Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
The Northern Territory Police Force and the Northern Territory Fire and Emergency Services proudly celebrates the ten-year anniversary of its NT Police, Fire and Emergency Services (NTPFES) Cadet Program — a unique and impactful initiative that has provided over a decade of vocational training, personal growth, and career pathways for Territory students.
Launched in 2015, the NTPFES Cadet Program has empowered students in Years 11 and 12 to gain firsthand experience in emergency services while achieving nationally recognised qualifications. The 18-month program includes the completion of the Certificate II in Community Engagement and the Certificate III in Business, delivered through the NTPFES College and Charles Darwin University.
Over the past ten years, hundreds of young Territorians have graduated from the program across Darwin and Alice Springs, with the most recent squads graduating in Darwin this afternoon and in Alice Springs last Thursday 12 June. This program allows students to develop critical skills through outdoor leadership camps, cultural learning visits to Indigenous communities, community volunteering and immersive work placements within frontline services teams.
Superintendent of Induction Division Christopher Board, reflected on the milestone, “The NTPFES Cadet Program is an outstanding initiative that has changed lives and strengthened our connection with the community. It gives young Territorians a rare opportunity to grow, learn and lead—while laying the groundwork for future careers in emergency services and beyond. Ten years on, we’re incredibly proud of what this program has achieved.
“237 Cadets have graduated through this program from Darwin and Alice Springs since 2015, with at least 65 having progressed through civilian or uniformed employment within the NT Police Force and NT Fire and Emergency Services. 16 of these have become either Constables, Aboriginal Community Police Officers or Police Auxiliaries, and one has joined the NTES.”
Acting Commissioner for NT Fire and Emergency Services Collene Bremner said the program gave the cadets a well-rounded understanding of the NT’s emergency services.
“As part of the program, the cadets complete placements with the NT Fire and Rescue Service (NTFRS) and NT Emergency Service (NTES). With the NTFRS, they learn critical skills in road crash rescue and how to operate breathing apparatus (BA), and with NTES they complete necessary inductions, rescue foundations and gain boating experience to learn about vessels being used for evacuations, cargo transport and flood rescues.”
Charles Darwin University (CDU) Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Scott Bowman AO said, “CDU is incredibly proud to support the NTPFES Cadet Program, which has delivered real-world skills, confidence and career opportunities to young Territorians for a decade.
“Together with NTPFES and the NT Department of Education and Training, CDU is helping to build a skilled, community-minded workforce ready to lead in emergency services and beyond.”
NT Department of Education and Training Deputy Chief Executive for Skills, Pathways and Quality, Cathy White said the cadet program helped shape the lives of many young Territorians.
“The Department congratulates the Northern Territory Police Force, the Northern Territory Fire and Emergency Services and Charles Darwin University for their collaboration through this important training opportunity,” she said.
“This cadet program opens many opportunities for young people who are now utilising their knowledge to pursue diverse careers in the Territory.”
The Cadet Program not only fosters civic responsibility and leadership in participants, but also serves as a pathway into government careers.
As we celebrate this important milestone, the organisation extends heartfelt thanks to all past and present cadets, parents, staff, schools and community partners who have contributed to the success of the program.
Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Jual Oram on Tuesday reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the holistic development of tribal communities, stating that transparency, inclusivity, and efficiency are the core principles driving tribal welfare programs under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
Speaking at an event in New Delhi, the minister emphasized that the vision of a developed India cannot be achieved without empowering and uplifting tribal communities. “A community once politically marginalized is now playing a central role in the nation’s development journey,” he said.
Oram credited the Modi government for ensuring effective implementation of inclusive policies over the past 11 years, which have significantly transformed the lives of tribal families. He noted that while the Ministry of Tribal Affairs was founded in 1999 under former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, it has achieved real expansion and impact under PM Modi.
Highlighting achievements in education, Oram said over 700 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) have been established with a budget of ₹25,000 crore, ensuring access to quality education for lakhs of tribal children. He also spoke about the financial empowerment of tribal artisans and entrepreneurs, who are now finding opportunities in national and global markets.
Praising the dignity and resilience of tribal communities, the minister remarked, “They do not believe in begging. They live with dignity and survive through hard work — and that is their true strength.”
Oram concluded by hailing Prime Minister Modi as a true champion of tribal welfare and a key force behind the transformation in tribal policy and empowerment.
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
Summer educational shifts have begun at the Moscow City Children’s Maritime Center named after Peter the Great. Here, young city residents learn about the history of shipbuilding and maritime affairs and learn to operate boats and yachts. This was reported by the press service of the capital’s Department of Education and Science.
“Every summer, the Hermes Children and Youth Creativity Development Center organizes educational shifts on the shore of the Khimki Reservoir. Under the guidance of experienced teachers, children learn the basics of sailing: they learn to steer ships, use maps and satellite systems, recognize signs of weather changes, and effectively interact with team members. It is planned that more than a thousand schoolchildren will attend the shifts this summer,” the department’s press service noted.
During classes, schoolchildren learn to determine the direction and strength of the wind, use a life jacket and provide first aid, and also get acquainted with the structure of lifeboats and master rowing on boats Yal-6, Yal-4, Sava 470 and control of the yacht “Optimist”. For teenagers from 15 to 17 years old, a separate program has been prepared for the control of a small vessel. This will allow them to pass the exam to obtain a license immediately upon reaching adulthood.
“The most important thing that children learn is to communicate with each other. This skill is transferred to the shore, to school. Children become more relaxed. As practice shows, they are also more physically prepared: after all, we have strength-based exercises, such as rowing,” said Mikhail Turevich, a teacher at the Peter the Great Moscow City Children’s Marine Center.
During classes, schoolchildren construct ship models using drawings that they request from archives if necessary. The children also complete quests, go on excursions to museums, and participate in quizzes, sports competitions, and creative contests.
Summer shift programs are available for children aged seven to 17. You can register on the website of the Center for the Development of Children and Youth Creativity “Hermes”.
Supplementary education programs develop creative and critical thinking in schoolchildren and form skills for a future profession. The events held within the framework of these initiatives contribute to the project “All the best for children” of the national project “Youth and Children”.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday departed for Croatia after concluding his visit to Canada, where he participated in the 51st Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Kananaskis.
This marks the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Croatia, a significant milestone in the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
India and Croatia share a cordial and steadily growing relationship underpinned by shared values, democratic institutions, and a common commitment to international cooperation. Since Croatia’s independence in the early 1990s, India has consistently supported the European nation’s sovereignty and development, with diplomatic relations evolving into a multi-dimensional partnership encompassing political dialogue, trade, culture, education, and people-to-people exchanges.
Croatia, which joined the European Union in 2013, has in recent years emerged as an important partner for India in the Central European region. Its accession to the Schengen Area and adoption of the Euro in January 2023 have further aligned the country with key European institutions, creating fresh avenues for collaboration.
Trade and investment trajectory
Economic engagement between the two countries, while modest in scale, has shown incremental progress. In 2024, India’s exports to Croatia stood at USD 251.6 million, comprising a diverse basket of goods including ceramic and pharmaceutical products, engineering items, chemicals, and agricultural commodities such as oilseeds and tobacco. Croatia’s exports to India totalled USD 54.4 million, largely in the form of machinery, wood and paper products, rubber, and refined vegetable oils, including soybean oil.
Between 2001 and 2023, Indian investments in Croatia reached €44.5 million, whereas Croatian investments in India stood at approximately €5.5 million over the same period.
People-to-people connect
An important pillar of the bilateral relationship is the growing Indian diaspora in Croatia. As of March 2025, over 17,000 Indian nationals were residing in the country, including a small number of permanent residents and Overseas Citizens of India. Bilateral mobility has been aided by reciprocal arrangements such as visa-free travel for diplomatic and official passport holders for up to 30 days, facilitating greater high-level exchanges and official visits.
Educational and cultural cooperation has also grown in recent years, with increased academic mobility, interest in Indian languages and traditions among Croatians, and rising Indian student enrolments in Croatian institutions.
PM Modi’s visit is expected to lend new momentum to bilateral ties and provide an opportunity for both sides to chart a course for deeper engagement across political, economic, and cultural domains.
Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 Listing Rules:
GAM Holding AG appoints Albert Saporta as Group Chief Executive Officer and Tim Rainsford as Group Chief Distribution Officer
GAM Holding AG (SWX: GAM) today announces senior leadership changes as the Group moves into the next phase of sustainable growth. Albert Saporta has been appointed Group Chief Executive Officer (Group CEO) effective from 1 July 2025, succeeding Elmar Zumbuehl who will remain with GAM until 31 December 2025 to support the transition. Additionally, Tim Rainsford will return to GAM to lead its distribution efforts as Group Chief Distribution Officer on 1 October 2025.
These leadership changes reflect that GAM has successfully transformed and is now well positioned for growth. Under Elmar Zumbuehl’s leadership, GAM has undergone a comprehensive repositioning over the last 21 months; divesting non-core businesses, and rebuilding a lean, scalable platform designed to attract and empower top investment talent and better connect them to clients worldwide through a strengthened global distribution and client servicing network.
Albert Saporta has over 40 years of experience in the investment management industry and served as Global Head of Investments & Products at GAM since October 2023. He will take over as Group CEO with a clear focus on accelerating growth through building on our existing and new product offerings and external opportunities. His passion for innovative investment strategies, drive for positive client outcomes, and energy is key for GAM’s next phase of growth.
Drawing on GAM’s pioneering heritage, combining internal and external investment talent, Albert Saporta has been instrumental in strengthening GAM’s investment team line-up and entering into multiple new partnerships with best-in-class investment managers. GAM is strongly positioned to provide clients with access to differentiated investment strategies across asset classes.
Tim Rainsford will return to GAM as Group Chief Distribution Officer and a Group Management Board member. He brings extensive experience in leading global distribution functions focused on growth and delivering for clients. Tim Rainsford was CEO of Generali Investments Partners, and latterly, Chief Product and Distribution Officer for Generali Asset Management.
Rossen Djounov, Global Head of Client Solutions, will remain a senior member of the distribution leadership team, reporting to Tim, with a focus on driving growth initiatives and deepening strategic client relationships.
Chairman of the Board, Antoine Spillmann, said: “On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to express our deepest gratitude to Elmar for his dedicated service and the significant achievements he has accomplished during his many years at GAM. His leadership has been pivotal in steering the company through transformative changes and setting a solid foundation for future sustainable growth. The Board is looking forward to working with Albert and Tim as GAM enters its next phase as a highly agile and scalable platform with a renewed focus on growth, innovation, and client outcomes.
Albert Saporta said: “I am honoured to take on the role of GAM’s Group CEO. We have transformed GAM, and it is now well positioned with unique investment talent to deliver differentiated strategies to our clients. I am excited to be leading GAM into this next phase of sustainable growth.”
Elmar Zumbuehl commented: “I am proud of what we’ve accomplished over the last 21 months, and I want to thank the Board and our anchor shareholder NJJ Holding for their support during this transformational phase. I also extend my heartfelt appreciation to every member of the firm for their unwavering commitment and efforts in successfully transforming GAM.”
Tim Rainsford commented: “I’m thrilled to be returning to GAM with the firm’s focus on innovative strategies and commitment to client outcomes. I look forward to working closely with Albert and the broader team to drive growth and strengthen our global presence.”
Biographies
Albert Saporta:
Albert has 40 years’ experience in financial markets, with over 30 years in the hedge fund industry. Albert started his career at Paribas in Paris, where he managed the Japan/Asia mutual funds from 1984-85. He joined Merrill Lynch in London as Vice President of Japanese equity sales from 1985-88. In 1988, he joined UBS Securities in London where he headed quantitative research and hedge fund sales for Japanese equities. In 1991, he joined IFM, a hedge fund owned by Jacob Rothschild’s St James’s Place and AIG, where he managed relative value global equity arbitrage strategies. In 1995, he left to set up Geneva-based AIM&R, a hedge fund advisory and research firm, managing the SOG and SOGAsia funds. In March 2006, Albert sold AIM&R ‘s research and hedge fund businesses to ABN Amro Bank (London). As part of the transaction, he set-up the Special Opportunities Group (SOG) at ABN, managing a balance sheet of >USD1bn in global arbitrage strategies and special situations. AIM&R was relaunched in 2011 as a research and trading advisory firm, advising global hedge funds, pension funds, prop trading firms and family offices.
Albert has a master’s in International Affairs from Columbia University (1984), an MBA (1983) and BSc in economics (1982) from New York University, and a Math/Physics degree from the University of Nice (1980). He is fluent in French, English, Spanish and Portuguese. Albert holds French, Israeli and Spanish citizenships.
Tim Rainsford:
Tim Rainsford joins GAM Investments from Generali Investments Partners, where since September 2020 he was the Global Head of Product and Distribution. In this capacity, he led the global team of sales professionals based in Europe, focusing on defining the commercial development plans and strategies aimed at strengthening Generali Investments’ positioning in key markets and expanding its international footprint.
He was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Generali Investments Partners S.p.A. Società di gestione del risparmio (GIP) in April 2021, a key entity within the Generali Group’s Asset & Wealth Management business unit. In this role, he was responsible for steering the regulated entity and focusing on the investment management, product development and global sales efforts of the business unit, maximising the Group’s multi-boutique approach.
Before his tenure at Generali, he held significant positions in other major financial institutions. He served as Group Head of Distribution and Marketing at GAM Investments, where he was responsible for the company’s marketing and sales strategic direction. Earlier in his career, he spent thirteen years at Man Investments Ltd, holding various senior roles including Senior Managing Director – Head of European Sales, and Global Co-Head of Sales and Marketing.
GAM Investments is a highly scalable global investment platform with strong global distribution capabilities focusing on three core areas, Specialist Active Investing, Alternative Investing and Wealth Management, that is listed in Switzerland. It delivers distinctive and differentiated investment solutions across its Investment and Wealth Management businesses. Its purpose is to protect and enhance clients’ financial future. It attracts and empowers brightest minds to provide investment leadership, innovation and a positive impact on society and the environment. Total assets under management were CHF 16.3 billion as of 31 December 2024. GAM Investments has global distribution with offices in 14 countries and is geographically diverse with clients in almost every continent. Headquartered in Zurich, GAM Investments was founded in 1983, and its registered office is at Hardstrasse 201 Zurich, 8005 Switzerland. For more information about GAM Investments, please visit www.gam.com.
Other Important Information
This release contains or may contain statements that constitute forward-looking statements. Words such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “expect”, “estimate”, “aim”, “project”, “forecast”, “risk”, “likely”, “intend”, “outlook”, “should”, “could”, “would”, “may”, “might”, “will”, “continue”, “plan”, “probability”, “indicative”, “seek”, “target”, “plan” and other similar expressions are intended to or may identify forward-looking statements.
Any such statements in this release speak only as of the date hereof and are based on assumptions and contingencies subject to change without notice, as are statements about market and industry trends, projections, guidance, and estimates. Any forward-looking statements in this release are not indications, guarantees, assurances or predictions of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the person making such statements, its affiliates and its and their directors, officers, employees, agents and advisors and may involve significant elements of subjective judgement and assumptions as to future events which may or may not be correct and may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any such statements. You are strongly cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and no person accepts or assumes any liability in connection therewith.
This release is not a financial product or investment advice, a recommendation to acquire, exchange or dispose of securities or accounting, legal or tax advice. It has been prepared without taking into account the objectives, legal, financial or tax situation and needs of individuals. Before making an investment decision, individuals should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to their own objectives, legal, financial and tax situation and needs and seek legal, tax and other advice as appropriate for their individual needs and jurisdiction.
Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 Listing Rules:
GAM Holding AG appoints Albert Saporta as Group Chief Executive Officer and Tim Rainsford as Group Chief Distribution Officer
GAM Holding AG (SWX: GAM) today announces senior leadership changes as the Group moves into the next phase of sustainable growth. Albert Saporta has been appointed Group Chief Executive Officer (Group CEO) effective from 1 July 2025, succeeding Elmar Zumbuehl who will remain with GAM until 31 December 2025 to support the transition. Additionally, Tim Rainsford will return to GAM to lead its distribution efforts as Group Chief Distribution Officer on 1 October 2025.
These leadership changes reflect that GAM has successfully transformed and is now well positioned for growth. Under Elmar Zumbuehl’s leadership, GAM has undergone a comprehensive repositioning over the last 21 months; divesting non-core businesses, and rebuilding a lean, scalable platform designed to attract and empower top investment talent and better connect them to clients worldwide through a strengthened global distribution and client servicing network.
Albert Saporta has over 40 years of experience in the investment management industry and served as Global Head of Investments & Products at GAM since October 2023. He will take over as Group CEO with a clear focus on accelerating growth through building on our existing and new product offerings and external opportunities. His passion for innovative investment strategies, drive for positive client outcomes, and energy is key for GAM’s next phase of growth.
Drawing on GAM’s pioneering heritage, combining internal and external investment talent, Albert Saporta has been instrumental in strengthening GAM’s investment team line-up and entering into multiple new partnerships with best-in-class investment managers. GAM is strongly positioned to provide clients with access to differentiated investment strategies across asset classes.
Tim Rainsford will return to GAM as Group Chief Distribution Officer and a Group Management Board member. He brings extensive experience in leading global distribution functions focused on growth and delivering for clients. Tim Rainsford was CEO of Generali Investments Partners, and latterly, Chief Product and Distribution Officer for Generali Asset Management.
Rossen Djounov, Global Head of Client Solutions, will remain a senior member of the distribution leadership team, reporting to Tim, with a focus on driving growth initiatives and deepening strategic client relationships.
Chairman of the Board, Antoine Spillmann, said: “On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to express our deepest gratitude to Elmar for his dedicated service and the significant achievements he has accomplished during his many years at GAM. His leadership has been pivotal in steering the company through transformative changes and setting a solid foundation for future sustainable growth. The Board is looking forward to working with Albert and Tim as GAM enters its next phase as a highly agile and scalable platform with a renewed focus on growth, innovation, and client outcomes.
Albert Saporta said: “I am honoured to take on the role of GAM’s Group CEO. We have transformed GAM, and it is now well positioned with unique investment talent to deliver differentiated strategies to our clients. I am excited to be leading GAM into this next phase of sustainable growth.”
Elmar Zumbuehl commented: “I am proud of what we’ve accomplished over the last 21 months, and I want to thank the Board and our anchor shareholder NJJ Holding for their support during this transformational phase. I also extend my heartfelt appreciation to every member of the firm for their unwavering commitment and efforts in successfully transforming GAM.”
Tim Rainsford commented: “I’m thrilled to be returning to GAM with the firm’s focus on innovative strategies and commitment to client outcomes. I look forward to working closely with Albert and the broader team to drive growth and strengthen our global presence.”
Biographies
Albert Saporta:
Albert has 40 years’ experience in financial markets, with over 30 years in the hedge fund industry. Albert started his career at Paribas in Paris, where he managed the Japan/Asia mutual funds from 1984-85. He joined Merrill Lynch in London as Vice President of Japanese equity sales from 1985-88. In 1988, he joined UBS Securities in London where he headed quantitative research and hedge fund sales for Japanese equities. In 1991, he joined IFM, a hedge fund owned by Jacob Rothschild’s St James’s Place and AIG, where he managed relative value global equity arbitrage strategies. In 1995, he left to set up Geneva-based AIM&R, a hedge fund advisory and research firm, managing the SOG and SOGAsia funds. In March 2006, Albert sold AIM&R ‘s research and hedge fund businesses to ABN Amro Bank (London). As part of the transaction, he set-up the Special Opportunities Group (SOG) at ABN, managing a balance sheet of >USD1bn in global arbitrage strategies and special situations. AIM&R was relaunched in 2011 as a research and trading advisory firm, advising global hedge funds, pension funds, prop trading firms and family offices.
Albert has a master’s in International Affairs from Columbia University (1984), an MBA (1983) and BSc in economics (1982) from New York University, and a Math/Physics degree from the University of Nice (1980). He is fluent in French, English, Spanish and Portuguese. Albert holds French, Israeli and Spanish citizenships.
Tim Rainsford:
Tim Rainsford joins GAM Investments from Generali Investments Partners, where since September 2020 he was the Global Head of Product and Distribution. In this capacity, he led the global team of sales professionals based in Europe, focusing on defining the commercial development plans and strategies aimed at strengthening Generali Investments’ positioning in key markets and expanding its international footprint.
He was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Generali Investments Partners S.p.A. Società di gestione del risparmio (GIP) in April 2021, a key entity within the Generali Group’s Asset & Wealth Management business unit. In this role, he was responsible for steering the regulated entity and focusing on the investment management, product development and global sales efforts of the business unit, maximising the Group’s multi-boutique approach.
Before his tenure at Generali, he held significant positions in other major financial institutions. He served as Group Head of Distribution and Marketing at GAM Investments, where he was responsible for the company’s marketing and sales strategic direction. Earlier in his career, he spent thirteen years at Man Investments Ltd, holding various senior roles including Senior Managing Director – Head of European Sales, and Global Co-Head of Sales and Marketing.
GAM Investments is a highly scalable global investment platform with strong global distribution capabilities focusing on three core areas, Specialist Active Investing, Alternative Investing and Wealth Management, that is listed in Switzerland. It delivers distinctive and differentiated investment solutions across its Investment and Wealth Management businesses. Its purpose is to protect and enhance clients’ financial future. It attracts and empowers brightest minds to provide investment leadership, innovation and a positive impact on society and the environment. Total assets under management were CHF 16.3 billion as of 31 December 2024. GAM Investments has global distribution with offices in 14 countries and is geographically diverse with clients in almost every continent. Headquartered in Zurich, GAM Investments was founded in 1983, and its registered office is at Hardstrasse 201 Zurich, 8005 Switzerland. For more information about GAM Investments, please visit www.gam.com.
Other Important Information
This release contains or may contain statements that constitute forward-looking statements. Words such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “expect”, “estimate”, “aim”, “project”, “forecast”, “risk”, “likely”, “intend”, “outlook”, “should”, “could”, “would”, “may”, “might”, “will”, “continue”, “plan”, “probability”, “indicative”, “seek”, “target”, “plan” and other similar expressions are intended to or may identify forward-looking statements.
Any such statements in this release speak only as of the date hereof and are based on assumptions and contingencies subject to change without notice, as are statements about market and industry trends, projections, guidance, and estimates. Any forward-looking statements in this release are not indications, guarantees, assurances or predictions of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the person making such statements, its affiliates and its and their directors, officers, employees, agents and advisors and may involve significant elements of subjective judgement and assumptions as to future events which may or may not be correct and may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any such statements. You are strongly cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and no person accepts or assumes any liability in connection therewith.
This release is not a financial product or investment advice, a recommendation to acquire, exchange or dispose of securities or accounting, legal or tax advice. It has been prepared without taking into account the objectives, legal, financial or tax situation and needs of individuals. Before making an investment decision, individuals should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to their own objectives, legal, financial and tax situation and needs and seek legal, tax and other advice as appropriate for their individual needs and jurisdiction.
Earlier today, Iranian officials urged the country’s citizens to remove the messaging platform WhatsApp from their smartphones. Without providing any supporting evidence, they alleged the app gathers user information to send to Israel.
WhatsApp has rejected the allegations. In a statement to Associated Press, the Meta-owned messaging platform said it was concerned “these false reports will be an excuse for our services to be blocked at a time when people need them most”. It added that it does not track users’ location nor the personal messages people are sending one another.
It is impossible to independently assess the allegations, given Iran provided no publicly accessible supporting evidence.
But we do know that even though WhatsApp has strong privacy and security features, it isn’t impenetrable. And there is at least one country that has previously been able to penetrate it: Israel.
3 billion users
WhatsApp is a free messaging app owned by Meta. With around 3 billion users worldwide and growing fast, it can send text messages, calls and media over the internet.
It uses strong end-to-end encryption meaning only the sender and recipient can read messages; not even WhatsApp can access their content. This ensures strong privacy and security.
Advanced cyber capability
The United States is the world leader in cyber capability. This term describes the skills, technologies and resources that enable nations to defend, attack, or exploit digital systems and networks as a powerful instrument of national power.
But Israel also has advanced cyber capability, ranking alongside the United Kingdom, China, Russia, France and Canada.
Israel has a documented history of conducting sophisticated cyber operations. This includes the widely cited Stuxnet attack that targeted Iran’s nuclear program more than 15 years ago. Israeli cyber units, such as Unit 8200, are renowned for their technical expertise and innovation in both offensive and defensive operations.
Seven of the top 10 global cybersecurity firms maintain R&D centers in Israel, and Israeli startups frequently lead in developing novel offensive and defensive cyber tools.
A historical precedent
Israeli firms have repeatedly been linked to hacking WhatsApp accounts, most notably through the Pegasus spyware developed by Israeli-based cyber intelligence company NSO Group. In 2019, it exploited WhatsApp vulnerabilities to compromise 1,400 users, including journalists, activists and politicians.
Another Israeli company, Paragon Solutions, also recently targeted nearly 100 WhatsApp accounts. The company used advanced spyware to access private communications after they had been de-encrypted.
These kinds of attacks often use “spearphishing”. This is distinct from regular phishing attacks, which generally involve an attacker sending malicious links to thousands of people.
Instead, spearphishing involves sending targeted, deceptive messages or files to trick specific individuals into installing spyware. This grants attackers full access to their devices – including de-encrypted WhatsApp messages.
A spearphishing email might appear to come from a trusted colleague or organisation. It might ask the recipient to urgently review a document or reset a password, leading them to a fake login page or triggering a malware download.
Protecting yourself from ‘spearphishing’
To avoid spearphishing, people should scrutinise unexpected emails or messages, especially those conveying a sense of urgency, and never click suspicious links or download unknown attachments.
Hovering the mouse cursor over a link will reveal the name of the destination. Suspicious links are those with strange domain names and garbled text that has nothing to do with the purported sender. Simply hovering without clicking is not dangerous.
Enable two-factor authentication, keep your software updated, and verify requests coming through trusted channels. Regular cybersecurity training also helps users spot and resist these targeted attacks.
David Tuffley 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.
Largest individual monetary prize for research in the University’s history – 18 June 2025 – The Frontiers Planet Prize, a global initiative of the Frontiers Research Foundation in Switzerland, has announced Associate Professor Arunima Malik as one of its three 2025 International Champions, awarding her US$1 million (A$1.54 million) to advance her and her research team’s pioneering work in sustainability science.
By providing innovative, scalable solutions to help keep humanity within planetary sustainability boundaries, Associate Professor Malik received the award for, ‘Polarising and equalising tr
The Frontiers Planet Prize has named its three 2024/25 International Champions, including Australia’sDr Arunima Malik. The winners are scientists offering innovative, scalable solutions to help keep humanity safely within planetary boundaries.
Dr Arunima Malik will receive a prize of one million dollars (USD) to further her research and impact.
The winning research focuses on the environmental and social impacts of international trade and its effect on meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Following an independent scientific assessment involving 100 experts, chaired by Professor Johan Rockström, the developer of the Planetary Boundaries framework, the prize ensures faster global scientific consensus around the innovative ideas with greatest potential to drive change.
On 17 June, the Frontiers Planet Prize announcedDr Arunima Malik, fromThe University of Sydney, as one of its 2025 International Champions, awarding her $1 million to advance herand her research team’s pioneering workin sustainability science. Providing groundbreaking, scalable solutions to help keep humanity within planetary boundaries, DrMalik received the award for thepublication, Polarizing and equalizing tr
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
Aleksandr Odzho was predicted to have a career as a diplomat, Elizaveta Bogatyreva wanted to become a teacher since childhood, and Pavel Sibiryakov came to the system of additional education from the theater stage. But they are all united by their victory in the Moscow City Professional Competition of Pedagogical Excellence and Public Recognition “Teachers of the Year in Moscow”, the results of which were summed up at the end of May. Teachers, educators, psychologists, defectologists, speech therapists, young specialists and teachers of additional education competed in six nominations. The winners and prize-winners will become mentors in their profession, and their methods will be used by colleagues.
mos.ru correspondents talked to the best teachers in Moscow about modern children, learned how schools are changing, what opportunities there are for revealing students’ talents, and how technology helps with this.
The Trial of Ivan the Terrible and Historical Dishes
Alexander Odzho, the winner in the nomination “Teacher of the Year of Moscow”, had every chance to become a diplomat, journalist, actor. But the choice was made in favor of a teacher. But in this profession he successfully combines the ability to master words, and artistry, and diplomacy. Today Alexander Odzho teaches history, social studies, music and the basics of spiritual and moral culture of the peoples of Russia inschool #854 in Zelenograd.
“The outstanding innovative teacher Vasily Sukhomlinsky has always been an example for me. Just like him, I believe that a child should always be given the right to choose and respected as an individual. Of course, since Sukhomlinsky’s time, the school education system has changed a lot, many new opportunities have appeared, but the teacher’s tasks have remained the same – to provide all the conditions for the development of children’s abilities and talents. Due to the development of the Internet, students’ attention quickly evaporates today, so lessons should be dynamic, with different types of activities. Visits to museums, excursions, videos and paintings by artists dedicated to historical subjects help study the events of the past. There are many such materials in
“Moscow Electronic School”, and we constantly turn to them. History can even be “tasted”, for example, by preparing a dish described in books or archival documents,” notes Alexander Odzho.
In the nomination “Moscow Teacher of the Year”, Alexander Odzho became the best among 437 participants. Earlier, he took second place in the nomination “Pedagogical Start” of the competition “Moscow Teachers of the Year” and reached the final of the Russian TV show “Class Topic”.
“I dreamed of such a result since my student years, but I considered it unattainable. However, the management, colleagues and family supported me in everything. We filmed a fragment of a lesson for the selection round, then there was an interview with experts, a public speech on how to take care of yourself and others. At the master class, I showed my developments on how to teach a child to ask questions. This is an important point in pedagogy. In my lessons, I use such formats as discussion debates, conferences, round tables or a historical trial. At the last “session”, my students and I looked at the state administration of Ivan the Terrible. The class was divided into lawyers and prosecutors, who had to operate with facts. And everyone made their own verdict,” says Alexander Odzho.
Now the teacher is preparing for the all-Russian stage of the “Teacher of the Year of Russia” competition and for the publication of his two books. One of them is dedicated to the development of domestic medicine, and the second – to the history of Russia in diagrams and tables.
Elizaveta Bogatyreva works as a teacher inschool No. 236 named after Hero of the Soviet Union G.I. Shchedrin in the Dmitrovsky district with groups of children aged three to seven years. She chose her profession as a teenager: she took care of her younger brother and felt a calling to work with children. Two years ago, Elizaveta Bogatyreva won the Pedagogical Start nomination of the Moscow Teachers of the Year competition, and recently won the title of Moscow Educator of the Year, showing the best results among 409 participants.
“The main task of the teacher is to teach children independence. For this, various methods and teaching aids are used. With the little ones, we study new words and phenomena using a mind map. In the center of the diagram, we briefly write down the topic, for example, “What do we know about dinosaurs.” Then we mark with arrows how we will develop it: we will make figures, put books about dinosaurs in the reading corner, ask parents what the difference is between predatory and herbivorous species. Another tool is a question tree. We write down on its leaves what interests the children, and then look for answers. All problems in the group are also brought up for discussion. Children offer their ideas, we form rules, write them down and hang them on the board. We also have a post office: each child has their own pocket on a special stand. The children put notes and gifts in them,” says Elizaveta Bogatyreva, a teacher at School No. 236.
In her work with children, the mos.ru interviewee uses a playful approach. Thus, in the fall, Elizaveta Bogatyreva’s students made costumes of different animals and prepared for winter: they built burrows from construction sets and blankets, prepared supplies, the “predators” hunted, and the “herbivores” gathered forage.
At one of the stages of the competition, Elizaveta Bogatyreva held a master class for teachers, where she showed her version of a literary hero’s diary of emotions.
“I believe that it is important to instill an interest in reading from an early age, so we analyze the feelings and actions of characters in literary works. At the competition, I introduced my development to my colleagues, and as part of the selection round, I presented a video with a fragment of the lesson. At other tests, I answered questions from the field of school education, revealed the connection between humans and artificial intelligence, and demonstrated rapid response skills in the format of a press conference. Winning such a significant competition became a new point of personal growth for me and confirmation of my professional qualities. Now the main task is to worthily represent Moscow at the “Educator of the Year of Russia” competition, which will be held in September,” says Elizaveta Bogatyreva.
In the nomination “I give my heart to children”, having beaten 319 participants, the best was Pavel Sibiryakov, a teacher of additional education from the center for the development of creativity of children and youth “Hermes” in the Dmitrovsky district. Five years ago, he founded the theater studio “Nachalo” in the center, today more than 250 children aged six to 18 study there.
“I came to the profession from the theater and today I combine teaching with acting. Being a theater teacher is not that easy: it is the work of a mentor, director and scriptwriter at the same time. An individual approach is important here. When we staged the play “The Nose” based on the story by Nikolai Gogol, I entrusted the main role – Kovalev – to the most shy student. He coped with it well, and this experience influenced his character: the student became more relaxed and self-confident, made friends with other children. For modern teenagers who are used to communicating on the Internet, the theater teaches live interaction, empathy, they mature, become more responsible,” says Pavel Sibiryakov.
Pavel Sibiryakov has developed warm, trusting relationships with the students of the theater studio. The young actors share with him not only their creative experiences, but also their personal ones. And when the teacher took part in a competition, the children became his most devoted support group.
“My students were very worried about me, wrote encouraging messages, sent videos, watched the live broadcast of the award ceremony together. It was my first time participating in such a serious competition and I did it primarily so that the children could be proud of their mentor and strive for more. I was also glad to meet my colleagues, and with some of them — to make friends. In the second round, having split into teams, we designed a residential area with a focus on educational infrastructure from a construction set, and in the final I held a master class with the cadets: I showed how to do a speech warm-up and diction exercises,” Pavel Sibiryakov shares.
The teacher is currently preparing for the All-Russian stage of the competition and has already filmed a welcome video for it.
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Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
A large-scale festival will be held for the third time in Zaryadye Park on June 21 and 22 “Theatre Weekend”. He will become part of the project. “Summer in Moscow” and will be dedicated to important historical dates: the 165th anniversary of Anton Chekhov’s birth and the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. The program includes street performances, plays, concerts and master classes, which will take place from 2:00 PM to 11:00 PM. Admission to all events is free.
This year’s festival is expected to be a record-breaking one in terms of the number of participants and the program’s content — 13 theaters and theater schools, 16 productions. Guests will get acquainted with both recognized stage masters and talented debutants.
Visitors will be able to see productions by students of the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts – GITIS, the Moscow Art Theatre School and the Moscow State Institute of Culture. In addition, they will be shown fragments of plays performed by actors of the Russian Academic Youth Theatre and the Praktika Theatre, as well as works by young directors. The special guest of the festival will be the team of the Donetsk Republican Academic Youth Theatre. In addition, viewers will see fragments of plays by the Moscow Art Theatre named after A.P. Chekhov, the Moscow Sovremennik Theatre, the Et Cetera Theatre under the direction of Alexander Kalyagin, the Moscow Academic Theatre named after Vladimir Mayakovsky and the Central Academic Theatre of the Russian Army.
Watch performances dedicated to Anton Chekhov
The festival days will traditionally be themed. The first day, June 21, will be dedicated to the 165th anniversary of the birth of writer Anton Chekhov. Spectators will see multi-genre productions on the stage of the large amphitheater. At 16:00, the A.P. Chekhov Moscow Art Theater will present fragments of the play “My Life” directed by Sergei Tonyshev. At 17:00, the bright program “Chekhov-gala” directed by Alexei Borodin of the Russian Academic Youth Theater will begin.
In addition, the anniversary day program will include excerpts from the play “Your Chekhov” (starts at 17:40) directed by Anna Artamonova of the Et Cetera Theater under the direction of Alexander Kalyagin, as well as fragments of the production “Ward No. 6” (starts at 22:00) directed by Evgeny Zakirov of the Mayakovsky Theater. Fourth-year students of Sergei Zhenovach’s workshop and graduates of Yuri Butusov’s course of the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts – GITIS will show a series of sketches “Chekhov. Stories” (starts at 20:00). The evening will continue with second-year students of Marina Brusnikina and Sergei Shchedrin’s workshop from the Moscow Art Theater School. They have prepared a performance of “Chekhov’s Stories” (starting at 19:00) and a dedication concert “The Seagull” (starting at 21:05).
Remember the Great Victory
On June 22, the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow, the stage of the large amphitheater of Zaryadye Park will feature performances dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. At 4:00 PM, actors of the Russian State Academic Youth Theater will show the production “Amazement Before Life” directed by Alexey Mishakov based on the works of the war veteran writer Viktor Rozov. At 5:00 PM, third-year students of the Moscow State Institute of Culture will perform the literary and musical composition “Frontline Brigades” directed by Alena Khovanskaya. The play “On a Clear Day,” directed by Marina Brusnikina based on the story of the war veteran writer Viktor Astafyev, will be presented at 6:15 PM by actors of the Donetsk Republican Youth Theater.
At 19:30, actors from the Moscow Sovremennik Theatre will show fragments of the play “A Tale. The Story of an Extraordinary Love”, staged by Marina Brusnikina based on Anna Baturina’s play “Front-line Soldier”. At 20:10, students from the Moscow Art Theatre School will present a musical and literary programme “Russian Poets about the Great Patriotic War”. It will feature works by Bulat Okudzhava, Alexander Tvardovsky, Andrei Voznesensky, Olga Berggolts, Vladimir Lugovskoy, Yuna Moritz and other authors.
People’s Artist of Russia Konstantin Raikin will read the poem “Snowfall” by David Samoilov at 21:00. The festival will end with a musical and theatrical program of actors from the Central Academic Theater of the Russian Army. Director – Yulia Shulva. The open rehearsal will begin at 21:15, the concert – at 22:00.
Take a trial exam
Over the course of two days, June 21 and 22, in the small amphitheater from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM, anyone who wishes will be able to take trial exams to enter a theater school and demonstrate their talents to a professional admissions committee. The committee will include theater figures, including Marina Zudina, Svetlana Kolpakova, Igor Gordin, Oleg Topolyansky, and Igor Vernik. In addition, the participants’ performances will be assessed by directors — artistic director of the A.S. Pushkin Theater Yevgeny Pisarev, artistic director of the Mayakovsky Theater Yegor Peregudov, as well as chief director of the Russian State Academic Youth Theater and artistic director of the Praktika Theater Marina Brusnikina.
Participants in trial exams will be able to demonstrate themselves in various genres: read prose or poetry, sing a song. Everyone will receive a professional assessment and useful recommendations from stage masters. Improvised auditions will help aspiring actors test their strength before entering theater universities and gain valuable experience communicating with professionals who are ready to share their knowledge and suggest the future path in an acting career.
Learn improvisation and stage speech
On June 21 and 22 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM, the Big Meadow will host acting, improvisation and stage speech classes for the youngest guests, “Theater from Childhood.” They will be conducted by Oleg Sapiro, an actor from the Mayakovsky Theater. Participants will not talk about theater — they will play it: recall lines from different works, complete tasks for imagination, liberation and improvisation. Both children and adults will enjoy body warm-ups, speech and rhythm, as well as acting training.
See open-air performances
A stage for street children’s (family) performances will be located near the Zapovednoye Posledstvo pavilion. On June 21, from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM, viewers will see the premiere – the play “Tales of the Resourceful Soldier” directed by Olga Levitina. Actors from Akulina Svetelkina’s artel will show an interactive, fun performance about the extraordinary valor and ingenuity of ordinary soldiers during Peter the Great’s time. On June 22, there will be a play “Theater on the Carpet” (from 5:15 PM to 6:15 PM) – a project of the Taste Theater, a resident of the Praktika Theater, as well as the production “My First Business” (from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM) by the Russian State Academic Youth Theater.
Project “Summer in Moscow” — the main event of the season, uniting the brightest events of the capital. Every day in all districts of the city there are charity, cultural and sports events, most of which are free. The project “Summer in Moscow” is held for the second time, and the new season will be more intense: new festivals and events will be added to the traditional ones — original and colorful.
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Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
Last academic year, over 108 thousand schoolchildren took part in the project “School Day at the Museum”. Young Muscovites attended over 4.2 thousand educational classes. This was reported by the press service of the capital’s Department of Education and Science.
“The “School Day at the Museum” project allows students in grades 1-11 to attend educational lessons at cultural institutions, where they study school subjects and complete various assignments. This format helps to better absorb the material and practice research skills. The project unites more than 40 different sites in city, federal, departmental and private museums. Among the most popular in the past academic year were the Cosmonautics Museum, the Moscow Zoo, the Tsaritsyno Museum-Reserve, the State Sports Museum and the State Museum of the Defense of Moscow,” the department’s press service reported.
More than 250 interactive lessons in all subjects have been developed for students in grades 1–11. More than 110 of them can be used online. For example, in a math lesson at the Cosmonautics Museum, fourth-graders learn how Yuri Gagarin landed, down to the mileage and time. They determine at what altitude and for how long the cosmonauts can find themselves in zero gravity on board the laboratory aircraft. Young researchers also analyze infographics from the Soyuz-Apollo program to build a chronology of the crews’ flights. And in a chemistry lesson at the State Sports Museum, eighth-ninth-graders study the properties of metals and alloys from which sports awards from different years are made.
Each school day has three to five lessons taught by school subject teachers. They use materials developed by museum staff and specialists from the Institute for the Development of Specialized Education at the Moscow City Pedagogical University.
Elizaveta Illarionova, a sixth-grader at School No. 2087 Otkrytie, said that this year she attended study days at the Timiryazev State Biological Museum and the Cosmonautics Museum. She liked the biological museum the most because she loves biology and wants to become an anesthesiologist in the future. Elizaveta noted that there was a large exposition with plants and animals, and they also carried out interesting tasks. The children compared the characteristics of various fungi and bacteria, looked for answers to questions in the halls, redrew tree bark and found out what it was needed for. According to the schoolgirl, it was as dark as space in the Cosmonautics Museum. She remembered the models of asteroids and rockets, as well as the story of the launch of the first artificial satellite and animal flights.
New sites regularly join the project. This year, its participants included the Borodino Battle Panorama Museum, the State Archives of the Russian Federation, the Alfred Mirek Museum of Russian Accordion, and the Radio and Television Museum of the Interactive Polytechnic Museum Dedushkin Attic.
“The “School Day at the Museum” project allows schoolchildren to leave the formal environment for an informal one, learn to work in a team and expand their horizons with the help of the educational opportunities of Moscow museums. Every year, new sites join the project, which are able to give children an interesting experience in studying school subjects. This format allows for the best use of the museum exposition opportunities to achieve subject results, familiarize themselves with the rich history and culture of our country, and effectively use the socio-cultural space of the capital in the educational activities of schoolchildren,” the press service noted.
Any school in the city can join the project. To do this, the teacher needs to fill out an electronic application atproject websiteThe materials necessary for conducting classes are also located here.
A conscious choice of a professional trajectory, as well as providing conditions for satisfying the creative interests and abilities of schoolchildren are the key tasks of the “Professionalism” and “All the Best for Children” projects of the national project “Youth and Children”.
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Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
SHENZHEN, June 18 (Xinhua) — Scientists from the Global Ant Genomics Alliance (GAGA) published a groundbreaking study in the international scientific journal Cell on Monday, revealing the genetic basis behind major adaptive changes in ants’ evolution and their social traits that evolved in parallel.
Despite their small size, ants demonstrate impressive organizational skills. They are able to build intricate nests without using “language” to communicate, and they have the most rigorous system of division of labor.
By analyzing whole-genome data from 163 ant species collected from around the world, the research team reconstructed the evolutionary tree of the ant family, covering 12 of the 16 extant subfamilies.
The study sheds light on the complex phylogenetic relationships between ant species and traces the common ancestor of modern ants back to the late Jurassic period – about 157 million years ago – shedding light on the origins of ant organizational structure during the age of dinosaurs.
Scientists have found that ant gene families associated with olfactory perception were significantly expanded in the common ancestor’s genome, suggesting that it already possessed key molecular mechanisms for social communication.
The study also found that different ant species exhibit different mechanisms that regulate which ants become queens and which become workers, reflecting their adaptive evolution through natural selection.
The study involved scientists from Zhejiang University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Nanchang University and BGI Research in China, as well as scientists from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and the University of Münster in Germany. -0-
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
In accordance with the Medical Registration Ordinance (MRO), the Registrar of Medical Practitioners (i.e. the Director of Health) announced today (June 18) the sixth batch of 22 medical qualifications (see Annex 1) recognised by the Special Registration Committee (SRC). The list will be gazetted on June 20 and take effect on the same day. It will be submitted to the Legislative Council for negative vetting on June 25. Together with the first five batches of recognised medical qualifications announced, the SRC has so far recognised a total of 150 medical qualifications (see Annex 2).
The MRO provides that non-locally trained doctors who possess recognised medical qualifications, subject to their fulfilment of certain criteria, may apply for special registration to practise in the public healthcare institutions in Hong Kong (i.e. the Hospital Authority, the Department of Health, the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong). After serving for a certain period, obtaining recognised specialist qualifications and passing the assessment, they will be granted full registration to practise in Hong Kong. For non-locally trained medical graduates who possess recognised medical qualifications but have yet to undergo an internship outside Hong Kong, subject to their fulfilment of the relevant criteria, they may take the Licensing Examination of the Medical Council of Hong Kong (MCHK) in order to apply for special registration to practise in the public healthcare institutions in Hong Kong. They may also obtain full registration after meeting the requirements applicable to all special registration doctors.
The SRC under the MCHK is responsible for determining the list of recognised medical qualifications upon reviewing the programmes offered by non-local medical schools with quality comparable to those provided by the two medical schools in Hong Kong and submitting the list to the Registrar of Medical Practitioners for promulgation. When determining the list of recognised medical qualifications, the SRC will consider and recommend a medical qualification that fulfils the following criteria: (a) that is at the level of degree or higher; (b) that is awarded by a body broadly comparable to any local university awarding medical qualifications in terms of international rankings; and (c) that is broadly comparable to the medical qualifications awarded by any local university in terms of: (i) the curriculum of the programmes leading to the medical qualifications; (ii) the medium of instruction of the programmes; and (iii) any other aspects the SRC considers appropriate.
Ever since modern environmentalism took off in the 1960s, people have tried to undo the damage humans have caused to nature. Efforts have ranged from reducing threats, to restoring habitats, to reintroducing vanished species – and the results have been mixed.
However, these efforts have helped shape modern conservation science. This branch of knowledge uses ecological, genetic and behavioural insights to guide smarter, more ethical conservation actions.
Governments often use this science to decide whether restoration projects should be approved. However, approval processes may be slow, under-resourced and complex, leaving passionate people feeling shut out.
In response, some have turned to “guerilla rewilding” without approval, and often without due consideration of the potential for unintended impacts. As a recent ABC investigation showed, these passionate souls may release species into the wild or build self-managed sanctuaries, often dismissing scientists as “purists”.
What is rewilding?
Rewilding aims to restore wildlife and natural processes to ecosystems where they’ve been lost, often due to land clearing, agriculture or other human activities.
It may involve reintroducing a species that has disappeared from a landscape, or using a similar surrogate species to revive lost ecological functions. The goal is to rebuild functioning, self-sustaining systems. It’s not just about individual species, but the roles they play in sustaining nature.
In Australia, rewilding typically takes place in fenced reserves or on islands where invasive predators such as foxes and cats have been removed. These barriers offer protection, but require intensive planning, long-term management and ongoing funding.
The term “rewilding” itself has been criticised for harking back to a pre-colonial “wilderness”, overlooking First Nations’ connections to Country. But the goal of these projects is to restore ecological function and self-sustaining wildlife populations in shared, lived-in landscapes – including urban environments.
When done well, rewilding can support species recovery, repair ecosystems, and help reconnect people with nature. But success depends on evidence-based design, clear goals, ongoing monitoring, and (often) additional management over time (such as adding or removing animals).
Guerilla rewilding is risky
Guerrilla rewilding can go wildly wrong. Ecology, evolution, behaviour and welfare are deeply complex — and every species is a unique part of a much larger puzzle.
Scientists and conservationists are still learning how different animals survive and thrive in changing environments. Restoring these delicate systems without unintended consequences is also a challenge.
Successful rewilding draws on decades of ecological insight — genetics, behaviour, predator-prey dynamics, health, and ecosystem function.
Guerilla rewilders may see these as unnecessary academic add-ons. But when reintroductions fail, it’s often because one of these elements was overlooked. Frequently reported problems include animal behaviour, monitoring difficulties, quality of release habitat, and lack of baseline knowledge.
However, accessing the science – and navigating the approvals that rely on it – isn’t always easy. Conservation processes are often slow, under-resourced and opaque. It’s no surprise some view them as “green tape”.
In Australia, it can be easier to get permission to clear land than to restore it. Matt Palmer / Unsplash
Yet bypassing this system risks repeating old mistakes. So if we want rewilding to work, we need to make it easier to engage with evidence, expertise and ethical safeguards.
Engagement may be as simple as working with the right partners from the outset. This may include Traditional Owners, universities, non-government organisations, and local conservation and environmental community groups.
Collaboration, not conflict
A lot of people and groups have the same goal: to restore thriving wild animal populations as part of more complete, diverse and resilient ecosystems. That outcome is best achieved through collaboration, sharing of expertise, and trust.
Traditional Owners, scientists, carers, zoos, non-government organisations and government agencies all bring crucial knowledge. By turning shared passion into practical, evidence-based action, we can ensure rewilding efforts contribute to real, lasting outcomes for Australian and global biodiversity.
So what does this look like in practice? First of all, it’s about getting connected.
People with land or passion to contribute can contact organisations such as the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, WWF-Australia, Arid Recovery, several universities, or state parks and wildlife services. These groups have likely already done the groundwork, from habitat assessment to long-term planning. Joining existing efforts may get more done than starting solo.
Policymakers can contribute not only funding, but also transparency. More open and understandable approval processes may lower the barriers for community-led rewilding efforts.
As for scientists like us, we need to step beyond peer-reviewed papers. That means clearer communication, real-world partnerships, and embracing outreach – particularly in urban or accessible rewilding projects.
The authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of Peter Banks, Donna Houston, Phil McManus, Catherine Grueber and Mareshell Wauchope to this article.
Patrick Finnerty is the current director for early career ecology at the Ecological Society of Australia, the Early Career Coordinator at the Australasian Wildlife Management Society, and a council member for the Royal Zoological Society of NSW. He receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
Alex Carthey is the founding Director of ReHabitat Pty Ltd. She receives funding from the Australia Research Council and the Hermon Slade Foundation. She is the immediate past-Treasurer and recently ex-Council member of the NSW Royal Zoological Society.
Benjamin Pitcher is a Co-funded Research Fellow in Behavioural Biology at Macquarie University and Taronga Conservation Society Australia. He receives funding from the Australian Research Council and NSW Environmental Trust.
John Martin receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
Thomas Newsome receives funding from the Australian Research Council. He is immediate past-president of the Australasian Wildlife Management Society and President of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales.
Photograph by Robert Walker, Eric Smith in the studio, c.1973 black and white photograph, 52cmx42cm. Barbara Smith Collection. Used with permission
There are many routes to artistic obscurity. The surest path, of course, is to have never been discovered in the first place. But this wasn’t the case with the late Eric Smith (1919-2017).
Rather, Smith’s is a story of a major artist who quite simply, and unexpectedly, vanished from public life.
The Raising of Lazarus, 1953, oil on composition board, 91cmx82cm. David and Diane Taylor Family Collection.
A new exhibition at the Macquarie University Art Gallery, which I am co-curating, will display a range of Smith’s work – including paintings from the last four decades of his career that have never been shown before.
From fame to phantom
Smith was an artist constantly in search of ways to “express truths in our times”, and employed diverse ways of doing so across a career that included religious paintings, portraits and large abstract works.
Between his breakthrough year in 1956, when he won the first of six Blake Prizes with The Scourged Christ, and 1982, when he won the last of his three Archibalds with a portrait of Peter Sculthorpe, Smith was as lauded as an artist could be.
He had a significant role in launching Australian abstract expressionism in the famous group show, Direction 1. His art was installed in churches and public buildings, and collected by major institutions. He was quoted and photographed in the press.
Then, while working as prolifically as ever, he seemed to disappear. Why?
Rudy Komon, 1981, oil on canvas, 184.1cm x 172.4cm x 3.9cm. Art Gallery of New South Wales, purchased 1982.
The death of Rudy Komon
Rudy Komon was a Czech emigrant and a larger than life bon vivant and gallerist who launched the careers of many of Australia’s finest painters.
Komon represented Smith, who he called “meister”, from 1963 and throughout the most publicly productive part of Smith’s career. Smith even won the 1981 Archibald with a painting of Komon.
However, Komon died the following year.
And according to David Taylor, an art collector and later a patron of Smith’s, “Eric’s art career died with him”.
“When Rudy died Eric had no one to connect him to the art world anymore. He was a modest man and no self-publicist,” Taylor explained to me.
“It was pretty much only me that was left buying his paintings.”
And there were a lot of paintings. Despite Smith’s exhibiting career grinding to a near halt, with no major-gallery shows after 1989, he spent the next four decades on an 8am to 6pm studio regime punctuated only by lunch and tea breaks.
Untitled [Fool’s Gold], 2004, oil on canvas, 164.5cm x 204.5cm. David and Diane Taylor Family Collection.
“He’d finish just in time for the 6pm news”, Barbara Smith told me.
Barbara is Smith’s daughter and the manager of his legacy.
“Dad was always driven by what he saw as the challenges in his work and resolving them in the studio.”
Smith was also heavily self-critical. He admitted to destroying more than half of his artistic output – completely repainting or throwing away paintings that didn’t meet his vision.
At the age of 90, ever the self-critic and despite his successes, he said to his family: “You can’t change styles like I did and hope to get anywhere.”
Forms that express deeper feelings
Smith converted to Catholicism in the 1950s and was a life-long consumer of art-history and philosophy. These tendencies can be seen in his 1950s religious paintings and later abstract works.
The Scourged Christ, 1956, oil on composition board, 116cm x 85cm. Gift of Hugh Jamieson, Penrith Regional Gallery Collection.
In the 1950s he found inspiration in the works of the Fauvist painter Georges Rouault, and later in the works of Alfred Manessier. We see these influences in the bold outlines and church-window-esque colours used in paintings such as The Raising of Lazarus (1953) and The Scourged Christ (1956).
Smith’s later large abstract paintings such as Eternity I (1998), Orange Dawn (1999) and Untitled (Fools Gold) (2004) are evidence of his artistic quest to “find forms that express the deeper feelings” he wanted to convey.
Orange Dawn, 1999, oil on canvas, 171cm x 213cm. David and Diane Taylor Family Collection.
Smith was also skilled in portraiture, as evidenced by his depictions of fellow artists Leonard Hessing, Norman Lindsay, Louis James and Hector Gilliland, as well as his Archibald-winning portrait of Rudy Komon.
His luminous Portrait of Diane (1998), a family friend and patron, is a particularly powerful image which Smith described as his Mona Lisa.
Portrait of Diane, 1998, oil on canvas, 69cm x 50cm. David and Diane Taylor Family Collection.
It’s easy to see why writer and critic Paul McGillick argues Smith should be considered “one of Australia’s most visionary portraitists”.
Yet, without exhibitions and dealers and auctioneers to champion him over the decades, Smith’s work has largely vanished from the public.
Then again, “not having exhibitions didn’t bother him too much, it was the painting and process that really mattered to him,” said Barbara.
An exhibit 40 years in the making
Luckily for posterity, a number of Smith’s masterpieces survived his destructive self-critique.
These works, which are now mostly privately held, will be on display at Eric Smith: The metaphysics of paint. It is the first major exhibition of Smith’s work since the 1980s, and the first retrospective or survey of his work since his death in 2017.
“I’m sure Dad would have been extremely excited and honoured,” Barbara said.
Eric Smith: The metaphysics of paint is showing at the Macquarie University Art Gallery from June 19 to August 1.
Tom Murray works for Macquarie University and receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on June 18, 2025.
Saving species starts at home: how you can help Australia’s 1,000 threatened invertebrates Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Umbers, Associate Professor in Zoology, Western Sydney University Atlas Moth (_Attacus wardi_) Garry Sankowsky/flickr, CC BY When we think about animals, we tend to think of furry four-legged mammals. But 95% of all animal species are invertebrates – bees, butterflies, beetles, snails, worms, octopuses, starfish, corals,
Matariki and our diminishing night sky: light pollution from cities and satellites is making stars harder to see Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shea Esterling, Senior Lecturer Above the Bar, University of Canterbury Zhang Jianyong/Xinhua via Getty Images This week, Aotearoa New Zealand officially celebrates Matariki for the fourth time, marked by the reappearance in the night sky of the star cluster also known as the Pleiades. Yet, ironically, the
Why a US court allowed a dead man to deliver his own victim impact statement – via an AI avatar Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James D Metzger, Senior Lecturer in Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney Composite image: Arrington Watkins Architects / AI avatar: YouTube/StaceyWales, CC BY In November 2021, in the city of Chandler, Arizona, Chris Pelkey was shot and killed by Gabriel Horcasitas in a road rage altercation. Horcasitas was
What’s the difference between food poisoning and gastro? A gut expert explains Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vincent Ho, Associate Professor and Clinical Academic Gastroenterologist, Western Sydney University Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock If you’ve got a dodgy tummy, diarrhoea and have been vomiting, it’s easy to blame a “tummy bug” or “off food”. But which is it? Gastro or food poisoning? What’s the difference anyway? What’s gastroenteritis?
Sharks come in many different shapes and sizes. But they all follow a centuries-old mathematical rule Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jodie L. Rummer, Professor of Marine Biology, James Cook University Rachel Moore From hand-sized lantern sharks that glow in the deep sea to bus-sized whale sharks gliding through tropical waters, sharks come in all shapes and sizes. Despite these differences, they all face the same fundamental challenge:
Iran war: from the Middle East to America, history shows you cannot assassinate your way to peace ANALYSIS: By Matt Fitzpatrick, Flinders University In the late 1960s, the prevailing opinion among Israeli Shin Bet intelligence officers was that the key to defeating the Palestinian Liberation Organisation was to assassinate its then-leader Yasser Arafat. The elimination of Arafat, the Shin Bet commander Yehuda Arbel wrote in his diary, was “a precondition to finding
Solomon Islanders safe but unable to leave Israel amid war on Iran RNZ Pacific The Solomon Islands Foreign Ministry says five people who completed agriculture training in Israel are safe but unable to come home amid the ongoing war between Israel and Iran. The ministry said in a statement that the Solomon Islands Embassy in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, was closely monitoring the situation and maintaining
We tracked Aussie teens’ mental health. The news isn’t good – and problems are worse for girls Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Scarlett Smout, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use and Australia’s Mental Health Think Tank, University of Sydney skynesher/Getty Images We know young people in Australia and worldwide are experiencing growing mental health challenges. The most recent national survey
Australia could become the world’s first net-zero exporter of fossil fuels – here’s how Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frank Jotzo, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy and Director, Centre for Climate and Energy Policy, Australian National University Photo by Jie Zhao/Corbis via Getty Images Australia is the world’s third largest exporter of gas and second largest exporter of coal. When burned overseas, these exports result
Would a corporate tax cut boost productivity in Australia? So far, the evidence is unclear Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Isaac Gross, Lecturer in Economics, Monash University The Conversation, CC BY-NC The first term of the Albanese government was defined by its fight against inflation, but the second looks like it will be defined by a need to kick start Australia’s sluggish productivity growth. Productivity is essentially
How high can US debt go before it triggers a financial crisis? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Hartigan, Lecturer in Economics, University of Sydney rarrarorro/Shutterstock The tax cuts bill currently being debated by the US Senate will add another US$3 trillion (A$4.6 trillion) to US debt. President Donald Trump calls it the “big, beautiful bill”; his erstwhile policy adviser Elon Musk called it
Jaws at 50: how two musical notes terrified an entire generation Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Cole, Composer and Lecturer in Screen Composition, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney Universal Pictures Our experience of the world often involves hearing our environment before seeing it. Whether it’s the sound of something moving through nearby water, or the rustling of vegetation, our fear
As Luxon heads to China, his government’s pivot toward the US is a stumbling block Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert G. Patman, Professor of International Relations, University of Otago Ahead of his first visit to China, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has been at pains to present meetings with Chinese premier Xi Jinping and other leaders as advancing New Zealand’s best interests. But there is arguably a
The story of the journalist on the Rainbow Warrior’s last voyage, David Robie Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – In April 2025, several of the Greenpeace crew visited Matauri Bay, Northland, the final resting place of the original flagship, the Rainbow Warrior. This article was one of the reflections pieces written by an oceans communications crew member. COMMENTARY: By Emma Page I was on the
As Israeli attacks draw tit-for-tat missile responses from Iran and shuts Haifa refinery, Gaza genocide continues Israeli media report that Iranian missile strikes on Haifa oil refinery yesterday killed 3 people and closed down the installation. The Israeli death toll has risen to 24, with 400 injured and more than 2700 people displaced. Israeli authorities report 370 missiles fired by Iran in total, 30 reaching their targets. Iranian military report they
View from the Hill: Cancelled Albanese-Trump meeting a setback on tariffs, AUKUS Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Anthony Albanese’s failure to get his much-anticipated meeting with US President Donald Trump is not the prime minister’s fault, nor should it be characterised as a “snub” by the president. There was always a risk of derailment by outside events,
Decoding PNG leader Marape’s talks with French President Macron ANALYSIS: By Scott Waide, RNZ Pacific PNG correspondent The recent series of high-level agreements between Papua New Guinea and France marks a significant development in PNG’s geopolitical relationships, driven by what appears to be a convergence of national interests. The “deepening relationship” is less about a single personality and more about a calculated alignment of
There’s a new ban on vaping in childcare centres, but what else do we need to keep kids safe? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erin Harper, Lecturer, School of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney On Monday, the federal government announced new rules to boost safety in the early childhood sector. From September there will be mandatory reporting of any allegations or incidents of child physical or sexual abuse within
Regime change wouldn’t likely bring democracy to Iran. A more threatening force could fill the vacuum Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Thomas, Lecturer in Middle East Studies, Deakin University The timing and targets of Israel’s attacks on Iran tell us that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s short-term goal is to damage Iran’s nuclear facilities in order to severely diminish its weapons program. But Netanyahu has made clear another
Why is there so much concern over Iran’s nuclear program? And where could it go from here? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin Zala, Senior Lecturer, Politics & International Relations, Monash University Maxar satellite imagery overview of the Fordow enrichment facility located southwest of Tehran. Maxar/Contributor/Getty Images Conflict between Israel and Iran is intensifying, after Israeli airstrikes on key nuclear sites and targeted assassinations last week were followed by
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on June 18, 2025.
Saving species starts at home: how you can help Australia’s 1,000 threatened invertebrates Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Umbers, Associate Professor in Zoology, Western Sydney University Atlas Moth (_Attacus wardi_) Garry Sankowsky/flickr, CC BY When we think about animals, we tend to think of furry four-legged mammals. But 95% of all animal species are invertebrates – bees, butterflies, beetles, snails, worms, octopuses, starfish, corals,
Matariki and our diminishing night sky: light pollution from cities and satellites is making stars harder to see Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shea Esterling, Senior Lecturer Above the Bar, University of Canterbury Zhang Jianyong/Xinhua via Getty Images This week, Aotearoa New Zealand officially celebrates Matariki for the fourth time, marked by the reappearance in the night sky of the star cluster also known as the Pleiades. Yet, ironically, the
Why a US court allowed a dead man to deliver his own victim impact statement – via an AI avatar Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James D Metzger, Senior Lecturer in Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney Composite image: Arrington Watkins Architects / AI avatar: YouTube/StaceyWales, CC BY In November 2021, in the city of Chandler, Arizona, Chris Pelkey was shot and killed by Gabriel Horcasitas in a road rage altercation. Horcasitas was
What’s the difference between food poisoning and gastro? A gut expert explains Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vincent Ho, Associate Professor and Clinical Academic Gastroenterologist, Western Sydney University Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock If you’ve got a dodgy tummy, diarrhoea and have been vomiting, it’s easy to blame a “tummy bug” or “off food”. But which is it? Gastro or food poisoning? What’s the difference anyway? What’s gastroenteritis?
Sharks come in many different shapes and sizes. But they all follow a centuries-old mathematical rule Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jodie L. Rummer, Professor of Marine Biology, James Cook University Rachel Moore From hand-sized lantern sharks that glow in the deep sea to bus-sized whale sharks gliding through tropical waters, sharks come in all shapes and sizes. Despite these differences, they all face the same fundamental challenge:
Iran war: from the Middle East to America, history shows you cannot assassinate your way to peace ANALYSIS: By Matt Fitzpatrick, Flinders University In the late 1960s, the prevailing opinion among Israeli Shin Bet intelligence officers was that the key to defeating the Palestinian Liberation Organisation was to assassinate its then-leader Yasser Arafat. The elimination of Arafat, the Shin Bet commander Yehuda Arbel wrote in his diary, was “a precondition to finding
Solomon Islanders safe but unable to leave Israel amid war on Iran RNZ Pacific The Solomon Islands Foreign Ministry says five people who completed agriculture training in Israel are safe but unable to come home amid the ongoing war between Israel and Iran. The ministry said in a statement that the Solomon Islands Embassy in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, was closely monitoring the situation and maintaining
We tracked Aussie teens’ mental health. The news isn’t good – and problems are worse for girls Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Scarlett Smout, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use and Australia’s Mental Health Think Tank, University of Sydney skynesher/Getty Images We know young people in Australia and worldwide are experiencing growing mental health challenges. The most recent national survey
Australia could become the world’s first net-zero exporter of fossil fuels – here’s how Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frank Jotzo, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy and Director, Centre for Climate and Energy Policy, Australian National University Photo by Jie Zhao/Corbis via Getty Images Australia is the world’s third largest exporter of gas and second largest exporter of coal. When burned overseas, these exports result
Would a corporate tax cut boost productivity in Australia? So far, the evidence is unclear Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Isaac Gross, Lecturer in Economics, Monash University The Conversation, CC BY-NC The first term of the Albanese government was defined by its fight against inflation, but the second looks like it will be defined by a need to kick start Australia’s sluggish productivity growth. Productivity is essentially
How high can US debt go before it triggers a financial crisis? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Hartigan, Lecturer in Economics, University of Sydney rarrarorro/Shutterstock The tax cuts bill currently being debated by the US Senate will add another US$3 trillion (A$4.6 trillion) to US debt. President Donald Trump calls it the “big, beautiful bill”; his erstwhile policy adviser Elon Musk called it
Jaws at 50: how two musical notes terrified an entire generation Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Cole, Composer and Lecturer in Screen Composition, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney Universal Pictures Our experience of the world often involves hearing our environment before seeing it. Whether it’s the sound of something moving through nearby water, or the rustling of vegetation, our fear
As Luxon heads to China, his government’s pivot toward the US is a stumbling block Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert G. Patman, Professor of International Relations, University of Otago Ahead of his first visit to China, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has been at pains to present meetings with Chinese premier Xi Jinping and other leaders as advancing New Zealand’s best interests. But there is arguably a
The story of the journalist on the Rainbow Warrior’s last voyage, David Robie Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – In April 2025, several of the Greenpeace crew visited Matauri Bay, Northland, the final resting place of the original flagship, the Rainbow Warrior. This article was one of the reflections pieces written by an oceans communications crew member. COMMENTARY: By Emma Page I was on the
As Israeli attacks draw tit-for-tat missile responses from Iran and shuts Haifa refinery, Gaza genocide continues Israeli media report that Iranian missile strikes on Haifa oil refinery yesterday killed 3 people and closed down the installation. The Israeli death toll has risen to 24, with 400 injured and more than 2700 people displaced. Israeli authorities report 370 missiles fired by Iran in total, 30 reaching their targets. Iranian military report they
View from the Hill: Cancelled Albanese-Trump meeting a setback on tariffs, AUKUS Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Anthony Albanese’s failure to get his much-anticipated meeting with US President Donald Trump is not the prime minister’s fault, nor should it be characterised as a “snub” by the president. There was always a risk of derailment by outside events,
Decoding PNG leader Marape’s talks with French President Macron ANALYSIS: By Scott Waide, RNZ Pacific PNG correspondent The recent series of high-level agreements between Papua New Guinea and France marks a significant development in PNG’s geopolitical relationships, driven by what appears to be a convergence of national interests. The “deepening relationship” is less about a single personality and more about a calculated alignment of
There’s a new ban on vaping in childcare centres, but what else do we need to keep kids safe? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erin Harper, Lecturer, School of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney On Monday, the federal government announced new rules to boost safety in the early childhood sector. From September there will be mandatory reporting of any allegations or incidents of child physical or sexual abuse within
Regime change wouldn’t likely bring democracy to Iran. A more threatening force could fill the vacuum Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Thomas, Lecturer in Middle East Studies, Deakin University The timing and targets of Israel’s attacks on Iran tell us that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s short-term goal is to damage Iran’s nuclear facilities in order to severely diminish its weapons program. But Netanyahu has made clear another
Why is there so much concern over Iran’s nuclear program? And where could it go from here? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin Zala, Senior Lecturer, Politics & International Relations, Monash University Maxar satellite imagery overview of the Fordow enrichment facility located southwest of Tehran. Maxar/Contributor/Getty Images Conflict between Israel and Iran is intensifying, after Israeli airstrikes on key nuclear sites and targeted assassinations last week were followed by
This week, Aotearoa New Zealand officially celebrates Matariki for the fourth time, marked by the reappearance in the night sky of the star cluster also known as the Pleiades.
Yet, ironically, the accompanying celebrations and the legislation that declares Matariki a public holiday miss the mark. They fail to promote and protect the country’s dark skies, which are crucial to seeing the stars in this small constellation.
While the law recognises Matariki’s significance to Māori culture and heritage as the beginning of the Māori New Year, it does not acknowledge that it is predicated on the visual presence of the star cluster.
Even where Matariki is not visible owing to weather conditions, the ability to see other celestial markers is important (for example Puanga/Puaka, also known as Rigel). Light pollution is a visual barrier to experiencing these important stars.
Since the passage of the legislation, local councils across the country have marked the public holiday with various light displays. This year will be no different, with illuminated artworks, projections and lightboxes at Matariki festivals in several cities.
Tirama Mai (bringing the light) will return to Ōtautahi Christchurch with brightly lit displays. Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland will see some of its most popular sites, including Queen Street, lit up as part of Tūrama, a series of large-scale, illuminated art installations.
After initially ignoring Māori advice that fireworks are not appropriate to celebrate Matariki, many local councils have now abandoned them. But festivities will no doubt continue to contribute to light pollution and ignore the need to protect dark skies at night.
These ill-conceived festivities are not surprising given the legislation fails to even mention dark skies. This is exacerbated by New Zealand emerging as a major player in the increasingly commercialised space sector which has developed rapidly since the first rocket lifted off from Mahia peninsula in 2017.
Much of Aotearoa’s landmass has some of the darkest skies on the planet. Based on land area, 74% of the North Island and 93% of the South Island rest beneath night skies that are either pristine or degraded only near the horizon. Indeed, the area affected by direct illumination is very low.
Yet, intense urbanisation means only 3% of the population regularly experience such skies. About half of all New Zealanders can no longer see the Milky Way in winter.
At present, there is no explicit domestic law protecting dark skies, nor any international laws. The law declaring Matariki a public holiday missed an important opportunity to provide such protection.
To address this issue, a petition was presented to parliament in January 2023 calling for national legislation to promote and protect dark skies. In March this year, parliament responded it would not take further actions “due to other priorities on the government’s resource management reform work programme”.
This is not surprising. Nevertheless, we call on the government to develop legislation for the governance of dark skies in Aotearoa New Zealand that incorporates mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge).
While there are a variety of ways this could be achieved, controlling light pollution is the crux of the issue. Light pollution emanates both from unmitigated urban lighting as well as the expansion of satellite constellations, which is steadily forming a global net of moving points of light in space.
An incremental approach could be a government-backed education programme to raise awareness of light pollution, followed by the development of a national policy for its control. An amendment to the Matariki public holiday law could then follow in recognition of the national interest.
We are aware the challenges ahead are many. Yet, protecting dark skies is vital from a Māori perspective. Practically, such protections are crucial to the enjoyment and honouring of Matariki as we continue to risk disconnection from one of our most important natural features.
Shea Esterling receives funding from the Borrin Foundation.
William Grant 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.
When we think about animals, we tend to think of furry four-legged mammals. But 95% of all animal species are invertebrates – bees, butterflies, beetles, snails, worms, octopuses, starfish, corals, spiders and many many more. These creatures make us happy, pollinate flowers, keep soils healthy, clean water, build reefs, maintain oceans and bring colour and wonder to our homes, cities, farms and wild places.
When a mammal or bird goes extinct in Australia, it’s big news. But invertebrates have gone extinct much more frequently – and with much less attention. Since colonisation, an estimated 9,000 invertebrates have gone extinct – and one or two more go extinct every week.
Invertebrates face five big challenges: climate change, habitat destruction, natural resource extraction, pollution and invasive species. For the most part, efforts to conserve them are in their infancy in Australia, likely due to the historic undervaluing of smaller animals and little critters. There are shining exceptions such as the incredible conservation success of the Lord Howe Island stick insect, but such examples are vanishingly rare.
The good news? Because invertebrates live everywhere, the opportunity to help is often literally on our doorsteps. Simple actions can help, such as planting native species, leaving logs in the garden and avoiding insecticides.
Meet some of the threatened one thousand
Threatened invertebrates live in every Australian state and territory and in our major cities. Of the almost 1,000 threatened species, 27% are snails and slugs, 25% are insects, 19% are corals, 17% are crayfish and 5% are spiders. Here are some you may come across.
Bogong moth (Agrotis infusa). These moths once filled the night skies in their billions. Now they’re listed as endangered because the cool alpine caves they rely on to escape summer heat are warming with climate change. These migratory moths fly across southern Australia, navigating to their mountain refuges each summer using the stars and earth’s magnetic field. Help map their migration to protect them.
Bogong moths migrate to cool caves in the Australian Alps in summer. Kate Umbers, CC BY
Atlas moth (Attacus wardi). This giant tropical moth with a 22 cm wingspan is now considered vulnerable due to habitat destruction and introduced weeds. If you live near Darwin, planting the native Atlas Croton tree will help feed its very hungry caterpillars.
Mangrove ant-blue butterfly (Acrodipsas illidgei). These endangered butterflies lay eggs on grey mangrove trees home to acrobat ants (Crematogaster species), which carry the eggs into its nests. When the caterpillars hatch, they eat ant larvae while in turn nourishing the ant colony with sugary secretions. Mangrove destruction, pesticide runoff and threats to their ant partners pose real threats. Protecting mangroves in southeast Queensland and reporting sightings of butterflies and ants on iNaturalist will help.
Sydney Hawk dragonfly (Austrocordulia leonardi). This strikingly coloured endangered dragonfly is largely found in Sydney. Changes to local waterways and the deep pools its aquatic larvae need threaten the species. Restoring local waterways will help.
Dural land snails (Pommerhelix duralensis). These endangered snails are found only in north-western Sydney and the lower Blue Mountains. They cruise through leaves and rocks munching on fungi and helping add compost to forest soils. You might catch a glimpse during light rain. Help them by leaving large patches of undisturbed native undergrowth – habitat loss poses the biggest threat.
Hairy bee (Leioproctus douglasiellus). This critically endangered burrowing bee lives only in and around Perth. Its numbers have fallen due to habitat loss and pesticides. Leaving patches of open soil in your garden and planting shallow flowers can help these short-tongued bees get nectar.
Giant Gippsland earthworm (Megascolides australis). This iconic earthworm can grow up to 1.5 metres long. It only lives in a patch of southern Gippsland in Victoria and is endangered in part due to farming practices such as ploughing. These gentle giants famously gurgle as they move through their tunnels keeping soil healthy. Local landholders can help by leaving patches of land along stream banks as worm conservation habitat.
Tasmanian live-bearing sea stars (Parvulastra vivipara). Most sea stars lay eggs. Not this species, which gives birth to live young. They’re endangered because they live in intertidal waters of south-eastern Tasmania affected by shoreline development and invasive species. Look carefully and you might see one as it grazes on algae-covered rocks. Join local events to tackle invasive species and log any sightings on iNaturalist.
Invertebrates bring us delight and wonder. Here’s how we can help those in trouble.
Plant flowers. Providing food for pollinators and other wonderful flower-visiting insects can help year-round.
Keep part of your garden a bit wild. If you leave logs, leaves and open soil in your garden, you make space for shiny beetles, singing crickets, native bees and other ground-dwellers.
The creek is beautiful. Help restore waterways, make a pond, learn about local water bugs and support local wetlands.
Be clever with pest control. Avoid snail baits and cancel regular broad-spectrum sprays, as these can harm many non-target species. Use critter-friendly alternatives to protect the whole food chain.
Let the stars shine. Switch off lights at night if safe or close your curtains to help nocturnal creatures such as moths and orb-weaving spiders.
Log your sightings. Conservation scientists need as much data as possible on invertebrates to understand how they are doing out there. Upload your bug photos to iNaturalist.
Kate Umbers receives funding from the Australian Research Council, Commonwealth DCCEEW, Hermon Slade Foundation, and Holsworth Foundation. She is affiliated with Invertebrates Australia, Biodiversity Council, co-chair of the IUCN Grasshopper Specialist Group, and is on the Conservation Committee for the Australian Entomological Society.
Kenny Wolfe is affiliated with Invertebrates Australia.
Megan Head is affiliated with Invertebrates Australia.
Shawan Chowdhury is affiliated with Monash University and Invertebrates Australia.
Tanya Latty co-founded and volunteers for conservation organisation Invertebrates Australia. She receives funding from the Australian Research Council, NSW Saving our Species, and Agrifutures Australia
If you’ve got a dodgy tummy, diarrhoea and have been vomiting, it’s easy to blame a “tummy bug” or “off food”.
But which is it? Gastro or food poisoning?
What’s the difference anyway?
What’s gastroenteritis?
Gastroenteritis, or gastro for short, is a gut infection caused by a virus, bacterium or other microbe.
The gut is teeming with cells including healthy microbes and the cells lining the gut. But when viruses, bacteria and other microbes start to invade your gut, they colonise, build up in large numbers and eventually cause the cells lining the gut to inflame. The “-itis” at the end of gastroenteritis means inflammation.
So where do these gastro-causing microbes come from? Eating contaminated food is often the source.
However you can acquire these microbes in other ways. For example, if you touch a surface where someone sick from viral gastroenteritis had vomited on, that virus could transfer to your hands. And if your hands touched your mouth, you in turn could contract viral gastroenteritis.
What’s food poisoning?
Food poisoning refers to getting sick from eating food contaminated with chemicals, microbes or toxins.
For example if you ate food contaminated with insecticides or methyl alcohol (methanol) that would count as food poisoning. If you ate puffer fish or poisonous mushrooms that would count too. But food poisoning doesn’t include the effects of eating a food you’re allergic to.
The vast majority of food poisonings are as a result of food contaminated by microbes and their toxins. When you eat or drink them it’s like a missile strike. The toxins in particular can rapidly cause inflammation and damage the lining of the gut.
Food poisoning (or foodborne gastroenteritis) is also common in Australia. It accounts for about one-third of all cases of gastroenteritis or an estimated 5.4 million cases every year.
How can we tell the two apart?
Both gastroenteritis and food poisoning have symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramps, fever and headaches. But these symptoms can come on in different ways.
Viral gastroenteritis, such as with norovirus, usually causes symptoms 24–48 hours after exposure, which can last for one to two days.
But food poisoning after eating microbial toxins can come on very quickly. For example, toxins from the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus can cause symptoms within 30 minutes of eating contaminated food, such as undercooked meat. Fortunately, symptoms usually get better within 24 hours.
Symptoms don’t always come on so quickly in all cases of bacterial food poisoning. For example, it can take as long as 70 days between exposure to Listeria and symptoms occurring, although, on average it’s about three weeks. This long incubation period can make it difficult to work out if a particular food is responsible for someone getting sick.
As a general guide food poisoning occurs quite quickly (within hours of eating contaminated food) while gastroenteritis can take a day or more after eating to get sick. But there is no hard and fast rule.
It can take weeks from eating soft cheese contaminated with Listeria before you have symptoms. In Green/Shutterstock
How do I prevent them?
The same precautions when handling food apply to preventing both gastroenteritis and food poisoning. These steps not only lower your risk of being affected in the first place, they lower your risk of you infecting others.
Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before preparing food. Use separate cutting boards and utensils for raw and cooked foods to help avoid cross-contamination. Cook food thoroughly and store it at safe temperatures.
Gastroenteritis can involve transmission of microbes through means other than food, for instance, via poo on your hands if you don’t wash your hands after using the toilet or after changing a child’s nappy. So wash your hands afterwards.
To prevent others from becoming sick, make sure you quickly disinfect contaminated surfaces thoroughly after someone vomits or has diarrhoea. First, put on gloves and wash surfaces with hot water and a detergent. Then disinfect using household bleach containing 0.1% hypochlorite.
How can I get better?
Treating both gastroenteritis and food poisoning focuses on preventing dehydration and relieving symptoms.
To avoid dehydration, drink plenty of fluids. For moderate or severe cases, you can buy commercial oral rehydration solution from a pharmacy.
You can also make your own oral rehydration solution by adding 6 teaspoons of sugar, ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate to a litre of water. You can splash in some cordial for taste.
If symptoms are severe or persist you should see your GP or go to the emergency department.
Vincent Ho 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: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
VIDEO OF KAINE’S REMARKS IS AVAILABLE HERE.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, hosted a spotlight forum with Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) to highlight how President Donald Trump and Republicans’ bill would make major cuts to vital programs that families rely on, including Medicaid and SNAP, in order to pay for massive tax breaks for the wealthy.
“We’re here because of the reconciliation bill … which we call the ‘Big Beautiful Betrayal.’ And my Republican colleagues are trying to pass it by a party-line vote without including us in any of the discussions about what’s in the bill. But it would be disastrous for this country,” said Kaine as he began the forum. “We’ll do everything we can to try and defeat it.”
Kaine continued, “President Trump and congressional Republicans are championing this BBB and it reflects choices – affirmative, calculated decisions about who to help and who to harm … But we don’t have to make a choice to harm middle-class and working people. We don’t have to do that. We can cut taxes for working- and middle-class families without cutting crucial programs that these families rely on. We can choose not to give additional tax breaks to those who have already been so benefitted in the past by tax breaks.
“The top 20 percent of households will receive nearly 70 percent of the tax cuts in the House bill. That is an upside-down priority,” Kaine continued. “According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office … 16 million Americans nationwide will lose health care coverage under the House bill, and that includes more than 300,000 Virginians.
“According to our Joint Economic Committee, the House bill … would cut SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, by 20 percent, slashing away a crucial safety net for about 200,000 Virginians – 800,000 get SNAP benefits [in total in Virginia]. The benefits are modest – $4.70 per day – but 200,000 of those 800,000 will either have their $4.70 benefit reduced or completely eliminated,” said Kaine. “SNAP fights hunger fast. When it’s slashed, families will feel hunger a lot faster.”
Kaine continued, “If we take a second and just tally things up: the tax plan would boot millions off health care, take food from the mouths of hungry children and families, cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires, and drive up the deficit by 3 trillion, although I saw the Senate version actually knocks it up even further, maybe as high as $5 trillion. This is before you start factoring in historic and illegal tariffs that the administration is levying on the same everyday people who are suffering by these cuts,” Kaine said.
“The Yale Budget Lab found that when you factor in both the reconciliation bill and the President’s tariff actions, the bottom 80 percent of American households are going to be worse off. So I truly hope my Republican colleagues will have a change of heart and rework this product, and we’re sure going to give them an opportunity to do it with all the amendments that we’re going to offer—very targeted amendments that will pose some really important choices for them. They could take out all of the SNAP and Medicaid cuts by scaling back the tax cuts for the wealthy, and still have a bill that costs the same as it is. This legislation is going to harm Virginians and harm Americans,” Kaine concluded.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
“Lu Ban Workshop” is a Chinese brand of international cooperation in vocational education, which has now become an important platform for technology transfer and talent training in the joint construction of the “Belt and Road”. In November 2022, the first “Lu Ban Workshop” in Central Asia was launched in Tajikistan. Over the next year, Lu Ban Workshops were launched in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and other countries. This project not only opened up opportunities for Central Asian youth, but also built a bridge of understanding between the people of China and the Central Asian region.
Lu Ban’s workshops, opened in several Central Asian countries, have achieved good results and reflect three main features of practical cooperation between China and the region. First, it is demand-driven, when all specialties are selected taking into account the actual needs of the industries of Central Asian countries. Second, it is technology adaptation, that is, an organic combination of China’s advanced technologies in infrastructure construction, new energy sources, etc., with local resources and development conditions. Third, it is sustainability, when, based on the medium- and long-term development strategies of countries, not only the current problem of shortage of qualified personnel is solved, but also special attention is paid to the development of the ability for independent economic development. China has always promoted cooperation with Central Asian countries in the field of vocational education on the basis of equality and win-win cooperation, which reflects the Chinese concept of “benevolence, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness” towards neighboring countries.
In the long term, Lu Ban Workshops will continue to play the role of a technology incubator and talent reservoir, providing a steady impetus to long-term cooperation between China and Central Asian countries. As generations of local talents grow and individual joint projects steadily advance, Lu Ban Workshops will become a source of new energy for cooperation between China and Central Asia, laying a solid foundation for building a closer community of shared destiny between China and the region.
Author: Yang Jin, Deputy Director of the Central Asia and Caucasus Department, Institute of Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals recently limited a nationwide injunction to only Texas, giving the Administration the greenlight to resume processing initial DACA applications for all other states
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) joined U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and lead author of the Dream Act, and Senate Democrats in urging U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to resume processing initial applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, following a ruling in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that narrowed an earlier injunction to just Texas and allowed USCIS to start processing initial DACA applications from all other states.
The Senators began by highlighting thepopularsupportfor providing Dreamers a pathway to citizenship, writing: “Noncitizens brought to the United States as children, often known as Dreamers, are American in every way but their immigration status. Many only know this country as their home, and they contribute every day to this great nation by paying taxes and serving in critical roles, such as police officers, teachers, and nurses. Americans overwhelmingly support providing Dreamers a path to citizenship, and in December 2024, President Trump stated that he supported protections for Dreamers to remain in the United States.”
“Consistent with this statement, we implore you to use your authority at United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to resume processing initial applications for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and provide such protections for Dreamers immediately,” continuedthe Senators.
Sunday, June 15, marked the thirteenth anniversary of the DACA program via policy memorandum in 2012. Since then, more than 825,000 people have received deferred action pursuant to DACA, empowering recipients to bolster their careers and contribute an estimated $140 billion to the U.S. economy in spending power and $40 billion in combined federal, payroll, state, and local taxes.
In 2021, U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen halted the DACA program and enjoined USCIS from approving any new DACA applications nationwide. While the program was enjoined, USCIS has continued to accept and hold initial applications, and in 2022, the Department of Homeland Security published the DACA Final Rule, codifying the 2012 memorandum establishing DACA into regulation. More than 100,000 initial DACA applications are pending with USCIS.
On January 17, 2025, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision limiting Judge Hanen’s injunction to just Texas.
“Pursuant to the order, in Texas, DACA must resume as a limited program providing protection from deportation for current DACA recipients, but without access to work authorization or driver’s licenses as part of those renewals. This order went into effect on March 11, giving USCIS the authority to start processing initial DACA applications from states other than Texas. However, nearly three months later, USCIS has not made any public announcement on whether new DACA applications will be processed; nor has the agency begun processing initial applications that have been pending with the agency for years,” added the Senators.
“We urge you to begin processing these DACA applications immediately, consistent with the Fifth Circuit decision and existing regulations, and to ensure Dreamers eligible to file initial DACA applications can do so as soon as possible,” concluded the Senators.
In addition to Padilla, Schiff, and Durbin, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai’i), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai’i), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
Full text of the letter to USCIS is available here.
From hand-sized lantern sharks that glow in the deep sea to bus-sized whale sharks gliding through tropical waters, sharks come in all shapes and sizes.
Despite these differences, they all face the same fundamental challenge: how to get oxygen, heat and nutrients to every part of their bodies efficiently.
Our new study, published today in Royal Society Open Science, shows that sharks follow a centuries-old mathematical rule – the two-thirds scaling law – that predicts how body shape changes with size. This tells us something profound about how evolution works – and why size really does matter.
What is the two-thirds scaling law?
The basic idea is mathematical: surface area increases with the square of body length, while volume increases with the cube. That means surface area increases more slowly than volume, and the ratio between the two – crucial for many biological functions – decreases with size.
This matters because many essential life processes happen at the surface: gas exchange in the lungs or gills, such as to take in oxygen or release carbon dioxide, but also heat loss through skin and nutrient uptake in the gut.
These processes depend on surface area, while the demands they must meet – such as the crucial task of keeping the body supplied with oxygen – depend on volume. So, the surface area-to-volume ratio shapes how animals function.
Whale sharks are as big as buses, while dwarf lanternsharks (pictured here) are as small as a human hand. Chip Clark/Smithsonian Institution
Despite its central role in biology, this rule has only ever been rigorously tested in cells, tissues and small organisms such as insects.
Until now.
Why sharks?
Sharks might seem like an unlikely group for testing an old mathematical theory, but they’re actually ideal.
For starters, they span a huge range of sizes, from the tiny dwarf lantern shark (about 20 centimetres long) to the whale shark (which can exceed 20 metres). They also have diverse shapes and lifestyles – hammerheads, reef-dwellers, deep-sea hunters – each posing different challenges for physiology and movement.
Plus, sharks are charismatic, ecologically important and increasingly under threat. Understanding their biology is both scientifically valuable and important for conservation.
Sharks are ecologically important but are increasingly under threat. Rachel Moore
How did we test the rule?
We used high-resolution 3D models to digitally measure surface area and volume in 54 species of sharks. These models were created using open-source CT scans and photogrammetry, which involves using photographs to approximate a 3D structure. Until recently, these techniques were the domain of video game designers and special effects artists, not biologists.
We refined the models in Blender, a powerful 3D software tool, and extracted surface and volume data for each species.
Then we applied phylogenetic regression – a statistical method that accounts for shared evolutionary history – to see how closely shark shapes follow the predictions of the two-thirds rule.
Sharks follow the two-thirds scaling rule almost perfectly, as seen in this 3D representation. Joel Gayford et al
What did we find?
The results were striking: sharks follow the two-thirds scaling rule almost perfectly, with surface area scaling to body volume raised to the power of 0.64 – just a 3% difference from the theoretical 0.67.
This suggests something deeper is going on. Despite their wide range of forms and habitats, sharks seem to converge on the same basic body plan when it comes to surface area and volume. Why?
One explanation is that what are known as “developmental constraints” – limits imposed by how animals grow and form in early life – make it difficult, or too costly, for sharks to deviate from this fundamental pattern.
Changing surface area-to-volume ratios might require rewiring how tissues are allocated during embryonic development, something that evolution appears to avoid unless absolutely necessary.
But why does it matter?
This isn’t just academic. Many equations in biology, physiology and climate science rely on assumptions about surface area-to-volume ratios.
These equations are used to model how animals regulate temperature, use oxygen, and respond to environmental stress. Until now, we haven’t had accurate data from large animals to test those assumptions. Our findings give researchers more confidence in using these models – not just for sharks, but potentially for other groups too.
As we face accelerating climate change and biodiversity loss, understanding how animals of all sizes interact with their environments has never been more urgent.
This study, powered by modern imaging tech and some old-school curiosity, brings us one step closer to that goal.
Jodie L. Rummer receives funding from the Australian Research Council. She is affiliated with the Australian Coral Reef Society, as President.
Joel Gayford receives funding from the Northcote Trust.
Our cultural touchstones series looks at influential works.
Gilles Deleuze was one of the most original and imaginative thinkers of postwar France. A lifelong teacher, he spent most of his career at the University of Paris VIII, influencing generations of students but largely shunning the mantle of public intellectual.
His complex, creative books mix philosophy, literature, film and politics – not to give clear answers, but to spark new ways of thinking.
Written at a time when the Cold War was ending, computers were becoming more common, and the internet was beginning to connect institutions, the essay describes the emergence of a new kind of society – one not ruled by a single stern voice but by the soft hum of networks.
How societies work
Postscript was written as an update to the work of Deleuze’s contemporary Michel Foucault, who had died in 1984. Deleuze called it a “postscript” not just because of its brevity (it’s only around 2,300 words in English translation) but to highlight he wasn’t refuting Foucault, just building on his work.
From the 18th to early 20th centuries, Foucault had argued, Western societies were “disciplinary societies”. Schools, factories, prisons and hospitals – institutions with walls, schedules, routines and clear expectations – moulded behaviour. People were trained, observed, tested and corrected as they passed from one institution to the next.
But in the late 20th century, Deleuze saw something shifting. He thought the stodgy old disciplinary institutions were “in a generalized crisis” due to technological advances and a new form of capitalism that demanded more flexibility in workers and consumers.
New systems of management and technology were starting to reshape people without sending them through traditional institutions. Deleuze wrote presciently, for example, that “perpetual training tends to replace the school, and continuous control to replace the examination”.
In business, he saw a growing idea of “salary according to merit”, transforming work into “challenges, contests, and highly comic group sessions” – something much at odds with the old model of the standard wage and the assembly line. Traditional government institutions like hospitals and the classic factory were embracing the model of the corporation, driven always by a profit motive and the need for better human tools.
To Deleuze, all this meant people were becoming more “free-floating” – they could be still playing socially useful roles but were being gently steered into them. This greater freedom, however, required a new system to keep everyone in line. He called this “modulation” to underline its dynamic, enveloping nature.
Like nudging, but everywhere
Deleuze described modulation as “a self-deforming cast that will continuously change from one moment to the other”. He meant that people were beginning to live in an environment where everything shape-shifts to encourage or discourage us in the right direction without explicitly putting up walls.
A prime example of how modulation has since become commonplace is nudging – the use of psychological techniques, often subtle and data-driven, to shape people’s behaviour.
Nudging didn’t really exist in 1990, but governments and tech companies use nudges all the time now. We’re nudged to eat healthier, buy, save, recycle, donate. Web sites use “dark patterns” – tricky designs that steer (or nudge) us toward certain choices. Social media feeds use algorithms to exclude us if we say the wrong thing. In fact, entire teams of behavioural scientists operate behind the scenes to manipulate many aspects of our lives.
Nudges can be good and can save us from poor choices, but their newfound moral acceptability (sometimes called libertarian paternalism) is very much a clue that Deleuze’s control society has arrived.
Control in your pocket
Deleuze, who died in 1995, wrote Postscript before the advent of the smartphone, but he foresaw that an “electronic collar” would assume a central role in society. He envisaged a “computer that tracks each person’s position – licit or illicit – and effects a universal modulation.”
Smartphones more than fit the bill. In the old disciplinary ways, they track where we go, what we search for, what we buy, how many steps we take, even how well we sleep. But if we apply Deleuze’s ideas to these phones, detailed surveillance is no longer their most important function. Our phones present and curate options.
In effect, they shape how we see the world. When you scroll through news or social media, for instance, you’re reading about a version of the world built just for you, designed to keep you looking, clicking and reacting – and keep you very finely attuned to what is acceptable or dangerous behaviour.
In Deleuze’s terms, this is pure modulation: not a forceful “No” but a softly spoken, “How about this?” Your phone doesn’t lock you in – it draws you in. It shapes what you see, rewards your cooperation, ignores your silence, and always keeps score. And it does this 24/7. You might unlock it hundreds of times a day. And each time it’s updated to guide your next move more precisely.
At the same time our phones quietly turn us into a set of credentials useful for regulating physical access to workplaces, bank accounts, information: In the societies of control, writes Deleuze, “what is important is no longer either a signature or a number, but a code: the code is a password.”
Data points not people?
Deleuze warned that, in a control society: “Individuals have become ‘dividuals,’ and masses have become samples, data, markets, or ‘banks.’” A dividual to Deleuze is a person transformed into a set of data points and metrics.
You are your credit rating, your search history, your likes and clicks – a different dataset to every institution. Such fragments are used to make decisions about you until they effectively replace you. In fact, for Deleuze a dividual has internalised this treatment and thinks of themselves as a net worth, a mortgage size, a car value – psychological anchors for control.
He illustrates this point with healthcare, predicting a
new medicine ‘without doctor or patient’ that singles out potential sick people and subjects at risk, which in no way attests to individuation.
How many health decisions are now made for us collectively before we ever see a doctor? We should be grateful for advances in public health and epidemiology, but this has certainly impacted our individuality and how we are treated.
Hard to detect
An unsettling part of Deleuze’s perspective is that control doesn’t usually feel like control. It’s often dressed up as convenience, efficiency or progress. You set up internet-linked video cameras because then you can work from home. You agree to long terms and conditions because your banking app won’t work otherwise.
One problem is there are no longer clear barriers we can rail against. As Deleuze said:
In disciplinary societies one was always starting again (from school to the barracks, from the barracks to the factory), while in control societies one is never finished with anything.
Control doesn’t always crush – it can enable. Digital networks bring real freedom, economic possibility, even joy. We move more easily – both mentally and geographically – than ever before. But while we move, it always inside a kind of invisible map shaped by capitalism.
It’s no conspiracy because nobody has the whole map. So it’s difficult to work out exactly what action, if any, to take. As Deleuze concludes: “The coils of a serpent are even more complex than the burrows of a molehill.”
So what can we do?
Postscript doesn’t offer a political program beyond the sardonic comment that:
Many young people strangely boast of being ‘motivated’ […] It’s up to them to discover what they’re being made to serve.
There are ways to resist control. Some people demand more privacy or digital rights. Others opt out selectively – logging off, turning off, refusing to be nudged. Some look to art as a way of resisting its smooth grip. These acts – however small – may offer what Deleuze and his collaborator, the French psychiatrist and philosopher Félix Guattari, called lines of flight: creative ways to move not just against control, but beyond it.
The real message of Postscript, however, is its invitation to consider a timeless perspective. Any society must have a way to make people useful. So, what kind of society do we want? What kinds of restrictions are we willing to live under? And, crucial to this current age, how explicit should control be?
Cameron Shackell 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.
Israeli defence systems intercept Iranian missiles over the city of HaifaAhmad Gharabli / AFP via Getty Images
Late last week, Israel began a wave of attacks on Iran under the banner of Operation Rising Lion, with the stated goal of crippling the Islamic republic’s nuclear program and long-range strike capabilities. At the outset, Israel claimed Iran would soon be able to build nine nuclear weapons, a situation Israel regarded as completely unacceptable.
Following Israeli strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, and targeted assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists and key members of the Iranian armed forces, Iran retaliated with a large barrage of ballistic missiles and drones against Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The first wave consisted of some 200 ballistic missiles and 200 drones.
The conflict continues to escalate, with population centres increasingly being targeted. Israel’s missile defence systems (including the vaunted Iron Dome) have so far staved off most of Iran’s attacks, but the future is uncertain.
Ballistic missiles and how to stop them
Iran possesses a large arsenal of ballistic missiles and long-range drones, alongside other long-range weapons such as cruise missiles. Ballistic missiles travel on a largely fixed path steered by gravity, while cruise missiles can adjust their course as they fly.
Iran is approximately 1,000km from Israel, so the current strikes mostly involve what are classified as medium-range ballistic missiles, alongside long-range drones. It is not clear exactly what type of missile Iran has used in its latest strikes, but the country has several including the Fattah-1 and Emad.
It is very difficult to defend against ballistic missiles. There is not much time between launch and impact, and they come down at very high speed. The longer the missile’s range, the faster and higher it flies.
An incoming missile presents a small, fast-moving target – and defenders may have little time to react.
Israel’s missile defence and the Iron Dome
Israel possesses arguably one of the most effective, battle-tested air defence systems in service today. The system is often described in the media as the “Iron Dome”, but this is not quite correct.
Israel’s defences have several layers, each designed to address threats coming from different ranges.
In essence, Iron Dome consists of a network of radar emitters, command and control facilities, and the interceptors (special surface-to-air missiles). The radar quickly detects incoming threats, the command and control elements decide which are most pressing, and the interceptors are sent to destroy the incoming shells or rockets.
Ballistic defence systems
The other layers of Israel’s defence system include David’s Sling, and the Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 interceptors. These are specifically designed to engage longer-range ballistic missiles, both within the atmosphere and at very high altitudes above it (known as exoatmospheric interception).
Spectacular footage has been captured of what are likely exoatmospheric interceptions taking place during this latest conflict, demonstrating Israel’s capacity to engage longer-range missiles.
The US military has comparable missile defence systems. The US Army has the Patriot PAC-3 (comparable to David’s Sling) and THAAD (comparable to Arrow 2), while the US Navy has the Aegis and the SM-3 (comparable to Arrow 3) and the SM-6 (comparable again to Arrow 2).
Iran possesses some air defence systems such as the Russian S300 which has some (very limited) ballistic missile defence capabilities, but only against shorter range (and thus slower) ballistic missiles. Further, Israel has been focusing on degrading Iran’s air defences, so it is not clear how many are still operational.
Iran has been focusing on developing technology such as maneuverable warheads, which are harder to defend against. However, it is not clear whether these are yet operational and in Iranian service.
Missile defences are finite. The defender is always limited by the number of interceptors it possesses.
The attacker is also limited by the number of missiles it possesses. However, the defender must often assign multiple interceptors to each attacking missile, in case the first misses or otherwise fails.
The attacker will plan for some losses to interceptors (or mechanical failures) and send what it determines to be enough missiles for at least some to penetrate the defences.
When it comes to ballistic missiles, the advantage lies with the attacker. Ballistic missiles can carry large explosive payloads (or even nuclear warheads), so even a handful of missiles “leaking” past defensive systems can still wreak significant damage.
What now?
Israel’s missile defences are unlikely to stop working completely. However, as attacks deplete its stocks of interceptors, the system may become less effective.
As the conflict continues, it may become a race to see who runs out of weapons first. Will it be Iran’s stocks of ballistic missiles and drones, or the interceptors and anti-air munitions of Israel, the US and any other supporters?
It is impossible to say who would prevail in such a race of stockpile attrition. Some reports suggest Iran has fired approximately 1,000 ballistic missiles of an estimated 3,000. However, this still leaves it with an enormous stockpile to use, and it is unclear how fast Iran can make new missiles to replenish its resources.
But we should hope it doesn’t come to that. Beyond the tit-for-tat exchange of missiles, the latest conflict between Israel and Iran risks escalating. If it is not resolved soon, and if the US is drawn into the conflict more directly, we may see broader conflict in the Middle East.
James Dwyer 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.
Israeli defence systems intercept Iranian missiles over the city of HaifaAhmad Gharabli / AFP via Getty Images
Late last week, Israel began a wave of attacks on Iran under the banner of Operation Rising Lion, with the stated goal of crippling the Islamic republic’s nuclear program and long-range strike capabilities. At the outset, Israel claimed Iran would soon be able to build nine nuclear weapons, a situation Israel regarded as completely unacceptable.
Following Israeli strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, and targeted assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists and key members of the Iranian armed forces, Iran retaliated with a large barrage of ballistic missiles and drones against Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The first wave consisted of some 200 ballistic missiles and 200 drones.
The conflict continues to escalate, with population centres increasingly being targeted. Israel’s missile defence systems (including the vaunted Iron Dome) have so far staved off most of Iran’s attacks, but the future is uncertain.
Ballistic missiles and how to stop them
Iran possesses a large arsenal of ballistic missiles and long-range drones, alongside other long-range weapons such as cruise missiles. Ballistic missiles travel on a largely fixed path steered by gravity, while cruise missiles can adjust their course as they fly.
Iran is approximately 1,000km from Israel, so the current strikes mostly involve what are classified as medium-range ballistic missiles, alongside long-range drones. It is not clear exactly what type of missile Iran has used in its latest strikes, but the country has several including the Fattah-1 and Emad.
It is very difficult to defend against ballistic missiles. There is not much time between launch and impact, and they come down at very high speed. The longer the missile’s range, the faster and higher it flies.
An incoming missile presents a small, fast-moving target – and defenders may have little time to react.
Israel’s missile defence and the Iron Dome
Israel possesses arguably one of the most effective, battle-tested air defence systems in service today. The system is often described in the media as the “Iron Dome”, but this is not quite correct.
Israel’s defences have several layers, each designed to address threats coming from different ranges.
In essence, Iron Dome consists of a network of radar emitters, command and control facilities, and the interceptors (special surface-to-air missiles). The radar quickly detects incoming threats, the command and control elements decide which are most pressing, and the interceptors are sent to destroy the incoming shells or rockets.
Ballistic defence systems
The other layers of Israel’s defence system include David’s Sling, and the Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 interceptors. These are specifically designed to engage longer-range ballistic missiles, both within the atmosphere and at very high altitudes above it (known as exoatmospheric interception).
Spectacular footage has been captured of what are likely exoatmospheric interceptions taking place during this latest conflict, demonstrating Israel’s capacity to engage longer-range missiles.
The US military has comparable missile defence systems. The US Army has the Patriot PAC-3 (comparable to David’s Sling) and THAAD (comparable to Arrow 2), while the US Navy has the Aegis and the SM-3 (comparable to Arrow 3) and the SM-6 (comparable again to Arrow 2).
Iran possesses some air defence systems such as the Russian S300 which has some (very limited) ballistic missile defence capabilities, but only against shorter range (and thus slower) ballistic missiles. Further, Israel has been focusing on degrading Iran’s air defences, so it is not clear how many are still operational.
Iran has been focusing on developing technology such as maneuverable warheads, which are harder to defend against. However, it is not clear whether these are yet operational and in Iranian service.
Missile defences are finite. The defender is always limited by the number of interceptors it possesses.
The attacker is also limited by the number of missiles it possesses. However, the defender must often assign multiple interceptors to each attacking missile, in case the first misses or otherwise fails.
The attacker will plan for some losses to interceptors (or mechanical failures) and send what it determines to be enough missiles for at least some to penetrate the defences.
When it comes to ballistic missiles, the advantage lies with the attacker. Ballistic missiles can carry large explosive payloads (or even nuclear warheads), so even a handful of missiles “leaking” past defensive systems can still wreak significant damage.
What now?
Israel’s missile defences are unlikely to stop working completely. However, as attacks deplete its stocks of interceptors, the system may become less effective.
As the conflict continues, it may become a race to see who runs out of weapons first. Will it be Iran’s stocks of ballistic missiles and drones, or the interceptors and anti-air munitions of Israel, the US and any other supporters?
It is impossible to say who would prevail in such a race of stockpile attrition. Some reports suggest Iran has fired approximately 1,000 ballistic missiles of an estimated 3,000. However, this still leaves it with an enormous stockpile to use, and it is unclear how fast Iran can make new missiles to replenish its resources.
But we should hope it doesn’t come to that. Beyond the tit-for-tat exchange of missiles, the latest conflict between Israel and Iran risks escalating. If it is not resolved soon, and if the US is drawn into the conflict more directly, we may see broader conflict in the Middle East.
James Dwyer 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.
Natanz and Fordow are Iran’s uranium enrichment sites, and Isfahan provides the raw materials, so any damage to these sites would limit Iran’s ability to produce nuclear weapons.
But what exactly is uranium enrichment and why does it raise concerns?
To understand what it means to “enrich” uranium, you need to know a little about uranium isotopes and about splitting the atom in a nuclear fission reaction.
What is an isotope?
All matter is made of atoms, which in turn are made up of protons, neutrons and electrons. The number of protons is what gives atoms their chemical properties, setting apart the various chemical elements.
Atoms have equal numbers of protons and electrons. Uranium has 92 protons, for example, while carbon has six. However, the same element can have different numbers of neutrons, forming versions of the element called isotopes.
This hardly matters for chemical reactions, but their nuclear reactions can be wildly different.
The difference between uranium-238 and uranium-235
When we dig uranium out of the ground, 99.27% of it is uranium-238, which has 92 protons and 146 neutrons. Only 0.72% of it is uranium-235 with 92 protons and 143 neutrons (the remaining 0.01% are other isotopes).
For nuclear power reactors or weapons, we need to change the isotope proportions. That’s because of the two main uranium isotopes, only uranium-235 can support a fission chain reaction: one neutron causes an atom to fission, which produces energy and some more neutrons, causing more fission, and so on.
This chain reaction releases a tremendous amount of energy. In a nuclear weapon, the goal is to have this chain reaction occur in a fraction of a second, producing a nuclear explosion.
In a civilian nuclear power plant, the chain reaction is controlled. Nuclear power plants currently produce 9% of the world’s power. Another vital civilian use of nuclear reactions is for producing isotopes used in nuclear medicine for the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases.
What is uranium enrichment, then?
To “enrich” uranium means taking the naturally found element and increasing the proportion of uranium-235 while removing uranium-238.
There are a few ways to do this (including new inventions from Australia), but commercially, enrichment is currently done with a centrifuge. This is also the case in Iran’s facilities.
Centrifuges exploit the fact that uranium-238 is about 1% heavier than uranium-235. They take uranium (in gas form) and use rotors to spin it at 50,000 to 70,000 rotations per minute, with the outer walls of the centrifuges moving at 400 to 500 metres per second.
This works much like a salad spinner that throws water to the sides while the salad leaves stay in the centre. The heavier uranium-238 moves to the edges of the centrifuge, leaving the uranium-235 in the middle.
This is only so effective, so the spinning process is done over and over again, building up the percentage of the uranium-235.
Most civilian nuclear reactors use “low enriched uranium” that’s been enriched to between 3% and 5%. This means that 3–5% of the total uranium in the sample is now uranium-235. That’s enough to sustain a chain reaction and make electricity.
What level of enrichment do nuclear weapons need?
To get an explosive chain reaction, uranium-235 needs to be concentrated significantly more than the levels we use in nuclear reactors for making power or medicines.
Technically, a nuclear weapon can be made with as little as 20% uranium-235 (known as “highly enriched uranium”), but the more the uranium is enriched, the smaller and lighter the weapon can be. Countries with nuclear weapons tend to use about 90% enriched, “weapons-grade” uranium.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran has enriched large quantities of uranium to 60%. It’s actually easier to go from an enrichment of 60% to 90% than it is to get to that initial 60%. That’s because there’s less and less uranium-238 to get rid of.
This is why Iran is considered to be at extreme risk of producing nuclear weapons, and why centrifuge technology for enrichment is kept secret.
Ultimately, the exact same centrifuge technology that produces fuel for civilian reactors can be used to produce nuclear weapons.
