Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy
June 10, 2025
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) joined 27 of their U.S. Senate colleagues in slamming a Republican attempt to rescind $1.07 billion in already-allocated funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which funds local public broadcasting stations across the country. The $1.07 billion represents 100% of CPB’s funding through September 2027. This move follows President Trump’s executive order directing cuts to federal funding for PBS and NPR.
“Following the White House’s request to rescind $1.07 billion in federal funding for CPB, we write to express our strong opposition to any rescission of funding for public broadcasting and prohibitions of direct and indirect funding to the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio,” the senators wrote. “This funding is essential to the functioning of the public media system and the communities they serve, and any cuts in funding would have detrimental effects on local stations, which rely on this funding to provide critical services to millions of Americans across the country. Public broadcasting is an essential service that should be protected, not decimated. For this reason, we request that you prioritize maintaining and continuing funding for CPB.”
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting supports over 1,500 local public television and radio stations that provide free, high-quality programming to millions of households across America. It provides young children who don’t get the chance to attend preschool with educational content that helps them learn to read; airs highly trusted nightly news programming; and shares critical public safety information during emergencies. Local public television stations also provide extensive coverage of local government and elections and host candidate debates, helping Americans stay connected with their elected leaders. Because public television and radio relies heavily on federal funding to operate, particularly in rural communities, losing this funding would force many of these stations to reduce much of their programming or, in some cases, close their doors.
U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) also signed the letter.
Full text of the letter is available HERE and below:
Dear Majority Leader Thune,
Federal investment in the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) supports over 1,500 local and regional public television and radio stations that provide free, high-quality programming to millions of households across the country. Following the White House’s request to rescind $1.07 billion in federal funding for CPB, we write to express our strong opposition to any rescission of funding for public broadcasting and prohibitions of direct and indirect funding to the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio, as outlined in the Executive Order titled, “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media” released on May 1, 2025. This funding is essential to the functioning of the public media system and the communities they serve, and any cuts in funding would have detrimental effects on local stations, which rely on this funding to provide critical services to millions of Americans across the country.
Our public broadcasting system is a unique American institution that is deeply embedded in our communities and a critical source of lifesaving public safety services, accurate information, and educational programming. The vast majority of the federal funding CPB receives is allocated to local radio and television stations across the country. These cuts will have an immediate and significant impact for stations in rural communities that heavily rely on CPB funding to provide critical services and could likely result in the elimination of programming or outright closure of stations in areas already faced with limited connectivity.
According to Northwestern University, 55 million people in the United States have no or only one source of local news, and rural counties are far more likely to lose their local news outlets. This number could increase if the two-year advance appropriation for public media is not upheld, resulting in the drastic reduction or complete elimination of free, high-quality local programming. This is especially concerning given the importance of public broadcasting during public emergencies, such as natural disasters, transportation accidents, national security threats, or public safety matters. CPB funds are essential to ensuring that the broadcast infrastructure remains robust and operational in disaster situations, especially scenarios in which local public broadcasters serve as the only source of information for those who need a lifeline. Any cuts in funding will have drastic consequences for communities in need.
And there is much more to their public safety services in addition to the critical local information they broadcast. Public television’s interconnection technology, which connects local public television stations to PBS, is also one of the backbone pathways for the delivery of our nation’s Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) services – enabling cell phone subscribers to receive geotargeted emergency text alerts no matter where they are in the country. A cut to public broadcasting funding would put this lifesaving service and its nationwide footprint at risk.
Public television has also pioneered cutting edge technology that helps first responders communicate with each other over the broadcast spectrum without the need for mobile service or broadband. This datacasting technology and public television’s public safety partnerships is already helping with early earthquake warning and has been proven effective in a wide range of scenarios where broadband or cellular service are limited, including rural search and rescue, overwater communications, large event crowd control and more. But this is only possible if stations serving rural and remote areas with limited broadband are healthy and continue operating as they are today.
On the education front, public television’s early childhood education services ensure that every family has access to high-quality, non-commercial educational content regardless of their ability to pay for such services. This is essential for over 50 percent of three and four-year old children who do not attend formal preschool.
If funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is eliminated or rescinded, the impact would be devastating. Millions of people across the country whose stations rely on CPB funding for a significant percentage of their budget would be at risk of losing access to public television’s services. These are services that nobody else in the media world is providing, but it’s exactly the work for which public broadcasting was created, and they are delivering to our communities every day.
Public broadcasting is an essential service that should be protected, not decimated. For this reason, we request that you prioritize maintaining and continuing funding for CPB. We appreciate your consideration of this request and thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ12: Urban renewal Question:
The Urban Renewal Authority published in 2022 the District Study for Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok – Information Booklet, which proposed a new planning tool called “transfer of plot ratio” (i.e. allowing the transfer of gross floor area from small sites with limited redevelopment potentials (“sending sites”) to sizable redevelopment sites at strategic locations (“receiving sites”)). Subsequently, the Town Planning Board launched a pilot scheme on transfer of plot ratio (the Pilot Scheme) with Mong Kok and Yau Ma Tei as pilot areas, and the Sai Yee Street/Flower Market Road Development Scheme in Mong Kok is the first project. On the other hand, in the reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on March 19 this year, the Government indicated that it would study the feasibility of cross-district transfer of plot ratios (i.e. transferring the residual plot ratios of redevelopment projects in old districts for use in new development areas (NDAs)), so as to incentivise market participation in redevelopment. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it will draw on the experience of projects under the Pilot Scheme to allow developers to transfer the residual plot ratios of small redevelopment sites in old districts other than Mong Kok and Yau Ma Tei for use in sizeable redevelopment sites in the same district or in other districts; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2) given that there are views pointing out that the value of land in old districts is generally higher than that in NDAs, whether the Government will study adjusting the plot ratio to be transferred based on the price per square foot of the “sending and receiving sites” (e.g. allowing a higher plot ratio for sites in NDAs with lower prices per square foot when receiving gross floor area from sites in old districts with higher prices per square foot), so as to attract developer participation in redevelopment; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3) whether it will consider requiring that a portion of land from the “sending sites” be allocated for Green Belt, Open Space, and Government, Institution or Community uses; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) completed the District Study for Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok in 2021, which put forward a number of recommendations and new planning tools, including a pilot scheme for transfer of plot ratio (TPR) within the same district. To follow up on this recommendation, the Town Planning Board promulgated guidelines for the pilot scheme on TPR for Yau Mong Districts in July 2023, allowing the transfer of unutilised plot ratio from sending site(s) (SS) to receiving site(s) (RS) within the same Outline Zoning Plan to enhance redevelopment incentives. As mentioned in the question, the URA’s Sai Yee Street/Flower Market Road Development Scheme in Mong Kok is the first pilot redevelopment project to adopt TPR, which consolidated and transferred the unutilised plot ratio of several small and scattered sites without redevelopment potential to a larger site for mixed development, so as to enhance planning gains and the commercial viability of the project.
To encourage and expedite urban renewal, the Development Bureau is conducting a policy study to examine the use of newly developed land to drive large-scale urban redevelopment projects, including cross-district TPR. Unlike the above-mentioned pilot scheme on TPR within the same district, we will consider allowing cross-district transfer of unutilised plot ratio from the SS to new development areas, and reducing the density of old districts. We will complete the policy study and put forward preliminary recommendations within this year.
My reply to various parts of the question raised by the Hon Yang Wing-kit is as follows:
(1) Our preliminary view is to extend TPR to old districts other than Yau Mong Districts, so that more redevelopment projects can benefit. We are conducting an analysis on expanding the coverage of districts. Details will be provided when announcing preliminary recommendations within this year.
(2) As mentioned by the Member, the land value in old districts is different from that in new development areas, with the former typically higher than the latter. Therefore, one of the key design challenges is to address the land value difference across districts. The effectiveness will depend on whether the value transferred to the RS can reasonably reflect the value of the unutilised plot ratio at the SS. Meanwhile, the mechanism should be simple and easy to implement, providing market certainty and avoiding unnecessary administrative burden. We will finalise the recommendations along such directions.
(3) Our goal is to encourage the URA and landowners holding old buildings in the market to take forward redevelopment in order to address the potential risks associated with ageing structures and improve the conditions of old districts. Premised on a balance between this policy objective and the project financial viability, we will also consider in the above policy study whether requirements to provide public open spaces and/or government, community, and institutional facilities should be imposed on the SS. Issued at HKT 14:30
Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
The Polytechnic University has opened enrollment for free training programs within the framework of the federal project “Active Measures to Promote Employment” of the national project “Personnel”. This is not the first successful experience of the Polytechnic in implementing such initiatives. Every year, the university helps many people master relevant professions and find work. This year, the project continues to form new career prospects for residents of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region.
The programs are designed to meet the needs of the regional labor market and focus on key sectors: industry, construction, energy, and the digital economy. In collaboration with leading regional enterprises, the university offers practice-oriented courses that include working with modern technologies and tools. Participants will be able to obtain not only new knowledge, but also a diploma from one of Russia’s leading universities, which significantly increases their chances of successful employment.
Our experience shows that such programs are not just training, but a real start for professional growth. We create conditions so that each participant can build a sustainable career, – emphasized the Vice-Rector for Additional and Pre-University Education of SPbPU Dmitry Tikhonov.
Training is available to anyone looking for a job. Including young people under 35 (in certain categories), people at risk of being laid off, officially unemployed, people with disabilities, parents on maternity leave, citizens over 50, unemployed mothers with children under seven, as well as veterans of the SVO and their family members.
The training areas include several blocks.
Engineering and technical professions:
CNC machine programming; instrumentation and automation fitter; measuring instrument controller; design and technological support for mechanical engineering; industrial safety and labor protection; welder.
Digital technologies and modeling:
Building information modeling (BIM, Renga); lean manufacturing and digital transformation; construction and surveying; industrial and civil construction; engineering and geodetic surveys; road reconstruction.
Service and design:
artist-designer (interior designer); tourism at an industrial enterprise; quality control of food products.
The new recruitment for free training programs is not only an opportunity to master a sought-after profession, but also a chance to contribute to the development of key industries in the region.
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.
Young professional makes strides in the engineering field
Portia Maposse is one of the country’s young black women who are gradually invading traditionally male-dominated fields.
The 25-year-old is a systems engineer at the Gibela Rail Transport Consortium in Nigel, Gauteng. Gibela is a black economic empowerment (BEE) rail transport consortium comprising Alstom and uBumbano Rail.
It was established in 2013, as a ring-fenced company for the execution of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa’s (PRASA) rolling-stock fleet-renewal programme. This contract is meant to deliver 600 trainsets to PRASA and provide technical support and related services.
PRASA is an entity of the Department of Transport.
She joined Gibela in 2023 as a process manufacturing engineering intern and worked her way up to becoming a systems engineer in 2024, bringing her dream to fruition.
“The journey started in high school. I went to a Technical High school where I chose the Mechanical Technology Stream. Then at the university I pursued Mechanical Engineering. I studied at the University of South Africa (UNISA),” she told SAnews, in a recent interview.
This as SAnews visited the consortium’s train manufacturing facility in Dunnottor, Nigel, in celebration of the Decade of the Artisan with special focus on female artisans.
According to the Department of Higher Education and Training, the campaign aims to encourage more young people (high school learners and unemployed youth) to see artisanship as a career of choice.
The visit formed part of the Government Communication and Information System’s (GCIS) celebrations of 30 Years of Democracy.
Asked about her feelings in working in what is considered a male-dominated industry, she said: “Women are now leading in the industry. The industry caters, protects and accommodates women. Opportunities are endless. Always keep in mind that results matter and that women are more powerful.”
Her job at Gibela entails engaging with suppliers to develop systems in accordance with Gibela specifications, then work with cross-functional teams to integrate the systems into the product which is the train. She also manages the overall systems performance.
“My role aligns with all five values of our company namely, costumer focus and care, innovation, trust and respect, teamwork, and partnership, finally focus and accountability,” she said.
As the only female and the youngest in her team, Maposse is not intimidated by being in the male-dominated industry. “Age is not a disadvantage, and I will not be young forever. Therefore I am embracing this by being open to learning and appreciating the opportunity given to me. Gender has never been an issue. Not once have I felt different in the work setting thanks to the Gibela culture on gender-equality.
“It is important to be confident in your abilities and participate actively in the day-to-day work activities. Moreover, be yourself,” she said.
She advised young women who are not sure about their career choices to follow their passion.
“It is important to be confident in your abilities and participate actively on the day-to-day work activities. Be yourself and maintain confidence.
“Education is key to success. Never stop learning; seek mentorship. Being in positive circles…networking is important in building long term connections within the industry,” she advised.
Asked about her most memorable moments working at Gibela, Maposse said during her induction days, she had the opportunity to witness a train being manufactured from the profile stage up to testing and commissioning.
“It was during the same period that I had my first train ride experience here on site and it was an amazing and unforgettable experience.”
To the young engineer, democracy means a lot as it has enabled her to be where she is today.
“To me democracy means the importance of youth voices in shaping the future of our country [followed by] the right to free education for all. One might ask why? I would say that is the opportunity I had, and it has led me to where I am today.”
Maposse says she would want to be remembered as a team player that has contributed to the success of Gibela project through innovation and fostering a collaborative environment.
Gibela has a staff compliment of over 1 200 with women making 43% of the workforce.
Gibela’s vision is to elevate South Africa’s commuter rail as the transport mode of choice. – SAnews.gov.za
It has been five successful years since government introduced a compulsory pre-entry programme for persons applying to be appointed as senior managers in the Public service – the Nyukela (Step-Up) senior management service (SMS) Pre-Entry eLearning course.
The launch of the Nyukela programme in April 2020, offered by the National School of Government (NSG), was a decisive step towards professionalising the Public Service, and towards pushing the boundaries of performance and leadership.
Anyone from within government seeking a promotion, or someone outside the Public Service wishing to join the SMS, must complete the Nyukela programme and pass the necessary assessments before being considered for the post. Nobody will be appointed as a Director, Chief Director, Deputy Director-General (DDG) or Director-General (DG) in the Public Service, without producing a Nyukela certificate. The purpose is to ensure that only those who demonstrate the competencies and mindset needed for optimal performance are entrusted with leadership roles.
Since its inception, 20 436 participants have completed the course, equipping them to take on critical leadership responsibilities. This also demonstrates commitment towards professionalising the Public Service.
Catering for various levels
The NSG is now expanding this initiative to make it more inclusive and tailored to various occupational levels. A special pre-entry programme for the executive management level 15 and 16, the DDGs and DGs as well as special advisors to Ministers and other political executives, will be introduced.
Currently there has been one Nyukela programme for everyone in the SMS and with this new development, the executive managers will have their own programme. The executive Nyukela programme will incorporate more rigorous evaluations to ensure readiness for the complex demands of executive management leadership. The NSG will also extend the Step-Up approach to local government, state-owned entities and security sector institutions.
As we celebrate five successful years of Nyukela, the NSG will continue contributing to the efforts of building a public service staffed by skilled, selfless and honest professionals.
Nyukela is part of a suite of compulsory programmes that have been introduced by the NSG, following approval by Cabinet. These include the following;
Khaedu training and deployment to service delivery sites (salary levels 13 – 16);
Ethics in the Public Service (salary levels 1 – 16);
Managing of Performance in the Public Service (salary levels 6 – 12);
Supply Chain Management for the Public Service (salary levels 9 – 16);
Financial Management Delegations of Authority (salary levels 9 – 16);
Re-orientation in the Public Service (salary levels 1 – 16);
Basic Project Management for the Public Service (6-12); and
Advanced Project Management for the Public Service (6-12)
These courses contribute to the implementation of the National Framework towards Professionalisation of the Public Sector, which promotes a stronger emphasis on merit-based recruitment and appointments, as well as lifelong learning for public servants.
To enrol and complete the Nyukela programme, please register for the self-paced course on the NSG’s website at: https://www.thensg.gov.za/training-course/sms-pre-entry-programme
*Prof Busani Ngcaweni is the Principal of the National School of Government
A routine disinfection procedure commonly used when admitting patients to intensive care units (ICU) can increase ‘superbug’ infections according to new research from the University of Aberdeen.
The study compared bloodstream infections in ICU patients who experienced different types of disinfection when admitted.
The results showed that the ‘universal disinfection’ of all patients admitted to ICU was linked to the rise of superbug – ‘methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis’ (MRSE) bloodstream infections in vulnerable patients.
The results are published today, June 11, 2025, in Lancet Microbe
Universal decolonisation refers to the disinfection of all patients admitted to ICUs and was introduced during the MRSA epidemic in the 1990’s to attempt to control healthcare-associated infections. However, hospital infections and how they respond to antibiotics are known to change over time. This is why the team, led by Professor Karolin Hijazi, sought to re-evaluate the benefits and unintended harms of these infection control practices, particularly for those disinfectants implicated in rise of antimicrobial resistance.
During universal decolonisation, when patients are admitted to ICU their whole body is disinfected with an antimicrobial called chlorhexidine – a disinfectant also widely used to disinfect medical devices and hospital surfaces. Patients also receive nasal treatment with another disinfectant called mupirocin.
Currently, there is inconsistency in disinfection practices across hospitals in the UK with some hospitals adopting the universal decolonisation of all patients, whilst others employ a more targeted and risk-based approach of decolonisation of only those patients who have tested positive for MRSA. This means that much larger volumes of the disinfectants chlorhexidine and mupirocin are used in hospitals that practice universal decolonisation.
The team compared the bloodstream infection type and resistance rates of patients over 13 years across two intensive care units in Scotland practicing the different decolonisation approaches and found that universal decolonisation practices were related to increased MRSE infections compared to a targeted approach.
Professor Hijazi Chair in Oral & Maxillofacial Medicine at the University of Aberdeen, who led the study explains their findings: “We found that the drastic reduction of disinfectant when using targeted decolonisation of only MRSA-positive patients reduced bloodstream infections related to MRSE. Whilst MRSE is generally not life-threatening, this data is a concern as MRSE increases the burden of circulating antimicrobial resistance.
“However, reducing disinfectant did not increase all bloodstream infections from serious pathogens. This means that universal decolonisation is not superior to more sparing and targeted approaches in controlling serious bloodstream infections.
“This research essentially demonstrates that the excess use of disinfectants in universal decolonisation offered no advantage in terms of control of serious blood infections in a low MRSA ICU setting but instead caused the unintended rise of MRSE bloodstream infections.
“Universal decolonisation is associated with greater risks of antimicrobial resistance and costs at no increased benefit. “According to the findings of our study, in low MRSA settings universal decolonisation is likely an unnecessary and harmful practice.”
The authors suggest that hospitals should consider the unintended harms of universal decolonisation, particularly in the context of global rise of antimicrobial resistance.
Professor Hijazi adds: “As the landscape of hospital infections changes over time, it is imperative to re-evaluate the benefits and unintended harms of all antimicrobial treatments including disinfection practices. This is particularly important for disinfectants implicated in antimicrobial resistance.
“Our research aligns with the top 10 research priorities of the ‘five-year action plan for antimicrobial resistance’ set out by the UK government, agencies and administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland UK, which called to strengthen the evidence of the role of biocides in driving antimicrobial resistance.
“Our study fits squarely with this commitment and should inform standardised national guidelines for effective and safe patient decolonisation in low MRSA settings.
“Skin decolonisation must effectively control hospital infections whilst minimising emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance which is ‘the silent pandemic’ of our times.
“Skin decolonisation of hospital patients is also very costly as it must be prescribed by specialist medical staff and administered by trained nurses. So we anticipate significant cost savings associated with efforts to reduce and avoid this practice where not necessary.”
Professor Marco Oggioni from the University of Bologna who contributed to the research added: “Antimicrobial stewardship and other measures for infection prevention are our most powerful tools to contrast the global emergency of antimicrobial drug resistance, but this should never hinder our critical re-evaluation of the instruments we utilise to achieve our goals.”
Professor Ian Gould, Honorary Professor at the University of Aberdeen concluded: “This timely study is the culmination of 25 years’ work in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
“The original study was borne out of an initial response to control a nationwide epidemic of MRSA, the original superbug, by using universal decolonization.
“We have subsequently learned to use antibiotics cautiously but this important study provides the firmest evidence yet that antiseptics and disinfectants, which are also commonly misused, should be subject to the same restrictions.”
This study was funded by NHS Grampian Charity, and was a collaboration with Dundee University, Ninewells Hospital, Leicester University and the University of Bologna.
ENDS
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, June 11 (Xinhua) — June 6 marked the 226th anniversary of the birth of the great Russian poet and writer Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin. On this day, a festive event dedicated to the Russian Language Day was held at the Pearl of the SCO International Expo Center in the city of Qingdao (Shandong Province, eastern China), the Russian Cultural Center in Beijing reported.
It was organized by the Russian Club of Jiaozhou City /Shandong Province, East China/ with the assistance of the Russian Cultural Center in Beijing.
Teachers and students from the Chinese-Canadian School of Qingdao, members of the Russian Club of Jiaozhou, as well as Russian and Chinese guests gathered together to experience the beauty of the Russian language.
The festive program was distinguished by its diversity of forms and content: Russian language quizzes, readings of literary works, singing songs, etc.
Students from the Chinese-Canadian School of Qingdao, together with members of the Russian Club of Jiaozhou, recited poems by Pushkin, Lermontov, Yesenin and other classics of Russian literature, and also performed the popular song “Mother Earth”.
The lines of poetry and heartfelt melodies allowed the special rhythm and literary charm of the Russian language to be fully revealed, causing sincere applause from the audience.
The famous Chinese poet and writer Mao Xupu was a special guest at the event. For the birthday of A.S. Pushkin, Mao Xupu wrote a poem, “The Sun of June Sixth,” which he read together with the head of the Russian Club of Jiaozhou.
Brothers Nikolai and Alexei Kokhno read an excerpt from A.S. Pushkin’s “Gypsies”. Their childlike sincerity and artistry brought thunderous applause from the audience. Nikolai Kokhno also delighted the audience with his virtuoso playing of the accordion. The sounds of music allowed the listeners to immerse themselves for a moment in the atmosphere of Russian poetry.
Every year on June 6, the birthday of A.S. Pushkin, who is considered the founder of the modern Russian literary language, Pushkin Day is celebrated, also known as Russian Language Day. -0-
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
RAMALLAH, June 11 (Xinhua) — One Palestinian was killed and another was wounded on Tuesday during an Israeli army raid in the Old City of Nablus in the northern West Bank, Nablus Governor Ghassan Daghlas told Xinhua.
According to him, Israeli army soldiers shot at two young men and detained them. It was later determined that one of them was killed, and the condition of the other remains unknown.
The Israeli army carried out a large-scale military operation in Nablus for several hours on Tuesday, according to Palestinian security sources.
Mr. Douglas noted that the Israeli army raided neighborhoods of the Old City. Soldiers broke into hundreds of homes and destroyed property.
All public and private institutions were closed due to mass raids, leading to the postponement of the Education Ministry entrance exams, the governor added.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society said on Tuesday that its staff had treated about 55 people injured by tear gas.
The statement also said three people were taken to hospital with shrapnel wounds, while four others were injured as a result of physical force used by Israeli soldiers. –0–
In May, number of the bank’s clients increased by 1,500 and number of active clients decreased by 800. By the end of the month number of clients reached 216,00 and number of active clients reached 102,400. Over the year, customer base has grown by 11%.
Volume of the bank’s customer deposits decreased by 47 million euros in May. The reduction in deposit volume was a deliberate step, as an additional 250 million euros was raised in March through the issuance of covered bonds. By the end of the month, the bank’s deposits reached 1.76 billion euros. Deposits of corporate customers decreased by 11 million euros and deposits of private customers decreased by 2 million euros. The volume of deposits attracted from international platforms decreased by 34 million euros. Over the year, volume of bank deposits has grown by 1%.
The bank’s loan portfolio increased by 29 million euros and reached 1.90 billion euros by the end of month. Business loans increased by 14 million euros and home loans increased by 13 million euros. Leasing and consumer financing portfolios both increased by 1 million euros. Over the year, loan portfolio has grown by 19%.
In May, the loan impairment cost was 0.4 million euros.
Compared to the first five months of last year, the bank’s net income decreased by 5% and expenses have increased by 1%.
In May, the bank earned net profit of 2.4 million euros. In the first five months of the year, the bank has earned a net profit of 12.1 million euros, that is 17% less than in the same period last year.
In May, Coop Pank’s return on equity was 13.1% and the cost-income ratio was 50%.
Comment by Paavo Truu, Member of the Management Board and CFO of Coop Pank:
“Although economic uncertainty remains high, the easing of inflation in the eurozone and declining interest rates in money markets are helping to improve the confidence of both businesses and consumers. Lower loan burdens, better opportunities for investment, and Coop Pank’s competitive offering resulted in solid growth of the loan portfolio in May.
At the same time, the deliberate reduction of deposits continued, driven by the successful covered bond issuance carried out in March. As a result, the bank now has access to a long-term and stable funding source, which enables a moderate decrease in the volume of more expensive term and foreign deposits.
In May, Coop Pank extended its successful Teacher’s Home Loan product from kindergarten and general education school teachers to include vocational school teachers as well. According to Kantar Emor survey results, Coop Pank is the most recommended bank in Estonia and has reached 10th place in the ranking of reputable employers. In the Responsible Business Index issued by the Kestliku Ettevõtluse Liit KELL, Coop Pank, for the first time, earned the gold-level recognition.
At the turn of the month, Coop Pank’s cooperation with Coop retail reached a new level: joint customers were offered an attractive and unique purchase reward, with the bank transferring money back to their account for purchases made in Coop stores using a Coop Pank debit card. This is the first large-scale cashback-type loyalty program in Estonia, in which customers receive 1% of their previous month’s purchase amount back in cash each month.
Strong growth in both the loan and everyday banking markets, along with efficient operations, brought Coop Pank a net profit of 2.4 million euros in May. The bank’s return on equity was 13.1% and the cost-to-income ratio stood at 50%.”
Coop Pank, based on Estonian capital, is one of the five universal banks operating in Estonia. The number of clients using Coop Pank for their daily banking reached 216,000. Coop Pank aims to put the synergy generated by the interaction of retail business and banking to good use and to bring everyday banking services closer to people’s homes. The strategic shareholder of the bank is the domestic retail chain Coop Eesti, comprising of 320 stores.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
The United Nations-designated International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations was marked on Tuesday with a high-level cultural forum in Athens, Greece, under the theme “Civilization and Peace: From the Parthenon to the Old Summer Palace.”
Held at the University of Athens School of Philosophy, the event “Ancient Capitals Dialogue” brought together officials, scholars, cultural heritage experts and young professionals from China, Greece and other countries to explore the role of ancient civilizations in promoting mutual understanding, peace, and sustainable development.
UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture Ernesto Ottone Ramirez said in a video address that cultural heritage goes beyond monuments and includes ideas, values, and ways of life. He noted that “the coexistence of ancient traditions and a shared future is not only possible but essential,” describing the dialogue as reflecting “a shared desire to transcend boundaries and build new models of cooperation.”
Dimitrios Drosos, dean of the host university’s philosophy school, said Greece and China share a deep mutual respect for each other’s cultural legacies and a commitment to preserving wisdom and beauty across time. “This dialogue offers a rare opportunity to trace the deeper links between civilizations,” he said.
Xiong Chengyu, chair of the Ancient Capitals Dialogue and professor at the Communication University of China (CUC), said global and sustainable cultural communication is key to shared civilizational prosperity.
Zhang Shuting, president of CUC, said the Parthenon and the Old Summer Palace represent the enduring spiritual resonance of Greek and Chinese civilizations. “Civilization is not only a legacy of the past, but also a force for future development,” he said. “Only through dialogue can we plant the seeds of peace through mutual cultural understanding.”
Over a dozen academic institutions, including the University of Crete, the University of Athens, Tsinghua University, and the Central Academy of Drama, took part in panel discussions focusing on topics ranging from Sino-Greek philosophy and education to digital heritage preservation and comparative urban aesthetics.
Cultural institutions from China and Greece also signed cooperation agreements on joint heritage preservation and communication, including efforts to establish the Parthenon and the Old Summer Palace as “sister heritage sites.” A multimedia exhibition titled “Memory and Regeneration of the Old Summer Palace” was unveiled at the University of Athens, the first time it has been displayed in Greece.
The Ancient Capitals Dialogue is co-organized by the Communication University of China and the University of Athens. Launched in 2022, it has previously been held in cities including Paris and Jaipur.
In a push to curb rising dust pollution in Delhi-NCR, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Tuesday signed a tripartite agreement with the CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) and the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA).
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aims to facilitate the implementation of a standardised framework for the redevelopment of urban roads, including paving and greening of footpaths and sidewalks — a measure seen as critical to reducing dust levels, a major contributor to air pollution in the region.
The agreement also envisions the setting up of a Project Monitoring Cell (PMC) at CAQM, with technical support from CRRI and SPA. The cell will be tasked with overseeing the phased rollout of the redevelopment framework across NCR states.
In the first phase, nine cities — all with significant urban and industrial footprints — have been identified for implementation. These include Delhi, Faridabad, Gurugram, Sonipat, Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Bhiwadi and Neemrana. Officials said the cities were selected after consultations with the state governments and the Delhi administration.
According to CAQM, the standard framework includes scientific redesigning of road cross-sections, integration of green buffers along the right of way (ROW), and use of a web-based Road Asset Management System (RAMS) for regular maintenance. The plan also calls for adoption of newer technologies in road construction and dust control.
Both CRRI and SPA will provide technical and institutional support to the PMC, including help with recruitment, training and ongoing project guidance. A digital dashboard will also be developed to enable real-time monitoring of individual road projects, the commission said.
Transforming urban roads through scientific design, sustainable greening, and modern technologies is one of the key long term solutions for abating dust pollution from the roads and improvement of air quality in the region.
Programme Directors, The Farisani Family, Premier of Limpopo, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, Representatives of the African National Congress and the broader liberation movement, Leadership of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa, Traditional and religious leaders present, Leadership of the University of Venda, Fellow Mourners,
Fellow South Africans, batho ba Limpopo, muta waDean Farisani,
We are to bid farewell to Dean Tshenuwani Farisani.
His life bears witness to the mission of Christ espoused in the Gospel of Luke chapter 4.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind; to set free the oppressed.”
We have lost an extraordinary man who led an extraordinary life.
He was born in 1948, a year that was a turning point in South Africa’s history.
This was the year the National Party swept to power and ushered in the reviled system of apartheid.
Dean Farisani was born into circumstances that mirrored the lives of millions of black South Africans at the time.
He was just a child, barely three years old, when his family was confronted with the ugly face of injustice.
Many years later, in 1996, he would testify at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on how his family were victims of forced removed from the Songozi Tsapila area near then Louis Trichardt, now Makhado.
The authorities arrived one day without warning, and his parents were ordered to vacate the area immediately.
He recounted how they had to carry their belongings on their backs and leave, on foot. That which could not be carried, including all the family’s livestock, was left behind.
They were relocated to another empty piece of land and told this was their new home. They were never compensated for the land that was stolen from them.
Eight years later, in 1959, the family were forcibly removed again.
Two years later, in 1961, again.
These experiences instilled in him a deep sense of justice.
They planted the seeds of his political consciousness when he was still in his teens.
He only entered formal schooling at the age of 12. Like most children in rural areas at the time, he was a child labourer on the white farms.
At school a missionary from the Evangelical Lutheran Church noticed his academic brilliance and he was prepared to enter theological training.
It was at Maphumulo Theological Seminary in KwaZulu-Natal that he first became acquainted with the Black Consciousness Movement.
Its teachings fired his growing political awareness.
For him, there was no contradiction between the teachings of his faith and the mission of national liberation.
He soon became attracted to liberation theology, and its message that true Christian faith demands active resistance to all forms of oppression and solidarity with the poor.
Apartheid was a great injustice, and he, heroic heart, was not content to choose a quiet life of pastoralism.
He was eventually expelled from the seminary after hebecame involved with underground political organisations like the South African Students Organisation, the Black People’s Convention and the Black Consciousness Movement.
By then he was at the Beuster Mission at Maungani outside Thohoyandou and a rising figure in the BCM, going on to be elected its president in 1973.
I first met Dean Farisani when he spoke at my high school, Mpaphuli.
We formed an immediate and lasting bond.
For many years we worked alongside each other in the Black Evangelical Youth Organisation.
There were many points in the life of the great man we lay to rest today where he found himself sorely tested.
During the late 1970s and 1980s was arrested on a number of occasions for his political activities. But it was his third detention, in 1981, that he found his courage truly tested. His faith tested. His principles tested.
He was detained by the Venda police on suspicion of being involved in the bombing of a police station in Sibasa.
He was held for more than eight months and severely tortured.
In his book, Diary from a South African Prison, he recounts the unimaginable ordeal of beatings, electricshocks, being forced to squat for days and being smothered.
In an interview given years later he recounts how his torturers tried everything to force a confession, even offering him the position of Bishop of Venda.
And yet he, strong in will, did not yield.
Fellow Mourners, Comrades, Fellow South Africans,
Dean Farisani was a courageous revolutionary who inspired a generation to reclaim their pride and stand up for their rights. I was amongst them.
He was a beloved father and a grandfather who will be sorely missed by his wife, mufumakadzi Mudzunga, his daughters Nzumbululo and Ndamulelo, by his son Zwovhonala and by the entire extended family.
He was a renowned academic and prolific scholar whose writings gave voice to the voiceless.
He was a guide and mentor to many. He was a dear friend.
And yet it is Dean Farisani’s most salient quality that I will most remember him for: he was a man of unwavering principle.
Nothing could sway him from what was right, from his dedication to the cause of the South African people, and to their total emancipation.
In detention, he was offered positions and status. He refused them.
When he was released and went into exile in the United States, he could have easily put the entire experience behind him and led a quiet life.
Instead he campaigned vigorously against the regime from abroad.
When Venda was proclaimed as a so-called independent homeland by the apartheid regime he was outspoken in his opposition, even when this brought him into conflict with church leaders in his circuit.
His activism continued into the democratic South Africa.
He was determined to be part of the struggle to overcome the injustice and inequality bred of apartheid.
He was elected to the first democratic Parliament in 1994.
He would go on to serve further as an MEC here in Limpopo and as speaker of the Legislature.
These roles placed him in a position of power and influence. Yet they did not change him.
He did not succumb to the allure of high office. He was never arrogant.
He was a servant leader who came, served and left, and continued to contribute to the betterment of his beloved country.
He did not regard loyalty to a political cause or party as being above his own principles.
When he saw corruption being perpetrated by those entrusted with public funds, he was vocal and scathing in his criticism. He held power to account.
The Foundation that bears his name continues to be an influential voice in the public space in advancing social justice, including for apartheid’s many victims.
Fellow Mourners,
Neither beatings nor torture could make Dean Farisani surrender his principles. The trappings of power did not interest him. He was content to walk in the footsteps of his Lord with the downtrodden, the oppressed and the marginalised.
He understood his life’s mission and it was not negotiable.
These are the greatest lessons we take from his life. These are the reflections we take today as we lay this great son of the soil to rest.
To the family, we share in your great sorrow. Yet even amidst our mourning we celebrate a man who has left such a deep and lasting impact on all of us. He was an inspiration.
In Dean Farisani’s book of poetry, titled Justice in my Tears, there is a moving poem.
It is called “The Lord is my Shepherd: Psalm 23 in Pietermaritzburg and Howick.”
It was published in 1977, the period of his first imprisonment.
In it he writes:
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not buckle He rests me in the land of freedom I drink from the cup of liberty, Even when I wander in the valley of torture. I shall fear no human beasts,
He shall fight my fight. His angels and his visions Guide me through brutal interrogations He gives me life in the hands of murderers Giving me a crown for a victory his own”
Dean Farisani, yours was a life of service to others. As the South African people we crown you as you go to your eternal rest.
In the words of the Psalm 23 you so loved, surely goodness and mercy did follow you all the days of your life. May you dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
President Cyril Ramaphosa will tomorrow, Tuesday 10 June 2025, engage with youth beneficiaries of the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI) and Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES) flagship programmes in Pretoria.
The President will visit three sites: the Sefako Makgatho Primary School in Saulsville; the South African Creative Industries Incubator (SACCI) in Eersterust, and the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD) in Pretoria East.
These visits will highlight innovative implementation models and public-private partnerships that are delivering dignified, high-quality employment and skilling outcomes for youth at scale.
The President will during the visits interact directly with youth beneficiaries, educators, and implementing partners, and see first-hand how the PES and PYEI’s community-based, demand-led approach is reshaping labour market access for the country’s most excluded youth.
The site visits will commence with the Sefako Makgatho Primary School, a part of the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI) and a flagship programme of the PES, designed to address the dual challenges of youth unemployment and support, for the basic education system by placing young people in roles within public schools as education and general school assistant.
The programme is implemented by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and administrated by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC).
The President will then proceed to the South African Creative Industries Incubator (SACII) which is a creative hub providing technical skills training, business incubation, production facilities and networking for artists and entrepreneurs in the creative industries.
The organisation is funded by National Pathway Management Network, a grant initiative of the PYEI, led by the National Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) and administered by the IDC.
The funding assists with improving and expanding the Visual Special Effects (VFX) programme, which is one of its kind in South Africa, specifically designed to train youth in the highly technical field of VFX.
The programme connects young people to industry jobs in the creative gig economy. One hundred trainees have been enrolled into the programme through the Innovation Fund.
The President will conclude his visit at the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD) which provides health sector professionals and unemployed youth interested in the health field access to affordable, accessible quality education through management and clinical skills development courses.
These courses are customised to the needs of healthcare managers, practitioners and organisations.
The programme is funded through the Jobs Boost Outcomes Fund, an outcome-based instrument to unlock jobs for excluded young people by linking contracted payments with desired outcomes.
This intervention of the PYEI that is led by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) with the National Skills Fund (NSF) as the lead implementer.
The media programme will unfold as follows: Date: Tuesday, 10 June 2025 Time: 10h00 (Media arrival at 09h00) Venue: Sefako Makgatho Primary School, 2 Sakweng street, Saulsville, Pretoria
Members of the media wishing to attend are requested to send their details to Ndivhuwo Kharivhe on Ndivhuwo@presidency.gov.za by no later than 13h00 today Monday, 09 June 2025.
NOTE TO MEDIA/EDITORS: The visit to the school will be open to all media to cover the engagement between President and Teacher Assistants. However, due to space limitations, the other two sites will only be restricted to the Government Communications and Information System (GCIS), which will disseminate the materials to all media post the visits.
Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President – media@presidency.gov.za
The Office of the Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa wishes to provide clarity regarding Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s international travel expenses which has recently gained much attention in the media, with reports and commentary coming from News24, City Press, Sunday Times/Timeslive, SowetanLIVE, Independent Media/IOL, The Citizen, BusinessLive, ENCA and others. Categorically, the office and the Deputy President have not, as seems to be suggested, misused State funds or been extravagant in financing the costs of the Deputy President’s international travel.
This unprecedented matter which involves the international work of the Deputy President’s travel costs, was first raised by Action SA, a political party represented in Parliament, in a written question to the Deputy President. In light of such an expected phenomena, the Deputy President replied to the question in full and also provided specific details which include; correct figures and breakdown of individual costs by members of the delegation supporting the Deputy President.
The Office of the Deputy President wishes to reiterate that Deputy President Mashatile undertakes all international working visits, not in his personal capacity but on behalf of the South African Government as delegated by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Moreover, the majority of these strategic international visits are aimed at strengthening existing bilateral, political, economic and diplomatic relations between South Africa and visited countries.
As part of South Africa’s global investment drive, and commitment to contribute to global peace and stability, South Africa, through the President and Deputy President as well as Ministers, have a role to play in advancing the global agenda, an aspect of which includes engagements with counterparts in other countries. For instance, the Deputy President co-chairs the SA-China BNC with Vice President Han Zheng and many other delegated countries including, but not limited to Vietnam and South Sudan.
In summary, in the comprehensive answer to the Parliamentary Question by Action SA, it was stated that since Deputy President Mashatile assumed office on 3 July 2024, he has undertaken the following International official visits:
• Ireland and United Kingdom Working Visits 26 September – 4 October 2024: Ireland 26 – 29 September 2024 and United Kingdom Working 30 September – 4 October 2024 • Standing for President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Republic of South Africa at the Inauguration of the President of Botswana, H.E Duma Boko on 8 November 2024 • Standing for President Ramaphosa and South Africa at the Extraordinary SADC Summit held on 20 November 2024 in Harare, Zimbabwe • Japan Working Visit 16 – 19 March 2025 • France Working Visit 19 – 24 May 2025
The Working Visit to Japan in particular, being the one raised by most media, was of strategic importance to South Africa, as it focussed on strengthening political, economic and social areas of cooperation between the two countries. The Working Visit came at the back of the two nations celebrating 115 years of strong diplomatic relations. The Deputy President was accompanied by Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Thandi Moraka; the Minister of Sport, Arts, and Culture, Mr Gayton McKenzie; the Minister of Higher Education, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane; the Minister of Agriculture, Mr John Steenhuisen; the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Mr Parks Tau, and the Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Ms Nomalungelo Gina.
In addition, the Japan Working Visit achieved several key objectives including representing the first high-level engagement between South Africa and Japan in the last 10 years; signalling an acknowledgement and appreciation for the long-standing relationship between the two countries based on a wide area of cooperation not limited to trade and investment. This visit was beneficial in terms of South Africa’s African Agenda, the current confluence of South Africa’s G20 Chairship and Japan’s hosting of the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in August, presenting a unique opportunity for South Africa to communicate its own and the continent’s position and priorities to Japan and the expected support and role that Japan could to play in this regard.
Finally, in our response to Parliament, the office has provided a breakdown of the cost to Government of all individual members of the delegation supporting the Deputy President. Regrettably, some of the figures presented by the media are significantly blown out of proportion and do not accurately reflect the cost of the trips. For example, one media liaison officer, referred to by Timeslive as the “most expensive supporting official”, is said to have cost R580, 582 for Japan alone, when in fact the total cost for that official is less than R66 000 including flights and accommodation.
While the cost of international travel is generally very high, these figures must always be seen in the context of their original currency in relation to the Rand Dollar exchange, as well as the going rate of such travel expenses, including ground transport, accommodation and flights.
In terms of the travel policy in the Presidential Handbook, transport for the President and Deputy President during travel outside South Africa is the responsibility and for the account of the State. Accommodation and incidental expenses of the President and Deputy President whilst on all official journeys abroad is arranged through, and paid for, by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation. The logistics and choice of accommodation is not the responsibility or competency of the Office of the Deputy President or Presidency. In fact, DIRCO plays an integral role in reviewing, advising and endorsing Government Delegation compositions, ensuring that participation aligns with formal policy guidelines that emphasise relevance, necessity, and cost-effectiveness. These guidelines reflect government directives aimed at optimising resource allocation while maintaining operational effectiveness during international engagements.
Regarding the financial aspects of the visits, responsibility for travel, accommodation, and other miscellaneous expenses is generally shared among DIRCO and other participating departments, depending on the officials’ affiliations and roles. Prior to the visit, DIRCO oversees the processing of budget submissions or cost estimates to ensure compliance with approved spending frameworks. This includes strict adherence to National Treasury guidelines on international travel, the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) and other precepts governing public expenditure.
In all these visits, the Office of the Deputy President has insisted on the most cost-effective provisions for the Deputy President and his delegations, and has therefore not misused nor extravagantly used State funds as alluded.
Media enquiries: Mr Keith Khoza, Acting Spokesperson to the Deputy President on 065 195 8840
Next week is “scrutiny week” in parliament – one of two weeks each year when opposition MPs can hold ministers accountable for their actions, or lack thereof.
For us, it’s a good time to take stock of whether New Zealand is on track to achieve its smokefree goal of reducing smoking prevalence to under 5% and as close to zero as possible, among all population groups, this year.
The latest New Zealand Health Survey shows that, for the first time in a decade, smoking rates have flatlined rather than fallen. Stark inequities persist, with daily smoking prevalence among Māori at 14.7% (compared to 6.1% among European New Zealanders).
To bring New Zealand’s overall smoking prevalence under 5% would require more than 80,000 people to quit this year. Achieving the goal equitably means more than 60,000 of those people would need to be Māori.
The government’s repeal of earlier measures predicted to bring rapid and equitable reductions in smoking prevalence means achieving the Smokefree 2025 goal for all population groups is now highly unlikely.
Ending the scourge of tobacco
Proposed by the Māori Affairs Select Committee and adopted by the then National-led government in 2011, the Smokefree 2025 goal has always had equity at its heart.
At that time, smoking prevalence among Māori was 37.7% and 14.7% among European New Zealanders. Reducing smoking rates to less than 5% for all population groups offered an opportunity to profoundly reduce health inequities burdening Māori.
Early discussions recognised the large inequities in smoking rates. Speaking about his role in the select committee inquiry, former National Party leader Simon Bridges stated:
The picture I had of smoking was quite wrong. Most of the time, smoking is not this idea of a free market with adults who freely consent to take up smoking […] but the more complex, difficult situation of children smoking as a result of parents and grandparents who smoked […]. That means that a more intense, stronger, more interventionist approach is called for.
The first Smokefree Action Plan, only introduced a decade later in late 2021, included more intense measures and established a Māori and Pacific oversight committee to ensure all actions taken promoted equity.
The action plan introduced three key initiatives: denicotinisation, a large reduction in outlets selling tobacco, and the smokefree generation strategy.
All were expected to have strong pro-equity outcomes. Modelling predicted denicotinisation would bring unprecedented reductions in smoking prevalence, eliminating the gaps between Māori and non-Māori. Reducing tobacco availability would end the widespread access to tobacco in lower-income communities.
The smokefree generation, a longer-term endgame strategy that would have meant anyone born after 2009 could no longer buy tobacco, was predicted to significantly reduce inequity, given the younger Māori (and Pacific) population structure.
While smoking rates are heading in the right direction, we need to do more, faster, to reach our goal. If nothing changes, it would be decades till Māori smoking rates fall below 5%, and this government is not prepared to leave people behind.
Is equity still the goal?
The coalition government’s repeal of these measures in early 2024 left a void, but Associate Health Minister Casey Costello reaffirmed a commitment to the Smokefree 2025 goal. A January 2024 update to Cabinet stated:
The government remains committed to further reducing smoking rates and achieving the Smokefree 2025 goal of daily smoking prevalence of less than 5% for all population groups.
However, by late 2024 the narrative began changing. In November, Costello launched a new smokefree action plan in a final push to reach the headline 5% target. Her plan does not emphasise the structural changes (such as fewer outlets selling tobacco) called for by the Māori Affairs Select Committee.
We argue New Zealand will likely fall well short of its 2025 goal to bring smoking rates below 5% and reduce inequities, despite an ongoing commitment by Health New Zealand-Te Whatu Ora.
During scrutiny week, we hope Associate Health Minister Costello will be asked how she explains the discrepancy between her earlier commitment to achieving the Smokefree 2025 goal among all population groups and more recent comments which appear to roll back the equity goal.
More importantly, we hope questions will probe how she plans to reduce smoking prevalence among Māori to a third of its current level, and what evidence she has that the steps she proposes will work.
Janet Hoek receives funding from the Health Research Council of New Zealand, the Marsden Fund, NZ Cancer Society and NZ Heart Foundation. She is a member of the Health Coalition Aotearoa’s smokefree expert advisory group and of the Ministry of Health’s smokefree advisory group, a member of the HRC’s Public Health Research Committee, and a Senior Editor at Tobacco Control (honorarium paid). She serves on several other government, NGO and community advisory groups.
Jude Ball receives funding from the Health Research Council of New Zealand, the Marsden Fund, NZ Cancer Society, NIB Foundation, and the Health Promotion Agency. She is affiliated with the Public Health Association of New Zealand, a member of Health Coalition Aotearoa’s smokefree advisory group, and serves on other NGO and community advisory groups.
The Albanese government has a new mantra to describe the housing crisis, which is showing no signs of abating: homes have simply become “too hard to build” in Australia.
The prime minister and senior ministers are taking aim at what they are calling a “thicket” of red tape and regulation, which is making it “uneconomic” to build affordable housing.
But will a war on excessive regulation be enough to address the affordability barriers keeping many people out of the market? Or does the answer lie in systemic change, including tax reform?
Abundant housing agenda
Assistant Minister for Productivity Andrew Leigh kick-started the assault on regulation when he recently took aim at local councils for holding back new housing developments:
Approvals drag on. Rules multiply. Outcomes are inconsistent. They don’t say ‘no’ outright. They just make ‘yes’ harder than it needs to be.
By lamenting rigid planning processes, Leigh was channelling the zeitgeist. The minister was drawing on the book Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. The book – a smash hit in political circles – calls on progressives to adopt “YIMBY” policies (Yes In My Backyard) and remove the barriers that slow project delivery.
Leigh was duly applauded by the housing industry, which promotes its own version of abundance as an “unabashed focus on supply-side housing policy mechanisms”.
More than supply
New housing construction is certainly critical, as reflected in the government promise to build 1.2 million homes over five years.
The target is already out of reach, with the regulatory burden being blamed for a forecast shortfall of 262,000 homes by mid 2029.
But by focusing on planning laws as the main barrier to new supply, Leigh risks diverting attention from the overarching systemic changes needed to improve access to affordable housing.
While an overhaul of red tape is important, it won’t be enough to address current supply barriers, including market conditions and industry constraints. Nor will unleashing construction be sufficient to make housing affordable for first home buyers or low income renters.
According to the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council, other priority areas for the government should include social housing, protection for renters and tax reform.
Winding back tax breaks such as negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount, would free up resources for public investment in social housing. Targeting financial incentives to new, and preferably affordable homes, would also boost supply.
Perhaps the size of Labor’s election victory and the calls for reform by a chorus ofexperts may convince the government to reconsider its refusal to curb these tax breaks.
Blaming local councils
Within a system-wide reform agenda, regulatory roadblocks to new land and housing supply should be assessed. But in doing so, accurate data and analysis is critical.
Leigh singles out North Sydney Council to illustrate his argument that over-regulation is holding back housing starts. He claims just 44 dwelling were approved between July 2024 and February 2025, well short of its state-imposed target of 787 homes:
This is not a small gap. It is structural failure, Even where planning targets exist, the systems to meet them often don’t.
But the figures Leigh cites isn’t for development approvals. Instead, they refer to construction certificates issued when a development is ready to commence. According to the NSW Planning Portal, the actual number of new dwellings approved in North Sydney was 446, which was particularly notable given the economic conditions.
Unfortunately, Leigh’s attack on local councils perpetuates many common misunderstandings about how planning systems operate in Australia. He seems to point the finger at local councils, when land use plans – zoning, height and density controls – are signed off by the states.
Leigh also recalls a time when housing completions were flowing much more freely in his home town of Canberra, implying the key difference is one of over regulation and not underlying economic circumstances.
The ACT is particularly prone to a slowdown in building approvals because of the shift from detached homes on greenfield sites towards medium density apartments. And there has been a near total retreat from public sector investment in new supply. For instance, in 1969-70, nearly a third of new homes in Canberra were delivered by the government. These days it’s just 5%.
Political will
The tired cliches about housing and zoning continue to circulate.
The need to relax zoning restrictions to ease house prices was the media’s main takeaway from the OECD’s latest Economic Outlook Report.
The 280-page document does mention “zoning” in the list of regulatory reforms Australian governments could undertake. But the OECD says the emphasis should be on public investment “to address the housing affordability crisis by boosting supply” especially in social housing.
As our research has previously demonstrated, calling for zoning and planning reform is a popular technique for seeming concerned about housing while avoiding the systemic change that would deliver additional supply.
Has housing really become too hard to build?
Or does the difficultly lie in finding the political will to take the real steps needed to make housing more accessible to generations of Australians who risk missing out?
Nicole Gurran receives funding from the Australian Housing & Urban Research Institute (AHURI) and has received funding from the Australian Research Council.
Peter Phibbs receives funding from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI)
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is the speech by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, at the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) 2025 Annual Meeting today (June 11):
Professor Greco (President of the ISSCR, Professor Valentina Greco), Mr Alm (Chief Executive Officer of the ISSCR, Mr Keith Alm), Professor Kathryn Cheah (2025 Annual Meeting Program Committee Co-Chair of the ISSCR), Professor Rocky Tuan (Lee Quo Wei and Lee Yick Hoi Lun Professor of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine of the Chinese University of Hong Kong), Professor Nancy Ip (President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Your Excellency, Mrs. María Juliana Ruiz Sandoval Ms. Ana Maneno, Mr. Mohammad Yahya Qanie,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen;
I am delighted to open this High-level Global Conference on Youth-Inclusive Peace Processes, co-hosted by the State of Qatar, Colombia, Finland, and the United Nations, and co-organized by the office of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, Education Above All Foundation, and Search For Common Ground, in partnership with the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (UNDPP), the UN Population Fund, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Network of Young Peacebuilders.
I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the ground-breaking vision of Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser – UN SDG advocate, and Founder and Chairperson of Education Above All (EAA) Foundation.
Her Highness has worked tirelessly to promote the empowerment of youth in conflict-prevention and peace-building. I would also like to acknowledge the instrumental role of Education Above All in this regard.
The State of Qatar encourages the participation of young people in all stages of peace processes, including in decision-making. With this in mind, the Department of Youth Affairs of the Ministry of Culture and Sports has been directed to draft Qatar’s first National Youth Strategy.
Drafted in consultation with our youth, the strategy is a declaration of a common national vision that defines the needs and priorities of Qatar’s youth.
It is worthy of note that the first international Symposium on youth participation, held in Helsinki in March 2019, resulted in the launch of the first global policy paper on youth participation in peace processes.
I trust this conference will follow this path in arriving at shared political commitments to advance the global Youth, Peace, and Security Agenda, and deliver concrete solutions for sustainable youth-inclusive processes world-wide.
I am pleased that this conference will launch international guidelines to advance the global Youth, Peace and Security Agenda, and a five year-strategy on strengthening youth-inclusive peace processes, to be implemented at the national level.
To conclude, the State of Qatar is committed to continue working closely with the United Nations to effectively implement the main outcomes of this conference as part of our joint efforts to strengthen global youth-inclusive peace processes.
I thank you all for joining us, and look forward to our impactful deliberations here today.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ13: Disposal of yard waste Question:
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) set up Y·PARK, a yard waste recycling centre, in 2021, with the purpose of converting recycled yard waste into useful materials to reduce disposal at landfills and associated carbon emissions. Y·PARK has a target handling capacity of about 11 000 tonnes in the first year, which would gradually increase to an annual average of around 22 000 tonnes. However, information from the Government shows that Y·PARK’s throughput last year was 6 876 tonnes. Besides, earlier on some trucks were reportedly driven from Y·PARK carrying yard waste to landfills in the New Territories West for disposal, and the EPD subsequently explained that the yard waste in question was not acceptable as it contained a large amount of impurities. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of Y·PARK’s criteria for the recovery of yard waste, whether it has studied the reasons for the gradual decline in the amount of yard waste handled by Y·PARK in recent years, including whether this is affected by Y·PARK’s recovery criteria or the fact that yard waste producers recycle their own waste;
(2) as it is learnt that Y·PARK’s major sources of yard waste are (i) construction works and (ii) clearance work arising from regular vegetation maintenance, whether there is a statistical breakdown of the amount of yard waste respectively from (i) and (ii) handled by Y·PARK from 2021 to date; of the amount of yard waste that was sent to but not accepted at Y·PARK over the past three years, and whether it has looked into how such yard waste was subsequently disposed of (such as conversion into biochar and being sent to landfills);
(3) given that according to a paper submitted by the Government to the Subcommittee to Study Policy Issues Relating to Municipal Solid Waste Charging, Recovery and Recycling of this Council in January 2023, a pilot biochar plant in EcoPark, which will further convert recyclable products of Y·PARK into biochar, has an estimated capability of converting about 6 000 tonnes of local woody waste into some 1 200 tonnes of biochar annually, of the amounts of waste handled and biochar produced since the plant came into operation, and whether such amounts could meet the targets; if not, when they are expected to meet the targets; and
(4) given that according to the report on Monitoring of Solid Waste in Hong Kong, the amounts of yard waste recovered and disposed in Hong Kong in 2023 were 10 400 tonnes and some 83 000 tonnes respectively, while the amount of yard waste handled by Y·PARK in the same year was 8 609 tonnes, whether it has assessed if there is room for improvement in Y·PARK’s handling capacity; whether the Government has further strategies in place to enhance the recovery rate of yard waste?
Reply:
President,
After the onslaught of Super Typhoon Mangkhut, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) set up a temporary yard waste recycling centre, Y·PARK, in 2021 to collect and process yard waste generated from regular vegetation maintenance and public construction works on one hand, and to assist in treating large quantities of yard waste generated after emergency incidents such as super typhoons on the other. The service fees paid by the EPD to the contractor are not based on the amount of yard waste received, but on the quantity of recyclable products produced by the contractor, which reflects Y·PARK’s performance more accurately.
The reply to the question raised by the Hon Andrew Lam is as follows:
(1)To ensure the smooth operation of Y·PARK and the quality of the recyclable products, Y·PARK has established appropriate standards for yard waste recycling, including not accepting infected or infested wood, yard waste which is difficult to process such as tree stumps, pure twigs, leaves, grass clippings, or yard waste containing large amount of impurities. If yard waste is mixed with large amount of impurities, the chipping operations may be severely affected. For instance, Y·PARK’s wood chipper experienced mechanical failures due to metal rods hidden in the wood. Time and manpower were required to remove the rods, replace parts and repair the equipment. Such incidents could even halt the production line. Meanwhile, the quality of the recyclable products produced may be affected by impurities. For instance, plastics mixed into the recyclable products would limit their use in gardening. In this regard, the contractor of Y·PARK maintains communication with yard waste producers to explain how to properly separate waste at source to reduce instances where Y·PARK has to reject yard waste. (2) Since its commencement of operation in 2021 up to April this year, Y·PARK has received a total of approximately 31 540 tonnes of yard waste, of which more than 50 per cent from construction works and about 40 per cent from routine vegetation maintenance. The EPD does not have the quantity of rejected yard waste and information on its final disposal means.
(3) The first Pilot Biochar Production Plant (PBPP) in Hong Kong established by the EPD was originally scheduled to commence production in November 2023, with an estimated handling capacity of processing about 6 000 tonnes of local wood materials and producing about 1 200 tonnes of biochar annually. The PBPP commenced its testing in May 2023, during which many technical issues were overcome and various operational conditions (including processing temperatures, duration, and different types of wood-based raw materials) were adjusted and tested, in order to identify the optimal operating conditions and ensure high-quality biochar can be produced with less energy consumption. The PBPP finally commenced production in October 2024. From the start of the PBPP’s testing stage to the end of April 2025, the PBPP has processed over 1 200 tonnes of local wood materials from yard waste, converting them into more than 270 tonnes of biochar. The purposes of setting up the PBPP are to explore the technical feasibility of converting local wood materials from yard waste into biochar, as well as to study the quality of the biochar produced and its practical applications in the local market. As such, the actual processing quantity of the PBPP is adjusted based on testing needs and is also affected by the supply of wood materials and local market demand for biochar applications. With the PBPP entering production stage for only about six months, the EPD will consolidate operational experiences with a view to gradually increasing its processing quantity upon establishing technical requirements and market applications.
(4) In order to further enhance the yard waste processing quantity of Y·PARK, the EPD are adopting a multi-pronged approach to increase the yard waste recycling rate. Measures include: (i) the EPD will continue to liaise with relevant government departments and other yard waste producers, encouraging them to adhere to the principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle, and treat and reuse yard waste on-site as far as possible, while yard waste that cannot be treated or reused on-site could be delivered to Y·PARK or other suitable recycling facilities for treatment; (ii) to encourage the Y·PARK contractor to recycle collected yard waste as far as possible to increase its recycling rate. The current contract stipulates that the service fees paid by the EPD to the contractor are based on the quantity of recyclable products produced, providing a financial incentive to the contractor; and (iii) in the long run, the Government reserves land in the New Territories North New Town to establish a larger-scale yard waste recycling facility to enhance yard waste handling capacity. Issued at HKT 12:08
The inaugural Adelaide University Vice Chancellor, Professor Nicola Phillips
Following a comprehensive global search, Australia’s new major university announces Professor Nicola Phillips as its new Vice Chancellor and President (Vice Chancellor) with effect from 12 January 2026.
The Adelaide University Transition Council has unanimously resolved to appoint Prof. Nicola Phillips as the new Vice Chancellor of Adelaide University following exceptional global interest and a high-quality candidate field.
Chancellor of the Adelaide University Transition Council (Transition Council), Ms Pauline Carr, said that finding the right person to lead the institution through its formative years was imperative.
“We are delighted to announce Prof. Phillips as the new Vice Chancellor of Adelaide University as we boldly take our next steps as Australia’s new comprehensive university for the future,” Carr said.
Prof. Phillips joins Adelaide University from the University of Melbourne, where she is currently the Provost and has served as both Acting and Interim Vice Chancellor. With some 30 years of experience in the higher education sector across Australia and the United Kingdom, Prof. Phillips has cultivated a deep understanding of the sector and brings a local and global perspective to the position.
“Throughout her career, Prof. Phillips has been a formidable force, guiding significant step-changes across contemporary academic delivery, student access and equity, Aboriginal knowledges, online education, and cultural inclusivity – with strong alignment to Adelaide University’s strategic direction as a differentiated member of Australia’s Group of Eight,” Carr said.
“The Transition Council would also like to recognise the monumental and continued contributions of the founding co-Vice Chancellors, Professors Peter Høj AC and David Lloyd, who are establishing the solid foundations on which the institution will see sustained success. They will also be instrumental in transitioning the leadership from now until when Prof. Phillips begins the role as well as winding down the foundation universities.”
Prof. Phillips will actively shape Adelaide University as it begins operations.
“I am thrilled to be joining Adelaide University at a time of unmatched potential and possibilities – and to call South Australia home,” Prof. Phillips said.
“I look forward to leading Adelaide University and establishing the institution as a trailblazer for change, where education and research of the highest quality reach into all corners of our society to transform the lives of individuals and communities.”
The global search was led by the Adelaide University Transition Council, in partnership with executive search firm, Korn Ferry, and informed by the Recruitment Recommendations Panel comprising internal and expert external members.
Insights on selection criteria deemed most important were also provided by staff, students, alumni and key partners. Inspirational and visionary leadership, being a visible role model with high ethical standards, and building a cohesive and constructive culture as well as having strong academic credentials were identified amongst some of the most valued attributes.
Prof. Phillips will commence in the role from 12 January 2026 to align with Adelaide University’s opening of its inaugural academic year.
About Professor Nicola Phillips Professor Nicola Phillips is an esteemed leader and academic with some 30 years of experience in the higher education sector across Australia and the United Kingdom. She is a Professor of Political Economy with interests in global economic development, labour standards and inequality.
Educated at King’s College London and the London School of Economics and Political Science, Prof. Phillips held positions at the Universities of Warwick, Manchester and Sheffield before becoming Vice President & Vice Principal (Education) at King’s College London, and then Provost at the University of Melbourne in September 2021. She has held visiting fellowships and professorships across the world, including the Australian National University, the University of British Columbia, and the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México.
Among many notable honours, Prof. Phillips holds a Fellowship of the UK Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS) and a Fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), and was awarded The J. Ann Tickner Prize from the International Studies Association (ISA) for combining bravery in pursuing pioneering research that pushes the boundaries of the discipline with a deep commitment to teaching and mentorship.
Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –
Portal Superjob published a rating of the best Russian universities by the salary level of IT specialists who graduated from the university in 2019-2024. Novosibirsk State University took 7th place, it comes right after the universities of Moscow and St. Petersburg. Two more universities are in the same position – Kazan Federal University and National University of Science and Technology “MISIS”. The average income of NSU graduates working in the IT sector was 230 thousand rubles, an increase of 30 thousand rubles compared to last year.
At NSU, the IT direction is one of the key ones: for example, if you look at the distribution of budget places based on the results of the 2024 admission campaign, more than 20% are in IT. NSU has a specialized Faculty of Information Technology, which turns 25 this year, at the same time IT is represented in almost all faculties and in all institutes. The Mechanics and Mathematics Faculty has a program in systems programming, the Physics Faculty has a program in physical informatics, and the Humanities Institute has a program in fundamental and applied linguistics.
Machine learning and artificial intelligence have also been actively developing at NSU in recent years. At the end of April this year, the university won a government grant to train top IT specialists and is launching a new bachelor’s degree program in Applied Artificial Intelligence from September 2025. It will be developed in cooperation with industrial partners Rostelecom and Innotech (T1). The pilot enrollment will be 150 students. Grant support will allow students to study for free and receive scholarships from partner companies.
About the rating methodology
The rating was prepared by the SuperJob research center based on an analysis of the average salaries of graduates of Russian universities graduating in 2019–2024. The source of information is the SuperJob resume database (more than 30 million resumes) and other open sources. The data collection period is 2 months before the rating release date. The sample for each university participating in the rating is at least 70 resumes of graduates of specialized faculties of the specified graduation years, excluding resumes of interns, junior specialists, and applicants with less than 1 year of work experience in their specialty. Resumes for positions in the fields of development, information security, software testing, DevOps, analytics, data research, Machine Learning, Data engineering, etc. are considered.
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.
Australia, together with the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, has imposed sanctions on two ministers in the Israeli government for “inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank”.
Australia and the other countries were immediately condemned by the United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called for them to be lifted.
The move comes as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese prepares to leave on Friday for the G7 in Canada, where he is expected to meet UN President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the conference.
Australia’s signing up for the sanctions is just another complication for the anticipated meeting. The Australian government is under pressure from the US administration to significantly boost its defence spending. Meanwhile, Australia is seeking a deal to get some exemption from the Trump tariffs.
The sanctions are on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
They include bans on travel to Australia, a freeze on any assets they might have here, and a prohibition on anyone in Australia directly or indirectly making assets available to them.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the two ministers “have been the most extremist and hard line of an extremist settler enterprise which is both unlawful and violent”.
The Israeli ministers are accused of major violations of human rights, including escalating physical violence and abuse by Israeli settlers. A few days ago they marched through Jerusalem’s Muslim Quarter with a group that chanted “death to Arabs”.
In a social media post, Rubio said the sanctions “do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war”.
“We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organization that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage, and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace. We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is.”
Urging the reversal of the sanctions, Rubio said the US “stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel”.
Asked whether he was concerned the sanctions would damage Australia’s relations with the US, Albanese told reporters he was not: “Australia makes its own decisions based upon the assessments that we make”. He pointed out the action was in concert with the Five Eyes countries of Canada, the UK and new Zealand.
Shadow Foreign Minister Michaelia Cash said sanctioning democratically elected officials of a key ally was “very serious”.
“Labor should be clear who initiated this process, on what basis they have done so and who made the decision”, Cash said. The government should also say what, if any, engagement it had had with the US on the matter, she said.
Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
After United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested multiple people on alleged immigration violations, protests broke out in Los Angeles.
Authorities have been using “less lethal” weapons against crowds of civilians, but these weapons can still cause serious harm.
Footage of an Australian news reporter being shot by a rubber bullet fired by police – who appeared to deliberately target her – has been beamed around the world. And headlines this morning told of an ABC camera operator hit in the chest with a “less lethal” round.
This has provoked debate about police and military use of force.
As the term suggests, less lethal (also called non lethal or less-than-lethal) weapons are items that are less likely to result in death when compared with alternatives such as firearms.
Less lethal weapons include weapons such as:
pepper spray
tear gas
tasers
batons
water cannons
acoustic weapons
bean-bag rounds
rubber bullets.
They are designed and used to incapacitate people and disperse or control crowds.
They are meant to have temporary and reversible effects that minimise the likelihood of fatalities or permanent injury as well as undesired damage to property, facilities, material and the environment.
In Australia in 2023, for example, 95-year-old aged care resident Clare Nowland was tasered, fell backwards, hit her head and died from her head injury.
In 2012, responding to a mistaken report about an armed robbery, police physically restrained, tasered and pepper sprayed 21-year-old Roberto Curti multiple times. He died but his exact cause of death (and whether the use of less lethal weapons played a causal role) was not clear.
Do these weapons work to quell unrest?
The impetus for police and military use of less lethal force came about, in part, from backlash following the use of lethal force in situations where it was seen as a gross overreaction.
One example was the 1960 Sharpeville massacre in South Africa, when police officers in a black township opened fire on an anti-apartheid protest, killing 69 civilians.
In theory, less lethal force is meant to provide a graduated level of response to events such as riots or protests, where the use of lethal force would be disproportionate and counter-productive.
It is sometimes described as the “next step” to use after de-escalation techniques (like negotiation or verbal commands) have failed.
Less lethal weapons can be used when some degree of force is considered necessary to restore order, neutralise a threat, or avoid full-blown conflict.
How well this works in practice is a different story.
There can be unintended consequences and use of less lethal force can be seen as an act of aggression by a government against its people, heightening existing tensions.
The availability of less lethal weapons may also change perceptions of risk and encourage the use of force in situations where it would otherwise be avoided. This in turn can provoke further escalation, conflict and distrust of authorities.
Samara McPhedran does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne
We now have the (almost!) final results from the 2025 federal election – with only Bradfield still to be completely resolved.
Labor won 94 of the 150 House of Representatives seats (up 17 from 77 of 151 in 2022), the Coalition 43 (down 15) and all Others 13 (down three). It also won 62.7% of seats, its highest seat share since 1943, when it won 49 of 75 seats (65.3% of seats).
Since the beginning of the two-party system in 1910, the 28.7% of seats for the Coalition is the lowest ever seat share for the Liberal and National parties combined, or their predecessors. The Coalition had won 23 of the 75 seats in 1943, its previous worst result (30.7% of seats).
The Poll Bludger said on Wednesday the Liberals could lodge a court challenge to their 26-vote loss in Bradfield to Teal Nicolette Boele within 40 days of the official declaration of the poll (return of the writs).
Owing to the possibility of a challenge in Bradfield, the Australian Electoral Commission does not want to disturb the ballot papers, which would be required for a Labor vs Liberal two-party count in Bradfield. A two-party count may not be completed until after the courts rule on any Liberal challenge.
This article has two-party votes and swings nationally, in metropolitan and non-metropolitan seats and in every state and territory. I will report the current AEC figures, but the Bradfield issue means they will overstate Labor slightly nationally, in metropolitan seats and in New South Wales.
Labor won the national two-party vote against the Coalition by 55.28–44.72, a 3.1% swing to Labor since the 2022 election. This is also Labor’s biggest two-party share since 1943, when they won by an estimated 58.2–41.8. Since the 2019 election, which the Coalition won by 51.5–48.5, Labor has had a swing to it of 6.8%.
The last time either major party won a higher seat share than Labor at this election was in 1996, when the Coalition won 94 of the 148 seats (63.5% of seats) on a national two-party vote of 53.6–46.4. The last time a major party exceeded Labor’s two-party share at this election was in 1975, when the Coalition won by 55.7–44.3.
Swing to Labor was bigger in cities
The AEC has breakdowns for metropolitan and non-metropolitan seats. Metropolitan seats include seats in the six state capitals, Canberra and Darwin. In these seats, Labor won the two-party vote by 60.7–39.3, a 4.1% swing to Labor. In non-metropolitan seats, the Coalition won the two-party by 52.3–47.7, a 1.8% swing to Labor.
In 2019, Labor won the two-party vote in metropolitan seats by 52.1–47.9, so the two-election swing to Labor in those seats was 8.6%. The Coalition won the two-party vote in non-metropolitan seats by 56.8–43.2, so the two-election swing to Labor was 4.5%.
In April 2022, I wrote that Labor could do better in future elections because Australia’s big cities have a large share of the overall population. At this election, voters in metropolitan seats made up 58.3% of all voters. The Coalition will need to do much better in the cities to win future elections.
In all the mainland states, the swing to Labor in the cities exceeded the swing in the regions. In global elections in the last ten years, support for left-wing parties has held up better in cities than elsewhere.
Tasmania was the big exception to this rule. In non-metropolitan Tasmanian seats, Labor won the two-party vote by 59.0–41.0, an 11.8% swing to Labor. In metropolitan seats, Labor won by 70.1–29.9, a 4.7% swing to Labor.
State and territory results
The table below shows the number of seats in a state or territory and nationally, the number won by Labor, the Labor percent of the seats, the number of Labor gains, the Labor two-party vote share, the two-party swing to Labor since 2022, the number of Other seats, the change in Other seats and the number of Coalition seats.
I have ignored redistributions, with Labor gains calculated as the number of seats Labor won in 2025 minus the number it won in 2022. Labor gained Aston at an April 2023 byelection, then held it at this election. As it was not won by Labor in 2022, it counts as a Labor gain.
In Queensland, Labor gained seven seats, five from the Liberal National Party (including Peter Dutton’s Dickson) and two from the Greens. But these gains came from a low base, as Labor won just five of 30 Queensland seats in 2022. Queensland remains the only state where the Coalition won the two-party vote (by 50.6–49.4) and won a majority of the seats.
In NSW, Teal independent-held North Sydney was abolished in the redistribution, but Teal Boele gained Bradfield from the Liberals, and the Nationals lost Calare to former Nationals MP turned independent Andrew Gee. Labor also gained two seats from the Liberals.
In Victoria, Labor-held Higgins was abolished, but Labor gained three seats from the Liberals and one from the Greens (Adam Bandt’s Melbourne). The Coalition gained its one seat when Liberal Tim Wilson narrowly defeated Teal Zoe Daniel in Goldstein.
In Western Australia, Bullwinkel was created as a notional Labor seat, and Labor held it. Labor also gained Moore from the Liberals. In South Australia and Tasmania, Labor gained three seats from the Liberals. Tasmania’s 9.0% swing to Labor was the biggest of any state or territory.
Before the election, it was expected Victoria would be a drag on Labor owing to the unpopularity of the state Labor government. Labor took 71% of Victoria’s seats and had a 1.5% two-party swing to it.
However, relative to the national swing, Victoria was poor for Labor, and it was only ahead of WA and the Northern Territory in swing terms at this election. In 2022, there was a huge 10.6% swing to Labor in WA, so Victoria’s two-election swing to Labor was much lower than anywhere else except the NT.
The ACT’s two-party swing of 5.5% to Labor followed a 5.3% swing in 2022. With two senators, a quota for election is one-third or 33.3%. If the ACT’s two senators keep going to the left, it will be difficult for the Coalition to avoid a hostile Senate even if they win elections for the House.
Other election results and a Morgan poll
In the previous parliament, the 16 Others included four Greens, but the 13 Others at this election include only one Green. This will make the Others more right-wing than in the last parliament.
Turnout at this election was 90.7% of enrolled voters, up 0.9% since 2022. But the informal rate rose 0.4% to 5.6%. The informal rate was 13% or higher in five western Sydney seats.
A large share of non-English speakers, confusion with NSW’s optional preferential voting system at state elections and long candidate lists all contributed to the high informal vote rate at this election.
A national Morgan poll, conducted May 5 to June 1 from a sample of 5,128, gave Labor a 58.5–41.5 lead, from primary votes of 37% Labor, 31% Coalition, 11.5% Greens, 6% One Nation and 14.5% for all Others. Labor led in all states including Queensland, the only state the Coalition won at the election.
Adrian Beaumont does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Earlier this year, I attended a housing conference in Sydney. The event’s opening address centred on the way Australia seems to be becoming like 18th-century England – a country where inheritance largely determines one’s opportunities in life.
There has been a lot of media coverage of economic inequities in Australian society. Our tax system has been partly blamed for this problem. The case for long-term, visionary tax reform has never been stronger. And one area of tax reform could be a wealth tax.
First, let’s be clear about one thing. Unlike the superannuation tax reforms currently being debated for those with more than A$3 million in superannuation, the wealth tax we’re talking about would apply to a very different cohort: billionaires.
A recent article in the Financial Times re-examined a proposal to impose such a tax on the world’s highest-net-worth individuals. It also pointed out these efforts would need to be globally coordinated.
Such taxes could collect significant sums of money for governments. It’s previously been estimated a billionaire tax could raise US$250 billion (more than A$380 billion) globally if just 2% of the net worth of the world’s billionaires was taxed each year.
The case for a wealth tax
Inequality is on the rise and the argument for a wealth tax can’t be ignored – not least here at home. According to the Australia Institute, the wealth of Australia’s richest 200 people has soared as a percentage of our national gross domestic product (GDP) – from 8.4% in 2004 to 23.7% in 2024.
If that sounds dramatic, the picture is far worse in the United States. So, what would a wealth tax look like in Australia (noting that in reality a globally coordinated effort would be needed)?
The starting point for this is understanding of why high-net-worth individuals seemingly pay very low taxes.
High net worth, low tax rate
Income taxes only take into account any amounts that are received in the hands of the taxpayer – whether that is a company, a person or a trust.
Most high-net-worth individuals do not receive much income directly but “store” their wealth in companies and other corporate structures.
In Australia, the maximum applicable tax rate for companies is 30%. Note that the highest tax rate in Australia for individuals is 45% plus the 2% medicare levy, effectively 47%.
Assets such as real estate may also be held by companies or trusts, and the increase in value of these assets is not taxed until they are sold (through capital gains tax).
Even then, those gains may not be paid out directly to the high-net-worth individual who owns these entities.
Unrealised gains
So, how do we tax wealth that is sitting in various businesses (company structures) or other entities, but isn’t taxed at present because the “income” or “gains” from these are not taxable in the hands of the wealthy individuals who own them?
This goes into the murky area of taxation of unrealised gains. Here, we need to tread very carefully. But we also need to recognise that we already do this, albeit rather subtly, and most of us are not billionaires.
In your rates notice from your local council, for example, the increase in value of your residence or investment property is used to calculate your rates.
The real difficulty, to carry on with this example, is that your residence or investment property is typically held in your name and so the tax can be directly levied on you.
A luxury residence in Miami Beach, Florida, owned by Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon. The US is home to the most billionaires of any country in the world. Felix Mizioznikov/Shutterstock
Making tax unavoidable
As we’ve already explained, the bulk of the assets or net worth of wealthy individuals is not directly attributable to them. Does this mean we should give up altogether?
Not quite. UNSW professor Chris Evans has pointed out that while we may not be able to effectively tax all the net worth of the wealthy, there are some things we can tax and they can’t avoid it.
An obvious example is real estate. You can pack your bags and bank accounts and move to a low-tax country, but you can’t move your mansion overlooking Sydney Harbour.
Real estate, both residential and commercial, provides one clear way in which we could implement a partial wealth tax. This method (which also has fewer valuation issues than value stored in a company in the form of retained profits) also counters the argument that the wealthy will simply move to other jurisdictions that won’t tax them.
There is plenty of academic research looking at various wealth tax initiatives in other countries. We should learn from these, including the experience in Switzerland and Sweden.
In Sweden, for instance, research found the behavioural effects of wealth taxation were less pronounced than those of income taxation, but the system had so many loopholes that evasion was an option for some people.
Change faces headwinds
In a very uncertain world that features ongoing wars and an unpredictable US president, any change that seeks to address issues of inequity is going to be met with resistance by those who hold power.
Some billionaires in the US, however, have expressed their support for being taxed more in a letter signed by heirs to the Disney and Rockefeller fortunes. That offers some hope, and suggests the discussion about wealth taxes should not be relegated to the “too hard” basket.
Some steps towards taxing the uber-rich would be better than the status quo.
Venkat Narayanan 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.
Last week, President Donald Trump ordered an investigation into “who ran the United States while President Biden was in office”, alleging top aides masked the “cognitive decline” of his predecessor. The announcement referenced revelations in a new book by journalists Jake Tapper (CNN) and Alex Thompson (Axios).
Original Sin made headlines last month for revealing that Biden’s declining physical and cognitive health had been hidden from the public by his closest aides and his loyal but overly protective wife, Jill Biden.
Whatever merit there is in Trump’s order must be seen alongside his bottomless cynicism. He seizes on the two authors’ investigative journalism to continue tarnishing his predecessor’s reputation, while doing everything in his power to bully news companies such as CBS over almost meritless defamation cases and to cut the funding of public media organisations PBS and NPR.
Review: Original Sin – Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson (Hutchinson Heinemann)
In November 2020, Biden was seen by many as a hero. He won the American election and saved the country from Donald Trump, who scholars judged among the worst presidents in the nation’s history, not least because just over 384,500 people died from COVID-19 that year.
Today, just as many see Biden as a villain. He said he would be a “bridge” president. He knew he would have ended his second term aged 86 if he had won and served it, so said he would hand over to a successor well in time for the 2024 election. But he didn’t. Not until three and a half weeks after his wincingly bad performance in a debate with Trump last June.
By then it was too late for his Democratic Party to go through its usual primaries process. Biden anointed his vice president Kamala Harris as his successor, but with only 107 days to campaign before the election, it is more accurate to say he gave her what football commentators call a “hospital pass”.
Donald Trump regained the presidency. Four months into his second term, all but his most loyal supporters (and this time he has made sure to surround himself only with loyal supporters) think it is already much worse than his first.
Whatever Biden achieved in his presidency is being forgotten amid the horror at watching America’s democratic institutions assaulted by an authoritarian leader determined to undo Biden’s policies, especially on climate change.
What on earth happened? How much responsibility does Biden bear? Did the news media subject Biden to sufficient scrutiny before the debate last June? Was everyone except the MAGA base suffering from a new variant of what conservative commentators long ago dubbed “Trump derangement syndrome”?
In short order, the answers are: Biden declined faster and worse than had been anticipated; a lot; the media possibly didn’t scrutinise him enough, but it’s more complicated than that – and, yes, “Trump derangement syndrome” was a factor, though not quite in the way conservative commentators thought.
Clooney’s alarm
Original Sin’s most spectacular revelation was that at a Democrat fundraising event last year, Biden did not appear to recognise George Clooney – who as well as being an actor, is a longtime Democrat supporter and a friend of the president.
Clooney was shocked by Biden’s frail appearance. “Holy shit,” he thought, according to the authors, as he watched Biden enter the room, taking tiny steps with “an aide guiding him by his arm”. The book describes the excruciating moment in detail:
“You know George,” the assisting aide told the president, gently reminding him who was in front of him.
“Yeah, yeah,” the president said to one of the most recognizable men in the world, the host of this lucrative fundraiser. “Thank you for being here.”
“Hi, Mr. President,” Clooney said.
“How are ya?” the president replied.
“How was your trip?” Clooney asked.
“It was fine,” the president said.
It was obvious to many standing there that the president did not know who George Clooney was. […]
“George Clooney,” the aide clarified for the president.
“Oh, yeah!” Biden said. “Hi, George!”
A Hollywood VIP who witnessed the moment told the authors “it was not okay”, describing it as “uncomfortable”. Clooney felt he had to sound the alarm publicly, which he did in an impassioned opinion piece for The New York Times a few weeks later, on July 10. He wrote about how he loved and respected Biden, but
the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time. None of us can. It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the Joe ‘big F-ing deal’ Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.
Just days after publicity about the book began, news broke that Biden has stage four prostate cancer – and that he had not had a prostate test for more than a decade.
The ‘loyalty police’
Tapper and Thompson’s book derives not only from their day jobs, but from reporting they have done since last November’s election, including interviews with 200 people. Some of them, even now, prefer to speak on background rather than be named.
Through them, they tell a bracing story with three main themes.
First, there is the unblinking loyalty of close aides. Chief strategist Mike Donilon had been with Biden since 1981. Bruce Reed was a speechwriter and longtime political consultant. Steve Ricchetti had been Biden’s chief of staff when he was vice president, and was also a friend who would watch the morning political shows with him. All four of Richetti’s children worked in the Biden administration, the authors write.
Jill Biden’s longtime aides, Annie Tomasini and Anthony Bernal, were fiercely protective of the Bidens as much as the office of the president. “Are you a Biden person?” they would ask, leading other aides to label them the “loyalty police”.
Collectively, the close aides were known as The Politburo. Kamala Harris’ aides called them a “cabal of the unhelpful”. Time and again, they responded to queries about Biden’s health with firm assurances he was doing fine – even though the president needed to be supplied with cue cards when he was meeting his cabinet secretaries.
Biden, like previous presidents, had an annual medical check-up and was given a clean bill of health. But doctors outside the White House noted that his cognitive abilities were not tested. Asked about this, aides – and Biden himself – would say he passed a cognitive test every day of his presidency, which was a superficially plausible but practically meaningless statement.
Some aides genuinely believed in Biden, while others harboured doubts. The latter suppressed those to focus on the task of defeating Trump in 2024. One told Tapper and Thompson: “He just had to win, and then he could disappear for four years – he’d only have to show proof of life every once in a while.” Which sounds pretty much like the plot of the 1989 movie, Weekend at Bernie’s, except the situation was anything but comic.
Biden’s aides admonished journalists, including Alex Thompson, for even raising the issue of the president’s health. Worse, they shielded Biden from what his own pollsters were saying about his dire prospects for re-election.
The oldest presidential candidates
For Biden, work usually began at 9am, included two hours in the afternoon for “POTUS time”, and finished at 4.30pm when he had dinner. Availability for evening events was limited. By 2024, cabinet secretaries in the Biden administration told Tapper and Thompson that Biden could not be relied upon to be available at 2am for the kind of emergency the presidency can require.
After the Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, born the same year as Biden, froze in public a second time, in 2023, his fellow Republican Nikki Haley said, “The Senate is the most privileged nursing home in the country […] You have to know when to leave.”
When the Democrats did unexpectedly well at the 2022 midterm elections, Biden’s aides took that as a sign he should run again, rather than note the level of protest in the midterm vote, which came soon after the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v Wade decision on abortion.
The opinion polls, though, were telling. An early November 2022 Ipsos poll had the president’s approval rating at a low 39%, Tapper and Thompson report. Two thirds of those surveyed said they thought the country was on the wrong track. When Ipsos ran a poll after the midterm election, 68% said Biden might not be up for the challenge of running in 2024. Worse, almost half of Democrats agreed.
Biden’s aides may have been right to marvel at what their boss could still do, and to resent the media harping on about Biden’s age while turning a blind eye to his cheeseburger-chomping, Coke-slurping political nemesis, only four years younger. The bitter fact for them is that by 2020 Biden looked and sounded frail while Trump looked and sounded commanding.
Trump may have lied repeatedly during the debate last June, but in a real sense that was not news; Trump lies as easily as he breathes. What was news was watching a mumbling, open-mouthed US president freeze on live television.
Grisly anecdotes and Hunter Biden
Original Sin is replete with grisly anecdotes about Biden’s decrepitude. “The guy can’t form a fucking sentence”, thought one aide attending to him onboard Air Force One. This leads to the second main theme: the tragic circumstances that appear to have accelerated the decline.
It is well known that personal tragedy has scarred – and in crucial ways shaped – Biden’s life and career. He lost his first wife, Neilia, and their one-year-old daughter, Naomi, in a car accident in 1972. Their young sons, Beau and Hunter, were in the car. They survived but Hunter suffered a fractured skull, an injury with lifelong effects, according to Tapper and Thompson.
Beau served as an army officer in the Iraq war. On his return, he was elected attorney-general of Delaware in 2006 and 2010. He planned to run for governor in 2016. But a year earlier, the brain cancer for which he was first treated in 2013 recurred; he died in May 2015. In a worrying precursor to later actions, the Bidens kept Beau’s illness a secret. “Beau’s death aged him significantly,” a longtime Biden confidant told Tapper and Thompson. “His shoulders looked smaller. His face looked more gaunt. In his eyes, you could just see it.”
A year later, Hunter Biden became addicted to crack cocaine. Ashley, Biden’s daughter by his second wife Jill, also struggled with addiction. Both spiralled downwards after Beau’s death, which weighed heavily on their father. As the authors write:
After Beau’s death in 2015, Biden desperately and understandably clung to Hunter. He would privately refer to him as ‘my only living son.’ But Biden aides felt that Hunter manipulated his father’s blind love for his own aims. The president struggled to say no to Hunter. Aides felt that he had tragically become Hunter’s chief enabler.
In 2021 Hunter published a memoir, Beautiful Things, and travelled round the country in an effort to provide hope to others struggling with addiction. The memoir’s candour provided valuable information to David Weiss, a special counsel appointed by Attorney-General Merrick Garland in 2023.
Weiss had been previously appointed by the first Trump administration to investigate the contents of a laptop Hunter Biden left at a repair shop. Biden had not interfered with Garland’s decision, as he did not want to be seen as behaving the way his predecessor had.
Weiss charged Hunter Biden over his possession of a handgun while being addicted to cocaine. A plea deal broke down and Hunter faced trial in 2024. The Biden family attended each day of the trial. Biden felt guilty, believing Hunter would never have been on trial if he wasn’t the president’s son.
There is little doubt the Republicans weaponised Hunter Biden’s actions, but he gave them plenty of ammunition. He had had an extramarital affair with his brother’s widow and had introduced her to cocaine, to which she became addicted. There is more, but you get the (tawdry) picture.
Then, after the election in November, Biden did what he had repeatedly said he wouldn’t, exercising his power as president to pardon his son. It may have been the understandable action of a besieged father, but Biden did not frame it that way, blaming Garland, wrongly, for pursuing the case.
Equally to the point, the authors report that Trump’s lawyers took note, believing the Hunter Biden pardon “gave them a great deal of leeway on whether they could pardon and free from prison the hundreds of convicted January 6 insurrectionists” from the 2021 Capitol riot. Which of course Trump did as soon as he took office in January 2025.
The old adage has it that two wrongs don’t make a right. But for a politician who had won the presidency promising to be everything Trump was not, it was a fatal, final blow to Biden’s credibility.
The media ‘missed a lot’
The third theme of the book asks how much of all this the news media reported during Biden’s presidency. Some, but not all of it – including some by Thompson, who recently won a White House Correspondents’ Association award for his disclosures.
Both he and his co-author acknowledge they and other journalists did not dig hard enough to reveal the extent to which the Biden administration was hampered by the president’s declining health. Said Thompson:
Being truth-tellers also means telling the truth about ourselves. We – myself included – missed a lot of this story, and some people trust us less because of it […] We should have done better.“
It is worth keeping this in perspective. The news media’s failings in the lead up to the Iraq war in 2003 were more significant. Then, too many journalists swallowed the administration’s lines justifying its decision to invade a country, while the work of those who did report sceptically was buried well inside the newspaper. There, it “played as quietly as a lullaby”, as The New York Times’ first public editor, Daniel Okrent, wrote in 2003.
The war’s reporting led to a lot of soul searching in American newsrooms. If there was a coverup in the media about the Biden administration, it wasn’t very effective, wrote media critic Jon Allsop in the New Yorker. “Not least because the majority of the public thought Biden was too old long before the debate.”
The other element infecting both the mainstream media and social media is divisiveness, rancour and hostility. It is hard, for journalists and the public, to see political information other than through a hyper-partisan lens. I felt this acutely when reading the section in Original Sin about Biden getting drawn into the FBI’s investigation of Trump for withholding classified documents – when the FBI found Biden had done essentially the same thing. (Though it should be stressed Biden, unlike Trump, cooperated at all times.)
‘Well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory’
It was through this investigation that special counsel Robert Hur’s recording of a long interview with Biden came to light. Journalists were backgrounded that Hur was a right-wing operative; he was anything but that, write Tapper and Thompson. He treated Biden fairly and respectfully. In the interview, excerpts of which run to seven pages of the book, Biden rambles and needs regular reminding of facts – including the year his son Beau died.
In Hur’s report, released in 2024, he found Biden had inappropriately retained classified documents but he did not recommend pressing charges. To a jury, Hur concluded, Biden would present “as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory”. He was making the kind of decision prosecutors routinely make about the likelihood of a conviction.
Hur was attacked by the White House and much of the media as a partisan warrior who had brought up the death of the president’s son in the interview, when it was Biden who mentioned it himself. If Hur really had been a partisan warrior, the authors write, he would have recommended continuing with the prosecution.
Several months later, after the disastrous Biden-Trump debate, friends and colleagues texted Hur saying he must have felt vindicated. “Hur told them that all he felt was sad. How could anyone look at Joe Biden at that debate and not feel bad?”
It is true that aides, and sometimes the news media, have covered up previous presidents’ health issues, such as Franklin Roosevelt’s paralysis from polio, John Kennedy’s debilitating back pain that required heavy doses of painkillers, and Ronald Reagan’s Alzheimer’s disease.
Tapper and Thompson argue the coverup of Biden’s health problems is the most consequential in presidential history.
Underplays Biden’s achievements
The authors successfully prosecute their case about Biden’s responsibility for his own demise. Perhaps worried they may not be believed by Democrat supporters, they continue amassing evidence well beyond that point, which means the minutiae of aides continuing to deny the reality of Biden’s decline becomes repetitive.
Their relentless focus on Biden’s decline also means they underplay both his achievements as a president and the breadth of his character. At one point, they admiringly refer to Richard Ben Cramer’s book about the 1988 presidential campaign, What it Takes, which includes Biden’s failed attempt to win the Democratic nomination for the presidency.
Cramer’s book is a massive 1,047 pages. He interviewed more than a thousand people and took so long on the book it came out during the next presidential campaign, in which Bill Clinton was elected.
One reviewer, Richard Brownstein, wrote of it: “Presidential elections are the white whale of American journalism – and in Cramer they have found a manic Melville.” But it is written in an intimate, novelistic style, taking the reader deep into the lives and thoughts and feelings of the candidates, George H.W Bush, Bob Dole, Michael Dukakis, Richard Gephardt, Gary Hart and Biden.
Cramer told Robert Boynton in an interview for his 2005 book, The New New Journalism, he was amazed political journalists spend so little time talking to childhood friends, family and early colleagues.
If you want to understand how someone got to the point where he [sic] is a credible candidate for president of a nation of 250 million people, you’d better godamn-well know how he is wonderful. But most journalists don’t care about that.
As such, Cramer provides a deeper, richer portrait of Biden as an idiosyncratic and flawed, but also impressive politician, who was a force of nature in his youth. By comparison, Original Sin reads like an autopsy: which in a way, it is. If you want to remember why Biden became an effective politician in the first place, seek out a copy of What it Takes.
In the end, though, whatever achievements Biden had as president are being overtaken by his disastrous decision to try to hang on for a second term. By the evidence presented in Original Sin, “Honest Joe” was, like many politicians, prey to ego and overvaulting ambition, and prone to secrecy when it suited him.
He and his aides thought – and astonishingly still do think – he was the person best able to repel the return of a person they feared (with good reason) would do enormous damage to the country. Biden said this after the November election, earning Harris’s ire, for which he apologised, and Donilon affirmed it in an interview with the authors early this year.
The savage irony is, by their actions, Biden and his team eased Trump’s path to victory last November. Now, it is not just Americans but the rest of the world who are left to deal with the second Trump administration.
Matthew Ricketson 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.
You may have come across those “what I eat in a day” videos on social media, where people – usually conventionally attractive influencers wearing activewear – list everything they consumed that day.
They might seem like harmless fun but in fact they can reinforce dangerous ideas about food, weight and body image.
I’ve worked with people with eating disorders who watch these videos and have seen first hand how harmful this content can be.
Here’s what the research says and what you need to know.
Videos that promote ‘health’ can be unhealthy
“What I eat in a day” videos have been popular for over a decade, with views reaching in the billions.
They target both men and women and many claim to promote health and nutrition. Yet videos such as these can do more harm than good.
Very few of these creators have formal qualifications in health or nutrition, increasing the potential for misinformation.
They often depict low calorie diets, exclude entire food groups or promote “clean eating” (a problematic idea at best).
They can also send harmful messages about body image. Many such videos use beauty filters to create images promoting unrealistic body ideals.
These videos often feature shots of how the person looks from the front, the side, in the gym, and in tight, form-fitting clothes. There may even be some “before and after” weight loss pics, sending the harmful message this should be everyone’s goal.
The subtext is clear: “eat what I eat in a day and you can look like me”.
But that’s not just a dangerous idea – it’s a totally false and erroneous one.
Knowing what a certain person “eats in a day” doesn’t mean you’ll look like them if you follow their lead.
In fact, a 24-hour rundown of one person’s food intake doesn’t even provide accurate information about that person’s nutritional health – let alone yours.
Links between health and diet are best examined over time, not in a single day.
Basing our food intake on a brief snapshot of what someone else eats is unlikely to lead to better health. It might leave you worse off overall.
5 ways these videos can affect mental health
What we watch online can affect our mood, behaviour and body image.
Alarm bells should ring if you frequently see these videos and notice you’re doing or experiencing these five things:
1. disordered eating. Eating less than your body needs, skipping meals, cutting out entire food groups, binge eating and purging are all signs of disordered eating that can lead to serious mental health problems such as eating disorders
2. low mood. Watching videos promoting low-calorie diets can worsen our mood; you might find yourself feeling deflated after comparing yourself to others (or rather, to the version of themselves they promote online)
3. poor body image. Research shows watching “what I eat in a day” videos can leave people feeling worse about their bodies and appreciating them less
4. obsessive thinking and anxiety. Obsessing over the “perfect” diet can increase anxiety about food and eating. Diets that encourage a very detailed approach to nutrition – including breaking meals down into components such as carbohydrates and proteins or weighing food – can further fuel obsessive thoughts
5. narrow life focus. Having your social media feed filled with these types of videos can create an overemphasis on the importance of food, eating and body image on your self-worth. This ultimately affects your health and wellbeing.
What we watch online can affect our mood, behaviour, and body image. GaudiLab/Shutterstock
OK, so what can I do?
If you’re encountering “what I eat in a day” videos often and find they’re affecting your mood, eating behaviour or sense of self-worth you can try to:
understand that these videos are not tailored to your individual health or nutritional needs and that many contain harmful messaging
avoid engaging with videos that promote disordered eating, idealised beauty standards or that make you feel bad after you watch them
unfollow accounts that regularly post such videos, or tap “not interested” on the TikTok video to stop the algorithm showing you more of them
balance your social media feed with content focused on other areas of life besides food and eating (such as art, design, animals, books, sports or travel). Fill your feed with interests that improve your personal sense of wellbeing
consider taking regular breaks from social media and seeing if you feel better overall.
If you do want to view posts about food, seek out creators attempting to buck these negative trends by focusing more on fun and taste.
And if you’re experiencing low mood, disordered eating or body image issues, seek help from your local GP. They can connect you with practitioners who provide evidence-based therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy.
If you have a history of an eating disorder or suspect you may have one, you can contact the Butterfly Foundation’s national helpline on 1800 334 673 (or via their online chat).
Ultimately, “what I eat in a day” videos aren’t really helpful. They contain very little useful information to guide your health or nutritional goals.
If you are considering making changes to your diet, it’s important to consult a qualified professional, such as an accredited practising dietitian, who can learn about your situation and monitor any risks.
Catherine Houlihan consults with an eating disorders service owned and operated by the Butterfly Foundation.
As more and more people spend time chatting with artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots such as ChatGPT, the topic of mental health has naturally emerged. Some people have positive experiences that make AI seem like a low-cost therapist.
But AIs aren’t therapists. They’re smart and engaging, but they don’t think like humans. ChatGPT and other generative AI models are like your phone’s auto-complete text feature on steroids. They have learned to converse by reading text scraped from the internet.
When someone asks a question (called a prompt) such as “how can I stay calm during a stressful work meeting?” the AI forms a response by randomly choosing words that are as close as possible to the data it saw during training. This happens so fast, with responses that are so relevant, it can feel like talking to a person.
But these models aren’t people. And they definitely are not trained mental health professionals who work under professional guidelines, adhere to a code of ethics, or hold professional registration.
Where does it learn to talk about this stuff?
When you prompt an AI system such as ChatGPT, it draws information from three main sources to respond:
background knowledge it memorised during training
external information sources
information you previously provided.
1. Background knowledge
To develop an AI language model, the developers teach the model by having it read vast quantities of data in a process called “training”.
Where does this information come from? Broadly speaking, anything that can be publicly scraped from the internet. This can include everything from academic papers, eBooks, reports, free news articles, through to blogs, YouTube transcripts, or comments from discussion forums such as Reddit.
Are these sources reliable places to find mental health advice? Sometimes.
Are they always in your best interest and filtered through a scientific evidence based approach? Not always. The information is also captured at a single point in time when the AI is built, so may be out-of-date.
A lot of detail also needs to be discarded to squish it into the AI’s “memory”. This is part of why AI models are prone to hallucination and getting details wrong.
2. External information sources
The AI developers might connect the chatbot itself with external tools, or knowledge sources, such as Google for searches or a curated database.
When you ask Microsoft’s Bing Copilot a question and you see numbered references in the answer, this indicates the AI has relied on an external search to get updated information in addition to what is stored in its memory.
Meanwhile, some dedicated mental health chatbots are able to access therapy guides and materials to help direct conversations along helpful lines.
3. Information previously provided
AI platforms also have access to information you have previously supplied in conversations, or when signing up to the platform.
When you register for the companion AI platform Replika, for example, it learns your name, pronouns, age, preferred companion appearance and gender, IP address and location, the kind of device you are using, and more (as well as your credit card details).
On many chatbot platforms, anything you’ve ever said to an AI companion might be stored away for future reference. All of these details can be dredged up and referenced when an AI responds.
And we know these AI systems are like friends who affirm what you say (a problem known as sycophancy) and steer conversation back to interests you have already discussed. This is unlike a professional therapist who can draw from training and experience to help challenge or redirect your thinking where needed.
What about specific apps for mental health?
Most people would be familiar with the big models such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, or Microsofts’ Copilot. These are general purpose models. They are not limited to specific topics or trained to answer any specific questions.
But developers can make specialised AIs that are trained to discuss specific topics, like mental health, such as Woebot and Wysa.
However, these studies have all examined short-term use. We do not yet know what impacts excessive or long-term chatbot use has on mental health. Many studies also exclude participants who are suicidal or who have a severe psychotic disorder. And many studies are funded by the developers of the same chatbots, so the research may be biased.
This evidence all suggests AI chatbots may be an option to fill gaps where there is a shortage in mental health professionals, assist with referrals, or at least provide interim support between appointments or to support people on waitlists.
Bottom line
At this stage, it’s hard to say whether AI chatbots are reliable and safe enough to use as a stand-alone therapy option.
More research is needed to identify if certain types of users are more at risk of the harms that AI chatbots might bring.
It’s also unclear if we need to be worried about emotional dependence, unhealthy attachment, worsening loneliness, or intensive use.
AI chatbots may be a useful place to start when you’re having a bad day and just need a chat. But when the bad days continue to happen, it’s time to talk to a professional as well.
Aaron J. Snoswell previously received research project funding from OpenAI in 2024-2025 to develop new evaluation frameworks for measuring moral competence in AI agents.
Laura Neil receives funding through the Australian government Research Training Program Scholarship.
Centaine Snoswell 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: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –
Scientists from NSU have patented a catalyst for photooxidation of carbon monoxide (CO) under the influence of radiation of a wide spectral range. It effectively cleans gas-air mixtures and air from carbon monoxide at room temperature and is activated not only by ultraviolet radiation, like traditional photocatalysts used in this field, but also by natural light and by room light sources. The new catalyst also prevents the formation of carbon monoxide as a by-product during photocatalytic oxidation of a number of organic pollutants. In addition, it is capable of destroying chemicals, macromolecules, including DNA and RNA, and inactivating viruses and bacteria. Such a combined catalyst can be used in air purification systems and used as a photoactive coating for walls and other surfaces in office and residential premises. The authors of the invention emphasize that they created it in order to protect the environment and human health, since carbon monoxide is one of the most common pollutants.
— As a result of human activity, (350–600) 106 tons of CO enter the atmosphere annually, with more than half of this amount (56–62%) coming from motor vehicles, since the CO content in the exhaust gases of mobile vehicles can reach 12%. Carbon monoxide is dangerous for humans, since when its molecules interact with blood hemoglobin, carboxyhemoglobin is formed, which blocks the processes of oxygen transport and cellular respiration. A person’s presence in a closed space with a CO concentration in the air of more than 1250 mg/m3 for an hour leads to death. Fortunately, the concentrations of these pollutants in residential and work areas are usually low, but air purification is still necessary, because prolonged contact with these substances can lead to a deterioration in people’s well-being and harm their health, — the research fellow said. Scientific and Educational Center of the Institute of Chemical Technologies (INHIT) NSU, leading researcher of the photo- and electrocatalysis group of the Institute of Catalysis SB RAS Dmitry Selishchev.
Different approaches are used to solve the problem of removing molecular impurities from gas-air mixtures, but the most effective way to clean the air from small concentrations of pollutants under room conditions is photocatalytic oxidation. This oxidation method is based on the fact that under the action of light quanta with an energy exceeding the width of the forbidden zone of the semiconductor photocatalyst, electron-hole pairs are formed in the volume of the photocatalyst. The resulting electron and hole can migrate to the surface of the photocatalyst and participate in oxidation-reduction reactions with adsorbed compounds. This ensures a high oxidation rate even in the case of small concentrations of pollutants under room conditions.
— The photocatalytic method is one of the effective ways to clean indoor air from various types of pollutants. It is based on the use of special substances (photocatalysts), which, under the influence of light, provide oxidation of various types of pollutants, as a result of which they are transformed from the original state, when they are capable of harming human health, into harmless substances, such as, for example, carbon dioxide and water. This method is very effective in cleaning the air from organic types of pollutants. Traditional photocatalysts practically do not solve the problem of its purification from carbon monoxide, showing very low efficiency. To increase it to the desired level, we carried out a number of modifications of the photocatalysts we had previously developed by applying nanoparticles of noble metals – platinum and palladium – to their surface. These particles provide intermediate adsorption of carbon monoxide molecules, due to which the rate of their oxidation significantly increases, — explained Dmitry Selishchev.
The most famous semiconductor photocatalyst is titanium dioxide, which is inexpensive and virtually non-toxic, but at the same time allows for the complete oxidation of virtually any substance due to the formation of highly reactive particles. The main disadvantage of titanium dioxide as a photocatalyst is its fairly large band gap (3.0–3.2 eV), as a result of which it is activated only by ultraviolet radiation and is unable to absorb visible light quanta, which limits its area of application.
As Dmitry Selishchev explained, the most active photocatalysts are based on nanocrystalline titanium dioxide of a certain phase composition. In order to shift its spectrum of action along the wavelength scale to the visible light region, they proposed a synthesis method that provides for the introduction of additional nitrogen impurities, which lead to the appearance of additional energy levels and thus reduce the width of the forbidden zone. In this case, the catalyst is activated under the influence of light radiation of lower energy, i.e. with a longer wavelength.
— First-generation photocatalytic air purifiers were based on ultraviolet sources, such as low-pressure mercury lamps. Currently, mercury light sources are completely banned in a number of countries, while in other countries, restrictions are being introduced with the prospect of completely abandoning their use. Therefore, there was a need to transfer catalytic air purifiers from ultraviolet radiation sources to more efficient and safe, affordable LED sources. We set ourselves the task of creating a catalyst capable of activation in a wide spectral range. Other researchers had previously worked on it, using different approaches. We proposed combining the main advantages of titanium oxide catalysts, which provide high efficiency, with a modification of their structure by introducing a nitrogen impurity into it through the use of certain reagents and treatments, — explained Dmitry Selishchev.
The modified catalyst obtained in this way can be distinguished from its predecessor by color. The original catalyst is a white powder. This color indicates that it does not absorb, but reflects visible light. The modified catalyst turns yellow during manipulations. This means that it absorbs visible spectrum radiation. Such a catalyst is activated not only by visible light, but also by ultraviolet radiation, and can be used in new generations of devices for cleaning air from molecular impurities.
Another important disadvantage of titanium dioxide, like other traditional semiconductor photocatalysts, is its low adsorption capacity for carbon monoxide molecules, resulting in a low rate of photocatalytic oxidation and a low rate of air purification from impurities of this type. This is also important because CO can be formed as a by-product during photocatalytic oxidation of organic pollutants, especially aromatic compounds. This can result in secondary air pollution.
Since CO molecules are poorly sorbed on the surface, it was necessary to create additional centers for their absorption, as well as centers for the transfer of photogenerated charges. For this purpose, nanoparticles of noble metals – platinum and palladium – were introduced into the composition of the new photocatalyst, using certain reagents that ensure uniform distribution of nanoparticles over the surface of the photocatalyst.
— The new catalyst will find application in air purification systems. There are several large manufacturers on the Russian market who are interested in using a new type of catalyst to improve the efficiency of their products. NSU scientists work in cooperation with them and offer their developments for use in creating new generations of air purifiers. Also, the researchers of our laboratory are working on creating self-cleaning coatings for various materials and surfaces. These coatings consist of a photoactive component and binders. We intend to use the modernized catalyst in this area as well, in order to continuously provide passive cleaning of premises from carbon monoxide. Currently, testing of a wall coating based on a catalyst for photooxidation of carbon monoxide is underway in laboratory conditions, — said Dmitry Selishchev.
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.
Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –
The age of the archaeological site “Stoyanka Solnechny” (Krasnoyarsk) was determined by scientists from the Center for Collective Use “Accelerator Mass Spectrometry of the Novosibirsk State University and the Novosibirsk Scientific Center”. Radiocarbon analysis was performed on the bone remains of herbivores, which were discovered during large-scale rescue excavations conducted by researchers from Krasnoyarsk Geoarchaeology LLC and ANO “Archaeological Research of Siberia”. Based on the stratigraphic position of the finds in the deposits, types and technologies of manufacturing stone tools, they determined that the ancient hunters’ camp dates back to the early Holocene, namely the Mesolithic era, the general chronology of which is determined within 8-12 thousand years ago. The results obtained by Novosibirsk scientists using the accelerator mass spectrometry method came as a surprise to them – it turned out that the monument is 10 thousand years older and is not a continuation of the Paleolithic traditions in the subsequent geological era, as was previously believed, but a reflection of the earliest stages of the formation of the Afontovo culture. The results of the study were published in the International Peer-Reviewed Scientific Journal “Stratum plus. Archaeology and cultural anthropology”, which is published by the University “Higher Anthropological School”.
The Afontovskaya culture is an archaeological culture of the Upper Paleolithic (20-12 thousand years ago) on the Yenisei. It is characterized by stone tools on pebbles and flake chips, a developed technology for producing microplates, and a variety of tools made of horn and bone. The culture received its name from the archaeological site of Afontova Gora, a group of sites on the left bank of the Yenisei, within the boundaries of the modern city of Krasnoyarsk.
— We received 12 samples of bone material and analyzed them for the content of the rare isotope 14C using accelerator mass spectrometry. Sample preparation was carried out in advance — collagen was isolated, graphitization and subsequent measurements were carried out on a Micadas accelerator mass spectrometer. We analyzed the bone remains of herbivores that could have been the prey of ancient hunters who regularly used this site for a long time. The samples mainly included bones and teeth of reindeer, a tubular bone of a roe deer, a phalanx of a fossil horse, two bones of a fossil bison and one bone of a bird — a corncrake, which was found in a pit trap. The age of the finds varied due to the fact that the main cultural layer was partially disturbed and the site itself included evidence of ancient activity and natural events of various eras. The most ancient bones were those of fossil bisons — they were 29-30 thousand years old, and the “youngest” were those of roe deer — 1600-1900 years old. The most numerous were the bones of reindeer, whose age averaged 19-21 thousand years. We had no difficulties in studying the samples and interpreting the data obtained, but the results were unexpected for the research staff of the ANO “Archaeological Research of Siberia,” said Alexey Petrozhitsky, engineer at the UMS NSU-NNC Collective Use Center and research fellow at the G.I. Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics.
The archaeological site “Solnechny Parking Lot” is located in the Yenisei Valley on the northern outskirts of Krasnoyarsk within the city limits. The ancient site got its name from the Solnechny microdistrict, on whose territory it is located. It is currently being actively built up, housing complexes and urban infrastructure facilities are being erected.
“Solnechny Parking Lot” was discovered in 2017 by a detachment of OOO NPO “Archeological Design and Surveying” during a survey of the site of the planned construction of a highway. In 2019 and 2020, a detachment of OOO “Krasnoyarsk Geoarcheology” carried out security and rescue excavation work on the monument within the boundaries of the territory allocated for the construction of the road. The territory of the monument was significantly affected by anthropogenic activity. In the early 2000s, there was an arable field here. Ten years later, due to the expansion of the urban development zone, construction infrastructure facilities appeared on this territory, quarrying and embankment construction began. Also, the upper cover deposits over the entire area were disturbed during terrain planning, laying and operation of field roads. Most of it was covered with man-made deposits from fill and redeposited soil. Over a large area of the monument, artifacts were moved from their original position and mixed up, which significantly complicated the work of researchers and the dating of the monument.
— An important feature of the Solnechny Parking lot is its location. Archaeologists traditionally look for Paleolithic sites on river banks, and this site is located about 7 kilometers from the Yenisei and there are no small rivers nearby. Despite the presence of individual such sites, this was unusual for us. We were interested in understanding how Stone Age people moved around the area and what places they inhabited. This was a campsite arranged on some unknown hunting routes of Paleolithic hunters. People came here periodically and their stay at the site was short-lived – despite the fact that the excavations affected significant areas, we were unable to find the remains or even traces of permanent dwellings or any objects indicating long-term residence in this place. We also did not find human remains. From all this, the conclusion was made: people did not live here permanently. They came to the camp to process hunting trophies, as well as other economic activities, the remains of which, in fact, are garbage, we recorded there. Unfortunately, it is difficult to say for sure why they were attracted to this particular place. Perhaps the key to the solution will be further research on new archaeological sites in this part of the Krasnoyarsk archaeological region – said Dmitry Gurulev, senior researcher at the ANO “Archaeological Research of Siberia”.
Initially, archaeologists determined the age of this monument in the range of 9-12 thousand years. However, among the supposed finds of this period there were also later artifacts. For example, a pitfall trap. According to radiocarbon dating conducted later, its age was about 6 thousand years. Also found were an arrowhead, the so-called srezen, from the Middle Ages, bullets and a coin from the 19th century. However, these artifacts were isolated and uninformative, indicating that in subsequent times people no longer visited this place regularly and systematically until it was occupied by the modern city of Krasnoyarsk.
The contents of the Solnechny Site artifact collection were quite typical for the Afontovo archaeological culture sites. It consisted mainly of stone tools that were used by Paleolithic people for all basic household needs. Quite simple tools were made from river pebbles – choppers, hammers, planers. These finds were combined with objects made using more complex and advanced technologies, such as squeezing stone splitting and obtaining micro-plate chips that were used as replaceable blades in composite cutting tools. These small and thin stone plates 6-7 mm wide were inserted into grooves of horn or wooden bases. When such an inserted blade became dull or split, it was replaced with a new one. Also among the finds were stone tools used to select such grooves – cutters. Since the site was a hunting site, archaeologists found various scrapers and piercers here, which were probably used to process skins. In total, more than 1,700 stone objects and about 1,000 fragments of animal bones were found at the excavation site, among which the remains of reindeer, which was the main object of hunting, predominate.
-The dating of the monument, established by the scientists of the Central Committee of the SMS NSU-NNC, was a complete surprise for us. And for us these results are important for three reasons. Firstly, earlier we attributed the sunny parking to the early Golocene, but it turned out that it was much older and belongs to the very origin of the Athos culture of the upper Paleolithic. We evaluated the age of the object on the basis of his position in the stratigraphic context. In this case, he lay almost on the surface, at the minimum depth of about 20-30 cm. Of course, the depth of the occurrence depends on the type of deposits and the features of their accumulation, but usually the cultural layers of the Paleolithic are much deeper, in some cases at a depth of several meters. Here we are faced with a different situation, and now we can extrapolate the experience gained on other monuments in further excavation work. Secondly, the sunny parking is one of the few monuments with a reliably confirmed age, which shows us the stage of the formation of the Athos archaeological culture. Thanks to this, we know that at the very early stage of its existence, it was already formed in the form in which we know it according to later evidence: a set of stone guns and features of hunting fishing remained practically unchanged, namely, hunting for the northern deer. From all this, we can conclude that this archaeological culture was quite homogeneous throughout its existence, which is very important. Thirdly, it was important for us to explore a monument remote from a river network that did not have a clear binding to the landscape. Similar monuments are present in the vicinity of Krasnoyarsk, but today they are known only by separate random finds, and the sunny parking is the only object that was excavated on a wide area of more than 3000 m2, and therefore may act as a standard in such research, Dmitry Gurulev explained.
The specialists of the ANO “Archaeological Research of Siberia” have been working together with the UMS NSU-NNC Collective Use Center for years. Every year they send several dozen samples to determine their age using an accelerator mass spectrometer. Krasnoyarsk archaeologists intend to continue their joint work in the future, since there is a constant need to determine the age of new archaeological sites excavated annually, and the ability to conduct this kind of research in Russia is only available at the UMS NSU-NNC Collective Use Center.
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