Sacramento, California – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued a proclamation declaring April 30, 2025, as “Apprenticeship Day.”
The text of the proclamation and a copy can be found below.
PROCLAMATION
National Apprenticeship Day is a nationwide celebration recognizing apprenticeships as a vital career pathway that is key to the prosperity and vitality of our state. We are proud to be a national leader in growing the number and type of apprenticeships, enabling more Californians to pursue rewarding careers while strengthening our economy.
Apprenticeships are integral to California’s Master Plan for Career Education, a pragmatic strategy for career readiness that prioritizes hands-on learning and real-life skills in career education. Working in coordination with the California Jobs First Economic Blueprint, the Master Plan takes a bottom-up approach to workforce and economic development that is responsive to the emerging needs of the economy and specific to sectors, regions, and individuals’ skills and experience.
The state has made historic efforts to increase access to apprenticeships across industries, proudly supporting 91,493 active registered apprentices. We are invested in initiatives to sustain and scale registered apprentice programs, through initiatives like Apprenticeship Innovation Funding, which has made $52 million available in its third round of funding to reimburse the program and training costs for growing apprenticeship programs.
All Californians deserve the opportunity to gain the skills that build a lasting career. Through the California Opportunity Youth Apprenticeship Grant program, the state is committing an additional $16 million to expand access to pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship opportunities for young people. This investment, together with the Equal Representation in Construction Apprenticeship Grant, is expanding pathways into the construction industry and helping ensure that California’s skilled workforce reflects California’s communities.
Apprentices offer an impactful alternative to traditional education paths that benefit employers as well as workers by filling skill gaps in critical areas and helping businesses grow. Supporting the next generation of skilled workers is how we have built the fourth-largest economy in the world – and a workforce that is the envy of the world.
NOW THEREFORE I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim April 30, 2025 as “Apprenticeship Day.”
IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 30th day of April 2025.
GAVIN NEWSOM Governor of California
ATTEST: SHIRLEY N. WEBER, Ph.D. Secretary of State
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News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:Kristina “Kris” Thayer, of Raleigh, North Carolina, has been appointed Director of The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. Thayer has been Director of the Director of the…
SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:
Kristina “Kris” Thayer, of Raleigh, North Carolina, has been appointed Director of The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. Thayer has been Director of the Director of the Integrated Risk Information System Division at the United States Environmental Protection Agency since 2019, where she has held multiple positions since 2017, including Director of the Integrated Risk Information System and Director of the Chemical and Pollution Assessment Division. She held multiple positions at the National Toxicology Program at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences from 2003 to 2017, including Deputy Director of the Division of Analysis, Director of the Office of Health Assessment and Translation, Director of the Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction, Staff Scientist at the Center for the Evaluation of Risk to Human Reproduction, Deputy Director of the Office of Risk Assessment Research, and Staff Scientist in the Office of Liaison and Scientific Review. Thayer is a member of the Society of Toxicology. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Missouri, Columbia and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Pennsylvania State University, University Park. This position requires Senate confirmation, and compensation is $217,000. Thayer is a Democrat.
Jason D. Johnson, of Redlands, has been appointed Undersecretary of Operations at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Johnson has been Acting Undersecretary of Operations since 2024 at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, where he has held several positions since 2006, including Director of the Division of Adult Parole Operations, Chief Deputy Regional Administrator, Parole Administrator I, Parole Agent III Supervisor, Parole Agent II Supervisor, and Parole Agent I. Johnson was a Probation Officer II at San Bernardino County Probation Department from 2001 to 2006. He is a member of the Los Angeles County Police Chiefs’ Association, the Orange County Chiefs’ and Sherriffs’ Association, and the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice. Johnson earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Redlands and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from California State University, Fullerton. This position requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $239,796. Johnson is a Democrat.
Joshua Prudhel, of Ceres, has been appointed Warden of Sierra Conservation Center, where he has been serving as Acting Warden since 2024. Prudhel was Chief Deputy Administrator at California State Prison, Sacramento from 2022 to 2024. He was a Correctional Administrator at California State Prison, Corcoran in 2022. Prudhel was Acting Chief Deputy Administrator at Correctional Training Facility from 2021 to 2022. He was a Correctional Administration at California State Prison, Corcoran from 2020 to 2021. Prudhel was Captain at California Health Care Facility from 2016 to 2020, where he was previously a Correctional Lieutenant from 2014 to 2016. He was a Correctional Lieutenant at California State Prison, Corcoran from 2011 to 2014, where he was previously a Correctional Sergeant from 2008 to 2011. Prudhel was a Correctional Sergeant at Deuel Vocational Institution from 2007 to 2008, and at Correctional Training Facility from 2005 to 2007. He was a Correctional Officer at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center from 2003 to 2005, and at Richard A. Mcgee Correctional Training Center from 2002 to 2003. Prudhel is a member of the California Correctional Supervisors Organization. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $193,524. Prudhel is a Republican.
Megan Mekelburg, of Sacramento, has been appointed Deputy Secretary for Legislation at the California Natural Resources Agency. Mekelburg has been Deputy Appointments Secretary in the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom since 2024. She was Senior Associate at Environmental & Energy Consulting from 2023 to 2024. Mekelburg was Legislative Director in the Office of Senator Aisha Wahab in the California State Senate in 2023. She held multiple roles in the Office of Senator Josh Newman in the California State Senate from 2021 to 2023, including Legislative Director and Acting Chief of Staff. Mekelburg held multiple roles in the Office of Senator Henry Stern in the California State Senate from 2019 to 2021, including Legislative Aide and Executive Assistant. She earned a Master of Arts degree in Public Policy and Administration from California State University, Sacramento and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from University of California, Davis. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $160,008. Mekelburg is a Democrat.
Matthew Sage, of Fair Oaks, has been appointed Commander of the State Threat Assessment Center at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Sage has been the Deputy Commander of Intel/Analysis at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services since 2023. He was an Account Executive at Echo Analytics Group from 2021 to 2022. He was a Supervisory Intelligence Specialist at the Department of the Army from 2015 to 2021. Sage was an Operations and Integrations Officer at Dyncorp International from 2012 to 2015. He was a Staff Officer at Sytera LLC. from 2011 to 2012. Sage was an Atmospherics Manager at AECOM/McNeill Technologies in 2011. He served as rank E-5 in the United States Army from 2006 to 2010. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $161,062. Sage is registered without party preference.
Davina Hurt, of Belmont, has been appointed to the California Water Commission. Hurt has been the California Climate Policy Director at Pacific Environment since 2025. She was an Attorney/Civic Advocate at Davina Hurt Esq. from 2005 to 2024. Hurt held multiple positions with the City of Belmont from 2015 to 2024, including Mayor, Vice Mayor, and City Councilmember. She was a Campaign Manager at the Democratic Volunteer Center from 2014 to 2015. Hurt was a Securities Case Assistant at Heller Ehrman White and McAuliffe LLP from 2004 to 2005. She was a Senior Counsel and Civic Advocate at Tyson and Mendes LLP in 2004. Hurt was a Law Clerk at Bay Area Legal Aid from 2002 to 2004. She was a Law Clerk at the United States District Court for Northern District of California from 2002 to 2003. Hurt was a Summer Associate at Milberg, Weiss, Bershad, Hynes & Lerach LLP in 2002. She earned a Juris Doctor Degree from Santa Clara University School of Law and a Bachelor of the Arts degree in History and Political Science from Baylor University. This position requires Senate confirmation, and compensation is $100 per diem. Hurt is a Democrat.
Peter Stern, of San Francisco, has been appointed to the California Horse Racing Board. Stern has been Chief Revenue Officer at Skedulo and an Advisor at Berkeley SkyDeck since 2025. He held several roles at Authorium from 2024 to 2025, including Advisor and Executive Vice President. He was the Co-Founder of VoiceBrain from 2021 to 2023. He was a Commissioner at California State Lottery Commission from 2019 to 2022. He held several positions at Inxeption from 2017 to 2021, including Executive Vice President of Business Operations and Senior Vice President of Corporate Development. Stern was the Airport Commissioner at the San Francisco International Airport from 2010 to 2019. He was Chief Revenue Officer at Skedulo from 2015 to 2017. Stern was the Chief Revenue Officer at Autopilot from 2013 to 2015. Stern was the Vice President of Sales at Kenandy, Inc. from 2011 to 2013. He held numerous positions at Salesforce from 2007 to 2011, including Vice President of Enterprise Corporate Sales and Corporate Sales Manager. Stern was Regional Manager at Oracle from 2005 to 2007. He was an Account Executive at Macromedia from 2002 to 2004. Stern was an Account Executive at Oracle from 2000 to 2000. This position requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $100 per diem. Stern is registered without party preference.
Dyan Whyte, of Berkeley, has been appointed to the California State Mining and Geology Board. Whyte has been the Chief Financial Officer at Dataway US since 2019. She held multiple positions at the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Francisco Bay Region from 1988 to 1999, including Assistant Executive Officer and Senior Engineering Geologist. Whyte earned a Master of Science degree in Environmental Geology from University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies and Geology from California State University, Sonoma. This position requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $100 per diem. Whyte is a Democrat.
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Over the past 10 years Manchester City Council has had big ambitions for our city.
From tackling inequalities in our society, and creating a vibrant city that people want to live and work in, to growing our reputation on the global stage as a leading city.
In the decade since the original Our Manchester plan was brought to life Manchester has been a city on the rise. More than 100,000 new people call the city home, more than 100,000 new jobs have been created, and Manchester is now one of the most important engines of growth in the UK and Europe.
More children did better in school and our residents became more qualified: nearly three quarters of our residents now have a college-level qualification, and far fewer have no qualification at all.
Through that decade, huge strides have been made to improve the lives of ordinary people, working in collaboration with a range of partners, from education and health, to business, emergency services and community and faith groups we began to shift the dial on hard long-term challenges.
Just a fraction of the things we have achieved together include:
More schools, colleges and early years groups judged better than ever
More pounds in workers’ pockets in our Real Living Wage City
Investment to make people proud and safer on their streets in neighbourhoods like Ancoats, Beswick, Collyhurst, Miles Platting, New Islington and Wythenshawe
We are now building more affordable homes than at any point in the last decade
Skills and better education for people to get on and do well in our City of Lifelong Learning and Child Friendly City
The opening of Aviva Studios and Co-op Live (the largest indoor venue in the UK) and global cultural events such as the Chanel Métiers D’Art show, all of which showcase the fantastic place Manchester is for our partners to promote and develop art, sport and culture
But, there is more work to be done. 10 years is no time at all when it comes to addressing the long-term issues which still hold people back and prevent everyone from sharing in the prosperity that Manchester has to offer.
This is why today, we are launching the next 10-year plan for Our Manchester, bigger and bolder than before, presenting the ambitious vision for 2025-2035.
During this coming decade the Council will lead the charge for Manchester to become an even better city, to continue to address issues such as inequality, fostering growth that benefits everyone, tackling the housing crisis so that everyone in Manchester can enjoy affordable, low-carbon housing, continuing to push towards becoming a zero-carbon city by 2038, and creating green and clean neighbourhoods that everyone can enjoy.
A list of 12 priorities have been set that will guide the Council’s policies over the next 10 years. Broadly they fit into three categories on what we can do to improve the lives of the people who live here, the neighbourhoods in which we live, and the ambitions we have for our city.
Priorities 1 to 5. Our People will be:
Happy, healthy and active from childhood
Well educated, learning new skills throughout life to get the best jobs
Proud of our diversity, feeling valued and included
Participants influencing decisions
Safe – in person and online
Priories 6 and 7 are for all Our Neighbourhoods to have:
6. Enough good quality, genuinely affordable homes
7. Attractive, well-kept areas with good facilities, public services and green spaces
Priorities 8 to 12 are for Our City to have:
8. A growing economy with jobs and fair opportunities for all
9. Ways to adapt to climate change and cut our carbon emissions
10. World-renowned things for everyone to see and do, showcasing our passion for sport and culture
11. Reliable transport that’s quick, cheap, safe and clean
12. Technology to achieve our aims, safely and ethically
Councillor Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council said: “Over the last 10 years we have seen tremendous things happen in Manchester, things which have well and truly put us on the global stage as a city and put us in an incredibly strong position to keep growing over the coming decade.
“We are incredibly confident that the next 10 years will be our best yet.
“Building on strong foundations we want Manchester to the best place in the country to grow up, live well and live happy, successful lives. We will tackle inequality and health inequity, deliver our ambitious housing plan to build tens of thousands of homes, create over 100,000 new jobs, invest and improve our neighbourhoods, invest in better transport and digital connections and build a more sustainable city.
“Manchester has seen significant change over the last decade, and today we are setting out our deliberately ambitious strategy for our collective future, and an action plan to power us through the next 10 years. It is a plan that will improve our city as well as the everyday lives of our residents. Getting to this stage has been a long process, and we have heard to more than 10,000 Mancunian voices about their hopes and dreams for our city.
“Together we will create a city that is a joy to live and work in and where Mancunians, both home-grown and adopted, that is demonstrably better in 2035 and everyone feels proud of.”
The film “Flow”, directed by Latvian Gints Zilbalodis, was awarded the 2025 LUX Audience Award at a ceremony on Tuesday in the European Parliament in Brussels.
“Flow“, a Latvian, French and Belgian co-production, tells the story of Cat, a solitary animal whose home is devastated by a great flood. In his efforts to adapt to a new world, Cat finds refuge on a boat populated by other animals. The film deals with issues that are central in the European Parliament’s work: climate change, migration, displacement, and resilience.
“The LUX Audience Award is more than just a prize. It is a testament to the European Parliament’s commitment to democracy, freedom of expression and the role of cinema in reflecting and shaping our societies. It brings European stories closer to people and brings people closer to the work of the European Parliament. This year’s five nominated films represent some of the most urgent and compelling issues of our time, issues that are at the core of the European Parliament’s agenda,” European Parliament Vice-President Sabine Verheyen (EPP, DE) said in a video message shown during the ceremony in the European Parliament hemicycle in Brussels.
“We have had five compelling narratives and five very different LUX Audience Award nominees: they are an inspiration to filmmakers and the public, not only for celebrating the extraordinary variety of European cinema but also for demonstrating its ability to entertain and elevate at the same time. The cinematic art in Europe is a perfect example of how culture can make a significant contribution to society and advocate for compassion, empathy and change in an otherwise divided world,” Mike Downey, honorary president of the LUX Selection Committee and chair of the European Film Academy, said following the announcement of the winner.
The four other films shortlisted for the award were: “Animal” by Greek director Sofia Exarchou, “Dahomey” by French director Mati Diop, “Intercepted” by Ukranian director Oksana Karpovych, and “Julie keeps quiet” by Belgian director Leonardo van Dijl.
The winning film was chosen by combining a public vote and a vote by MEPs, each weighted at 50%.
Press point
After the ceremony, a press point with the chair of Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education, Nela Riehl (Greens, DE), representatives of the winning film, and Mike Downey, will take place in front of room SPAAK 03C050. The press point will be webstreamed via the European Parliament Multimedia Centre.
LUX Audience Award
Through the LUX Audience Award, a unique pan-European audience film prize, Parliament has supported the distribution of European films since 2007, by providing subtitles in 24 EU languages for shortlisted films. The LUX Audience Award has garnered a reputation for quality by selecting European co-productions that engage with topical political and social issues and encourage debate about European values.
Question for written answer E-001604/2025 to the Commission Rule 144 Kostas Papadakis (NI), Lefteris Nikolaou-Alavanos (NI)
With the constant ferry ticket price hikes brought on by shipowners, travel to the islands has become a luxury and a premium commodity. The costs of using new fuels in the context of the EU’s Fit for 55 regulation are passed on by shipowners to passengers. Promising to keep prices down, the Greek Government is slashing port fees by 50 % as of 1 May 2025, constituting yet another gift for shipping groups.
In light of the above, can the Commission answer the following:
1.What view does it take of the fact that, as a result of the ‘green’ strategy and the promotion of the Fit for 55 regulation, the already incredibly expensive fares for passengers, vehicles and goods are constantly subjected to further increases – such as those applicable from 1 May 2025 – while shipowners increase their profits?
2.What view does it take of the fact that the strategy to liberalise maritime transport, as reflected in Commission communication COM(2014)232, leads to higher profits for shipowners through ‘guaranteed profits’ and numerous tax exemptions, while working people and passengers are exposed to the risks of travelling on very old boats and, especially in winter, islands are left without maritime transport for days on end?
3.What view does it take of the calls to immediately reduce the prices of tickets and fares for passengers, vehicles and goods by 50 %, without granting new subsidies and privileges to shipowners, and to guarantee free travel for the unemployed, students, those in the military and people with special needs or chronic conditions, as well as reduced rates for pensioners, large families and substitute teachers, doing away with the unacceptable system whereby schoolchildren above the age of 10 normally have to buy a ticket?
The Commission is aware of the negative effects of digital distractions and excessive screentime, both in and outside of school. Time spent on smartphones during school hours is particularly concerning, as Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)[1] results show a strong link between digital distraction and learning outcomes.
The Commission published in January 2025 a literature review to explore the relationship between screen time and academic achievement[2].
With the help of ENESET Network[3] the Commission is gathering evidence and practices from around the EU on the impact of mobile phone bans in schools expected for end 2025.
Through initiatives such as the European Education Area and the Digital Education Action Plan[4], the Commission promotes digital literacy and online safety education and capacity building of both educators and learners to use these devices in responsible, healthy and respectful ways, while safeguarding proper attention to sleep, physical and outdoor activities to protect their mental health.
Recommendations for policymakers, and educators on wellbeing and mental health[5] were published by the Commission’s expert group on supportive learning environments and wellbeing at school.
The communication on mental health[6] supports youth mental health including in the digital sphere[7]. The Commission will conduct an EU-wide inquiry on the impact of social media and excessive screentime on mental health and wellbeing[8] and will publish an Action Plan against cyberbullying.
Children should be able to benefit from online opportunities in a safe digital environment. The Digital Services Act[9] and the Audiovisual Media Services Directive[10] contain dedicated rules to protect children online.
The European Strategy for Better Internet for Kids (BIK+)[11] aims to ensure that every child is respected, protected and empowered online.
The protection of minors online is a Commission priority. The Digital Services Act (DSA)[1] sets out an unprecedented standard for providers of online platforms’ accountability regarding this protection.
Measures that manage the amount of screen time for minor users and the type of content they are exposed to may be a potential mitigation measure to ensure the DSA’s high level of privacy, safety and security requirements for online platform providers accessible to minors.
The Commission is committed to swift DSA enforcement and has initiated proceedings against TikTok[2], Instagram, and Facebook[3] based on suspicions that they may have breached the DSA in areas related to the harmful effects on minors of their systems.
With Digital Service Coordinators[4], the Commission continues to monitor the situation across all online platforms. Moreover, the Commission is working on protection of minor guidelines to assist online platform providers DSA compliance[5].
The protection of young consumers will also be a Digital Fairness Act priority[6] addressing matters such as influencer marketing, addictive design, personalisation or dark patterns.
The European Strategy for a better Internet for kids (BIK+)[7] promotes responsible use of technology by supporting children, their carers and teachers through Safer Internet Centres and the BIK platform[8]. Building on the BIK+ Strategy, the Commission is developing an action plan against cyberbullying.
The Commission prioritises addressing social medias’ mental health impact and screen time on young people and will launch an EU-wide enquiry to allow an informed debate[9].
Under the Digital Education Action Plan, the Commission published Guidelines[10] to help educators tackle disinformation and digital literacy. A new version will be rolled out this year to address artificial intelligence, social media, influencers and pre-bunking.
[2] In 2024, following the opening of an investigation by the Commission, the provider of TikTok committed to permanently withdraw the TikTok Lite Rewards programme in the EU due to the potentially addictive feature of the app. https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/tiktok-commits-permanently-withdraw-tiktok-lite-rewards-programme-eu-comply-digital-services-act
Union Ministers Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw and Shri V. Somanna lead historic tribute to Shri Basaveshwara at Parliament House, marking first-ever floral homage at Prerana Sthal Legacy of 12th-century reformer Saint Basavanna honoured at national stage; leaders recall his democratic ideals, vision for equality and inclusive society
Posted On: 30 APR 2025 9:36PM by PIB Delhi
Union Minister for Railways, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Minister of State for Railways, Shri V. Somanna, offered floral tributes today at the statue of Jagajyothi Shri Basaveshwara at Prerana Sthal, Parliament House, New Delhi, to commemorate his 894th birth anniversary. This marked the first time the occasion was observed at this venue, reflecting the Government’s recognition of the revered social reformer’s legacy.
Saint Basavanna, was a revolutionary figure of the 12th century, championed the message of equality and propagated the principle of “work is worship”. He strived tirelessly to build a society founded on the dignity of labour. It is vital to acknowledge that his visionary work in the 12th century laid the essential groundwork for many principles that underpin modern democracy. Lord Basaveshwara was a great reformer and a great administrator. The teachings of Lord Basaveshwara are the source of spiritual knowledge, as well as serve as the practical guide to our lives. His teachings teach us to be a better human being, and to make our society liberal, kind and humane. He had guided our society on issues of social and gender equality, several centuries ago.
Lord Basaveshwara laid the foundations of a democracy, which prioritises and promotes the rights of person, standing on the last rungs of the society. He did not just preach about the reforms he wanted in the individuals or in the society but also adopted and inculcated them in his own life. Saint Basavanna believed in casteless society and advocated its eradication for an equal and just society. He promoted the idea of love and compassion for all living beings. Saint Basavanna had set an example hundreds of years ago of universal and all-encompassing democracy in Kannada society through Anubhav Mandapam. Saint Basavanna gave beautiful and simple solutions through his sayings, to the problems of every section of the society. Teachings of Saint Basavanna will help not only Karnataka but the entire country and the world to move ahead on the path of peace, harmony and inclusive democracy.
The ceremony was graced by the divine presence of Jagadguru Shri Basava Jaya Mrutyunjaya Swamiji from Kudalsangam Lingayat Panchamasali Peetha. Union Ministers Shri Kiren Rijju, and Shri Pralhad Joshi, Union Ministers of State Smt. Shobha Karandlaje, Shri Ravneet Singh Bittu, and Shri Rajbhushan Choudhary, as well as Members of Parliament Shri P.C. Gaddigoudar, Shri Tejasvi Surya, Rajya Sabha MPs Shri lranna B. Kadadi, Shri Annasaheb Jolle, and Smt. Shashikala Jolle, among other dignitaries and revered spiritual leaders were present.
Maj Gen Lisamma PV assumed the appointment of Additional Director General, Military Nursing Service (MNS) in New Delhi on May 01, 2025. She succeeds Maj Gen Sheena PD who superannuated on April 30, 2025 after serving for four decades. Hailing from Kollam district of Kerala, Maj Gen Lisamma PV is an alumna of School of Nursing, Military Hospital, Jalandhar.
After her commissioning into MNS in 1986, the General Officer obtained Bachelor’s degree in Arts & Law along with Master’s Degree in Hospital Administration. Alongside her professionally rich nursing career, she has excelled as an administrator handling various appointments such as Principal College of Nursing, Command Hospital Air Force, (Bangalore); Principal Matron, Command Hospital (Eastern Command); Brigadier MNS HQ (Eastern Command); Brigadier MNS (Admin) Integrated HQ of Ministry of Defence, and the recent appointment at Army Hospital (Research & Referral) as Principal Matron.
Maj Gen Lisamma PV’s strong resolve for evidence-based best practices through training and research, to stay relevant at all times, has been widely appreciated.
Funding has been provided by the Government to the City of Wolverhampton Council to help ensure there is sufficient wraparound childcare such as breakfast and after school clubs in the city.
The funding is available to schools, Ofsted registered private settings and childminders, to either create new or expand existing provision which will cater for primary aged children from 8am to 5.30pm.
Councillor Jacqui Coogan, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, said: “Access to available and reasonably priced childcare is crucial in helping parents back into work, while schemes like tax free childcare can support families with costs.
“It’s important that we ensure there is sufficient wraparound childcare in the city to meet demand, and so we’re asking schools, private settings and childminders to consider their current wraparound offer, whether it meets the needs of their families, and whether there is sufficient provision of reasonably priced and available childcare in their local area. If not, our Early Years team is here to help support settings to secure funding to expand their provision.
“At the same time, parents and carers have a key role to play too. If they are currently unable to access childcare, they have the right to request that the school their child attends, or is due to attend, considers setting up wraparound or holiday childcare if they don’t already have it. This can be done via the Government’s Education Hub website.
“We’re also encouraging jobseekers to consider a role working in a wraparound club. This sort of job can provide you with valuable experience in the childcare sector and opportunities for developing your qualifications.”
Settings which want to find out more about expanding or creating wraparound provision are invited to contact the council’s Early Years team by emailing early.years@wolverhampton.gov.uk.
For more details about requesting that a setting considers establishing new wraparound or holiday childcare, please visit The Education Hub.
Eligible working parents and carers with children aged 11 or under can get up to £2,000 per child each year towards their childcare costs, or up to £4,000 for children with a disability aged 16 or under, though the tax free childcare scheme. Help is also available for families claiming benefits such as Universal Credit. To find out more, including how to apply for support with childcare costs, please visit the Childcare Choices website.
Fifty years after the end of the Vietnam war, the long-term consequences of that conflict continue to affect many Vietnamese people’s daily lives. There are still thousands of unexploded mines and bombs strewn across the region in forests, rice fields and around villages.
The war (1955-75) pitted communist North Vietnam and its allies against South Vietnam and its ally, the US, and spilled into Laos and Cambodia. It was seen partly as a symbol of the cold war and a conflict between communist values and the west.
In 2019, the US Congress estimated that more than 20% of land in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia remained “contaminated” by unexploded ordnance (UXO). In 2023, in Vietnam alone, this was estimated to mean around 800,000 tonnes of bombs and mines remained. Since 1975, UXO accidents have caused more than 105,000 casualties, including more than 38,000 deaths of Vietnamese civilians.
But mine clearance and attempts to clean up the results of the toxic Agent Orange sprayed on the Vietnamese countryside during the war have been put on hold by Donald Trump’s government, as the administration dismantles US foreign aid (USAID).
In the last few weeks, funds for the clean-up of Agent Orange at Bien Hoa air base, close to Ho Chi Minh City, were frozen and then unfrozen. It remains unclear how, or whether, the process will be able to continue when many of the personnel involved have lost their jobs.
Meanwhile, a USAID project helping the victims of Agent Orange appears to have ended along with the agency that delivered it. And in January, the US state department announced it was suspending mine clearance in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia for at least three months because of the cuts.
In another development that suggests the relationship between Vietnam and the US is fragile, senior US diplomats based in Vietnam have been told not to attend any commemorations marking the end of the Vietnam war in Hanoi.
What’s the backdrop?
During the conflict, the US military dropped millions of tonnes of ordnance on Vietnam as well as neighbouring Cambodia and Laos.
Even though Laos and Cambodia were not officially involved in the war, recent research has revealed that in the 1960s and 1970s, the Americans dropped more bombs on Cambodia than the allies did on their enemies during the second world war, and that Laos became the most bombed country per head of population in history.
CBS coverage of the Vietnam war.
As a result, every year hundreds of people across south-east Asia, many of them children, continue to be killed and maimed by these bombs and mines.
Agent Orange’s legacy
Agent Orange and other chemical defoliants used during the war are also still spreading their toxic legacy. US forces sprayed at least 70 million litres of these chemicals on the countryside during the war, to expose the enemy and destroy its food sources.
This process proved potentially catastrophic for anyone, including Americans, who was exposed to Agent Orange at the time – as well as their children, as it is linked to birth defects.
Today, millions of people — many of whom were not even alive during the conflict — continue to suffer from physical and mental conditions that can be directly linked to Agent Orange, despite the challenges of documenting cases.
And countless people who fought and died in the war remain missing. While close to 60,000 Americans were killed and the bodies of some 1,600 of them are still unaccounted for, hundreds of thousands — probably millions — of Vietnamese, Laotians and Cambodians died. Many of their remains have never been found.
This has led the International Commission on Missing Persons to suggest that about 200,000 Vietnamese people killed during the war are in “anonymous or unknown gravesites” across the country.
In recent years, the US and Vietnam governments have worked together to undo some of the damage of the war, as part of the American and Vietnamese diplomatic reconciliation process. This has included the state department in Washington providing millions of dollars for the clearance of unexploded ordnance.
The US government had also funded a multi-million dollar clean-up of areas on which Agent Orange was used, and supported treatment for those it affected.
In recent years, governments of both nations also worked on projects to find the remains of Americans and Vietnamese killed in the war. Members of the public and veterans have been part of this search.
US-Vietnamese ties have taken decades to build and involve many people at different levels of government in Hanoi and Washington. But Trump’s decision to halt funding for landmine removal as well as medical support in Vietnam will seriously endanger this work, and could leave hundreds of lives still at risk.
Andrew Priest 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.
The Trump administration’s cuts to funding for American universities and research have left many scientists reeling and very worried. At the National Institutes of Health, which has an annual budget of US$47 billion to support medical research both in the U.S. and around the world, nearly 800 grants have been terminated. The administration is considering cutting the overall budget of the NIH by 40%.
In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, we speak to three scientists, two in the U.S. and one in South Africa, about what it’s like to be a scientist whose funding has been cut by the Trump administration.
Sunghee Lee was in a meeting when she received an email to say that her $5 million, five-year grant from the NIH had been terminated. It was March 21, and Lee, a research professor at the University of Michigan, was stunned.
“ It was very short and opaque, which is very different than how NIH usually operates”, she said. Lee’s project, which started in 2024, looked at different risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease across racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. The termination email cited diversity, equity and inclusion studies, an early target of the Trump administration’s cuts to federal research funding, which it said no longer “effectuates agency priorities.”
Lee was confused. “ Our study looks at everybody,” she said. “So if looking at everybody is a DEI study, just about any data collection in this country should be classified as DEI studies and terminated.”
An arduous application process
A few weeks earlier, Brady West, a colleague of Lee’s at the University of Michigan, had received similar news. West’s access to a federal research data center, a secure room to access restricted personal data, was withdrawn. He was told that one of his NIH-funded projects, which looked at measuring health disparities between people of different sexual identities, was no longer in compliance with recent executive orders. “Fortunately for me,” he said, “I was nearing the end of this project.”
West explains that it can take up to two years for researchers to win a grant from a federal funding agency like the NIH. That money then supports a whole team of people, including researchers and administrators. All grant applications are reviewed by a panel of experts from the field who judge whether it’s novel, important research.
”A big misconception is that an administration chooses to fund these grants based on what they believe are important topics to research,“ West said. “That’s not the case.”
HIV vaccine research
The vast majority of NIH funding goes to institutions and researchers in the U.S., but a recent analysis by the journal Nature found 811 grants to international teams in more than 60 countries worth more than $340 million.
Glenda Gray is a professor at the infectious disease and oncology research institute at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and chief scientific officer at South Africa’s Medical Research Council. She’s at the forefront of research efforts to find a vaccine for HIV, work supported largely by grants from the NIH and aid from the United States Agency for International Development.
In January, a $46 million project funded by USAID on experimental HIV vaccines that Gray ran was terminated after the Trump administration dismantled the aid agency. Then in mid-April, she saw that funding for a clinical trial unit in Soweto involved in trials for HIV vaccines had been marked as “pending.” On top of that, four global research networks on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment strategies that the Soweto unit was affiliated with were told by NIH that they could no longer spend any money in South Africa.
Gray says the level of funding, which was won in a competitive, global process, is “irreplacable” and will have drastic impact on HIV research.
“ Basically you lose the knowledge or the value of understanding HIV prevention, HIV vaccines or therapeutics. We have the infrastructure, we have the burden of disease, and we have the ability to answer these questions,” Gray said. “And so it’s going to take much longer to answer these questions than if you had South Africa there. Basically, we slow down HIV vaccine research … you slow down the process of knowledge generation.”
Listen to Sunghee Lee, Brady West and Glenda Gray talk about their experiences and what it means for their research on The Conversation Weekly podcast. It also includes an introduction with Alla Katsnelson, associate health editor at The Conversation in the U.S.
This episode of The Conversation Weekly was written and produced by Gemma Ware and Katie Flood. Mixing and sound design by Eloise Stevens and theme music by Neeta Sarl.
Listen to The Conversation Weekly via any of the apps listed above, download it directly via our RSS feed or find out how else to listen here.
Brady Thomas West has received funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and National Science Foundation. Sunghee Lee has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Justice. Glenda Gray has received funding from USAID co-operative agreement for HIV vaccine research and US-NIH funding for HIV vaccines.
Over 35 local providers hosted activity sessions, including food, at 48 locations all over the city. A wide variety of opportunities meant there was something for everyone, with children and young people enjoying martial arts, drama, arts and crafting, cinema visits, sports activities, AI and coding skills, music workshops, life saving first aid and much more.
Among the many providers who delivered holiday events was Soccer Coaching 2000, offering football coaching and multi sports at Stow Heath Primary School.
Councillor Jacqui Coogan, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, said: “I was delighted to visit Soccer 2000 Coaching and see how much the children were learning and enjoying themselves.
“It’s great to get out and see for myself some of our local providers, volunteers and organisations which are working so hard with us to continue to build a huge range of opportunities for our city’s children and young people through Yo! Wolves.”
Josh Wright, Senior Coach from Soccer Coaching 2000, added: “We are very pleased to be part of the Yo! Wolves programme providing a safe environment for children and young people to learn new skills, get fit and socialise during the holidays.”
Soccer Coaching 2000 is one element of the Yo! Wolves programme, offering hundreds of activities available across the city to children and young people, including those with a Holiday Activities Fund (HAF) code.
There is also a range of activities that are inclusive for children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).
Look out for Yo! Wolves summer programme – details coming soon visit Yo! Wolves.
Councillor Coogan added: “We know how difficult school holidays can be for many families at the best of times, and we hope our Yo! Wolves programme is giving parents a little extra support. So, get ready for a summer full of fun, making new friends, learning new skills, and enjoying new adventures.”
Experts from the University of Aberdeen Rowett Institute will host a special event to give shift workers the opportunity to learn more about the health impacts of a ‘disrupted body clock.’Experts from the University of Aberdeen Rowett Institute will host a special event to give shift workers the opportunity to learn more about the health impacts of a ‘disrupted body clock.’
Dr Brendan Gabriel and Professor Alexandra Johnstone recently collaborated with NHS Grampian Nursing and Midwifery Leadership Council on a “top tips” guide for shift workers – and are keen to spread the message to other sectors too, such as oil and gas.
Attendees will learn valuable tips and tricks to stay healthy and energised while working irregular hours and Dr Gabriel and Professor Johnstone will share insights on sleep patterns, nutrition, and stress management tailored to the unique challenges faced by shift workers.
Dr Gabriel said: “We wanted to put on this event to open up a conversation between researchers and the people at the heart of this issue: shift workers themselves. “Our research at the Rowett is focused on understanding how disrupted body clocks affect metabolism, diet, and long-term health, and we’re excited to share what we’ve learned so far.
By hearing directly from those who work nights – across healthcare, energy, and other sectors – we can make sure our science is grounded in everyday reality.” Dr Brendan Gabriel
“But we also know that real-world experiences are just as important. By hearing directly from those who work nights — across healthcare, energy, and other sectors — we can make sure our science is grounded in everyday reality.”
Professor Johnstone added: “We know from our previous work that time of day of eating, or ‘chrono-nutrition’, is important for appetite control, but also that time of day for eating the largest meal of the day (either morning or evening) does not influence energy metabolism and shift workers can achieve a healthy weight in spite of different eating times.”
The event will take place on Thursday, May 22 at 2pm at the Rowett Institute. For more information and to book your place, visit https://abdn.site/ShiftWork
An online event will take place on Thursday 29 May from 2-3pm for anyone who can’t make the in person session. More details can be found here.
Ofqual to guard qualification standards in the long term
Regulator launches strategy to maintain standards, quality and trust in qualifications in a ‘changing world’.
The regulator of qualifications in England has pledged to ensure qualifications can be trusted for years to come by students, employers, and wider society.
The Ofqual Strategy 2025 to 2028, published today, sets out the organisation’s approach as a guardian of the qualifications system, driving economic growth and protecting the value of qualifications that students take.
The regulator has described this approach as “stewardship”, an approach to regulation that is gaining interest around the world and takes a long-term, proactive view.
It comes at a time of change for education in England, with the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, reform of vocational and technical qualifications and reform of apprenticeship assessments.
Chief Regulator Sir Ian Bauckham CBE said:
Ofqual’s focus will be on ensuring that qualifications are high-quality and fair for students, unlocking future opportunities for them while supporting a productive and growing economy.
Our stewardship approach will enable us to respond flexibly and with agility to a changing world while maintaining the stability that underpins England’s world-leading qualifications system.
During the next 3 years, Ofqual also aims to improve the quality and efficiency of its regulation by ensuring its rules and procedures are fit for purpose and necessary.
The strategy has 5 aims:
steward – secure the safe, fair, and resilient delivery of qualifications and assessments
innovate – oversee the improvement and reform of qualifications
strengthen – strengthen the performance, capacity, and resilience of the qualifications market
engage – build confidence in qualifications
develop – develop the skills, processes and systems needed for effective and efficient regulation
Background information
Ofqual is the regulator of qualifications, examinations, and assessments in England
Flight Centre, one of the world’s largest travel agencies, has warned it could lose more than A$100 million in earnings this year, citing weakening demand for travel to the United States.
In a statement to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) this week, the company pointed to “volatile trading conditions” linked to changes in US entry policies.
This is the first major indication from an Australian company that travel to the US is becoming a serious concern. It follows growing consumer fears linked to US immigration checks, reports of tourists being detained, and rising costs.
Australian visitor numbers to the US fell by 7% in March compared with the same time last year – the sharpest fall since the COVID pandemic.
Australians are not the only ones staying away. New US data for March show sharp drops in visitors from key markets: Germany (down 28%), Spain (25%), the United Kingdom (18%) and South Korea (15%), to name a few. In total, inbound tourism fell 11.6%.
Even Canadian travellers, traditionally the US’s most reliable market, dropped by more than 900,000 or 17% in March, as growing numbers of Canadians opt to boycott US holidays.
What was once a reliable flow of high-spending international travellers is becoming a much quieter stream.
America’s welcome mat is wearing thin
The US, long marketed as the land of opportunity and adventure, is increasingly perceived as unwelcoming. Tighter border scrutiny, aggressive immigration enforcement, and a sharp shift in political tone have made travellers wary.
The international arrivals terminal at Atlanta airport: Tourists are rethinking their US travel plans. Shutterstock
While the Flight Centre statement used careful language, its chief executive Graham Turner was clear, saying:
People from Europe, the United Kingdom and Australia really don’t want to go to the States, given what’s happening there. We’re hearing more and more people don’t want to go through passport control.
Governments have started to respond. Several countries, including New Zealand, Germany, France, Denmark and Finland, have updated their official travel advice for the US, urging citizens to exercise caution when visiting. The message filtering through international media is clear: the US is not as easy, safe or welcoming as it once seemed.
But while diplomatic warnings grow louder, the economic costs of America’s hardening stance are only beginning to register.
Tourism: America’s forgotten export
While President Donald Trump has slapped tariffs on goods imports from most countries, he has ignored the contribution of services trade to the economy. The US actually runs a surplus in services such as education and tourism. Trump has dismissed the decline in visitors as “not a big deal”.
The trade wars have focused on goods – cars, steel, farm products – but the service sector, which makes up a larger share of the economy, bears the hidden costs.
Tourism is the US’ biggest service export, contributing more than US$2.3 trillion to the economy and one in ten jobs. That’s a bigger contribution than manufacturing jobs, which account for about 8% of total US employment.
As a driver of economic prosperity, tourism isn’t simply about leisure; it sustains local businesses, rural economies and millions of livelihoods.
A double blow to the tourism experience
While the decline in arrivals has been widely reported, the experience for those who still choose to visit is also likely to change.
Tourism relies on global supply chains, from food to hotel amenities to rental car fleets. Trade war tariffs have raised input costs across the board. Hotels, restaurants, airlines and attractions are passing those higher costs onto customers.
Tourism is not just a big part of the economy; it’s also a soft power, shaping how the world perceives a nation through its culture, values and hospitality.
Every visitor who feels unwelcome, scrutinised or disappointed is not just a lost sale, but a lost connection.
Research group Tourism Economics forecasts the US could lose up to US$10 billion in international travel spending in 2025 if current trends continue.
And while manufacturing job announcements grab headlines, the slow erosion of America’s tourism brand may leave a longer, deeper scar on its culture, its communities and its place in the world.
The Flight Centre downgrade is not an isolated warning. It is a symptom of a broader shift, one that risks turning visitors away for good.
And for thousands of US businesses, workers and communities – and now Australian ones too – the losses may not be so easily shrugged off.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The Coalition’s policy costings have been released, just two days ahead of the federal election.
The costings show the Coalition would run up a larger budget deficit than Labor in the first two years of government, but make a greater contribution to budget repair in years three and four.
This arises because two big-spending Coalition policies – the fuel excise reduction and cost of living tax offset – are short term. Their impact on the deficit disappears after year two.
Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor said the deficit would narrow by A$14 billion by the end of the fourth year.
There are other spending initiatives – notably a significant increase in defence rising to $5.7 billion by the last year of the estimates, 2028-29. This will bring defence spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP).
The vexed question of nuclear costings
On the vexed question of nuclear power, the statement promises to fund the program primarily through equity investments in exchange for an ownership stake.
These do not appear in the budget, on the premise that they fund commercial activities. This funding is estimated to total $118.2 billion by 2050 – well short of the $600 billion Labor has estimated the proposal will cost. There is no independent Parliamentary Budget Office costing of the number – it is based on Coalition modelling.
Smaller sums are proposed for “community engagement” on nuclear technology ($87 million over four years) and a nuclear coordinating authority and training facility ($65 million). Both look to be in the right ballpark; they are however tiny compared with the costs of building nuclear reactors.
Items to reduce the budget deficit include income tax increases by abolishing Labor’s top-up tax cut and public service reductions. In 2028-29 the tax increase raises $7.4 billion and public service cuts save $6.7 billion.
A range of savings measures
There are numerous other savings, including:
taxation of vaping products
reduction in a variety of environmental programs
reversing tax incentives for electric vehicles
cuts to the Housing Australia Future Fund
reduced spending on overseas aid
restoring the activity test for childcare
changing eligibility for several government welfare payment programs.
It is a long and detailed list.
Most of the savings appear achievable, with the notable exception of cuts to the public service. It will be close to impossible to achieve a saving of 41,000 public servants in Canberra alone without forced redundancies.
At the press conference announcing the costings, Opposition spokesperson Jane Hume said however the figure was 110,000.
It is not clear where that number comes from. If the Coalition is using a different set of public service numbers to those published by the Australian Public Service Commission, it should identify where the extra come from. Off a larger base the savings would be difficult, but not completely infeasible.
As with the Labor proposal to cut consultants, it still leaves the question of what will happen to the work those public servants were doing. Without changes to programs or activities, the Coalition will need to spend budget funds to get the work done.
Too late for the early voters
The costing release comes after more than 4.8 million Australians have already cast their vote. This is less than ideal for helping inform voters’ choices.
There is precedent for releasing costings late. The Albanese opposition similarly released costings on the Thursday before polling day in 2022.
This week, the Labor government released its costings on Monday.
It is not clear what drives the practice of late release. One possibility is small target strategy: the less detail there is to criticise the more comfortable an opposition feels.
There is so much detail in this Coalition announcement, and so many interest groups potentially offended, that the caution about its release may be justified.
Savings previously announced by the Coalition include scrapping production tax credits for critical minerals and hydrogen and removing fringe benefit tax breaks for electric vehicles.
The Coalition also plans to scrap some of the government’s off-budget funds and measures, including the Rewiring the Nation fund for electricity transmission and the Housing Australia Future Fund.
Stephen Bartos was Parliamentary Budget Officer for the past three New South Wales state elections.
As Australians cast pre-poll votes in record numbers, it is not only political parties and candidates who are trying to influence votes.
Australian Christian Right (ACR) groups have produced “scorecards” that rate party policies according to so-called Christian values. And they have organised candidate forums designed for Christian audiences.
The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church has deployed hundreds of its members to pre-polling booths in marginal seats to campaign for the Coalition.
Who is the Australian Christian Right?
The ACR is a diverse movement of individuals, groups and churches that share traditional, fundamentalist approaches to the Bible and church teachings. It includes the Australian Christian Lobby, which has a long history of political activism in Australia and of engagement with the global Christian right.
In our research we examined how the ACL has adopted right-wing populist rhetoric and what the effects might be on Australian politics.
The ACR’s historical focus has been on abortion, euthanasia, sexuality and marriage. Now it also campaigns on human rights issues relating to gender, religious freedom and freedom of speech.
For our research, we identified high-profile ACR actors and studied their publicly available texts. We found three intertwined themes of populist discourse. Each one has been given a Christian framing and adapted for the Australian context.
“Saving Western civilisation”
European populists have used this rhetoric to define the Muslim “other” and the threat Islam supposedly poses to Western democratic culture and values.
Australia’s construction as a white British “outpost” gives this ideology its power. It has been used to inspire fear of immigrants.
In Christian right rhetoric, “Western civilisation” is defined by Judeo-Christian values, which are purportedly under threat from an aggressive secularism that would rid society of its moral foundations and undermine the “family”.
This polemic found fertile ground in 2017’s marriage equality debate. LGBTQ+ people and their allies were cast as anti-Christian activists who undermined Western tradition. A point made by former prime minister Tony Abbott when he addressed the anti-gay Alliance Defending Freedom in New York in 2018:
the campaign for marriage in my country has mobilised thousands of new activists; and created a network that could be deployed to defend Western civilisation more broadly and the Judeo-Christian ethic against all that’s been undermining it.
“Saving the moral community”
The Australian Christian Right divides people into the traditional moral community that upholds family values, and the politically correct woke elites who allegedly threaten the Christian values that have shaped Australia.
In opposing marriage equality, religious freedom became the ACR’s primary weapon of choice.
Former Liberal Party senator and committed conservative Christian Amanda Stoker applies a right-wing populist approach to the movement’s opposition to transgender rights:
The new elite — exclusive and “woke” — in fact has disdain for the traditional family, actively seeking to break it down with new genders, new family forms, and greater dependence on the state for the roles that family used to play in education, in sharing values, and in care for those in times of need.
This rhetoric aims to position the ACR as arguing on behalf of all moral people who uphold traditional values, and all reasonable Australians who value freedom of religion.
In contemporary Australian populism, it has found form in the identification of Indigenous people as the subject of alleged preferential treatment. In contrast, non-Indigenous Australians are portrayed as victims suffering reverse racism. It has now been given a Christian right twist.
During the referendum campaign for the Voice to Parliament, the ACR joined the far-right activist group Advance to argue the case for a “no” vote.
In its opposition to constitutional recognition, the ACR adopted two themes of the “no” campaign: Indigenous people don’t need the Voice, and it would divide Australians on the basis of race. It then added a third by doubling down on the progress made in the marriage equality debate with “religious freedom” rhetoric.
And in a collection of essays on the “religious” perspective of the Voice proposal, a number of authors, including ACR leader Dave Pellowe, argued the Voice would breach religious freedom by imposing Aboriginal religious beliefs and practices on the entire country.
Dangerous consequences
Since last Sunday’s leaders’ debate, the populist trope of “saving Australia from racial division” has been in plain sight. Consistent with his anti-Voice position, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton declared that acknowledgement of Country has been “overdone”.
Christian political party Family First echoed his concerns, saying the ritual means:
citizens don’t have equal standing in this nation.
When the three thematic strands are woven together, the ACR’s populist vision for a “back-to-a-better” Australia becomes clear.
The mutually reinforcing rhetoric of the populist right and the Christian right creates a distinctly Australian agenda that has dangerous implications for many people, especially those who are already marginalised.
This article is based on research funded by the Australian Research Council Grant DP230100538 ‘Australian Spirituality: Wellness, Wellbeing and Risks’.
Elenie Poulos is an ordained Minister in the Uniting Church in Australia and a non-executive director on the Board of Uniting NSW.ACT.
This article is based on research funded by the Australian Research Council Grant DP230100538 ‘Australian Spirituality: Wellness, Wellbeing and Risks’.
Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) introduced the Rural Patient Monitoring (RPM) Access Act to ensure Medicare patients in rural and underserved communities have access to remote physiologic monitoring services, which lower costs and improve access to care by using technology to collect and transmit patient health data to healthcare providers:
“Medicare beneficiaries in rural and underserved areas often face serious barriers to health care, and they deserve better,” said Senator Blackburn. “The Rural Patient Monitoring Access Act would ensure Tennessee Medicare patients have access to high-quality remote physiologic monitoring services to manage chronic conditions and help patients eliminate unnecessary hospital visits.”
“Too often, patients are struggling to receive the medical care they need because of how difficult it is to see a doctor in person,” said Senator Warner. “Remote monitoring services offer a life-saving solution, expanding care options and allowing individuals to regularly receive the medical consultations they need, all while lowering costs and hospital admissions. I’m proud to introduce the Rural Patient Monitoring Access Act to improve health care services for our seniors.”
U.S. Representatives David Kustoff (R-Tenn.), Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.), Troy Balderson (R-Ohio), and Don Davis (D-N.C.) introduced companion legislation in the House.
BACKGROUND
Rural Medicare patients face high rates of chronic conditions like heart failure, hypertension, and diabetes.
In particular, Medicare patients living in rural areas have limited access to healthcare because of roadblocks like lack of transportation.
Remote Physiologic Monitoring (RPM) helps patients manage chronic conditions and eliminates unnecessary hospital visits.
A recent study of over 4,000 hypertension patients found that RPM decreased patients’ total monthly cost of care by more than 50%.
Current lack of adequate Medicare reimbursement leads to not implementing RPM programs in rural areas, reducing access to cost-saving and patient-centered care.
THE RURAL PATIENT MONITORING (RPM) ACCESS ACT
The RPM Access Act would ensure high-quality remote physiological monitoring services are established and maintained for Medicare beneficiaries in rural and underserved geographies; allow rural areas to provide RPM services at the national average rate; and decrease patients’ total monthly cost.
Under the RPM Access Act:
RPM providers must be capable of responding to data anomalies detected by the monitoring service;
RPM providers must be capable of promptly transmitting captured vitals and treatment management notes to electronic health record of the supervising provider; and
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services may require providers of RPM to report data to the Secretary of Health and Human Services in order to facilitate the evaluation of cost savings generated to the Medicare program through the proliferation of remote physiologic monitoring services.
ENDORSEMENTS
This legislation is supported by National Rural Health Association, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, HIMSS, American Telemedicine Association, Alliance for Connected Care, Ascension, LifePoint Health, Marshfield Clinic, SSM Health, the University of Virginia Center for Telehealth, and the Bipartisan Policy Center.
“Technology-enabled care is crucial to ensuring seniors in rural areas are able to safely manage their chronic conditions. Remote physiologic monitoring allows for chronic disease complications to be captured early – saving lives, reducing health care costs, and helping to mitigate common rural barriers such as longer distances to in-person treatment,” said Alan Morgan, CEO of National Rural Health Association.
“On behalf of HIMSS, we applaud Senators Blackburn and Warner, and Representatives Kustoff, Balderson, Pocan, and Davis for introducing the Rural Patient Monitoring (RPM) Access Act. Remote patient monitoring is a critical digital health tool that helps providers and patients work together to improve patient access and outcomes. We urge Congress to take action to advance the safe and effective use of RPM for millions of Medicare beneficiaries,” said Hal Wolf, President and CEO of HIMSS.
“Patients in rural and underserved communities deserve the same opportunity to manage their health as those in more resourced areas. At Lifepoint, we’ve seen firsthand how high-quality remote patient monitoring can help bridge long-standing access gaps and drive meaningful clinical improvement, especially for chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes. This bill is an important step forward in ensuring fair reimbursement for rural providers, empowering them to deliver high-quality, proactive care to the patients who need it most,” said Dr. Chris Frost, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Quality Officer at Lifepoint Health.
“We are proud to support the Rural Patient Monitoring Access Act, which will help to ensure rural practitioners can provide remote physiologic monitoring services. RPM supports coordinated chronic disease management and acute and chronic disease risk reduction, while improving health outcomes helping patients remain healthy at home,” said Michael Richards, System Vice President at SSM Health.
“The Alliance for Connected Care applauds Senators Blackburn and Warner for their leadership to ensure rural patients have access to high-quality, innovative patient-centered care. Remote patient monitoring has a huge potential to empower rural seniors with technology to better take accountability for their own health,” said Chris Adamec, Executive Director of The Alliance for Connected Care.
“This proposed legislation will incentivize healthcare systems in rural areas to establish remote monitoring programs and ensure sustainability of existing programs. We are grateful for Sen. Warner and Sen. Blackburn’s leadership on this issue. Remote monitoring has been shown to improve outcomes and ultimately lower the cost of care,” said Karen Rheuban, MD, Director of the University of Virginia Center for Telehealth.
Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University – The exhibition is dedicated to the modern interpretation of symbolism in art. The organizers set themselves the goal of making complex artistic images accessible for understanding, revealing the meanings embedded by the artists and helping viewers avoid misinterpretations. The main criterion for selecting works was the presence of a specific symbol – artists were asked not only to create a work, but also to accompany it with an author’s explanation in order to immerse the viewer deeper into their concept.
The exhibition opening began with a performance by Anastasia Pomenchuk, who played a composition on a Chinese drum. Then Nina Leonidovna Panina, associate professor of the Department of History, Culture and Arts of the Humanitarian Institute of NSU, gave a lecture on the symbolism of the 20th century. The program was supplemented by a modern dance by Alexandra Shcherbakova and a painting competition, and Roman Li concluded the evening with a musical performance. Inspired by Paganini, he gradually removed the strings from the violin, continuing to play on the remaining ones – this number became a bright final point of the event.
The event attracted a total of 110 guests. The exhibition featured paintings created using a variety of techniques and materials, from small cardboard canvases to large canvases on a stretcher.
— I really like the atmosphere, and I am incredibly happy that the exhibition took place here at this time, because the light space below and the dark space above are a great way to break out of the routine of life. And I really like the level of the works that are presented here. Among them, there are those that you have to understand and look behind which you can see a whole mechanism, — Roman Li shared his impressions.
Another guest was inspired by the exhibition to undertake a creative experiment: “I wanted to go through all the exhibited paintings and paint each piece of paper in accordance with the associations it evoked, and also add an emotionally charged signature – inside each piece of the letters of the word ‘N O R M’ there would be different elements, and the outline of the letter itself could be, for example, broken (anxiety), pale (detachment, emptiness), wavy (lightness, pliability),” said Nikita Butin.
Couldn’t make it to the opening? No problem! The exhibition will continue to run for a month on the 2nd floor of Block 2 of NSU. You still have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of art and discover new facets of the creativity of NSU artists.
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: 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
A YouGov MRP poll has Labor clearly winning a majority of seats in the federal election – 84 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives.
Labor also leads the Coalition by 53–47% in new polls from Redbridge and Spectre Strategy.
Respondent-allocated preference flows from various pollsters do not imply a big Coalition gain from the 2022 election preference flow method.
YouGov conducted a national MRP poll (multi-level modelling with post-stratification) from April 1–29 from an overall sample of 35,185 people. MRP polls are used to estimate the outcome in each House electorate using huge samples and modelling.
YouGov’s central forecast is Labor winning 84 of the 150 lower house seats, an 18-seat majority. The Coalition would win 47 seats, the Greens three, independents 14 and others two.
Since YouGov’s previous MRP poll that was taken from late February to late March, Labor is up nine seats, the Coalition down 13, the Greens up one and independents up three.
And compared to the first YouGov MRP poll conducted before mid-February, Labor is up 18 seats and the Coalition down 26.
The high forecast in the new MRP poll is 85 seats for Labor and 53 for the Coalition, while the low forecast is 76 for Labor (just enough for a majority) and 45 for the Coalition.
On national voting intentions, Labor led the Coalition by 52.9–47.1% in this MRP poll, a 2.7-point gain for Labor since the previous MRP poll. Primary votes were 31.4% Labor (up 1.6 points), 31.1% Coalition (down 4.4), 12.6% Greens (down 0.6), 9.3% One Nation (steady), 8.1% independents (down 0.2) and 7.6% others (up 3.7).
By 2022 election flows, Labor would lead the Coalition by 54.1–45.9%.
Labor won the 2022 election by 52.1–47.9% from primary votes of 35.7% Coalition, 32.6% Labor, 12.3% Greens, 5.0% One Nation, 4.1% United Australia Party, 5.3% independents and 5.1% others.
In this poll, the major parties combined are winning just 62.5% of the vote, down from 68.3% in 2022, which was already a record low for the combined major party vote.
Unless the Coalition surges in the final days before Saturday’s election or the polls are overstating support for Labor, Labor will win the election. The graph below includes the Redbridge poll, but not the Spectre Strategy one.
Labor takes 53–47% lead in Redbridge poll
The final national poll by Redbridge and Accent Research for the News Corp tabloids, conducted April 24–29 from a sample of 1,011 people, gave Labor a 53–47% lead over the Coalition by both respondent and 2022 election flows.
This is a one-point gain for Labor since the previous national Redbridge poll in early April.
Primary votes were 34% Labor (up one), 34% Coalition (down two), 12% Greens (steady), 8% One Nation (up one) and 12% for all others (steady). One Nation’s preference flows to the Coalition had increased in this poll compared with 2022, but Labor’s flow increased from other sources.
On type of government desired, 24% wanted a majority Labor government, 12% a Labor minority government with the Greens and 10% a Labor minority government with the teals (comprising a total of 46% who wanted Labor to govern).
For the Coalition, 30% wanted a majority Coalition government, 2% a Coalition minority government with the Greens and 7% a Coalition minority government with the teals (a total of 39% who wanted a Coalition government).
New pollster Spectre Strategy gives Labor 53–47% lead
A national poll by new pollster Spectre Strategy, conducted April 24–28 from a sample of 2,000 people, also gave Labor a 53–47% lead over the Coalition by respondent preferences from primary votes of 34% Coalition, 31% Labor, 15% Greens, 10% One Nation and 11% for all others.
By 2022 election flows, this poll would give Labor about a 52.5–47.5% lead over the Coalition.
Women voters (71%) and men aged 18–34 (64%) both massively favoured Labor. Among voters aged 35–54, 61% of women supported Labor, compared to just 49% of men. Both men and women aged 55 and over favoured the Coalition by 58–42%.
Anthony Albanese led Peter Dutton as preferred prime minister by 47–35%.
DemosAU polls of Melbourne and Sydney seats
DemosAU collectively polled the Labor-held seats of Dunkley, Bruce and Hawke in Melbourne from April 13–22 from a sample of 924 people. Labor led the Coalition by 53–47%. The party won the three seats by 56.5–43.5% in 2022.
Primary votes in the poll were 32% Labor, 31% Liberal, 13% Greens, 10% One Nation and 14% for all others.
DemosAU collectively polled the Labor-held seats of Parramatta, Reid and Werriwa in Sydney from April 13–27 from a sample of 905 people. Labor led the Coalition by 56–44%. The party won the three seats 54.7–45.3% in 2022.
Primary votes in the poll were 36% Labor, 28% Liberal, 10% Greens, 5% Libertarian, 4% One Nation, 11% independents and 6% others.
Preference flows
Phillip Coorey wrote in the Australian Financial Review Tuesday that JWS polling of some seats had right-wing party preferences flowing at 80 or 90% rates to the Coalition. If this is true, the Coalition would do better than expected from current polls.
But respondent preferences were used in the Redbridge poll above, giving the same result as the 2022 flow result. The Spectre respondent result was actually 0.5 of a point better for Labor than the previous election method.
The polls I covered on Tuesday from Resolve, Essential and Morgan used respondent preferences. The Coalition was up one point in the Morgan poll compared to the previous election method and up 0.5 of a point in the Essential poll. There was no difference between the two methods in Resolve.
JWS has given the Coalition very strong results in many of its seat polls. All other evidence suggests only a small gain for the Coalition from using respondent preferences as opposed to the 2022 election flows.
Inflation increased in March quarter
The Australian Bureau of Statistics released the March quarter inflation report on Wednesday. Headline inflation increased 0.9% in the March quarter, up from 0.2% in both December and September. This was the highest quarterly inflation since June 2024. Annual inflation was steady at 2.4% from December.
Core inflation increased 0.7% in the March quarter, up from 0.5% in December. Annual core inflation dropped to 2.9% in March from 3.3% in December.
The same principles with poll analysis can be applied to economic data. We’re most interested in the current polls, not in averaging these polls with those from months ago. The quarterly inflation numbers should be emphasised, not the annual numbers that include data from the June 2024 quarter.
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.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hiran Thabrew, Senior Lecturer in Child Psychiatry and Paediatrics, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition. Someone may have social and communication differences, sensory issues and/or restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour or interests.
There has been increased awareness and an expanded definition of autism over the past couple of decades. Now around one in 40people are thought to be autistic.
Autistic people often have strengths such as focus, honesty and dedication. But due to a combination of genetic and autism-related factors, they also have higher rates of other health conditions.
Common mental health conditions include anxiety, depression, attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder or ADHD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders and intellectual developmental disorder.
Common physical health conditions include epilepsy, rheumatoid arthritis and heart disease.
The core features of autism can’t and don’t need to be altered. But a range of talking therapies and medications can help manage these other health conditions.
Commonly prescribed medications
The increased awareness of autism and availability of new medications has seen increasedrates of prescribing for autistic people and those with other chronic conditions over the past few decades. This is a trend we have seen internationally.
The most common medications for mental health conditions among autistic people are:
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as fluoxetine (Prozac), for anxiety and depression
low-dose antipsychotic medications, such as risperidone and aripiprazole, for reducing stress-related irritability and aggression
stimulants such as methylphenidate (Ritalin) for ADHD
melatonin and other sleep medications.
The most common medications for physical health conditions among autistic people are:
painkillers, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, for pain and fever, especially in younger children. These are also the most commonly prescribed medication for non-autistic children
antibiotics, such as amoxycillin, for suspected or confirmed infections (autistic children tend to have more infections)
asthma and allergy medications, including salbutamol inhalers, loratadine and oral steroids (autistic people have similar rates of allergies to non-autistic people)
laxatives, such as lactulose, for constipation. Autistic people are at increased risk of constipation due to limited food preferences, rigid toilet habits, and difficulty recognising when they need to use the toilet.
Autistic people are prescribed a range of medications for physical and mental health conditions. CandyRetriever/Shutterstock
Multiple medications, or not enough
Prescribing multiple medications at the same time is known as polypharmacy. This has become more of an issue for autistic people in Aotearoa New Zealandand Australia.
One study found autistic children and young people from Aotearoa New Zealand received a mean (average) four medications in one year (versus 2.9 medications for non-autistic people). Some 57% were prescribed three or more medications at a time.
Medications may work as well for people with and without autism. However, autistic people are more likely to have side effects. This might be due to heightened sensory sensitivities and the way medications affect the nervous system.
Polypharmacy increases the risk of medication interactions. It is also likely to contribute to autistic people’s higher chance of dying early. A 2024 study confirms this occurs at double the rate of non-autistic people.
Possible reasons for polypharmacy include:
lack of agreement between doctors and clear guidelines for prescribing medication
greater likelihood of being treated during crises. For instance, behaviour that escalates to the point of personal or property damage and family burnout may require medication to allow a child to stay at home.
However, at times, autistic people may not receive appropriate medications. This may be because doctors do not have clear prescribing guidelines or vary in how they prescribe. It can also be because someone or their family are concerned about side effects.
We should aim to use the appropriate medication for the appropriate period of time for the growing number of people diagnosed with autism.
It’s essential prescribers have clearer prescribing guidance, aim for the lowest possible dose of medication, actively address polypharmacy and regularly monitor autistic people with a view to weaning medications as soon as possible.
Earlier identification and support for autistic children and their families would reduce the chance of crises and stress-related health conditions.
We need health services that can better meet the needs of autistic people. Flexible, tailored care should be provided in an environment that matches someone’s sensory needs. For instance, an environment should not be too bright or loud, or overstimulating. Ideally, this will have been designed with autistic people.
We also need an adequately resourced health system to provide autistic people with timely, appropriate, safe and equitable care.
Hiran Thabrew is a child and adolescent psychiatrist, paediatrician, autism researcher and New Zealand Chair for the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. He has never received any pharmaceutical company sponsorship for his clinical or research activities.
Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) took President Trump, Elon Musk and DOGE, and his Republican colleagues to task today for their brutal cuts to medical research that threaten to take away hope from millions of Americans. His remarks came during emotional questioning at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on biomedical research.
Senator Coons opened his remarks by speaking out against the drastic cuts DOGE, which he described as a “horde of locusts,” has made to medical research and clinical trials. DOGE has fired 2,500 researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and canceled over 800 grants for research on diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer. They have also fired 3,500 members of staff at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
These cuts have not just stunted medical research in our country for decades to come. They have also taken away hope from Americans struggling with disease and the families whose lives and well-being depend on this research. During his remarks, Senator Coons talked about how he has felt this personally – whether through friends who have benefitted from clinical cancer trials, or through family and friends he has lost to the disease, including his father, father-in-law, and stepfather.
“Yes, clinical trials, doctor, sometimes doesn’t benefit the individual, but I gotta tell you: it sure as hell benefited [my friend] and his family. It gave him hope, and it kept him alive. And I don’t understand how a single member of this Congress can look you in the eyes as a mother and say we should cut these programs,” said Senator Coons during the hearing. “The FDA, the NIH, National Cancer Institutes, all in combination give hope to those facing the beast of cancer, the challenges of a new diagnosis, and the need for a path forward that’s positive.”
Senator Coons also highlighted the impacts cuts to medical research have had on his own state, highlighting a recent visit to the University of Delaware’s National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL). During his visit, Senator Coons was told that DOGE had delayed, paused, or withheld $55 million in grant funding for research on diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer.
“If that’s happening in my little state, all across our country we are devastating the next generation of researchers,” Senator Coons continued. “We are harming our nation and giving China the opening of a lifetime to recruit the best and brightest from around the world. And Emily, we are taking away from families like yours – all over our nation – hope.”
A video and transcript of Senator Coons’ comments are available below.
WATCH HERE
Senator Coons: Thank you, Vice Chair Murray. Thank you for leading this hearing, and I want to thank each of the researchers who has dedicated your lives to science, to medicine, to progress. Thank you for your testimony today. Emily, thank you.
I am enraged and struggling with this hearing. Listening to you talk about the value of hope to you and your daughter with cancer, and the very measured and reasonable way in which we’ve all discussed what’s happened, makes me crazy. Because DOGE, in my view, is a horde of locusts who’ve been unleashed on the federal government, and they have torn up things that we have built over decades. Let me just briefly review: at NIH, 1200 probationary researchers were laid off and another 1300 fired. That’s 2500 dedicated researchers. At FDA, 3500 staff. At NIH, DOGE canceled 800 grants valued at over a billion – and we were told these grants focused on DEI when in fact they focused on diabetes, Alzheimer’s, mRNA and cancer.
My father died of cancer. My father-in-law died of cancer. My stepfather died of cancer. Your daughter, Charlie, is with us today because of the incredible dedicated research and the ground-breaking work of people we’ve talked so calmly about today. Dr. Sleckman, I have a personal friend – a combat veteran, a Marine Corps colonel – who came to me when he was diagnosed with stage four metastatic melanoma, as you just described, and whose life was saved by the research you described. I have a personal friend of decades, Nicky Sotiropoulis, who came to me when he was diagnosed with brain cancer. His son, close friends with my sons. His wife, close with my wife. He went to NIH month after month, year after year. Yes, clinical trials, doctor, sometimes doesn’t benefit the individual, but I gotta tell you: it sure as hell benefited Nick and his family. It gave him hope, and it kept him alive. And I don’t understand how a single member of this Congress can look you in the eyes as a mother and say we should cut these programs.
Sure, we can talk about overhead rates. Sure, we can talk about measured and thoughtful and reasonable ways to trim a little here, or cut a little there. But that’s not what’s happening. What’s happening is the wholescale abandonment of billions of dollars of research. I was just at the University of Delaware last week, at the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals, and you know what I was told? That at the University of Delaware – the little University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware! – $55 million in health research – $55 million! – has been delayed, paused, or withheld. Research on HIV, Alzheimer’s and characterization of cancer cells. And if that’s happening in my little state, all across our country we are devastating the next generation of researchers. We are harming our nation and giving China the opening of a lifetime to recruit the best and brightest from around the world. And Emily, we are taking away from families like yours – all over our nation – hope.
Emily, can you tell me how important hope is for you and Charlie, how important is it that we keep investing in research?
Mrs. Emily Stenson: Thank you for the question. Hope gets you through the hardest days, and I know I explained in our story some of the hard days that we had, and hope is what kept my husband and I going and trying to save our daughter. There’s no value you can put on hope, and we need to be providing it to all of the families like ours.
Senator Coons: So yesterday, I caught up with a Delawarean who’s been living with ALS for years, and last weekend, a close friend of mine confided his recent diagnosis with ALS. Senator Murkowski and I worked to get signed into law a bill to invest in ALS research. Dr. Esham, if I could, how will the cuts to FDA impact your agency’s ability to characterize and bring new treatments – to provide hope to those living with this horrific disease?
Cartier Esham, Ph.D.: Thank you for that question, Senator, and I believe you’re probably aware that the Alliance did send letters to this committee expressing our concerns about the volume of approval department departures, and the potential impact on the ability of the FDA to be effective and continue be able to continue to evaluate the safety and accuracy of next-generation medical interventions. I will say, I will say, I did have the privilege of meeting with the commissioner on Monday and was happy to hear that he does not have any major plans for a major reorganization. And while they’re looking at efficiencies, potential consolidations and things like travel and IT and potential efficiencies that can be brought about by regulatory innovation, I was happy to hear that they are looking very hard in examining what functions need to be brought back to the agency to ensure that they are able to manage—you know, optimally manage their workload and continue to review and approve next-generation medicines. I think continued transparency and communications about this and engagement can be very important moving forward. We are certainly—the alliance will be certainly examining the proposed budget updates about staffing, including information about what positions are funded by user fees, and how we can work together to make sure that in total, the FDA has the resources it has to have to not just approve what’s before them now, but to continue to drive investment in the United States and next-generation medicine. If you don’t have a functioning FDA, that has a severe impact on the ability to raise funds for next-generation medicines.
Senator Coons: The FDA, the NIH, National Cancer Institutes, all in combination give hope to those facing the beast of cancer, the challenges of a new diagnosis, and the need for a path forward that’s positive. Thank you for what you do. Thank you, Madam Chair for this hearing.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fan Yang, Research fellow at Melbourne Law School, the University of Melbourne and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society., The University of Melbourne
This election, social media has been a major battleground as candidates try to reach younger voters. As Gen Z and Millennials now make up the dominant voter bloc in Australia, securing their support is more electorally important than ever.
This effort has also played out on Chinese social media platforms, namely WeChat and RedNote. Thousands of Australians use these apps, often as a main source of news.
The RECapture research team has been tracking political activity on these platforms for years. Between October 2024 and April 2025, we observed 319 Liberal Party advertisements, 68 Labor Party advertisements, and 258 ads from independent candidates on WeChat. More than 20 Australian politicians used RedNote for self-promotion. Both platforms are becoming increasingly popular among politicians.
But there’s a catch: political communication on these apps is either banned or hidden. So how do candidates work around the rules?
We’ve found they use influencers and third parties, blurring the lines between authorised political advertising and undisclosed campaigning.
Skirting the rules
Platforms such as Facebook and Google maintain public ad repositories to document political advertising.
On WeChat and RedNote, however, such content is not formally registered or subject to public scrutiny.
Since 2019, WeChat has been a key platform for Australian politicians trying to reach Chinese-Australian voters.
From 2022 onwards, our research has observed the rising political popularity of RedNote, driven by its low entry barriers and emphasis on visual content.
Chinese app RedNote is increasing in popularity. Shutterstock
In January, a shift of US-based users from TikTok to RedNote further elevated the platform’s prominence. Now, candidates of all stripes are using it.
But WeChat bans political advertisements and campaigning. RedNote uses shadowbanning (the covert hiding of specific content) to limit the visibility of political accounts.
As a result, political figures in democracies globally often bypass these restrictions by working with Chinese-language media or influencers to reach Chinese-speaking voters.
This tactic enables political messaging outside platform and regulatory oversight. It undermines transparency and accountability in political communication.
How do political ads work on WeChat?
Political advertising on WeChat isn’t transparent. WeChat requires official account registration through Chinese businesses recognised by Chinese tech conglomerate Tencent.
In Australia, Chinese-language media outlets serve as intermediaries. They distribute political campaign materials on behalf of candidates.
Political advertising on WeChat is presented in three main formats:
embedded within articles
as sponsored content
and as short videos distributed via WeChat’s Channel function.
Advertising costs are typically negotiated between media outlets and campaign teams, ranging from a few hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on the outlet’s influence and the ad’s target demographic.
Spending on political ads on WeChat isn’t disclosed anywhere, so it’s very hard to track how much money is being spent this way.
What do these ads look like?
For example, we identified Scott Yung, a Liberal candidate for Bennelong, and Andy Yin, a former Liberal Party member now running as an independent for Bradfield. They both published between two and eight political advertisements on WeChat daily in April.
These ads were in addition to their self-promotional content and other campaigning activities via short videos.
This content sometimes includes celebrity endorsements. In 2019 and 2025, respectively, Yung and Yin used third-party media and marketing companies based in China to recruit celebrities to endorse their campaigns.
However, such strategies are criticised domestically due to concerns about potential “Chinese influence” and perceived links to the Communist Party of China.
But behind the public political ads lies a semi-private form of campaigning.
By attaching a QR code to their political ads, candidates direct their campaigns to private group chats, enabling a more targeted form of engagement (observed in the case of Liberal candidate for Reid Grange Chung’s sponsored content).
What about RedNote?
Non-Chinese Australian politicians often get around shadowbans on RedNote by signalling their connection to Chinese communities through symbolic gestures. This includes posts showcasing their visits to Chinese restaurants or photos taken at Lunar New Year community events.
Candidates of Chinese background often highlight their connections with prominent white Australian politicians, such as former prime ministers Tony Abbott and John Howard, to show their standing and political credibility within the party.
Discussions of party policies, especially controversial ones such as Australia-US-China relations, are rare. When they do occur, they are often selectively focused on matters of concern to Chinese migrants or those deemed safe for discussion on RedNote.
Chinese-Australian candidates often organise their offline campaign events to target Chinese-Australian influencers. The influencers then disseminate relevant content on RedNote.
As a result, candidates rely on content creators, influencers, supporters, migrant businesses and Chinese-language media outlets to promote their campaigns.
Regulations falling by the wayside
Candidates usually follow authorisation disclosure rules on their English social media pages.
These rules, however, are often disregarded on RedNote or WeChat.
Candidates often outsource their campaigning work to Chinese media and marketing agencies. This means the candidates have minimal oversight of the activities taking place on these platforms, raising concerns about whether electoral regulations may be inadvertently violated in the process.
We’ve found instances of unauthorised pages of politicians and candidates that have gone unnoticed by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC).
These are hard to find because the content is largely shadowbanned. If users or the AEC searched a particular candidate’s name, they wouldn’t be able to find much.
In April, the AEC advised rules around authorising this sort of content. It said electoral communications distributed by people or organisations that are not political entities still require authorisation if monetary or gifts-in-kind transactions are involved.
The AEC’s guidance further says political parties should include an authorisation if they repost collaborative content. The general principle is: “when in doubt, authorise it”.
The key challenges here are identifying who collaborates with whom, on which platform, how content is remixed, and whether the collaboration is voluntary or involves monetary or in-kind transactions.
The AEC doesn’t actively monitor Chinese social media platforms. This makes enforcing any regulations almost impossible.
Given how much political candidates are using these apps, there needs to be better regulatory oversight of what happens on them.
We thank researchers Robbie Fordyce and Mengjie Cai for their contributions to this project.
The project is funded by the Susan McKinnon Foundation between 2024 and 2025.
Dan Dai, Luke Heemsbergen, and Stevie Zhang do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The 123 Youth Members of Parliament and 20 Youth Press Gallery members officially announced for 2025 represent the best of New Zealand, Youth Minister James Meager says.
“Our Youth MPs come from a wide range of backgrounds, and each have their own unique story, bringing diverse points of view to Parliament and a fresh way of looking at the biggest challenges we face,” Mr Meager says.
“Youth MPs will now engage with other young people in their community to gather their ideas and bring those views to Parliament, while Youth Press Gallery members will be drawing attention to the issues the Youth MPs are working on and helping generate interest around what happens.
“They will then take part in the Youth Parliament on 1 – 2 July in the Parliamentary precinct in Wellington, experiencing first-hand what it’s like to be at the highest decision-making table in the country.”
Among the 123 Youth MPs selected by MPs to participate this year are Maevi Fleming (17) from Roncalli College in Timaru who has been nominated by Mr Meager as his own Rangitata Youth MP.
Mr Meager says Maevi was someone who grew up in a similar background as he did, and who is now an advocate for a society where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential.
Other talented young people taking part include Abby Plom (17) from Auckland, selected by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and representing Botany.
Through her roles as School Student Representative and Chairperson of the Howick Youth Council, Abby says she’s realised how important it is for youth to be represented and heard, and how much work still needs to be done to create a fairer, more inclusive community.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins has chosen Ryan Grant-Derepa (17) from Upper Hutt as his Remutaka Youth MP.
Ryan wants to advocate for better pathways into employment so every young person, no matter their background, has the chance to build a future they can be proud of.
Youth Parliament also has its own Youth Press Gallery. Korus MacDonald (16) from Havelock North is the youngest Youth Press Gallery member selected for 2025.
Korus says the role of the Press Gallery within our democratic Parliament is a key interest of his, and he’s excited for the insights and learning experiences this opportunity will bring.
“Young people are our future, and it is fantastic we have youth who are passionate about causes that affect us all, both in and out of politics – and who have an interest in working to help make a difference. I encourage them to give their absolute best in every area,” Mr Meager says.
“I also want to acknowledge the members of the Multi-Party Reference Group in Parliament who’ve supported me in guiding Youth Parliament 2025, as well as the work of the previous Minister for Youth Matt Doocey for his advocacy in continuing Youth Parliament this year. I can’t wait to see what our young people deliver at Youth Parliament 2025.”
The internet’s latest absurd obsession is: who would win in a no-rules fight between 100 average human men and one adult male gorilla?
This hypothetical and strange question has taken over Reddit, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. Some argue that humans once hunted mammoths so, clearly, we would win. Others point out that a silverback gorilla can lift close to 1,000kg and could throw a grown man like a rag doll.
To be honest, it’s not really a question we need to answer – and yet, as usual on the internet, everyone has an opinion.
But, beyond the jokes and memes, this silly debate provides an opportunity to reflect on human evolution. What are the real strengths of our species? What have we sacrificed? And what can a gorilla, our majestic, powerful and endangered distant cousin, teach us about our own nature and evolution?
Gorillas and humans: two branches of the same evolutionary tree
Gorillas are one of our closest living relatives. Along with chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans, they belong to the great apes or Hominidae family. Chimpanzees share about 98.8% of their DNA with us, while gorillas come a close second, sharing around 98.4%.
The last common ancestor between humans and gorillas lived roughly 10 million years ago, and it is also the same ancestor for chimpanzees.
Since the evolutionary split, humans and gorillas have followed very different paths. Gorillas have adapted to dense forests and mountainous terrains, while humans have evolved to live in the open, but realistically to multiple and various environments.
Despite the substantial difference in ecological niches, humans and gorillas share many traits, such as opposable thumbs, facial expressions, complex social behaviours and emotional intelligence.
Mastering forest power
In the recent Dune saga, to win, Duke Leto Atreides wanted to develop “desert power”. Well, gorillas have mastered forest power.
And let’s be clear – in terms of raw power, the gorilla wins every time. An adult male silverback can weigh more than 160kg and lift about a tonne without going to the gym every day. Their upper-body strength is shocking. And that’s no evolutionary accident – it’s the result of intense competition between males, where dominance determines mating.
Additionally, gorillas are extremely tough and resilient, yet gentle and calm most of the time. Gorillas, like many primates, have a strong social intelligence. They use a variety of vocalisations, gestures and even chest drumming to communicate across distances.
They have shown the ability to use sign language, mourn their dead, and demonstrate empathy, attesting to sophisticated cognitive skills.
Trading muscles for minds
A fight between 100 men and one gorilla might lead to a lot of dead men, but we all know that men will come with weapons, strategies, drones, fire and other clever tricks.
Humans are not physically strong in comparison to many other mammals. Our strength as a species is our adaptability and our ability to collaborate in very large groups.
Our brains are, on average, three times larger proportionally than those of gorillas. This fantastic evolutionary adaptation has allowed us to develop abstract thinking and symbolic language, but most of all, to pass and build on complex knowledge across generations.
Humans’ evolutionary history has led to trading brute force for social, cultural and technological complexity, making us Earth’s most versatile and dangerous species.
So, who’s the winner?
In a one-on-one brawl, the gorilla can make “human-mash” with one hand. There is no contest when discussing brute force and bare hands.
But humans fight dirty. Judging by our evolutionary success, humans would likely lose many battles but ultimately win the fight. Mountain gorillas were not on the brink of extinction in the 1980s without our help.
Our species has spread across all continents, all terrains, and all climates. We have reshaped ecosystems, walked on the Moon, and developed advanced technologies. But gorillas are another kind of success rooted in harmony with their environment, physical grace, and quiet strength.
Perhaps the real takeaway message isn’t who wins in a fight, but to realise that two very different and yet very close cousins have walked two separate evolutionary roads, each in their own distinct way. And both are nature’s triumph and accomplishment.
Renaud Joannes-Boyau receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the Leakey Foundation, National Geographic, and the European Research Council.
The United States and China remain in a standoff in their tariff war. Neither side appears willing to budge.
After US President Donald Trump imposed massive 145% tariffs on Chinese imports in early April, China retaliated with its own tariffs of 125% on US goods.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said this week it’s up to China to de-escalate tensions. China’s Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, said the two sides are not talking.
The prospect of economic decoupling between the world’s two largest economies is no longer speculative. It is becoming a hard reality. While many observersdebate who might “win” the trade war, the more likely outcome is that everyone loses.
A convenient target
Trump’s protectionist agenda has spared few. Allies and adversaries alike have been targeted by sweeping US tariffs. However, China has served as the main target, absorbing the political backlash of broader frustrations over trade deficits and economic displacement in the US.
The economic costs to China are undeniable. The loss of reliable access to the US market, coupled with mounting uncertainty in the global trading system, has dealt a blow to China’s export-driven sectors.
China’s comparative advantage lies in its vast manufacturing base and tightly integrated supply chains. This is especially true in high-tech and green industries such as electric vehicles, batteries and solar energy. These sectors are deeply dependent on open markets and predictable demand.
New trade restrictions in Europe, Canada and the US on Chinese electric vehicles, in particular, have already caused demand to drop significantly.
China’s GDP growth was higher than expected in the first quarter of the year at 5.4%, but analysts expect the effect of the tariffs to soon bite. A key measure of factory activity this week showed a contraction in manufacturing.
China’s economic growth has also been weighed down by structural headwinds, including industrial overcapacity (when a country’s production of goods exceeds demand), an ageing population, rising youth unemployment and persistent regional disparities. The property sector — once a pillar of the country’s economic rise — has become a source of financial stress. Local government debt is mounting and a pension crisis is looming.
Negotiations with the US might be desirable to end the tariff war. However, unilateral concessions on Beijing’s part are neither viable nor politically palatable.
Regional coordination
Trump’s tariff wars have done more than strain bilateral relationships; they have shaken the foundations of the global trading system.
By sidelining the World Trade Organization and embracing a transactional approach to bilateral trade, the US has weakened multilateral norms and emboldened protectionist tendencies worldwide.
One unintended consequence of this instability has been the resurgence of regional arrangements. In Asia, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), backed by China and centred on the ASEAN bloc in Southeast Asia, has emerged as a credible alternative for economic cooperation.
Meanwhile, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) continues to expand, with the United Kingdom joining late last year.
Across Latin America, too, regional blocs are exploring new avenues for integration, hoping to buffer themselves against the shocks of resurgent protectionism.
But regionalism is no panacea. It cannot replicate the scale or efficiency of global trade, nor can it restore the predictability on which exporters depend.
Looming dangers
The greater danger is the world drifting into a Kindleberger Trap — a situation in which no power steps forward to provide the leadership necessary to sustain global public goods, or a stable trading system.
Economist Charles Kindleberger’s account of the Great Depression remains instructive: it was not the presence of conflict but the absence of leadership that brought about the global economy’s systemic collapse.
Without renewed global coordination, the economic fragmentation triggered by Trump’s tariff wars could give way to something far more dangerous than a recession – rising geopolitical and military tensions that no region can contain.
The political landscape is already fraught. The Chinese Communist Party, for instance, has long tethered its legitimacy to the promise of eventual unification with Taiwan. Yet the costs of using force remain prohibitively high.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s recent designation of China as a “foreign hostile force” have sharpened tensions. Beijing’s response has been calibrated – military exercises intended more as a warning than a prelude to conflict.
However, the intensifying trade war with the US may become the final straw that exhausts Beijing’s patience, leaving Taiwan as collateral damage in a US-China final showdown.
A role for collective leadership
China alone is neither able nor inclined to assume the mantle of global leadership. Its current focus is more on domestic priorities – sustaining economic growth and managing social stability – than on foreign policy.
Yet, Beijing can still play a constructive role in shaping the international environment through its cooperation with Europe, ASEAN and the Global South.
The objective is not to replace American hegemony, but to support a more multi-polar and collaborative system — one capable of sustaining global public goods in an era of uncertainty.
Paradoxically, a more coordinated effort by the rest of the world may ultimately help bring the US back into the fold. Washington may rediscover the strategic value of engagement — and return not as the sole leader, but as an indispensable partner.
In the short term, other states may seek to gain an advantage from the great power standoff. But they should remember that what begins as a clash between giants can quickly engulf bystanders.
In this volatile landscape, the path forward does not lie in exploiting disorder. Rather, nations must cautiously advance the shared interest in restoring a stable, rules-based global order.
Kai He receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
The internet’s latest absurd obsession is: who would win in a no-rules fight between 100 average human men and one adult male gorilla?
This hypothetical and strange question has taken over Reddit, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. Some argue that humans once hunted mammoths so, clearly, we would win. Others point out that a silverback gorilla can lift close to 1,000kg and could throw a grown man like a rag doll.
To be honest, it’s not really a question we need to answer – and yet, as usual on the internet, everyone has an opinion.
But, beyond the jokes and memes, this silly debate provides an opportunity to reflect on human evolution. What are the real strengths of our species? What have we sacrificed? And what can a gorilla, our majestic, powerful and endangered distant cousin, teach us about our own nature and evolution?
Gorillas and humans: two branches of the same evolutionary tree
Gorillas are one of our closest living relatives. Along with chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans, they belong to the great apes or Hominidae family. Chimpanzees share about 98.8% of their DNA with us, while gorillas come a close second, sharing around 98.4%.
The last common ancestor between humans and gorillas lived roughly 10 million years ago, and it is also the same ancestor for chimpanzees.
Since the evolutionary split, humans and gorillas have followed very different paths. Gorillas have adapted to dense forests and mountainous terrains, while humans have evolved to live in the open, but realistically to multiple and various environments.
Despite the substantial difference in ecological niches, humans and gorillas share many traits, such as opposable thumbs, facial expressions, complex social behaviours and emotional intelligence.
Mastering forest power
In the recent Dune saga, to win, Duke Leto Atreides wanted to develop “desert power”. Well, gorillas have mastered forest power.
And let’s be clear – in terms of raw power, the gorilla wins every time. An adult male silverback can weigh more than 160kg and lift about a tonne without going to the gym every day. Their upper-body strength is shocking. And that’s no evolutionary accident – it’s the result of intense competition between males, where dominance determines mating.
Additionally, gorillas are extremely tough and resilient, yet gentle and calm most of the time. Gorillas, like many primates, have a strong social intelligence. They use a variety of vocalisations, gestures and even chest drumming to communicate across distances.
They have shown the ability to use sign language, mourn their dead, and demonstrate empathy, attesting to sophisticated cognitive skills.
Trading muscles for minds
A fight between 100 men and one gorilla might lead to a lot of dead men, but we all know that men will come with weapons, strategies, drones, fire and other clever tricks.
Humans are not physically strong in comparison to many other mammals. Our strength as a species is our adaptability and our ability to collaborate in very large groups.
Our brains are, on average, three times larger proportionally than those of gorillas. This fantastic evolutionary adaptation has allowed us to develop abstract thinking and symbolic language, but most of all, to pass and build on complex knowledge across generations.
Humans’ evolutionary history has led to trading brute force for social, cultural and technological complexity, making us Earth’s most versatile and dangerous species.
So, who’s the winner?
In a one-on-one brawl, the gorilla can make “human-mash” with one hand. There is no contest when discussing brute force and bare hands.
But humans fight dirty. Judging by our evolutionary success, humans would likely lose many battles but ultimately win the fight. Mountain gorillas were not on the brink of extinction in the 1980s without our help.
Our species has spread across all continents, all terrains, and all climates. We have reshaped ecosystems, walked on the Moon, and developed advanced technologies. But gorillas are another kind of success rooted in harmony with their environment, physical grace, and quiet strength.
Perhaps the real takeaway message isn’t who wins in a fight, but to realise that two very different and yet very close cousins have walked two separate evolutionary roads, each in their own distinct way. And both are nature’s triumph and accomplishment.
Renaud Joannes-Boyau receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the Leakey Foundation, National Geographic, and the European Research Council.
Trade, Investment and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has wrapped up a successful programme hosting Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, His Excellency Eng Abdulrahman A. AlFadley, in Auckland this week for the 9th New Zealand–Saudi Arabia Joint Ministerial Commission. “This visit builds on growing momentum in our trade relationship with Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf region following the conclusion of the New Zealand-Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Agreement,” Mr McClay said. “With Saudi Arabia being our largest export market in the Gulf and the GCC trade deal soon to be signed, we’re opening new doors for Kiwi exporters —particularly in agriculture, agri-tech, food innovation and fintech.” The delegation of 37 Saudi officials and business leaders engaged in a packed programme, highlighting New Zealand’s strengths across food security, innovation, and primary production. Businesses and organisations visited included:
Auckland Business Chamber Vessev (Electric hydrofoil vessel) Westbury Stud Farm University of Auckland (Space Institute and satellite testing) Moana Seafood Fonterra The FoodBowl-NZ Food Innovation Auckland
“From dairy and seafood to clean tech and research partnerships, the opportunities for collaboration are real and growing. The GCC trade agreement will deliver duty-free access for 99% of our exports over time and ensure New Zealand businesses are well-positioned in one of the world’s most dynamic regions,” Mr McClay says. “The Government is focused on unlocking export growth and backing New Zealand’s exporters to succeed globally.”
Volcanoes erupting underwater have a distinctive effect on the climate, according to research led by University of Auckland and Tongan scientists.
Research on Tonga’s devastating 2022 Hunga eruption has just been published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
“Submarine volcanism has previously been overlooked in global climate studies, because there is typically not much atmospheric sulphur dioxide released,” says Professor Shane Cronin, a co-lead author of the study with postdoctoral fellow Dr Jie Wu.
However, while sulphur dioxide can lead to significant climate effects, so too can water vapour.
At its peak Hunga’s eruption injected up to 3 billion tonnes of steam into the atmosphere in a single hour, with the water vapour reaching the stratosphere and even the mesosphere more than 57 km up, Cronin says.
“The eruption has been shown by several recently published studies to have cooled the Southern Hemisphere and cause a range of other atmospheric and climate impacts that we are still discovering,” he adds.
Hunga had the potential for a global impact from sulphur dioxide. The team estimates 20 million tonnes of it was released during the eruption, however, most of the sulphur went directly into seawater at depths between 300m and 1100m.
Cronin is at the School of Environment at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, while Wu is now based at the University of Otago.
University of Auckland and staff and students have been working with Tongan partners to understand the wider implications of submarine volcanism in the Southwestern Pacific in the aftermath of Hunga, the largest eruption witnessed in the modern era.
“We are striving to understand the broader hazards of submarine volcanism including tsunami and damage to shorelines and internet data cables as well as how these eruptions affect our environment and climate,” says Cronin.
The work is supported by an MBIE Endeavor Research Programme grant from 2024.
