor would lead by about 55.5–44.5. Since the first wave of this marginal seats tracker in early February, Labor has gained 6.5 points.
Albanese’s net favourability improved three points since last week to -5, while Dutton’s slumped six points to -22. By 36–26, voters thought Albanese and Labor had better election promises for them than Dutton and the Coalition.
By 56–13, voters agreed with Labor’s attack line that Dutton’s nuclear plan will cost $600 billion, and he will need to make cuts to pay for it. By 42–16, voters agreed with the Coalition’s attack line that this is the highest spending government in the past 40 years.
Additional Resolve questions and a right-wing poll of Wentworth
I previously covered the April 9–13 Resolve poll for Nine newspapers that gave Labor a 53.5–46.5 lead. Asked their biggest concerns about voting Labor, 47% said cost of living (down five since February), 36% economic management (down nine), 31% lack of progress in their first term (steady), 27% union ties (up two) and 24% Albanese’s personality (down six).
Asked their biggest concerns about voting for the Coalition, 45% said Dutton’s personality (up ten), 36% lack of policy detail (up eight), 34% that the Coalition would follow Donald Trump’s example (up six), 32% the performance of the Scott Morrison government (up four) and 31% their nuclear power plan (up five).
The February Resolve poll was the 55–45 to Coalition outlier, so responses in the prior survey were probably too Coalition-friendly.
The Poll Bludger reported Saturday that a seat poll of Wentworth, which teal Allegra Spender holds by a 55.9–44.1 margin over the Liberals after a redistribution, gave the Liberals a 47–28 primary vote lead over Spender with 15% for Labor and 10% for the Greens. This poll was taken by the right-wing pollster Compass.
Canadian election and UK local elections
I covered the April 28 Canadian election for The Poll Bludger on Saturday. The centre-left governing Liberals are down slightly since my previous Poll Bludger Canadian article on April 10, but are still likely to win a parliamentary majority. Debates between four party leaders occurred Wednesday (in French) and Thursday (in English), and we’re still waiting for post-debate polls.
United Kingdom local elections and a parliamentary byelection will occur on May 1. Current national polls imply that the far-right Reform will gain massively, with the Conservatives and Labour both slumping. Two seat polls give Reform a narrow lead over Labour for the parliamentary byelection in a safe Labour seat.
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.
Israel assassinated a photojournalist in Gaza in an airstrike targeting her family’s home on Wednesday, the day after it was announced that a documentary she appears in would premier in Cannes next month.
Her name was Fatima Hassouna. Nine members of her family were also reportedly killed in the bombing. She was going to get married in a few days.
‘If I die, I want a loud death. I don’t want to be just breaking news, or a number in a group; I want a death that the world will hear, an impact that will remain through time, and a timeless image that cannot be buried by time or place.’
Palestinian photographer Fatima Hassouna was killed, along with nine members of her family, in an Israeli airstrike that targeted their home in Gaza on Wednesday.
Hassouna, who had gained international recognition for her photojournalism documenting the impact of Israel’s… pic.twitter.com/y0FEJ60emH
Hassouna said she viewed her camera as a weapon to change the world and defend her family, making the following statements in a video shared by Middle East Eye:
‘As Fatima, I believe that the image and the camera are weapons. So I consider my camera to be my rifle. So many times, in so many situations, I tell my friends, Come and see, it’s not bullets that we load into a rifle.
‘Okay, I’m going to put a memory card into the camera. This is the camera’s bullet, the memory card. It changes the world and defends me. It shows the world what is happening to me and what’s happening to others.
‘So I used to consider this my weapon, that I defend myself with it. And so that my family won’t be forgotten. And so I can document people’s stories, so that my family’s stories too don’t just vanish into thin air.”
‘I want a death that the world will hear’ Video/Audio: Caitlin Johnstone
Israel saw Hassouna’s camera as a weapon too, apparently.
As Ryan Grim observed on Twitter:
‘For this to have been a deliberate act — which it plainly was — consider what that means. A person within the IDF saw the news that Fatma’s film was accepted into Cannes. He/she/they then proposed assassinating her. Other people reviewed the suggestion and approved it. Then other people carried it out.’
And Israel views journalists as its enemy because Israel is the enemy of truth.
Israel and its Western backers understand that truth and support for Israel are mutually exclusive. Those who support Israel are not interested in the truth, and those who are interested in the truth don’t support Israel.
That’s why the light of journalism is being aggressively snuffed out in Gaza while Israel massively increases its propaganda budget to sway public opinion.
It’s why journalists like Fatima Hassouna are being assassinated while the Western propaganda services known as the mainstream press commit journalistic malpractice to hide the truth of Israel’s crimes.
It’s why Western journalists are banned from Gaza while Western institutions are silencing, deporting, firing and marginalising those who speak out about Israel’s criminality.
Israel and truth cannot coexist. Israel’s enemies know this, and Israel knows this. That’s why Israel’s primary weapons are bombs, bullets, propaganda, censorship, and obstruction, while the main weapon of Israel’s enemies is the camera.
Fatima Hassouna’s death has indeed been heard. All these loud noises are snapping more and more eyes open from their slumber.
WAVES 2025 Animation Film makers Challenge announces top 42 finalists WAVES brings to the fore a global showcase of original Animation, VFX, AR/VR & Virtual Productions
Talented finalists of animation film-making competition to pitch their projects in WAVES 2025
Posted On: 19 APR 2025 12:03PM by PIB Mumbai
: Mumbai, April 19, 2025
The finalists of the Animation Film Makers Competition (AFC) being held as part of the ‘Create in India Challenge Season-1’ of WAVES 2025 has been announced. The best 42 projects, focussing on original storytelling across the entire spectrum of animation, encompassing traditional animation, VFX, Augmented Reality (AR)/Virtual Reality (VR), and virtual production, have made it to the final round. These talented participants will now have the opportunity to pitch their original projects during the WAVE Summit which will be held in Mumbai from May 1-4, 2025. The top 3 winners will each receive a cash prize of up to INR 5 Lakhs.
The selection of the top-42 finalists was the result of a rigorous nine-month evaluation process led by the Dancing Atoms team, in collaboration with the WAVES team. The dedicated efforts of the participants were complemented by the discerning expertise of an esteemed panel of national and international jury members, including:
● Anu Singh
● Farrukh Dhondy
● Dan Sarto
● James Knight
● Jan Nagel
● Gianmarco Serra
● Indu Ramchandani
The talented finalists, who will now have the opportunity to pitch their original projects in Mumbai, are: Abhijeet Saxena, Anika Rajesh, Anirban Majumder, Anuj Kumar Choudhary, Arundhati Sarkar, Atreyee Poddar, Bhagat Singh Saini, Bhagyashree Satapathy, Bimal Poddar, Catharina Dian Wiraswati S, Gadam Jagadish Prasad Yadav, Gargi Gawthe, Harish Narayan Iyer, Harshita Das, Hirak Jyoti Nath, Isha Chandna, Jacqueline C Ching, Jyothi Kalyan Sura, Khambor Batei Kharjana, Kishore Kumar Kedari, Kiruthika Ramasubramanian, Makam Neha, Martand Anand Ugalmugle, Nandan Balakrishnan, Piyush Kumar, Prasanth Kumar Nagadasi, Prasenjit Singha, Richa Bhutani, Rishav Mohanty, Rohit Sankhla, Sandhra Mary, Sangeeta Poddar, Segun Samson, Shreeyaa Vinayak Pore, Shreya Sachdev, Shrikant S Menon, Srikanth Bhogi, Shubham Tomar, Shweta Subhash Marathe, Sundar Mahalingam, Sukankan Roy, Triparna Maiti, Tuhin Chanda, Vamsi Bandaru, Vetriveare.
The potential economic impact of their projects is significant, with each animated VFX feature film capable of generating employment for 100-300 individuals. WAVES AFC 2025 represents a crucial investment in creative talents of India, fostering job creation and global opportunities. The competition’s ambition extends to fostering international co-productions.
This groundbreaking global initiative, supported by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and spearheaded by Dancing Atoms, marks the first time all four verticals of the AVGC sector are represented under one umbrella in such a competition.
WAVES AFC 2025 garnered an overwhelming response, receiving approximately 1900 registrations and 419 diverse entries from amateur enthusiasts, talented students, and seasoned professionals worldwide. This enthusiastic participation underscores the competition’s vital role in identifying and nurturing fresh creative voices within the animation industry.
Beyond showcasing talent, the initiative has prioritized mentorship at all stages. All contestants, regardless of their final selection, benefited from invaluable masterclasses led by renowned industry leaders such as Academy Award winner Guneet Monga, acclaimed producer Shobu Yarlagadda, and Saraswathi Buyyala. These sessions focused on refining pitching skills and navigating the complexities of the industry. These projects will be pitched to various OTT platforms and key industry players. Dancing Atoms Studios founder Saraswathi Buyyala is actively engaging with embassies from 17 countries (Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Korea, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, United Kingdom) to facilitate collaborations for these top- 42 projects. In order to promote these projects, meetings are also being scheduled with prominent distributors. The top 42 projects represent a diverse spectrum, including 12 feature films, 9 TV series, 3 AR/VR experiences, and 18 short films, offering a rich variety for potential viewers and collaborators.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s crucial support has been instrumental in elevating AFC WAVES 2025 to its current stature. The dedication to fostering original storytelling within the animation, VFX, AR/VR, and virtual production sectors has provided invaluable resources and recognition, empowering emerging talent on a significant platform. This competition and its rigorous screening processes and enriching learning opportunities, underscored the government’s commitment to nurturing India’s creative potential in the dynamic world of animation. Each selected entry offers a unique narrative and showcases diverse creative approaches, including compelling international submissions. Going forward, the future of animation, VFX, AR/VR, and virtual production storytelling will unfold at WAVES AFC 2025.
The first World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES), a milestone event for the Media & Entertainment (M&E) sector, will be hosted by the Government of India in Mumbai, Maharashtra, from May 1 to 4, 2025.
Whether you’re an industry professional, investor, creator, or innovator, the Summit offers the ultimate global platform to connect, collaborate, innovate and contribute to the M&E landscape.
WAVES is set to magnify India’s creative strength, amplifying its position as a hub for content creation, intellectual property, and technological innovation. Industries and sectors in focus include Broadcasting, Print Media, Television, Radio, Films, Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, Sound and Music, Advertising, Digital Media, Social Media Platforms, Generative AI, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Extended Reality (XR).
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Amanda Craft, Associate Lecturer in Accounting and Financial Planning, Western Sydney University
When someone dies, the people left behind face more than grief. They are often hit with a wave of decisions – emotional, logistical and financial – that must be made quickly and under pressure.
You may not be able to control what happens after you’re gone. But you can make the process a lot easier for your family by doing a few simple things now. Financial therapy research shows that financial decisions made under stress or grief are more likely to lead to conflict or regret.
Our work as researchers and practitioners in financial planning and financial therapy explores how money isn’t just about spreadsheets and savings – it’s also about identity, emotions, and relationships.
Planning for death, as hard as it may be, is one of the kindest acts you can offer.
Death is inevitable, but chaos doesn’t have to be. A few gentle conversations, a simple will, and a bit of planning can protect your family from unnecessary pain. You don’t need to have everything figured out – you just need to start. Even small steps taken now can have a ripple effect on your family’s financial and emotional wellbeing.
We have identified four practical steps you can take: start the conversation; talk about what matters to you; get your paperwork in order; and make your funeral plans known.
What to do
Start the conversation. In many cultures, death is difficult to talk about. It can feel awkward, inappropriate, or even disrespectful to bring it up with loved ones. But avoiding the conversation doesn’t stop death from coming – it only makes it harder for those left behind.
Financial therapy research shows that avoidance of money conversations is common, but can be damaging. People avoid these talks because of anxiety, cultural taboos, or fear of upsetting others, but they’re exactly the conversations that help reduce stress in the future. You don’t need to hold a formal family meeting.
A softer approach often works best. For example, if someone in your community passes away, you could say, “It got me thinking about what you’d want for your funeral.” If they seem uncomfortable, try saying, “I know it’s not easy to talk about. I just care, and I’d rather know than have to guess.” If they still don’t want to talk, that’s okay. Sometimes planting the seed is enough.
Talk about what matters to you. Every family and community has its own way of honouring the dead. Some prefer large, traditional funerals with extended family and religious rites. Others may want something smaller, more personal, or less expensive. When people know what matters most to you – and what doesn’t – they are more likely to carry out your wishes with peace of mind.
For example, you might not want money borrowed for your funeral. You might prefer cremation, or a specific cultural rite. Or you may want something symbolic, like a tree planted in your honour. Saying it now helps your loved ones later.
Get your paperwork in order. A will helps ensure that your assets go where you want them to. It also helps reduce disputes among family members. But in South Africa, for example, only around 15% of people die with a valid will. In Nigeria, 70% of people die intestate and 80% of people in Ghana die without a valid will. That leaves families at the mercy of state rules – and that can create real problems.
Make sure your will is clear, legally valid, and updated to reflect any life changes such as marriage, divorce, or the birth of a child. It’s also essential to review your nominated beneficiaries on life policies and pensions. If they are outdated or deceased, the payout may be delayed or go to someone you didn’t intend. Leaving financial matters unclear can also unsettle family roles and identities, especially when adult siblings or extended relatives feel overlooked.
Make your funeral plans known. In many African households, funerals are deeply significant events, tied to culture, status, and family pride. But the cost of burying a loved one, and the weight of organising the ceremony, can fall heavily on those who remain.
If you’ve taken out a funeral policy or belong to a burial society or stokvel (savings club), make sure someone knows. Funeral policies can pay out within 48 hours – but some take weeks, depending on the circumstances and paperwork. Write down the name of the provider, the expected payout, and who to contact.
Keep documents in a safe place, and tell a trusted person where to find them. Even if you can’t afford a policy, having a clear conversation about what you would want – and what you wouldn’t – is a powerful gift. Not everyone wants a lavish send-off. Sometimes, what people want most is for their family to avoid debt and stay united.
Planning ahead allows families to mourn, rather than scramble.
– Planning for death: four things you can do to ease your family’s emotional and financial stress – https://theconversation.com/planning-for-death-four-things-you-can-do-to-ease-your-familys-emotional-and-financial-stress-254321
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Amanda Craft, Associate Lecturer in Accounting and Financial Planning, Western Sydney University
When someone dies, the people left behind face more than grief. They are often hit with a wave of decisions – emotional, logistical and financial – that must be made quickly and under pressure.
You may not be able to control what happens after you’re gone. But you can make the process a lot easier for your family by doing a few simple things now. Financial therapy research shows that financial decisions made under stress or grief are more likely to lead to conflict or regret.
Our work as researchers and practitioners in financial planning and financial therapy explores how money isn’t just about spreadsheets and savings – it’s also about identity, emotions, and relationships.
Planning for death, as hard as it may be, is one of the kindest acts you can offer.
Death is inevitable, but chaos doesn’t have to be. A few gentle conversations, a simple will, and a bit of planning can protect your family from unnecessary pain. You don’t need to have everything figured out – you just need to start. Even small steps taken now can have a ripple effect on your family’s financial and emotional wellbeing.
We have identified four practical steps you can take: start the conversation; talk about what matters to you; get your paperwork in order; and make your funeral plans known.
What to do
Start the conversation. In many cultures, death is difficult to talk about. It can feel awkward, inappropriate, or even disrespectful to bring it up with loved ones. But avoiding the conversation doesn’t stop death from coming – it only makes it harder for those left behind.
Financial therapy research shows that avoidance of money conversations is common, but can be damaging. People avoid these talks because of anxiety, cultural taboos, or fear of upsetting others, but they’re exactly the conversations that help reduce stress in the future. You don’t need to hold a formal family meeting.
A softer approach often works best. For example, if someone in your community passes away, you could say, “It got me thinking about what you’d want for your funeral.” If they seem uncomfortable, try saying, “I know it’s not easy to talk about. I just care, and I’d rather know than have to guess.” If they still don’t want to talk, that’s okay. Sometimes planting the seed is enough.
Talk about what matters to you. Every family and community has its own way of honouring the dead. Some prefer large, traditional funerals with extended family and religious rites. Others may want something smaller, more personal, or less expensive. When people know what matters most to you – and what doesn’t – they are more likely to carry out your wishes with peace of mind.
For example, you might not want money borrowed for your funeral. You might prefer cremation, or a specific cultural rite. Or you may want something symbolic, like a tree planted in your honour. Saying it now helps your loved ones later.
Get your paperwork in order. A will helps ensure that your assets go where you want them to. It also helps reduce disputes among family members. But in South Africa, for example, only around 15% of people die with a valid will. In Nigeria, 70% of people die intestate and 80% of people in Ghana die without a valid will. That leaves families at the mercy of state rules – and that can create real problems.
Make sure your will is clear, legally valid, and updated to reflect any life changes such as marriage, divorce, or the birth of a child. It’s also essential to review your nominated beneficiaries on life policies and pensions. If they are outdated or deceased, the payout may be delayed or go to someone you didn’t intend. Leaving financial matters unclear can also unsettle family roles and identities, especially when adult siblings or extended relatives feel overlooked.
Make your funeral plans known. In many African households, funerals are deeply significant events, tied to culture, status, and family pride. But the cost of burying a loved one, and the weight of organising the ceremony, can fall heavily on those who remain.
If you’ve taken out a funeral policy or belong to a burial society or stokvel (savings club), make sure someone knows. Funeral policies can pay out within 48 hours – but some take weeks, depending on the circumstances and paperwork. Write down the name of the provider, the expected payout, and who to contact.
Keep documents in a safe place, and tell a trusted person where to find them. Even if you can’t afford a policy, having a clear conversation about what you would want – and what you wouldn’t – is a powerful gift. Not everyone wants a lavish send-off. Sometimes, what people want most is for their family to avoid debt and stay united.
Planning ahead allows families to mourn, rather than scramble.
Amanda Craft is a shareholder of Auriavia Pty Ltd. She is affiliated with the Financial Therapy Association
Bomikazi Zeka 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.
Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Note: The expiration time in the watch graphic is amended if the watch is replaced, cancelled or extended.Note: Click for Watch Status Reports. SEL1
URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Tornado Watch Number 151 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 1000 PM CDT Sat Apr 19 2025
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a
* Tornado Watch for portions of Southwest into Central Texas
* Effective this Saturday night and Sunday morning from 1000 PM until 500 AM CDT.
* Primary threats include… A couple tornadoes possible Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 2 inches in diameter possible Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible
SUMMARY…A band of thunderstorms is forecast to intensify and move from west to east across the Watch area tonight. The warm sector environment will support the possibility for a couple of tornadoes, in addition to large hail and severe gusts with the stronger storms.
The tornado watch area is approximately along and 60 statute miles north and south of a line from 95 miles southwest of San Angelo TX to 80 miles east northeast of Junction TX. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU1).
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
REMEMBER…A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings.
&&
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 147…WW 148…WW 149…WW 150…
AVIATION…Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 2 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean storm motion vector 26035.
…Smith
SEL1
URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Tornado Watch Number 151 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 1000 PM CDT Sat Apr 19 2025
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a
* Tornado Watch for portions of Southwest into Central Texas
* Effective this Saturday night and Sunday morning from 1000 PM until 500 AM CDT.
* Primary threats include… A couple tornadoes possible Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 2 inches in diameter possible Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible
SUMMARY…A band of thunderstorms is forecast to intensify and move from west to east across the Watch area tonight. The warm sector environment will support the possibility for a couple of tornadoes, in addition to large hail and severe gusts with the stronger storms.
The tornado watch area is approximately along and 60 statute miles north and south of a line from 95 miles southwest of San Angelo TX to 80 miles east northeast of Junction TX. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU1).
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
REMEMBER…A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings.
&&
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 147…WW 148…WW 149…WW 150…
AVIATION…Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 2 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean storm motion vector 26035.
…Smith
Note: The Aviation Watch (SAW) product is an approximation to the watch area. The actual watch is depicted by the shaded areas. SAW1 WW 151 TORNADO TX 200300Z – 201000Z AXIS..60 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF LINE.. 95SW SJT/SAN ANGELO TX/ – 80ENE JCT/JUNCTION TX/ ..AVIATION COORDS.. 50NM N/S /76NW DLF – 62NW CWK/ HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT..2 INCHES. WIND GUSTS..60 KNOTS. MAX TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 26035.
LAT…LON 31260163 31839852 30099852 29520163
THIS IS AN APPROXIMATION TO THE WATCH AREA. FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE WOUS64 KWNS FOR WOU1.
Watch 151 Status Report Message has not been issued yet.
Note: Click for Complete Product Text.Tornadoes
Probability of 2 or more tornadoes
Mod (30%)
Probability of 1 or more strong (EF2-EF5) tornadoes
Low (20%)
Wind
Probability of 10 or more severe wind events
Mod (50%)
Probability of 1 or more wind events > 65 knots
Low (20%)
Hail
Probability of 10 or more severe hail events
Mod (50%)
Probability of 1 or more hailstones > 2 inches
Mod (50%)
Combined Severe Hail/Wind
Probability of 6 or more combined severe hail/wind events
High (80%)
For each watch, probabilities for particular events inside the watch (listed above in each table) are determined by the issuing forecaster. The “Low” category contains probability values ranging from less than 2% to 20% (EF2-EF5 tornadoes), less than 5% to 20% (all other probabilities), “Moderate” from 30% to 60%, and “High” from 70% to greater than 95%. High values are bolded and lighter in color to provide awareness of an increased threat for a particular event.
Police investigation ongoing into death at Montrose
Sunday, 20 April 2025 – 1:11 pm.
Police are continuing to investigate the death of a 19-year-old man near the Brooker Highway at Montrose early Saturday morning. Inspector Jason Klug said that following a call for information yesterday, a man is assisting police with their enquiries. “Following receipt of the autopsy report yesterday which suggested the man was likely struck by a vehicle, police put out a call for public information and have since spoken to a truck driver who is assisting with our enquiries.” “While it remains early in our investigation, at this stage information suggests the young man was squatting on the roadside, wearing dark clothing in an unlit area of the highway when he was not seen by the driver and struck by the truck.” “We have seized the truck we believe was involved, and several pieces of CCTV, which will be forensically examined.” “We’d like to thank members of our community who responded to our call for information – assistance from the public is vital in assisting with police investigations.” “If you have information that would assist our ongoing investigation, and you haven’t already come forward, please do so.” Information can be provided to Glenorchy Police on 131 444 or to Crime Stoppers Tasmania on 1800 333 000 or crimestopperstas.com.au – information can be provided anonymously.
Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Note: The expiration time in the watch graphic is amended if the watch is replaced, cancelled or extended.Note: Click for Watch Status Reports. SEL0
URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 150 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 950 PM CDT Sat Apr 19 2025
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a
* Severe Thunderstorm Watch for portions of West into Northwest Texas
* Effective this Saturday night and Sunday morning from 950 PM until 500 AM CDT.
* Primary threats include… Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph likely Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 2 inches in diameter possible
SUMMARY…A intensifying band of thunderstorms is forecast to move from west to east across the Watch area tonight. Large hail and severe gusts are possible with the more intense thunderstorms.
The severe thunderstorm watch area is approximately along and 75 statute miles north and south of a line from 80 miles northeast of Abilene TX to 15 miles northwest of Midland TX. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU0).
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
REMEMBER…A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means conditions are favorable for severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings. Severe thunderstorms can and occasionally do produce tornadoes.
&&
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 147…WW 148…WW 149…
AVIATION…A few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 2 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean storm motion vector 26035.
…Smith
Note: The Aviation Watch (SAW) product is an approximation to the watch area. The actual watch is depicted by the shaded areas. SAW0 WW 150 SEVERE TSTM TX 200250Z – 201000Z AXIS..75 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF LINE.. 80NE ABI/ABILENE TX/ – 15NW MAF/MIDLAND TX/ ..AVIATION COORDS.. 65NM N/S /46S SPS – 11WNW MAF/ HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT..2 INCHES. WIND GUSTS..60 KNOTS. MAX TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 26035.
LAT…LON 32159870 31020238 33180238 34329870
THIS IS AN APPROXIMATION TO THE WATCH AREA. FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE WOUS64 KWNS FOR WOU0.
Watch 150 Status Report Message has not been issued yet.
Note: Click for Complete Product Text.Tornadoes
Probability of 2 or more tornadoes
Low (10%)
Probability of 1 or more strong (EF2-EF5) tornadoes
Low (5%)
Wind
Probability of 10 or more severe wind events
Mod (60%)
Probability of 1 or more wind events > 65 knots
Low (20%)
Hail
Probability of 10 or more severe hail events
Mod (50%)
Probability of 1 or more hailstones > 2 inches
Mod (50%)
Combined Severe Hail/Wind
Probability of 6 or more combined severe hail/wind events
High (90%)
For each watch, probabilities for particular events inside the watch (listed above in each table) are determined by the issuing forecaster. The “Low” category contains probability values ranging from less than 2% to 20% (EF2-EF5 tornadoes), less than 5% to 20% (all other probabilities), “Moderate” from 30% to 60%, and “High” from 70% to greater than 95%. High values are bolded and lighter in color to provide awareness of an increased threat for a particular event.
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 20, 2025.
Mediawatch: Jailed Australian foreign correspondent’s life spread across the big screen By Colin Peacock, RNZ Mediawatch presenter In 1979, Sam Neill appeared in an Australian comedy movie about hacks on a Sydney newspaper. The Journalist was billed as “a saucy, sexy, funny look at a man with a nose for scandal and a weakness for women”. That would probably not fly these days — but as
Palestinian solidarity vigil at Easter in NZ as Israeli bombing rages in Gaza Asia Pacific Report Peaceful protesters in Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest city Auckland held an Easter prayer vigil honouring Palestinian political prisoners and the sacrifice of thousands of innocent lives as relentless Israeli bombing of displaced Gazans in tents killed at least 92 people in two days. Organisers of the rally for the 80th week since
Did Australia back the wrong war in the 1960s? Now Putin’s Russia is knocking on the door ANALYSIS: By Ben Bohane This week Cambodia marks the 50th anniversary of the fall of Phnom Penh to the murderous Khmer Rouge, and Vietnam celebrates the fall of Saigon to North Vietnamese forces in April 1975. They are being commemorated very differently; after all, there’s nothing to celebrate in Cambodia. Its capital Phnom Penh was
Trump executive orders roll back ocean fisheries protections in Pacific By Gujari Singh in Washington The Trump administration has issued a new executive order opening up vast swathes of protected ocean to commercial exploitation, including areas within the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument. It allows commercial fishing in areas long considered off-limits due to their ecological significance — despite overwhelming scientific consensus that marine
In 1979, Sam Neill appeared in an Australian comedy movie about hacks on a Sydney newspaper.
The Journalist was billed as “a saucy, sexy, funny look at a man with a nose for scandal and a weakness for women”.
That would probably not fly these days — but as a rule, movies about Australian journalists are no laughing matter.
Back in 1982, a young Mel Gibson starred as a foreign correspondent who was dropped into Jakarta during revolutionary chaos in The Year of Living Dangerously. The 1967 events the movie depicted were real enough, but Mel Gibson’s correspondent Guy Hamilton was made up for what was essentially a romantic drama.
There was no romance and a lot more real life 25 years later in Balibo, another movie with Australian journalists in harm’s way during Indonesian upheaval.
Anthony La Paglia had won awards for his performance as Roger East, a journalist killed in what was then East Timor — now Timor-Leste — in December 1975. East was killed while investigating the fate of five other journalists — including New Zealander Guy Cunningham — who was killed during the Indonesian invasion two months earlier.
The Correspondent has a happier ending but is still a tough watch — especially for its subject.
Met in London newsrooms I first met Peter Greste in newsrooms in London about 30 years ago. He had worked for Reuters, CNN, and the BBC — going on to become a BBC correspondent in Afghanistan.
He later reported from Belgrade, Santiago, and then Nairobi, from where he appeared regularly on RNZ’s Nine to Noon as an African news correspondent. Greste later joined the English-language network of the Doha-based Al Jazeera and became a worldwide story himself while filling in as the correspondent in Cairo.
Actor Richard Roxburgh as jailed journalist Peter Greste in The Correspondent alongside Al Jazeera colleagues Mohammed Fahmy and Baher Mohammed. Image: The Correspondent/RNZ
Greste and two Egyptian colleagues, Baher Mohamed and Mohamed Fahmy, were arrested in late 2013 on trumped-up charges of aiding and abetting the Muslim Brotherhood, an organisation labeled “terrorist” by the new Egyptian regime of the time.
Six months later he was sentenced to seven years in jail for “falsifying news” and smearing the reputation of Egypt itself. Mohamed was sentenced to 10 years.
Media organisations launched an international campaign for their freedom with the slogan “Journalism is not a crime”. Peter’s own family became familiar faces in the media while working hard for his release too.
Peter Greste was deported to Australia in February 2015. The deal stated he would serve the rest of his sentence there, but the Australian government did not enforce that. Instead, Greste became a professor of media and journalism, currently at Macquarie University in Sydney.
Movie consultant Among other things, he has also been a consultant on The Correspondent — now in cinemas around New Zealand — with Richard Roxborough cast as Greste himself.
Australian professor of journalism Peter Greste …. posing for a photograph when he was an Al Jazeera journalist in Kibati village, near Goma, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on 7 August 2013. Image: IFEX media freedom/APR
“I eventually came to realise it’s not me that’s up there on the screen. It’s the product of a whole bunch of creatives. And the result is … more like a painting rather than a photograph,” Greste told Mediawatch.
“Over the years I’ve written about it, I’ve spoken about it countless times. I’ve built a career on it. But I wasn’t really anticipating the emotional impact of seeing the craziness of my arrest, the confusion of that period, the claustrophobia of the cell, the sheer frustration of the crazy trial and the really discombobulating moment of my release.
“But there is another very difficult story about what happened to a colleague of mine in Somalia, which I haven’t spoken about publicly. Seeing that on screen was actually pretty gut-wrenching.”
In 2005, his BBC colleague Kate Peyton was shot alongside him on their first day in on assignment in Somalia. She died soon after.
“That was probably the toughest day of my entire life far over and above anything I went through in Egypt. But I am glad that they put it in [The Correspondent]. It underlines … the way in which journalism is under attack. What happened to us in Egypt wasn’t a random, isolated incident — but part of a much longer pattern we’re seeing continue to this day.”
Supporters of the jailed British-Egyptian human rights activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah take part in a candlelight vigil outside Downing Street in London, United Kingdom, as he begins a complete hunger strike while world leaders arrive for COP27 climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in 2022. Image: RNZ Mediawatch/AFP
‘Owed his life’ Greste says he “owes his life” to fellow prisoner Alaa Abd El-Fattah — an Egyptian activist who is also in the film.
“There’s a bit of artistic licence in the way it was portrayed but . . . he is easily one of the most intelligent, astute and charismatic humanitarians I’ve ever come across. He was one of the main pro-democracy activists who was behind the Arab Spring revolution in 2011 — a true democrat.
“He also inspired me to write the letters that we smuggled out of prison that described our arrest not as an attack on … what we’d actually come to represent. And that was press freedom.
“That helped frame the campaign that ultimately got me out. So, for both psychological and political reasons, I feel like I owe him my life.
“There was nothing in our reporting that confirmed the allegations against us. So I started to drag up all sorts of demons from the past. I started thinking maybe this is the universe punishing me for sins of the past. I was obviously digging up that particular moment as one of the most extreme and tragic moments. It took a long time for me to get past it.
“He’d been in prison a lot because of his activism, so he understood the psychology of it. He also understood the politics of it in ways that I could never do as a newcomer.”
“Unfortunately, he is still there. He should have been released on September 29th last year. His mother launched a hunger strike in London . . . so I actually joined her on hunger strike earlier this year to try and add pressure.
“If this movie also draws a bit of attention to his case, then I think that’s an important element.”
Another wrinkle Another wrinkle in the story was the situation of his two Egyptian Al Jazeera colleagues.
Greste was essentially a stranger to them, having only arrived in Egypt shortly before their arrest.
The film shows Greste clashing with Fahmy, who later sued Al Jazeera. Fahmy felt the international pressure to free Greste was making their situation worse by pushing the Egyptian regime into a corner.
“To call it a confrontation is probably a bit of an understatement. We had some really serious arguments and sometimes they got very, very heated. But I want audiences to really understand Fahmy’s worldview in this film.
“He and I had very different understandings of what was going … and how those differences played out.
“I’ve got a hell of a lot of respect for him. He is like a brother to me. That doesn’t mean we always agreed with each other and doesn’t mean we always got on with each other like any siblings, I suppose.”
His colleagues were eventually released on bail shortly after Greste’s deportation in 2015.
Fahmy renounced his Egyptian citizenship and was later deported to Canada, while Mohamed was released on bail and eventually pardoned.
Retrial — all ‘reconvicted’ “After I was released there was a retrial … and we were all reconvicted. They were finally released and pardoned, but the pardon didn’t extend to me.
“I can’t go back because I’m still a convicted ‘terrorist’ and I still have an outstanding prison sentence to serve, which is a little bit weird. Any country that has an extradition treaty with Egypt is a problem. There are a fairly significant number of those across the Middle East and Africa.”
Greste told Mediawatch his conviction was even flagged in transit in Auckland en route from New York to Sydney. He was told he failed a character test.
“I was able to resolve it. I had some friends in Canberra and were able to sort it out, but I was told in no uncertain terms I’m not allowed into New Zealand without getting a visa because of that criminal record.
“If I’m traveling to any country I have to say … I was convicted on terrorism offences. Generally speaking, I can explain it, but it often takes a lot of bureaucratic process to do that.”
Greste’s first account of his time in jail — The First Casualty — was published in 2017. Most of the book was about media freedom around the world, lamenting that the numbers of journalists jailed and killed increased after his release.
Something that Greste also now ponders a lot in his current job as a professor of media and journalism.
Ten years on from that, it is worse again. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says at least 124 journalists and media workers were killed last year, nearly two-thirds of them Palestinians killed by Israel in its war in Gaza.
The book has now been updated and republished as The Correspondent.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
Somerset man charged in relation to Launceston business burglary
Sunday, 20 April 2025 – 9:56 am.
A 40-year-old Somerset man has been charged in relation to a several matters including burglary at a jewellery store in Launceston on 18 April. The man has been charged with several offences including 3x burglary, trespass, 4x evade police, and 6x drive whilst not the holder of a driver licence. He was detained to appear in court yesterday. Police are continuing to investigate the jewellery store burglary. Anyone with information relating to the whereabouts of the stolen jewellery is encouraged to contact police on 131 444. Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers Tasmania at crimestopperstas.com.au or on 1800 333 000.
Three teenagers have been arrested by members of Youth and Street Gangs Task Force following a raft of serious offending in the northern suburbs over the past week.
During the early hours of Friday 11 April, a house was broken into on Heidenreich Avenue at Salisbury Downs whilst the residents were asleep, and their BMW sedan was stolen from the driveway.
On Sunday 13 April, two victims exited a train at Mawson Lakes Interchange when they were approached by two youths who threatened them and punched one victim before stealing his e-scooter.
A home in Eyre was broken into about 3.15am on Tuesday 15 April, property was stolen from inside, and a car parked out the front of the house was entered.
On Thursday 17 April, two youths stole a large amount of alcohol from a hotel on Peachey Road at Davoren Park.
On Friday 18 April, two victims were at a fast-food restaurant on Elizabeth Way at Elizabeth when a teenager approached them and threatened them before stealing their mobile phones.
Following an investigation, three teenagers were arrested over the past few days:
A 13-year-old form Elizabeth Park was charged with two counts of aggravated robbery.
A 15-year-old from Blakeview, was charged with illegal use of a motor vehicle, driving at an extreme speed, aggravated serious criminal trespass, aggravated robbery and theft.
A 16-year-old from Salisbury North, was charged with illegal use of a motor vehicle, driving at a speed dangerous, other driving offences and theft of petrol.
All three youths were refused police bail and will appear in Adelaide Youth Court on Tuesday 22 April.
