Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
China has made significant strides in grassland conservation through seed industry development and technological innovation, officials announced on Tuesday, which was World Earth Day.
With 40,000 hectares of new seed production bases established and 15 breakthrough grass varieties bred, the country is addressing ecological challenges while boosting rural livelihoods, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.
“We’ve built a national preservation system with one central seed bank and 20 resource nurseries,” said Zhao Bing, deputy inspector of the NFGA’s seed and nursery department.
He detailed efforts to strengthen domestic seed supply, including the department’s launch of the Catalog of China’s Major Grass Species and the recent approval of 59 new grass varieties, marking milestones in supporting ecological restoration and pastoral industries.
Notably, seed production reached 25,000 metric tons annually last year, with large-scale bases including a 13,333.3-hectare seed farm in Qinghai province and a 6,666.7-hectare Leymus chinensis grass hub in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.
“Our goal is 75 percent domestic seed self-sufficiency by 2030,” Zhao said, outlining plans to expand breeding land and establish traceability systems.
Tong Jinquan, deputy inspector of the NFGA’s technology department, highlighted scientific advancements. A “mission-oriented” breeding program has yielded 15 elite varieties, including “Zhongke No 10” leymus and “Tenggeli” licorice, which have increased grassland productivity by 80 percent. These varieties are now rehabilitating degraded lands across six provinces.
The establishment of 26 research stations and a national grassland lab at Lanzhou University underpins these efforts.
“We’ve trained 57 top-tier researchers and deployed 320 technologies,” Tong noted, citing alfalfa strains for saline soils and sand-fixing grasses for the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program.
Li Yongjun, director of the NFGA’s grassland management department, linked these measures to broader outcomes. Annual restoration of over 3 million hectares has raised fresh grass yields to 550 million tons, while eco-tourism in 39 pilot grassland parks boosts local incomes.
Challenges remain, with 70 percent of grasslands still degraded. Yet, as Zhao said, “From seed banks to smart monitoring, we’re building an integrated system to turn green barriers into green wealth.”
As New Zealanders clean up after ex-Cyclone Tam which left thousands without power and communities once again facing flooding, it’s tempting to seek immediate solutions.
However, after the cleanup and initial recovery, careful planning is essential.
Research shows that following disasters, communities often demand visible action that appears decisive. Yet, these reactions can create more problems than they solve.
When high-impact weather events drive long-term policy decisions, we risk implementing changes that seem protective but actually increase the risk of future disasters or misallocate limited resources.
What New Zealand needs isn’t knee-jerk actions but thoughtful planning that prepares communities before the next storms strike. Risk assessments paired with adaptive planning offer a path forward to build resilience step by step.
Planning ahead with multiple options
The good news is that many councils in New Zealand have begun this process and communities across the country are due to receive climate change risk assessments. These aren’t just technical documents showing hazard areas – they are tools that put power in the hands of communities.
When communities have access to good information about which neighbourhoods, roads and infrastructure face potential risks, they can prioritise investments in protection, modify building practices where needed and, in some cases, plan for different futures. This knowledge creates options rather than fear.
A risk assessment is merely the first step. Adaptation plans that translate knowledge into action are the next, but the Climate Change Commission recently confirmed there is a gap, concluding that:
New Zealand is not adapting to climate change fast enough.
For many New Zealanders already experiencing “rain anxiety” with each approaching storm, simply naming the danger without offering a path forward isn’t enough. This is where adaptive planning becomes essential.
Adaptive planning isn’t about abandoning coastal towns tomorrow or spending billions on sea walls today. It is about having a plan A, B and C ready if or when nature forces our hand. Rather than demanding immediate, potentially costly actions, adaptive planning provides a roadmap with multiple pathways that adjust as climate conditions evolve. This is how we best manage complex risk.
Think of it as setting up trip wires: when water reaches certain levels or storms hit certain frequencies, we already know our next move. This approach acknowledges the deep uncertainty of climate change while still providing communities with clarity about what happens next.
Importantly, it builds in community consultation at each decision point, ensuring solutions reflect local values and priorities.
Several communities are already considering plans that combine risk assessment with several adaptation options. Getty Images
Success stories
Several New Zealand communities are already demonstrating how this approach works. Christchurch recently approved an adaptation strategy for Whakaraupō Lyttelton Harbour with clear pathways based on trigger points rather than fixed timelines.
In South Dunedin, where half of the city’s buildings currently face flood risks which are expected to worsen in coming decades, the city council has paired its risk assessment with seven potential adaptation futures, ranging from status quo to large-scale retreat. Rather than imposing solutions, they’re consulting residents about what they want for their neighbourhoods.
Similarly forward-thinking, Buller District Council has developed a master plan that includes potentially relocating parts of Westport in the future. It’s a bold strategy that acknowledges reality rather than clinging to false security.
Status quo feels safer than adaptation
These approaches aren’t without controversy. At recent public meetings in Buller, some residents voiced understandable concerns about property values and community disruption. These reactions reflect the very real emotional and financial stakes for people whose homes are affected.
Yet the alternative – continuing with the status quo – means flood victims are offered only the option to invest their insurance money wherever they like. This assumes insurance remains available, which is a misguided assumption as insurance retreat from climate-vulnerable properties accelerates.
However, while local councils are on the front lines of adaptation planning, they’re being asked to make transformational decisions without adequate central government support. A recent Parliamentary select committee report failed to clarify who should pay for adaptation measures, despite acknowledging significant risks.
Parliament continues to avoid the difficult questions, kicking the can further down the road while communities such as South Dunedin and Westport face immediate threats.
Local councils need more than vague guidelines. They need clear direction on funding responsibilities, legislative powers and technical support. Without this support, even the most detailed risk assessments become exercises in documenting vulnerability rather than building resilience.
Instead of demanding short-term fixes, residents should expect their councils to engage with these complex challenges. The best climate preparation isn’t about predicting exactly what will happen in 2100 or avoiding disaster. It is about building more resilient, cohesive communities that are prepared for whatever our changing climate brings.
Tom Logan is a Rutherford Discovery Fellow and the chief technical officer of Urban Intelligence. He receives funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and EU Horizons on risk assessment. He is affiliated with the International Society for Risk Analysis.
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
Young Muscovites will take part in the “Tell us about your hero” campaign, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. It will be held in all schools and colleges of the capital from April 28 to May 7. This was reported by the press service Department of Education and Science of the City of Moscow.
On the eve of the holiday, all schools in the capital will replace the usual bells with the melody of the song “Victory Day”. Schoolchildren from the first to the 11th grade and college students will prepare projects dedicated to the heroes of their families, in the format of a short story, presentation or video. The children will present their work at special classes that will be held from April 28 to 30.
Each participant will be able to show a portrait and tell why this person is dear to the family, what qualities of his are especially admired, what the children would like to tell him today and how they preserve the memory of the exploits of their ancestors during the Great Patriotic War.
The most proactive pupils and students, together with the media centers of schools and colleges, will also be able to prepare videos about their heroes. These materials will be published on social networks.
In addition, on the eve of Victory Day, schoolchildren and college students take part in memorial and patronage events. Young Muscovites have tidied up monuments, memorial plaques, memorial signs and graves of participants in the Great Patriotic War. Search teams are working in the city: the children are looking for information about the dead and restoring their graves.
This year, Russia will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, one of the most significant events in world history. By decree of Vladimir Putin, 2025 has been declared the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland. The capital’s educational institutions are holding events aimed at preserving historical memory and fostering patriotism. Actions, exhibitions, concerts and other events are planned that will remind children of the feat of the Soviet people and their role in the victory over Nazism.
Patriotic events for young people correspond to the objectives of the projects “We are together” and “Russia is a country of opportunities” of the national project “Youth and Children”.
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Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
The results of the All-Russian School Olympiad (VsOSh) have been summed up in five more subjects. The final stages were held in Moscow, Samara, Ulyanovsk, Yakutsk and the federal territory of Sirius. Representatives of the capital’s team won diplomas in competitions in mathematics, ecology, physical education, law and French.
“The final stage of the All-Russian School Olympiad, the country’s main intellectual competition, is underway. Muscovites received 49 winners’ diplomas and 309 prize winners’ diplomas in five subjects: mathematics, law, ecology, French, and physical education. The diplomas are valid for four years and entitle students to admission without exams to any Russian university in a specialty corresponding to the Olympiad profile, or 100 points on the Unified State Exam in a specialized subject,” the press service of the capital’s
The final competition in mathematics was held at the Sirius educational center and included two written rounds. The Moscow team received 76 diplomas of winners and prize winners, eight more than last year. The students solved problems in algebra, geometry, combinatorics, and probability theory.
The final round on ecology took place in Ulyanovsk, with Moscow schoolchildren receiving 91 diplomas. This season, the capital’s team has 18 more diplomas than last year. During the theoretical round, the participants thought about how to make the work of nuclear and hydroelectric power plants more environmentally friendly, and also figured out how the living conditions of ancient organisms are related to the history of climate change on Earth. During the practical round, the schoolchildren wrote a paper on one of the proposed quotes and presented their own project.
Anna Glazkova, a ninth-grader at School No. 1518 and the absolute winner of the All-Russian Olympiad in ecology, participated in the final round for the first time. She had already won the Moscow School Olympiad in ecology three times, but she could not even dream of a diploma from the All-Russian Olympiad – she was counting on the status of a prize winner at most. Anna prepared in any free moment: during breaks, on the way home from school, and her efforts were crowned with success.
The participant noted that the most important thing for her was not so much the diploma, but the opportunity to meet people like her who strive to make life on Earth better.
The finalists of the Physical Education Olympiad completed assignments in Yakutsk and won 49 awards, 15 more than last season. In the first round, schoolchildren answered questions about drill exercises and reorganizations, athletes during the Great Patriotic War. The second round, practical, consisted of four parts: gymnastics, sports games, applied physical education, and track and field.
The final competition in law was held in Moscow at the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia. Schoolchildren competed in three rounds and received 103 diplomas of winners and prize winners. This is 42 awards more than in the previous final. They completed test assignments on knowledge of forensics, the tax system, studied sales contracts, and calculated the deadlines for filing an appeal in criminal proceedings. In addition, the children had to guess the author and title of a work from an excerpt, as well as present their own oral presentation.
Erika Chugbar, a ninth-grader at School No. 57 and the absolute winner of the All-Russian Olympiad of Schoolchildren, believes that the secret to success is combining studies and hobbies. This gives her the opportunity to take a break and diversify her activities. She studies cello at a music school, and when she gets tired of one task, Erika starts another. At the closing ceremony, the girl performed the composition “Merry Wind” together with the mother of her teammate. It turned out to be a cello and piano duet.
This season, the Law Olympiad has undergone changes. The oral round has become more important. The winner believes that it is important for a lawyer not only to be well-read, but also to be able to present their ideas and communicate with the public.
Experts in French solved the tasks of the Olympiad in Samara. The Moscow team has 39 awards. Young Muscovites repeated the result of last year. Schoolchildren had two rounds of the competition. The children had to cope with tasks on knowledge of vocabulary and grammar, and also prepare an oral presentation.
Responsible for the preparation of the capital’s team Center for Teaching Excellence Department of Education and Science of the City of Moscow. Classes, which last throughout the school year, are taught by experienced teachers. On the eve of the final stage for each subject, schoolchildren undergo intensive training. They solve assignments from previous years, attend lectures and practical seminars.
Until the end of May, everyone will be able to try their hand at the All-Russian School Olympiad: the Moscow Electronic School platform is hosting invitational stage. It allows you to get acquainted with the format of the tasks and choose items for participation in the main season.
Ensuring high-quality preparation of Moscow schoolchildren for the Olympiads corresponds to the objectives of the project “All the best for children” of the national project “Youth and Children”.
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Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
The Moscow Sovremennik Theatre hosted the premiere of the play “The Ark” based on the play by playwright Oleg Antonov, which was created based on the diary of Anne Frank, one of the most famous documents exposing the horrors of Nazism and the Holocaust. “Ark” In the reading of directors Yana Sekste and Alexey Usoltsev, it takes on a new, alarmingly relevant sound, becoming not just another adaptation, but a powerful statement about humanity in an inhuman world.
The attic is like a small universe
The spatial solution of the Ark radically changes the audience experience. On the Other Stage of Sovremennik, the audience surrounds the actors from all sides, creating the effect of a tight, closed space. This technique by the artist Sergei Skornetsky turns the audience into silent witnesses of what is happening, makes them feel the claustrophobia caused by life in the attic, which in two years has become an entire world for the forced residents. Special attention should be paid to the lighting solutions, creating the effect of a grid and symbolically emphasizing the imprisonment of the heroes.
“This venue provides the opportunity for complete immersion,” notes Vladimir Mashkov, artistic director of the Sovremennik Theatre and the Moscow Oleg Tabakov Theatre. The actors admit that they were initially afraid of this format. “When there are spectators around, you feel like you are in this closed space, like in a cage. But this oppressive feeling from all sides helps a lot,” shares her impressions Olga Rodina, who plays the role of Augusta van Daan.
The directors and playwright did a great deal of research, paying particular attention to recreating the everyday details of life in the shelter: clothing, household items, food – everything was reconstructed based on Anne Frank’s diary entries.
What the Ark says: Man and love versus fear
Unlike traditional productions based on Anne Frank’s diary, here the focus is not on a chronicle of events, but on an exploration of feelings and relationships. The central theme is the budding first love between Anne (Maria Shumilova) and Peter (Nikita Tabunshchik) – the very thought of which, according to survivors, warmed them even in the concentration camp.
The parallel in the title of the play with the biblical story is not accidental and is revealed in the production on different levels. Vladimir Mashkov explains it this way: “We wanted to tell, first of all, the story of love, love even in the most monstrous circumstances. We wanted to follow this life in the attic, in the ark that is heading to Earth. And they are with us, these two young creatures, like a dream, like those two doves that brought the olive branch.”
The creators abandoned the original title of the play, “Shelter,” because of the depth of the metaphor. “It seems to me that a shelter is where you need to hide. And the ark is where we will go,” adds Vladimir Lvovich. Semantic subtleties give the story a universal resonance: humanity is always in search of salvation, its “promised land.”
However, Yana Sekste and Aleksey Usoltsev do not create a cozy world in rosy tones. On the contrary, the production emphasizes the conflicts that corrode the “ark” from within. Quarrels over crumbs of bread, jealousy, attempts to maintain dignity in inhuman conditions – all demonstrate the versatility of human nature. Vladimir Mashkov reflects on this: “Technology, economics, lifestyle have changed – a lot has changed. But man has remained a weak, frightening or strong and heroic man, and has remained a man forever.”
At the culmination of the play, a prophetic and even shocking phrase is heard: “We are not afraid of the Nazis, we will destroy ourselves!” These words, like a leitmotif, emphasize: the main threat is not outside the walls, but inside. The play, even taking into account the historical basis, becomes not just a reminder of the tragedy of the past, but also a warning about the fragility of humanity in the modern world.
“After what we experienced in the middle of the 20th century, it is impossible to believe that we could find ourselves on this cycle again. But it happened,” says director Yana Sekste. The play “The Ark” is an important act of preserving collective memory. This idea is confirmed by Vladimir Mashkov: “There is no death if we remember, if we believe and try to live like people.”
Theatrical unity of individuality
“The Ark” became a unique project that united the creative forces of three groups – “Sovremennik”, the Theatre and the Oleg Tabakov School. Vladimir Lvovich emphasizes: “This is what we talked about at the very beginning of the season, about the unity of individuals. This is the first work that shows how much people of different ages, different theatres, but united by one idea, can cooperate.”
Maria Shumilova, a student at the Oleg Tabakov Theatre School, plays Anna with astonishing sincerity. In her performance, the frightened 13-year-old girl is neither a martyr nor an icon, but a living teenager, with age-related contradictions, dreams and hopes. The actress conveys the transformation of the heroine, who lives a whole life in 25 months in the attic, literally growing up before the audience’s eyes.
Alexander Khovansky, as the main character’s father, Otto Frank, embodies the image of a steadfast “ship captain” whose inner strength allows the family to hold on to the last. In her diary, Anne Frank, through the prism of her own family’s history, managed to unite millions of broken destinies, and each character in the production creates such a distinctive, yet multifaceted image that viewers see not characters, but living, far from ideal people trying to survive.
“Don’t Be Sad, Tomorrow the Sun Will Rise”: Hope and Pain in the Finale of “The Ark”
“The Ark” becomes a kind of test of compassion, of understanding the value of every life. The emotional ending leaves no chance not to be moved – even the actors cannot cope with the lump in their throat. “When portraits of real people are shown, music, they say who died where, I sit and cry – I still can’t do anything with myself,” shares Alexander Khovansky.
The last phrase of the play: “Don’t be sad, tomorrow the sun will rise again” completely destroys attempts to hold back tears. There is no happy ending, which you want to believe in until the very end, even in the theatrical production, but it is part of the path that everyone must go through. “A person goes to the point where he truly understands that he is a person and that there really are forces that are greater than fear, and that is love,” concludes Vladimir Mashkov.
“The Ark” is a complex, painful, but necessary theatrical statement. This is a performance about how even the most monstrous circumstances cannot take away a person’s ability to love. And as long as this ability is alive, the person himself is alive.
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Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
Loyalty program participants “A Million Prizes” can use the points earned for participating in city electronic projects to help children. This is an important contribution to the work of organizations that fight every day for the health, safety, and happy future of young Muscovites. Since this opportunity appeared in 2020, city residents have transferred over 206 million rubles to charitable foundations. They actively participate in the charitable initiative, supporting more than 30 organizations that help children with serious illnesses and facilitate the adaptation of adopted children in new families.
Recovery from chemotherapy and help with socialization
Charitable foundations and the Million Prizes program help children get on the road to recovery. The program involves organizations that give hope to seriously ill children by providing them with access to life-saving treatment — they direct funds toward complex surgeries, organ transplants, and expensive medications for young patients with the most severe diagnoses.
So, fundraising Charity Fund “Rusfond” created a unique model for collecting funds for the treatment of children. On the site you can learn the history of the child and his illness, as well as see a report on the funds donated for his treatment. Charity Foundation “Life Line” provides restorative treatment after chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation, rehabilitation of children with pathologies of the nervous system and musculoskeletal system, as well as laser treatment of vascular pathologies. Movement is Life Foundation provides comprehensive support to wards with cerebral palsy (CP) and various consequences of damage to the nervous system, paying for treatment in specialized clinics. Every donation to these organizations is a real chance for a child to return to normal life.
No less important is the support of those who work with children with special needs. Funds “Downside Up”, “Love Syndrome”, “Adele” and others create early intervention and support programs, helping children with various complex diagnoses to learn and socialize. Thanks to the participants of the Million Prizes loyalty program, these children receive the necessary rehabilitation.
There are also organizations that make the world of the younger generation brighter. For example, the foundation “Illustrated Books for Little Blind Children” creates tactile books for blind and visually impaired children, and an autonomous non-profit organization “School of Heroes”, which provides assistance and support to people with disabilities, and develops the creative and intellectual potential of children with mental disabilities.
Counseling parents and protecting children’s rights
A special place is occupied by funds that protect the rights of orphans and help them find a family. Charitable foundation “Find a family” has been training future adoptive parents for over 11 years and helping families who have taken in children from orphanages to cope with various difficulties.
Fund “Family together” creates free family homes and rooms at children’s hospitals where young patients can stay close to their parents during long-term treatment. National Foundation for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children carries out rehabilitation of children who have experienced severe negative experiences and provides advisory assistance to their parents.
How to get involved in charity
To contribute to a good cause, you need to log in to the site “A Million Prizes” by using account on the mos.ru portal, open “Incentives” section and go tocategory “Charity”. Then you need to select a card of a charity organization, specify the number of points and click on the “Place an order” button. In one click, you can transfer from 500 to five thousand city points received for participating in city electronic projects. The number of transfers is not limited. One point is equal to one ruble.
“A Million Prizes”— a website where Muscovites can use city points to receive goods and services from more than 400 partner organizations. The loyalty program allows you to use accumulated points to receive discounts in stores, cafes and restaurants, purchase tickets to theaters and museums, as well as top up your Troika transport card and your parking account in the Parking of Russia app.
The creation, development and operation of the e-government infrastructure, including the provision of mass socially significant services, as well as other services in electronic form, corresponds to the objectives of the national project “Data Economy and Digital Transformation of the State” and the capital’s regional project “Digital Public Administration”.
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Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
In connection with the holding Moscow Half Marathon (21.1 kilometers) on the morning of April 27, traffic will be temporarily closed on several embankments in the city center and some streets near them.
From 00:01 to 12:00, the section of Kosygina Street towards University Square from Vernadsky Avenue to University Square will be closed. From 06:00 to 12:00, Kosygina Street will be closed from Vorobyovskoye Highway to Vernadsky Avenue and from Vernadsky Avenue to Leninsky Avenue. From 07:00 to 13:00, it will be impossible to drive along University Square from University Avenue to Kosygina Street.
From 07:30 the Luzhniki Bridge and Komsomolsky Prospekt will be closed, from 08:00 — Khamovnichesky Val and Luzhniki streets, Frunzenskaya Embankment and Novokrymsky Proezd. From 08:30 restrictions will be introduced on Luzhnetskaya and Prechistenskaya Embankments, in Soymonovsky Proezd, and from 09:10 — on Ostozhenka Street.
Parking will be prohibited on all the listed streets and embankments from 00:01 on April 27 until the end of the Moscow Half Marathon.
Drivers are asked to plan their route in advance. Detailed information is available on the website Traffic Management Center.
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“The Government has made it easier for overseas trained teachers to come to New Zealand to try to address the teaching shortage. It’s hard coming to an entirely new country with an entirely different curriculum and schooling system, so understandably these teachers require support. This support needs to come from experienced teachers, often the same teachers who are responsible for leading the implementation of the new curriculum and NCEA changes in their departments.”
A recent PPTA survey of establishing and overseas trained secondary teachers found that 90% of respondents agreed that mentoring had helped their development. Worryingly, almost 20% of respondents said they did not receive the right amount of mentoring during that time and almost 20% said they did not believe the mentoring they received was good quality.
“That’s why we are launching today a series of initiatives aimed at making the role of the mentor teacher better supported and recognised. These initiatives include the development of clear and detailed guidelines for mentors of teacher trainees, beginning teachers, overseas trained teachers and classroom specialist teachers.”
And in the upcoming collective agreement negotiations, PPTA Te Wehengarua will claim for:
Continued funding for the delivery of a highly successful professional development course in effective mentoring
An increase in the allowance received by teachers mentoring student teachers from $3 an hour to the minimum wage of $23 an hour
An increase to the unit and allowance payments which are paid to teachers in roles that include mentoring responsibilities.
“Secondary teaching is an amazing and hugely satisfying career. But it’s hard, and particularly teachers in their first five years of teaching need a firm foundation of support to keep them grounded.”
Chris Abercrombie said both academic and anecdotal research showed that effective mentoring and support could ‘make or break’ an establishing teacher. “The quality of mentoring that teachers receive, particularly in their first few years in the profession, can have a significant influence on whether they stay in or leave teaching after their first few years.
“Retaining the experienced teachers that we need in the workforce to pick up these mentoring responsibilities is incredibly important. The largest number of teachers leave after five to 10 years in the profession, exactly the time when we need them to start mentoring new teachers.
Chris Abercrombie said it was appropriate that the mentoring initiatives were being launched at the PPTA Te Wehengarua Network of Establishing Teachers conference, being held in Tāmaki Makaurua today and tomorrow. The network of establishing teachers is made up of secondary teachers with up to 10 years’ experience.
“It is these teachers who we really need to keep in our schools. Everything that can be done, needs to be done, to support their professional growth.”
The death of Pope Francis this week marks the end of a historic papacy and the beginning of a significant transition for the Catholic Church. As the faithful around the world mourn his passing, attention now turns to the next phase: the election of a new pope.
This election will take place through a process known as the conclave. Typically held two to three weeks after a pope’s funeral, the conclave gathers the College of Cardinals in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel. Here, through prayer, reflection and secret ballots, they must reach a two-thirds majority to choose the next Bishop of Rome.
While, in theory, any baptised Catholic man can be elected, for the past seven centuries the role has gone to a cardinal. That said, the outcome can still be unpredictable – sometimes even surprising the electors themselves.
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio – who became Pope Francis – wasn’t among the front-runners in 2013. Nonetheless, after five rounds of voting, he emerged as the top candidate. Something similar could happen again.
This conclave will take place during a time of tension and change within the church. Francis sought to decentralise Vatican authority, emphasised caring for the poor and the planet, and tried to open dialogue on sensitive issues such as LGBTQIA+ inclusion and clerical abuse. The cardinals must now decide whether to continue in this direction, or steer towards a more traditional course.
There is historical precedent to consider. For centuries, Italians dominated the papacy. Of the 266 popes, 217 have been Italian.
However, this pattern has shifted in recent decades: Francis was from Argentina, John Paul II (1978–2005) from Poland, and Benedict XVI (2005–2013) from Germany.
The top papabili
As with any election, observers are speaking of their “favourites”. The term papabile, which in Italian means “pope-able”, or “capable of becoming pope”, is used to describe cardinals who are seen as serious contenders.
Among the leading papabili is Cardinal Pietro Parolin, aged 70, the current Secretary of State of Vatican City. Parolin has long been one of Francis’ closest collaborators and has led efforts to open dialogue with difficult regimes, including the Chinese Communist Party.
Parolin is seen as a centrist figure who could appeal to both reform-minded and more conservative cardinals. Yet some observers argue he lacks the charismatic and pastoral presence that helped define Francis’ papacy.
Another name to watch is Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. At 60, he is younger than many of his colleagues, but brings extensive experience in interfaith dialogue in the Middle East. His fluency in Hebrew and his long service in the Holy Land could prove appealing.
Then again, his relative youth may cause hesitation among those concerned about electing a pope who could serve for decades. As the papacy of John Paul II demonstrated, such long reigns can have a profound impact on the church.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines is also frequently mentioned. Now 67, Tagle is known for his deep commitment to social justice and the poor. He has spoken out against human rights abuses in his home country and has often echoed Francis’ pastoral tone. But some cardinals may worry that his outspoken political views could complicate the church’s diplomatic efforts.
Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana, now 76, was a prominent figure during the last conclave. A strong voice on environmental and economic justice, he has served under both Benedict XVI and Francis.
Turkson has largely upheld the church’s traditional teachings on matters such as male-only priesthood, marriage between a man and a woman, and sexuality. He is also a strong advocate for transparency, and has spoken out against corruption and in defence of human rights.
Though less widely known among the public, Cardinal Mykola Bychok of Melbourne may also be considered. His election would be as surprising (and perhaps as symbolically powerful) as that of John Paul II in 1978. A Ukrainian-Australian pope, chosen during the ongoing war in Ukraine, would send a strong message about the church’s concern for suffering peoples and global peace.
Other names that may come up are Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Cardinal Jaime Spengler of Brazil – both of whom lead large and growing Catholic communities. Although news reports don’t always list them among the top contenders, their influence within their regions – and the need to recognise the church’s global demographic shifts – means their voices will matter.
On the more conservative side is American Cardinal Raymond Burke, who had been one of Francis’ most vocal critics. But his confrontational stance makes him an unlikely candidate.
More plausible would be Cardinal Péter Erdő of Hungary, aged 71. Erdő is a respected canon lawyer with a more traditional theological orientation. He was mentioned in 2013 and may reemerge as a promising candidate among conservative cardinals.
Cardinal Péter Erdő was ordained as a priest in 1975 and has a doctorate in theology. He will be a top pick among conservatives. Wikimedia, CC BY-SA
One tough act to follow
Although Francis appointed many of the cardinals who will vote in the conclave, that doesn’t mean all of them supported his agenda. Many come from communities with traditional values, and may be drawn to a candidate who emphasises older church teachings.
The conclave will also reflect broader questions of geography. The church’s growth has shifted away from Europe, to Asia, Africa and Latin America. A pope from one of these regions could symbolise this change, and speak more directly to the challenges faced by Catholic communities in the Global South.
Ultimately, predicting a conclave is impossible. Dynamics often change once the cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel and begin voting. Alliances shift, new names emerge, and consensus may form around someone who was barely discussed beforehand.
What is certain is that the next pope will shape the church’s future: doctrinally, diplomatically and pastorally. Whether he chooses to build on Francis’ legacy of reform, or move in a new direction, he will need to balance ancient traditions with the urgent realities of the modern world.
Darius von Guttner Sporzynski 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 Siobhan O’Dean, Research Fellow, The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney
There’s no shortage of things to feel angry about these days. Whether it’s politics, social injustice, climate change or the cost-of-living crisis, the world can feel like a pressure cooker.
Research suggests nearly one-quarter of the world’s population feels angry on any given day. While anger is a normal human emotion, if it’s intense and poorly managed, it can quickly lead to aggression, and potentially cause harm.
So how should you manage feelings of anger to keep them in check? Our new research suggests mindfulness can be an effective tool for regulating anger and reducing aggression.
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the ability to observe and focus on your thoughts, emotions and bodily sensations in the present moment with acceptance and without judgement.
Mindfulness has been practised for thousands of years, most notably in Buddhist traditions. But more recently it has been adapted into secular programs to support mental health and emotional regulation.
Mindfulness is taught in a variety of ways, including in-person classes, residential retreats and through digital apps. These programs typically involve guided meditations, and practices that help people become more aware of their thoughts, feelings and surroundings.
Neuroscience research also suggests mindfulness is associated with reduced activity in brain regions linked to emotional reactivity, and greater activity in those involved in self-regulation (the ability to manage our thoughts, emotions and behaviours).
In this way, mindfulness could foster emotional awareness essential for the effective regulation of emotions such as anger. And when people are less overwhelmed by anger, they may be better able to think clearly, reflect on what matters and take meaningful action, rather than reacting impulsively or shutting down.
Anger is a normal human emotion – but it can sometimes have destructive consequences. Inzmam Khan/Pexels
We reviewed the evidence
To better understand whether mindfulness actually helps with regulating anger and aggression, we conducted a meta-analysis. This is a study that combines the results of many previous studies to look at the overall evidence.
We analysed findings from 118 studies across different populations and countries, including both people who were naturally more mindful and people who were randomly assigned to take part in interventions aimed at increasing mindfulness.
People who were naturally more mindful were those who scored higher on questionnaires measuring traits such as present-moment awareness and non-judgmental thinking. We found these people tended to report less anger and behave less aggressively.
However, mindfulness isn’t just something you have or don’t have – it’s also a skill you can develop. And our results show the benefits of lower anger and aggression extend to people who learn mindfulness skills through practice or training.
We also wanted to know whether mindfulness might work better for certain people or in particular settings. Interestingly, our results suggest these benefits are broadly universal. Practising mindfulness was effective in reducing anger and aggression across different age groups, genders and contexts, including whether people were seeking treatment for mental health or general wellbeing, or not.
Some anger management strategies aren’t backed by science
To manage feelings of anger, many people turn to strategies that are not supported by evidence.
Research suggests “letting off steam” while thinking about your anger is not a healthy strategy and may intensify and prolong experiences of anger.
For example, in one experiment, research participants were asked to hit a punching bag while thinking of someone who made them angry. This so-called “cathartic release” made people angrier and more aggressive rather than less so.
Breaking things in rage rooms, while increasingly popular, is similarly not an evidence-based strategy for reducing anger and aggression.
On the other hand, our research shows there’s good evidence to support mindfulness as a tool to regulate anger.
Mindfulness may reduce anger and aggression by helping people become more aware of their emotional reactions without immediately acting on them. It can foster a non-judgmental and accepting stance toward difficult emotions such as anger, which may interrupt the cycle whereby anger leads to aggressive behaviour.
All that said, it’s important to keep in mind that mindfulness is not a magic bullet or a quick fix. Like any new skill, mindfulness can be challenging at first, takes time to master, and works best when practised regularly.
It’s also important to note mindfulness may not be suitable for everyone – particularly when used as a standalone approach for managing more complex mental health concerns. For ongoing emotional challenges it’s always a good idea to seek support from a qualified mental health professional.
However, if you’re looking to dial down the impact of daily frustrations, there are plenty of accessible ways to give mindfulness a go. You can get started with just a few minutes per day. Popular apps such as Smiling Mind and Headspace offer short, guided sessions that make it easy to explore mindfulness at your own pace — no prior experience needed.
While mindfulness may not solve the problems that make us angry, our research shows it could help improve how we experience and respond to them.
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.
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 23, 2025.
The ‘responsible gambling’ mantra does nothing to prevent harm. It probably makes things worse Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Charles Livingstone, Associate Professor, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University Haelen Haagen/Shutterstock Recent royal commissions and inquiries into Crown and Star casino groups attracted much media attention. Most of this was focused on money laundering and other illegalities. The Victorian royal commission found widespread
This election, Gen Z and Millennials hold most of the voting power. How might they wield it? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Intifar Chowdhury, Lecturer in Government, Flinders University The centre of gravity of Australian politics has shifted. Millennials and Gen Z voters, now comprising 47% of the electorate, have taken over as the dominant voting bloc. But this generational shift isn’t just about numerical dominance. It’s also about
Only a third of Australians support increasing defence spending: new research Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Dunley, Senior Lecturer in History and Maritime Strategy, UNSW Sydney National security issues have been a constant feature of this federal election campaign. Both major parties have spruiked their national security credentials by promising additional defence spending. The Coalition has pledged to spend 3% of Australia’s
After stunning comeback, centre-left Liberals likely to win majority of seats at Canadian election 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 In Canada, the governing centre-left Liberals had trailed the Conservatives by more than 20 points in January, but now lead by five points and are likely to
The Greens are hoping for another ‘greenslide’ election. What do the polls say? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Narelle Miragliotta, Associate Professor in Politics, Murdoch University Election talk is inevitably focused on Labor and the Coalition because they are the parties that customarily form government. But a minor party like the Greens is consequential, regardless of whether the election delivers a minority government. Certainly, the
Victory for US press freedom and workers – court grants injunction in VOA media case Asia Pacific Report The US District Court for the District of Columbia has granted a preliminary injunction in Widakuswara v Lake, affirming the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) was unlawfully shuttered by the Trump administration, Acting Director Victor Morales and Special Adviser Kari Lake. The decision enshrines that USAGM must fulfill its legally required
Scientists claim to have found evidence of alien life. But ‘biosignatures’ might hide more than they reveal Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Campbell Rider, PhD Candidate in Philosophy – Philosophy of Biology, University of Sydney Artist’s impression of the exoplanet K2-18b A. Smith/N. Madhusudhan (University of Cambridge) Whether or not we’re alone in the universe is one of the biggest questions in science. A recent study, led by astrophysicist Nikku
What would change your mind about climate change? We asked 5,000 Australians – here’s what they told us Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelly Kirkland, Research Fellow in Psychology, The University of Queensland LOOKSLIKEPHOTO/Shutterstock Australia just sweltered through one of its hottest summers on record, and heat has pushed well into autumn. Once-in-a-generation floods are now striking with alarming regularity. As disasters escalate, insurers are warning some properties may soon
Even experts disagree over whether social media is bad for kids. We examined why Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Knight, Associate Professor, Transdisciplinary School, University of Technology Sydney A low relief sculpture depicting Plato and Aristotle arguing adorning the external wall of Florence Cathedral. Krikkiat/Shutterstock Disagreement and uncertainty are common features of everyday life. They’re also common and expected features of scientific research. Despite this,
Australian women are wary of AI being used in breast cancer screening – new research Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Pearce, Associate Professor, Health Economics, University of Sydney Okrasiuk/Shutterstock Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly relevant in many aspects of society, including health care. For example, it’s already used for robotic surgery and to provide virtual mental health support. In recent years, scientists have developed AI
These 3 climate misinformation campaigns are operating during the election run-up. Here’s how to spot them Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alfie Chadwick, PhD Candidate, Monash Climate Change Communication Research Hub, Monash University Australia’s climate and energy wars are at the forefront of the federal election campaign as the major parties outline vastly different plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tackle soaring power prices. Meanwhile, misinformation about
Port of Darwin’s struggling Chinese leaseholder may welcome an Australian buy-out Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Colin Hawes, Associate professor of law, University of Technology Sydney Slow Walker/Shutterstock Far from causing trade frictions, an Australian buyout of the Port of Darwin lease may provide a lifeline for its struggling Chinese parent company Landbridge Group. Both Labor and the Coalition have proposed such a
When rock music met ancient archeology: the enduring power of Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Craig Barker, Head, Public Engagement, Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney Sony Music The 1972 concert film Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii, back in cinemas this week, remains one of the most unique concert documentaries ever recorded by a rock band. The movie captured the band
Gambling in Australia: how bad is the problem, who gets harmed most and where may we be heading? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Russell, Principal Research Fellow, CQUniversity Australia Mick Tsikas/AAP, Joel Carret/AAP, Darren England/AAP, Ihor Koptilin/Shutterstock, The Conversation, CC BY Gambling prevalence studies provide a snapshot of gambling behaviour, problems and harm in our communities. They are typically conducted about every five years. In some Australian states and
Lest we forget? Aside from Anzac Day, NZ has been slow to remember its military veterans Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato Fiona Goodall/Getty Images Following some very public protests, including Victoria Cross recipient Willie Apiata handing back his medal, the government’s announcement of an expanded official definition of the term “veteran” brings some good news for former military personnel ahead
Dutton promises Coalition would increase defence spending to 3% of GDP ‘within a decade’ Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Opposition Leader Peter Dutton will promise a Coalition government would boost Australia’s spending on defence to 2.5% of GDP within five years and 3% within a decade. Launching the Coalition’s long-awaited defence policy on Wednesday in Western Australia, Dutton will
Leaders trade barbs and well-worn lines in unspectacular third election debate Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joshua Black, Visitor, School of History, Australian National University Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton have met for the third leaders’ debate of this election campaign, this time on the Nine network. And while the debate traversed much of the same ground as the first two, the quick-fire
Election Diary: Dutton in third debate gives Labor ammunition for its scare about cuts Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the leaders’ third head-to-head encounter, on Nine on Tuesday, Peter Dutton’s bluntness when pressed on cuts has given more ammunition to Labor’s scare campaign about what a Coalition government might do. “When John Howard came into power, there was
To truly understand Pope Francis’ theology – and impact – you need to look to his life in Buenos Aires Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fernanda Peñaloza, Senior Lecturer in Latin American Studies, University of Sydney Pope Francis’ journey from the streets of Flores, a neighbourhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to the Vatican, is a remarkable tale. Born in 1936, Jorge Bergoglio was raised in a middle-class family of Italian Catholic immigrants.
Bougainville takes the initiative in mediation over independence By Don Wiseman, RNZ Pacific senior journalist In recent weeks, Bougainville has taken the initiative, boldly stating that it expects to be independent by 1 September 2027. It also expects the PNG Parliament to quickly ratify the 2019 referendum, in which an overwhelming majority of Bougainvilleans supported independence. In a third move, it established a
Three experts have been appointed as independent reviewers, making it easier and more affordable for New Zealanders to operate in the aviation sector, Acting Transport Minister James Meager says.
Mr Meager today announced the appointment of Kevin Short, Rob MacGregor and Ashok Poduval as the three reviewers for the new independent review function for aviation decisions.
“All three appointees are highly skilled professionals, with decades of aviation and leadership experience between them across both the public sector and the private sector,” Mr Meager says.
“Kevin Short offers extensive leadership and experience in assessing and testing highly technical information. He is the former Chief of Defence Force and was previously a senior officer within the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
“Rob MacGregor brings 50 years of aviation experience within New Zealand and internationally, including former roles as Chief Executive of Texel Air and as an airworthiness inspector for the CAA New Zealand and Qatar.
“Ashok Poduval is a highly experienced aviation professional who has served as Chief Executive of the Massey University School of Aviation since 2005 and was most recently the President of the Aviation Industry Association.
The independent review function was established by the Civil Aviation Act which came into force on 5 April 2025. Independent reviewers have recommendatory powers, with the Director of Civil Aviation having final decision rights.
The reviewers have been appointed for three-year terms, expiring on 31 March 2028.
“The new function offers opportunities that will make it easier and more affordable for aviation sector participants in New Zealand to access fair outcomes and challenge decisions that have a significant impact on their livelihoods, such as cancelling or suspending a pilot’s licence,” Mr Meager says.
“The independent review function provides an alternative option for people wanting to appeal an aviation decision through the courts and is intended to enhance transparency and accountability within the aviation regulatory framework.
“Being able to have decisions reviewed independently will now mean those people won’t incur these costs and delays, and they’ll have the opportunity for a quick, cost-effective determination.”
“I look forward to seeing how this new independent review function will support people in their careers and in their involvement in aviation in our country.”
The death of Pope Francis this week marks the end of a historic papacy and the beginning of a significant transition for the Catholic Church. As the faithful around the world mourn his passing, attention now turns to the next phase: the election of a new pope.
This election will take place through a process known as the conclave. Typically held two to three weeks after a pope’s funeral, the conclave gathers the College of Cardinals in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel. Here, through prayer, reflection and secret ballots, they must reach a two-thirds majority to choose the next Bishop of Rome.
While, in theory, any baptised Catholic man can be elected, for the past seven centuries the role has gone to a cardinal. That said, the outcome can still be unpredictable – sometimes even surprising the electors themselves.
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio – who became Pope Francis – wasn’t among the front-runners in 2013. Nonetheless, after five rounds of voting, he emerged as the top candidate. Something similar could happen again.
This conclave will take place during a time of tension and change within the church. Francis sought to decentralise Vatican authority, emphasised caring for the poor and the planet, and tried to open dialogue on sensitive issues such as LGBTQIA+ inclusion and clerical abuse. The cardinals must now decide whether to continue in this direction, or steer towards a more traditional course.
There is historical precedent to consider. For centuries, Italians dominated the papacy. Of the 266 popes, 217 have been Italian.
However, this pattern has shifted in recent decades: Francis was from Argentina, John Paul II (1978–2005) from Poland, and Benedict XVI (2005–2013) from Germany.
The top papabili
As with any election, observers are speaking of their “favourites”. The term papabile, which in Italian means “pope-able”, or “capable of becoming pope”, is used to describe cardinals who are seen as serious contenders.
Among the leading papabili is Cardinal Pietro Parolin, aged 70, the current Secretary of State of Vatican City. Parolin has long been one of Francis’ closest collaborators and has led efforts to open dialogue with difficult regimes, including the Chinese Communist Party.
Parolin is seen as a centrist figure who could appeal to both reform-minded and more conservative cardinals. Yet some observers argue he lacks the charismatic and pastoral presence that helped define Francis’ papacy.
Another name to watch is Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. At 60, he is younger than many of his colleagues, but brings extensive experience in interfaith dialogue in the Middle East. His fluency in Hebrew and his long service in the Holy Land could prove appealing.
Then again, his relative youth may cause hesitation among those concerned about electing a pope who could serve for decades. As the papacy of John Paul II demonstrated, such long reigns can have a profound impact on the church.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines is also frequently mentioned. Now 67, Tagle is known for his deep commitment to social justice and the poor. He has spoken out against human rights abuses in his home country and has often echoed Francis’ pastoral tone. But some cardinals may worry that his outspoken political views could complicate the church’s diplomatic efforts.
Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana, now 76, was a prominent figure during the last conclave. A strong voice on environmental and economic justice, he has served under both Benedict XVI and Francis.
Turkson has largely upheld the church’s traditional teachings on matters such as male-only priesthood, marriage between a man and a woman, and sexuality. He is also a strong advocate for transparency, and has spoken out against corruption and in defence of human rights.
Though less widely known among the public, Cardinal Mykola Bychok of Melbourne may also be considered. His election would be as surprising (and perhaps as symbolically powerful) as that of John Paul II in 1978. A Ukrainian-Australian pope, chosen during the ongoing war in Ukraine, would send a strong message about the church’s concern for suffering peoples and global peace.
Other names that may come up are Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Cardinal Jaime Spengler of Brazil – both of whom lead large and growing Catholic communities. Although news reports don’t always list them among the top contenders, their influence within their regions – and the need to recognise the church’s global demographic shifts – means their voices will matter.
On the more conservative side is American Cardinal Raymond Burke, who had been one of Francis’ most vocal critics. But his confrontational stance makes him an unlikely candidate.
More plausible would be Cardinal Péter Erdő of Hungary, aged 71. Erdő is a respected canon lawyer with a more traditional theological orientation. He was mentioned in 2013 and may reemerge as a promising candidate among conservative cardinals.
Cardinal Péter Erdő was ordained as a priest in 1975 and has a doctorate in theology. He will be a top pick among conservatives. Wikimedia, CC BY-SA
One tough act to follow
Although Francis appointed many of the cardinals who will vote in the conclave, that doesn’t mean all of them supported his agenda. Many come from communities with traditional values, and may be drawn to a candidate who emphasises older church teachings.
The conclave will also reflect broader questions of geography. The church’s growth has shifted away from Europe, to Asia, Africa and Latin America. A pope from one of these regions could symbolise this change, and speak more directly to the challenges faced by Catholic communities in the Global South.
Ultimately, predicting a conclave is impossible. Dynamics often change once the cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel and begin voting. Alliances shift, new names emerge, and consensus may form around someone who was barely discussed beforehand.
What is certain is that the next pope will shape the church’s future: doctrinally, diplomatically and pastorally. Whether he chooses to build on Francis’ legacy of reform, or move in a new direction, he will need to balance ancient traditions with the urgent realities of the modern world.
Darius von Guttner Sporzynski does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven
04.22.25
Senator Invited Ag Secretary to Visit State, Giving Producers Opportunity for Direct Feedback & Showcasing ND Leadership in Precision Ag at Grand Farm
FARGO, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today organized meetings with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins in North Dakota, giving farmers, ranchers, agriculture researchers and agri-businesses the opportunity to:
Give direct feedback as:
Work proceeds on the next farm bill. Hoeven stressed the importance of keeping the farm in the farm bill and outlined efforts to invest in the farm safety net.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) continues accepting applications for and distributing the $10 billion in market-based disaster assistance that Hoeven worked to secure in year-end legislation.
To date, more than $5.8 billion in assistance has been sent out, with nearly $480 million of that going to producers in North Dakota.
In addition, USDA today released $6 million in disaster relief for rural electric infrastructure damaged by storms and wildfires in North Dakota, which comes from the overall disaster funding Hoeven secured in December.
Showcase North Dakota’s leadership in precision ag technologies and secure support for local initiatives like Grand Farm.
Hoeven has secured $6 million between Fiscal Years (FY) 2022-2025 to establish and support the AgTech Cooperative Agreement between North Dakota State University (NDSU), Grand Farm and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS).
Hoeven, who serves as chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee and a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, invited Rollins to visit the state during her recent confirmation process.
“North Dakota is an ag powerhouse today, and we’re making sure that, through innovation and good farm policy, our leadership in this vital sector continues to grow,” said Senator Hoeven. “I appreciate Secretary Rollins for accepting my invite to meet with our state’s farmers and ranchers right here in North Dakota and learn more about our region’s specific needs and priorities. Farming isn’t a monolith. If we want to keep our network of small family farms, we have to ensure the farm safety net actually works when it is needed most and in the wide variety of circumstances our producers face. At the same time, we are supporting our innovators through institutions like NDSU and Grand Farm in bringing new technologies to market that will help producers reduce their costs, stay competitive and continue providing the low-cost, high-quality food supply that all of America relies on every single day.”
Strengthening the Farm Safety Net
Hoeven continues working to pass a farm bill that addresses producers’ needs and ensures the farm safety net works when needed most. These priorities include:
Enhancing crop insurance, the primary risk management tool for many producers.
Improving the affordability of higher levels of coverage, consistent with Hoeven’s FARMER Act, will better enable producers to weather natural disasters and reduce the need for future ad-hoc disaster assistance.
Improving the counter-cyclical safety net, including the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs.
Securing adequate access to credit by including his legislation to modernize Farm Service Agency (FSA) loan limits as part of the farm bill.
Strengthening livestock disaster programs, including the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), the Livestock Forage Program (LFP) and the Emergency Livestock Assistance Program (ELAP).
Ensuring support for U.S. sugar policy.
Making programs voluntary and farmer-friendly, instead of one-size-fits-all.
Helping Producers Recover from Disasters
Last month, USDA released details for the $10 billion in market-based assistance, following Hoeven’s efforts to secure the funding and his work with Secretary Rollins to implement and quickly deliver the assistance. At the same time, Hoeven continues working with USDA to advance the $21 billion in weather-related assistance for losses in 2023 and 2024, which includes $2 billion set aside for livestock producers, including those with losses due to wildfires.
Applications for market-based assistance may be submitted online or to local Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices. Additional information and resources are available to producers on USDA’s website here: https://fsa.usda.gov/ecap.
The skink, Lampropholis guichenoti, is at significant risk due to prescribed burning.
Prescribed burning in the Mount Lofty Ranges to reduce bushfire risks may be threatening the survival and biodiversity of skinks and other reptiles.
That’s the finding from a new University of South Australia (UniSA) study that analysed the health of more than 1750 reptiles from eight species over a two-year period.
The study, published in Forest Ecology and Management, investigated how reptiles respond to fire in native stringybark forests of the Mount Lofty Ranges, one of South Australia’s key biodiversity hotspots.
According to lead author, UniSA PhD candidate Shawn Scott, the garden skink, Lampropholis guichenoti, had “significantly poorer body condition immediately following prescribed burns”.
“This suggests that in the short term for the garden skink, fire may be depleting food sources, exposing them to predators, or otherwise stressing these animals in ways we hadn’t fully appreciated,” Scott says.
In burnt areas, skinks showed the lowest body condition scores – a key indicator of animal health – in the first six months post-fire. While their condition improved over time, the initial decline raises concerns about long-term impacts, especially with increasingly frequent burns.
Interestingly, the study found that reptiles with injuries such as tail loss (a common escape tactic known as autotomy), missing digits, or scarring had significantly lower body condition in two species. This suggests that injury, whether from predators or territorial fights exacerbated by reduced shelter, may compound the impact of fires on their health.
Reptiles recaptured at study sites also told a compelling story. The skink L. guichenoti was most often recaptured in long-unburnt forests (more than 20 years since a fire), suggesting these habitats support higher survival or lower site emigration.
South Australia’s Mount Lofty Ranges have seen an increase in prescribed fire activity in recent years, with 5% of high-risk vegetation areas targeted annually. Yet this region also contains some of the state’s most fragmented and ecologically important woodlands.
“Prescribed burns are often advocated as beneficial for biodiversity,” says Scott, “but our research adds to growing evidence that one-size-fits-all approaches to fire may be harmful to small animals. More nuanced strategies, such as preserving long-unburnt refuges and monitoring fire effects on reptiles, are urgently needed.”
The researchers used a combination of a before-after control-impact (BACI) and fire-age chronosequence experimental design across 18 sites, ranging from recently burnt to more than 20 years post-fire.
Their detailed analyses incorporated body measurements, injury records, and recapture rates, providing one of the most comprehensive evaluations to date of reptile responses to fire in South Australian forests.
The authors stress that more research is needed into the post-fire ecology of reptiles, especially in the face of climate change and increasing fire severity.
“We had La Niña, mild, conditions,” says co-author and UniSA wildlife ecologist Assoc Prof S. “Topa” Petit. “The results could be more dramatic after a drought, for example.”
“Reptiles are critical for healthy ecosystems – they control insect populations and serve as prey for birds and mammals,” says Scott. “If fire regimes are compromising their health or numbers, it could have cascading effects on the whole ecosystem.”
“Effects of prescribed fire on body condition, injury, frequency, and recapture of reptiles in Mediterranean-type eucalypt forests is authored by researchers from the University of South Australia, Mid Torrens Catchment Group, and Kangaroo Island Research Station DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122683
Election talk is inevitably focused on Labor and the Coalition because they are the parties that customarily form government.
But a minor party like the Greens is consequential, regardless of whether the election delivers a minority government. Certainly, the level of anti-Greens campaigning by third party groups, like Better Australia, suggests as much.
The Greens’ have declared that their electoral aim is to “Keep Dutton out and get Labor to act”. They know this would be best achieved in a minority government, where the crossbench would be powerful players.
But can the Greens build on their historic 2022 election result, which delivered four lower house seats and the balance of power in the Senate?
State of play
An aggregation of the main polls estimates the Greens’ nationwide primary vote has ticked up since 2022, now ranging from 12.4% to 14.1%.
They are expected to retain all six Senate seats up for election. When combined with their five other Senate seats, the party will be critical in the next parliament to the fate of legislation in the red chamber.
In the contest for the House, the Greens are defending a record four seats: Melbourne, Brisbane, Griffith and Ryan. Melbourne is held by party leader Adam Bandt, on a comfortable 8.5% margin. It is as safe as it gets for the Greens.
The balance of the party’s seats are all Brisbane-based, starting with Ryan, which is held by just 2.6% if the two-party preferred vote. Despite the slender margin, Ryan has better prospects than the neighbouring seat of Brisbane, which it holds by 3.6%. This is based on the party’s 2022 swing of almost 10%, which placed them second in Ryan on primary votes.
In contrast, the Greens finished in third position on primary votes in Brisbane on the back of a respectable, but much more modest swing of just under 5%. The electoral dynamics are also complicated because the seat is a genuine three-cornered contest.
On the other hand, Griffith is now classed as a safe seat for the Greens. The party attained the highest number of primary votes (34.6%) on the back of a 10.94% swing three years ago. The Greens should be able to defend Griffith.
Target seats
The Greens have declared five additional electorates as “priority target seats” – two in Victoria and one in each of New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia.
Wills is the first of two Melbourne-based seats earmarked by the Greens. The party is betting on a redistribution in the Labor held seat, which independent analyst The Poll Bludger estimates will reduce the ALP’s primary vote by 2.6% and increase the Greens’ vote by 5%. The Greens are also fielding a high profile candidate, former state MP Samantha Ratnam.
In the case of Macnamara, the Greens finished in second position behind Labor in 2022. At the point of the Greens’ exclusion in the count they were on 32.84%, just marginally behind Labor on 33.48%
While the Greens’ prospects might be helped by a weakened Victorian Labor brand, victory could still prove elusive. In the case of Macnamara, the electorate takes in parts of the state seat of Prahran, which the party lost in a byelection in February. The by-election was precipitated by the resignation of the state Greens MP owing to allegations of inappropriate conduct with an intern.
Moreover, Liberal how-to-vote cards in both Wills and Macnamara are preferencing Labor over the Greens, which may be enough to push Labor over the line in both seats.
Chances elsewhere
The NSW seat of Richmond is a marginal Labor electorate that was once held by the Nationals. The Greens are calculating the seat is winnable based on their strong primary vote in 2022 and candidate continuity.
Richmond boasts one of the highest levels of rental stress in the nation, making it a perfect setting for Greens campaigning on housing affordability issues. Polling shows the Greens vote is up by 3% in NSW. If it’s accurate, and translates to Richmond, then the seat is potentially winnable.
Sturt in South Australia is the Liberal Party’s second most marginal seat (0.5%). However, the likelihood of a Greens victory is slim. At the 2022 election the Greens attracted only 16.39% of the primary vote, well behind both Labor and the Liberals.
The party’s final target seat is Perth, held by Labor on a very safe 14.4%, two party preferred. The seat’s demography explains why it’s a Greens priority. Perth is a relatively affluent inner metropolitan seat, with a high percentage of people who finished school, and a constituency that skews young.
But Perth is unlikely to turn to the Greens. In 2022 they finished in third position on primary votes (22.16%), well behind Labor (39.25%). The party’s Perth campaign may have also been damaged by plans, since abandoned, to hold a fundraising event on ANZAC Day.
Numbers game
Based only on the seats examined, the Greens will likely retain at least Melbourne and Griffith in the lower house, along with the 6 senate seats it is defending.
A more optimistic reading of the polling would also include Ryan, Brisbane and Wills. A best case scenario would also add Richmond and Macnamara to that list.
And then, of course, there are the unexpected victories that many of us simply don’t see coming. This is because party support and voter swings are never uniform at the seat level. There will be electorates that under-perform for all parties. And that includes the Greens.
Narelle Miragliotta does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne
In Canada, the governing centre-left Liberals had trailed the Conservatives by more than 20 points in January, but now lead by five points and are likely to win a majority of seats at next Monday’s election. Meanwhile, United States President Donald Trump’s ratings in US national polls have dropped to a -5 net approval.
The Canadian election will be held next Monday, with the large majority of polls closing at 11:30am AEST Tuesday. The 343 MPs are elected by first past the post, with 172 seats needed for a majority.
The Liberals had looked doomed to a massive loss for a long time. In early January, the CBC Poll Tracker had given the Conservatives 44% of the vote, the Liberals 20%, the left-wing New Democratic Party (NDP) 19%, the separatist left-wing Quebec Bloc (BQ) 9%, the Greens 4% and the far-right People’s 2%. With these vote shares, the Conservatives would have won a landslide with well over 200 seats.
At the September 2021 election, the Liberals won 160 of the then 338 seats on 32.6% of votes, the Conservatives 119 seats on 33.7%, the BQ 32 seats on 7.6%, the NDP 25 seats on 17.8%, the Greens two seats on 2.3% and the People’s zero seats on 4.9%. he Liberals were short of the 170 seats needed for a majority.
The Liberal vote was more efficiently distributed than the Conservative vote owing to the Conservatives winning safe rural seats by huge margins. The BQ benefited from vote concentration, with all its national vote coming in Quebec, where it won 32.1%.
On January 6, Justin Trudeau, who had been Liberal leader and PM since winning the October 2015 election, announced he would resign these positions once a new Liberal leader was elected. Mark Carney, former governor of the Bank of Canada and Bank of England, was overwhelmingly elected Liberal leader on March 9 and replaced Trudeau as PM on March 14.
With the Liberals short of a parliamentary majority, parliament was prorogued for the Liberal leadership election and was due to resume on March 24. Carney is not yet an MP (he will contest Nepean at the election). Possibly owing to these factors, Carney called the election on March 23.
In Tuesday’s update to the CBC Poll Tracker, the Liberals had 43.1% of the vote, the Conservatives 38.4%, the NDP 8.3%, the BQ 5.8% (25.4% in Quebec), the Greens 2.2% and the People’s 1.4%. The Liberals have surged from 24 points behind in early January to their current 4.7-point lead.
Seat point estimates were 191 Liberals (over the 172 needed for a majority), 123 Conservatives, 23 BQ, five NDP and one Green. The tracker gives the Liberals an 80% chance to win a majority of seats and a 15% chance to win the most seats but not a majority.
The Liberal lead over the Conservatives peaked on April 8, when they led by 7.1 points. There has been slight movement back to the Conservatives since, with the French and English leaders’ debates last Wednesday and Thursday possibly assisting the Conservatives.
But the Liberals still lead by nearly five points in the polls five days before the election. With the Liberals’ vote more efficiently distributed, they are the clear favourites to win an election they looked certain to lose by a landslide margin in January.
Carney’s replacement of Trudeau has benefited the Liberals, but I believe the most important reason for the Liberals’ poll surge is Trump. Trump’s tariffs against Canada and his talk of making Canada the 51st US state have greatly alienated Canadians and made it more difficult for the more pro-Trump Conservatives.
In an early April YouGov Canadian poll, by 64–25, respondents said the US was unfriendly or an enemy rather than friendly or an ally (50–33 in February). By 84–11, they did not want Canada to become part of the US. If Canadians had been able to vote in the 2024 US presidential election, Kamala Harris would have defeated Donald Trump by 57–18 in this poll.
Trump’s US ratings have fallen well below net zero
In Nate Silver’s aggregate of US national polls, Trump currently has a net approval of -5.4, with 50.8% disapproving and 45.4% approving. At the start of his term, Trump’s net approval was +12, but went negative in mid-March. His ratings fell to their current level soon after Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs on April 2.
Silver has presidential approval poll data for previous presidents since Harry Truman (president from 1945–53). Trump’s current net approval is worse than for any other president at this point in their tenure except for Trump’s first term (2017–2021).
Silver also has a net favourability aggregate for Elon Musk that currently gives Musk a net favourable rating of -13.6 (53.0% unfavourable, 39.3% favourable). Musk’s ratings began to drop from about net zero before Trump’s second term commenced on January 20.
G. Elliott Morris used to manage the US poll aggregate site FiveThirtyEight before it was axed. He wrote last Friday that Trump’s net approval on the economy (at -5.8) is worse than at any point in his first term. During his first term, Trump’s net approval on the economy was mostly positive, helping to support his overall ratings.
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.
Even the Greens have got in on the act, pledging to “decouple” Australia from the US military.
Against this backdrop, of course, is the omnipresent figure of US President Donald Trump, with questions about the reliability of the US as an ally and the impact his policy decisions will have on Australian security. The possible deployment of Russian aircraft to Indonesia and the Chinese warships sailing around Australia have made these issues even more salient.
But what do Australians actually know about defence issues, and what are they comfortable spending on it?
According to our major new survey of 1,500 Australian adults, only a third of respondents thought the defence budget should be increased.
The survey was conducted from late February to early March as part of our work at the War Studies Research Group to measure public attitudes towards the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
Australians know little about the ADF’s role
More than two-thirds of our respondents said they had a positive opinion of the ADF, and only 8% held a negative opinion. There were significant differences by political affiliation, with 76% of those expecting to vote for the Liberal Party having positive views compared to 72% of Labor supporters. By contrast, only 53% of Greens supporters felt the same way.
However, when asked how much they actually knew about the ADF and its activities, only a quarter of respondents felt well-informed.
One reason for this is that only 22% of respondents served in the ADF themselves, or had an immediate family member who had. Similarly, only 35% of respondents knew a veteran.
But even public knowledge on issues that have received considerable media attention was limited.
Successive governments have emphasised the rapidly deteriorating strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific region. This has led to much debate over whether Australia should increase its defence spending – and by how much.
In this election, both sides have committed more resources to upgrade and expand Australia’s military capabilities.
However, despite efforts to turn defence spending into a major issue at this election (especially on the right of politics), it is far from clear this has cut through with the wider population.
Our survey reveals public support for a larger ADF is split. Just over half of respondents thought the ADF was appropriately sized, while 41% considered it too small and 7% thought it too large.
Notably, when asked whether they thought more money should be spent on defence, the support for growth shrinks further.
Liberal supporters were the most likely to favour increasing the defence budget. But only 44% of them did, suggesting a majority felt that current spending on the ADF was either appropriate or too large.
Only 28% of Labor voters supported an increase in the defence budget. And among Greens voters, those supporting cuts to the defence budget outnumbered those in favour of expansion.
Ever since the US presidential election in November, many Australians have also questioned the US alliance and the AUKUS agreement, specifically. Recent actions by Trump – most notably his public statements on the Ukraine war – have only reinforced these doubts.
Given the tone of the public debate, we expected to see lower levels of support in our survey for the US alliance as the bedrock of Australian security.
However, respondents strongly favoured (75%) the ADF continuing to prioritise working closely with allies and partners, especially the US. Only 2% opposed it. Notably, there was very little variation based on political allegiance.
However, the idea of deploying the ADF to support our allies and partners overseas, including in the event of a conflict, saw greater division among respondents.
Two-thirds favoured deploying troops to support our allies overall. Liberal voters largely supported this proposition (75%), while 64% of Labor supporters backed it. Only about half of Greens voters felt the same way.
Respondents were also asked whether Australia should focus primarily on the defence of our territory rather than supporting our allies and partners in maintaining wider regional security. Just under half (46%) of respondents agreed with this idea, while 38% expressed neutral opinions and only 17% opposed it.
Overall, the results of this survey suggest that while the Australian public generally holds the ADF in high regard, they don’t know very much about it, nor do they consider additional funding for defence and security to be a real priority.
Successive governments, intelligence agencies and military analysts have long warned of the growing threats to Australia’s national security. Our survey suggests, however, that this messaging is either not cutting through – or that other concerns, such as housing or cost-of-living pressures, are taking priority.
Either way, it does not look like this issue will be decisive in the coming election.
This piece is part of a series on the future of defence in Australia. Read the other stories here.
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 centre of gravity of Australian politics has shifted. Millennials and Gen Z voters, now comprising 47% of the electorate, have taken over as the dominant voting bloc.
But this generational shift isn’t just about numerical dominance. It’s also about political unpredictability.
While the youth have progressive leanings, they aren’t neatly aligned with Labor. The Greens are gaining ground and there are signs of a subset of younger men drifting right.
This makes them both a decisive and volatile force. So how might they vote?
The climbing Greens vote
According to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), youth enrolment (18–24-year-olds) at the end of March 2025 stood at 90.4%. This surpasses the national youth enrolment rate target of 87%.
Further analysis of enrolment data shows electorates with the highest proportion of voters under 30 saw unprecedented support for the Greens in 2022, with the party topping the vote share in four of the youngest seats.
Elsewhere, electorates with a high youth vote became battlegrounds, with Labor facing its fiercest competition not from the Liberals, but from the Greens.
Take Canberra, for example. A historically safe Labor seat was a comfortable Labor retain, but Greens’ primary vote reached nearly 25%, pushing the Liberals out of the two party-preferred calculations entirely.
This year, the main contest for the youth vote will likely be between Labor and the Greens.
Capturing young hearts and minds
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese knows how important these voters are. In a bid to retain the youth vote, he is already sweetening the deal for them, dangling higher education reforms like election cookies.
If re-elected, Labor promises a 20% cut to student loan debt by June 1. The government also plans a higher income threshold before repayments begin, and an expansion of fee-free TAFE places to 100,000 per year from 2027.
This underscores the significance of youth issues in shaping their political behaviour. Young Australians are issue-based voters, with housing affordability, employment, and climate change topping their concerns, according to the 2024 Australian Youth Barometer.
They’re acutely aware of intergenerational inequality. They’re paying more tax than their parents did, while facing skyrocketing housing, education, and living costs. Financial anxiety runs deep, with 62% believing they’ll be worse off than their parents.
Yet, they see lack of sincere government action to address their struggles.
Not doing enough
Take housing affordability – a red-hot issue in the past three years. A bitter parliamentary standoff last year saw Labor and the Greens locked in negotiations over housing policy.
The Greens criticised the government’s Build to Rent and Help to Buy schemes, calling for tougher reforms. They wanted rent caps, the winding back negative gearing and phasing out $176 billion in tax breaks for property investors.
Such parliamentary gridlocks are unsavoury to voters, but the rent cap debate could have given the Greens an edge among young people, most of whom are renters.
Youth trust in the Albanese government has slipped since 2022, according to the first wave of the ANU 2025 Election Monitoring Survey. Perceptions of politicking over important issues like housing could be part of the reason why.
Divided by gender
Another fault line in the youth vote is the gender divide.
There are signs of a right-wing shift among young men, much like in Donald Trump’s America. According to The Australian Financial Review/Freshwater Strategy poll in November 2024, 37% of men aged 18–34 back opposition leader Dutton, compared to just 27% of women.
Pollsters point to young, non-university educated voters in the outer suburbs and regions as potential disruptors. They’re volatile, disillusioned and more likely to vote against a system they feel has failed them.
This trend is harder to spot in aggregate data, likely due to compulsory voting, but studies suggest a subset of men with economic grievances – particularly blue-collar workers – are drawn to anti-government rhetoric and the discourse of white male victimhood.
Many express nostalgia for traditional masculinity and feel alienated by progressive social shifts. Such a perception leads to a “backlash” against these changes.
This resentment plays out well online. Trump, for example, has mobilised young men by mastering direct communication through digital media and podcasts, and Dutton seems to be taking notes.
So a lot hinges on the online battleground. It’s about reaching all types of young voters with relatable, political messaging.
The days of one-size-fits-all political advertising are over. Younger voters consume media differently, making political messaging more about influencers than traditional advertising.
Major parties need to step up their game in digital-first platforms, moving beyond mere presence on social media to crafting compelling, digital-first content.
Grassroots and community-driven campaigning, both online and on the ground, can bridge the disconnect. The Greens’ success in Brisbane proved this, with young, personable candidates engaging directly.
Meanwhile, the establishment parties are lacking young, relatable leaders who can tell stories that resonate.
Intifar Chowdhury 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.
Recent royal commissions and inquiries into Crown and Star casino groups attracted much media attention. Most of this was focused on money laundering and other illegalities.
The Victorian royal commission found widespread evidence that Crown also took advantage of vulnerable people.
The regulatory framework that in large part allows this to occur is known as “responsible gambling”.
This is supposed to protect people from experiencing gambling harm. Crown and Star, like other gambling venues, are required to adopt such codes.
Royal Commissioner Ray Finkelstein, overseeing the Victorian Crown inquiry, was scathing in his assessment of Crown’s implementation:
Crown Melbourne had for years held itself out as having a world’s best approach to problem gambling. Nothing can be further from the truth.
Unfortunately, Finkelstein’ comments about Crown could readily be made about most other gambling operators.
How it all began
The responsible gambling framework was developed by gambling operators as a way of deflecting attention from the serious harm of gambling.
The document that arguably consolidated this was prepared in 2004 by a group of gambling researchers gathered, naturally, in Reno, Nevada (close to Las Vegas, the spiritual home of gambling excesses).
This document argued the choice to gamble should be left to people and no external organisation should interfere with this.
Now, responsible gambling is cemented in law, regulation, and practice. It is the overwhelming frame for gambling operators, governments and regulators to conceal gambling’s downside.
Stacking the odds
Responsible gambling depicts gambling harm as an issue for a small minority of people: so-called problem gamblers.
So from this perspective, any issues with gambling are issues with people.
But little if any attention is devoted to the environment in which gambling is available. Often, even less is devoted to examining the nature of gambling products.
Codes of conduct, for example, argue it is possible to intervene at a venue when a gambler shows signs of distress, or has a gambling disorder. While this is theoretically possible, the problem is to do so would rob venue operators of their most lucrative customers.
Another major element is self-exclusion: an opportunity for people (or in some states their relatives) to ban themselves from gambling at particular venues.
This is, again, fine in theory. But it has generally been poorly enforced at “bricks and mortar” venues.
There are two fundamental issues with this approach:
those who self-exclude are very much in the minority of those with gambling problems
self-exclusion is generally undertaken only by those who are at rock-bottom. It is not a preventive approach.
The other major intervention in the responsible gambling coda is treatment.
Gambling treatment services are available and free via Gamblers Help but fewer than 10% of those who might benefit from treatment actually seek it.
Unfortunately, attrition rates for counselling are high, so both the lack of help-seeking and the attrition rates when help is sought are at least partially attributable to another side effect of the responsible gambling mantra: shame and stigma, which are commonly reported by those struggling with gambling disorders.
The blame game
Responsible gambling effectively blames people for getting into trouble.
It argues problem gamblers are far outnumbered by “responsible gamblers”, and deflects attention away from the highly addictive nature of many gambling products.
It largely absolves operators of responsibility, while maintaining their revenues and stigmatising those who bear the consequences.
As it does all this, it also provides a smokescreen of concern, a suggestion that gambling operators and governments care about gambling harm.
Ideas for the future
The best way to curb gambling harm is to view it as a public health problem.
Public health is generally focused on prevention (think vaccines and clean water). At this stage, the most likely effective preventive intervention is what is known as pre-commitment, which uses technology to allow people to determine the amount of money they want to gamble.
High-intensity gambling products rely on people becoming highly immersed in the product. Gamblers call this “the zone” – which limits or negates a person’s ability to make rational decisions.
But pre-commitment systems allow this choice to be made outside of “the zone”.
Pre-commitment and cashless systems are now required for casinos in NSW and Victoria, and shortly in Queensland, as recommended by the Crown and Star inquiries.
These are welcome steps but much more is needed.
A long overdue change
Responsible gambling has allowed gambling operators to self-regulate and blame people for harmful gambling practices.
It has made gambling businesses – casinos, wagering companies, pokie pubs and clubs – extraordinary profitable. But this has come at considerable cost to hundreds of thousands of Australians, and their families and friends.
Ditching the responsible gambling mantra is long overdue. Along with effective interventions to prevent harm, doing so will dramatically reduce the damage that gambling does.
Charles Livingstone has received funding from the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, the (former) Victorian Gambling Research Panel, and the South Australian Independent Gambling Authority (the funds for which were derived from hypothecation of gambling tax revenue to research purposes), from the Australian and New Zealand School of Government and the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education, and from non-government organisations for research into multiple aspects of poker machine gambling, including regulatory reform, existing harm minimisation practices, and technical characteristics of gambling forms. He has received travel and co-operation grants from the Alberta Problem Gambling Research Institute, the Finnish Institute for Public Health, the Finnish Alcohol Research Foundation, the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Committee, the Turkish Red Crescent Society, and the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand. He was a Chief Investigator on an Australian Research Council funded project researching mechanisms of influence on government by the tobacco, alcohol and gambling industries. He has undertaken consultancy research for local governments and non-government organisations in Australia and the UK seeking to restrict or reduce the concentration of poker machines and gambling impacts, and was a member of the Australian government’s Ministerial Expert Advisory Group on Gambling in 2010-11. He is a member of the Lancet Public Health Commission into gambling, and of the World Health Organisation expert group on gambling and gambling harm. He made a submission to and appeared before the HoR Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs inquiry into online gambling and its impacts on those experiencing gambling harm.
This photo shows a charging station powered by the solar array at an industrial park in Liyang, a county-level city under Changzhou in east China’s Jiangsu Province, April 17, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua] Along a nearly-500-meter asphalt road shaded by a glimmering canopy of photovoltaic panels, new energy vehicles travel back and forth. Some pull over at the roadside charging station powered by the solar array. This eco-friendly scene, especially fitting on Tuesday, the 56th Earth Day, is part of a broader zero-carbon initiative at a 100-hectare industrial park in Liyang, a county-level city under Changzhou in east China’s Jiangsu Province. Since beginning operations in June last year, the park has installed around 77,000 square meters of photovoltaic panels, generating 5.2 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity annually. To achieve net-zero carbon emissions, the park is diversifying its clean energy sources to include wind and hydro power, according to Li Jie, general manager of State Grid Liyang Electric Vehicle Service Company, one of the park’s key developers. Carbon-free industrial parks aim to achieve zero carbon emissions by integrating clean energy, green architecture, smart management systems and circular economy practices. China’s Central Economic Work Conference, which outlined the national priorities for 2025, called for ramped-up efforts to promote a green transition across all sectors, including the establishment of a group of zero-carbon industrial parks. According to Wu Wei, an associate professor at the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University, such parks not only drive low-carbon development but also enhance enterprises’ innovation capability, energy efficiency and informatization level, serving as a key engine for China’s high-quality economic growth. Zero-carbon practices power ahead According to the city’s action plan, Changzhou aims to build more than 10 near-zero-carbon parks and more than 15 near-zero-carbon factories from 2024 to 2026. Among the pioneers in this plan is Nari-Relays Electric (NR Electric), a local power electronics company. By leveraging AI and cloud computing to monitor and optimize energy use in real time — from water and electricity consumption to photovoltaic output and environmental conditions — the company has cut over 21,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and saved nearly 7,300 tonnes of standard coal since 2023. Thanks to these efforts, the cost reduction and efficiency improvement have saved NR Electric nearly 20 million yuan (about 2.77 million U.S. dollars), according to the company. As microgrids are a cornerstone of zero-carbon parks’ operation, Changzhou has completed 39 microgrid projects with a total investment of 1.18 billion yuan and plans to construct more such projects in the coming years. Beyond Changzhou, moves to go carbon-free are gaining momentum across China. In 2022, Shanghai released an action plan for a zero-carbon demonstration park in its Minhang District. In 2024, a plan was unveiled to build a zero-carbon park in Beijing’s Daxing District. Provinces and regions like Guangxi, Yunnan and Fujian have included zero-carbon park construction in their 2025 government work reports. China has pledged to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2060. With the advancement of the dual carbon goals, it is expected to see a surge in zero-carbon parks in 2025, said Ding Hong, vice president of Jiangsu’s provincial society of the urban economy. “Advances in distributed solar photovoltaics, energy storage and smart energy management platforms will significantly lower costs of zero-carbon parks’ construction and operation, and profoundly change China’s energy utilization mode,” Ding said. Low-carbon innovations go global In Jiangsu’s Suzhou Industrial Park, a joint China-Singapore zero-energy building fitted with rooftop photovoltaic panels, small wind turbines and an AI-controlled lighting and climate system showcases the possibilities of future urban architecture. Built using sustainable materials, the structure is part of the China-Singapore Green Digital Hub, a 6.7-billion-yuan project launched last November to boost green industries and emerging services. According to Li Wenjie, deputy director of the institute of urban development at Suzhou Industrial Park, the zero-energy building has been certified by standards organizations in both the United States and Singapore. “This highlights that China’s carbon reduction technologies have gained worldwide recognition,” he noted. China’s green technologies are now reaching global markets. NR Electric, for example, has provided energy storage solutions to over 30 countries, including Britain, Japan and Saudi Arabia. At Britain’s Richborough Energy Park, its technology has helped reduce carbon emissions by over 10,000 tonnes — the greatest reduction among all battery energy-storage projects in the country in 2024. Currently, China is collaborating on green energy projects with over 100 countries and regions. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, the average global cost per megawatt-hour for wind power has plummeted over the last decade by over 60 percent, and by 80 percent for solar power. China has made remarkable progress in its green transition and technologies, said Erik Berglof, chief economist at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, during this year’s Boao Forum for Asia held in late March. He noted that its journey offers a blueprint for sustainable development that other countries can follow.
Artist’s impression of the exoplanet K2-18bA. Smith/N. Madhusudhan (University of Cambridge)
Whether or not we’re alone in the universe is one of the biggest questions in science.
A recent study, led by astrophysicist Nikku Madhusudhan at the University of Cambridge, suggests the answer might be no. Based on observations from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, the study points to alien life on K2-18b, a distant exoplanet 124 light years from Earth.
The researchers found strong evidence of a chemical called dimethyl sulfide (DMS) in the planet’s atmosphere. On Earth, DMS is produced only by living organisms, so it appears to be a compelling sign of life, or “biosignature”.
While the new findings have made headlines, a look at the history of astrobiology shows similar discoveries have been inconclusive in the past. The issue is partly theoretical: scientists and philosophers still have no agreed-upon definition of exactly what life is.
A closer look
Unlike the older Hubble telescope, which orbited Earth, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is placed in orbit around the Sun. This gives it a better view of objects in deep space.
When distant exoplanets pass in front of their host star, astronomers can deduce what chemicals are in their atmospheres from the tell-tale wavelengths they leave in the detected light. Since the precision of these readings can vary, scientists estimate a margin of error for their results, to rule out random chance. The recent study of K2-18b found only a 0.3% probability that the readings were a fluke, leaving researchers confident in their detection of DMS.
On Earth, DMS is only produced by life, mostly aquatic phytoplankton. This makes it a persuasive biosignature.
The findings line up with what scientists already conjecture about K2-18b. Considered a “Hycean” world (a portmanteau of “hydrogen” and “ocean”), K2-18b is thought to feature a hydrogen-rich atmosphere and a surface covered with liquid water. These conditions are favourable to life.
So does this mean K2-18b’s oceans are crawling with extraterrestrial microbes?
Some experts are less certain. Speaking to the New York Times, planetary scientist Christopher Glein expressed doubt that the study represents a “smoking gun”. And past experiences teach us that in astrobiology, inconclusive findings are the norm.
Life as we don’t know it
Astrobiology has its origins in efforts to explain how life began on our own planet.
In the early 1950s, the Miller-Urey experiment showed that an electrical current could produce organic compounds from a best-guess reconstruction of the chemistry in Earth’s earliest oceans – sometimes called the “primordial soup”.
Although it gave no real indication of how life in fact first evolved, the experiment left astrobiology with a framework for investigating the chemistry of alien worlds.
In 1975, the first Mars landers – Viking 1 and 2 – conducted experiments with collected samples of Martian soil. In one experiment, nutrients added to soil samples appeared to produce carbon dioxide, suggesting microbes were digesting the nutrients.
Initial excitement quickly dissipated, as other tests failed to pick up organic compounds in the soil. And later studies identified plausible non-biological explanations for the carbon dioxide. One explanation points to a mineral abundant on Mars called perchlorate. Interactions between perchlorate and cosmic rays may have led to chemical reactions similar to those observed by the Viking tests.
Concerns the landers’ instruments had been contaminated on Earth also introduced uncertainty.
In 1996, a NASA team announced a Martian meteorite discovered in Antarctica bore signs of past alien life. Specimen ALH84001 showed evidence of organic hydrocarbons, as well as magnetite crystals arranged in a distinctive pattern only produced biologically on Earth.
More suggestive were the small, round structures in the rock resembling fossilised bacteria. Again, closer analysis led to disappointment. Non-biological explanations were found for the magnetite grains and hydrocarbons, while the fossil bacteria were deemed too small to plausibly support life.
The most recent comparable discovery – claims of phosphine gas on Venus in 2020 – is also still controversial. Phosphine is considered a biosignature, since on Earth it’s produced by bacterial life in low-oxygen environments, particularly in the digestive tracts of animals. Some astronomers claim the detected phosphine signal is too weak, or attributable to inorganically produced sulfur compounds.
Each time biosignatures are found, biologists confront the ambiguous distinction between life and non-life, and the difficulty of extrapolating characteristics of life on Earth to alien environments.
Carol Cleland, a leading philosopher of science, has called this the problem of finding “life as we don’t know it”.
On Earth, dimethyl sulfide is only produced by life, mostly aquatic phytoplankton (pictured here in the Barents Sea). BEST-BACKGROUNDS/Shutterstock
Moving beyond chemistry
We still know very little about how life first emerged on Earth. This makes it hard to know what to expect from the primitive lifeforms that might exist on Mars or K2-18b.
It’s uncertain whether such lifeforms would resemble Earth life at all. Alien life might manifest in surprising and unrecognisable ways: while life on Earth is carbon-based, cellular, and reliant on self-replicating molecules such as DNA, an alien lifeform might fulfil the same functions with totally unfamiliar materials and structures.
Our knowledge of the environmental conditions on K2-18b is also limited, so it’s hard to imagine the adaptations a Hycean organism might need to survive there.
Chemical biosignatures derived from life on Earth, it seems, might be a misleading guide.
Philosophers of biology argue that a general definition of life will need to go beyond chemistry. According to one view, life is defined by its organisation, not the list of chemicals making it up: living things embody a kind of self-organisation able to autonomously produce its own parts, sustain a metabolism, and maintain a boundary or membrane separating inside from outside.
Some philosophers of science claim such a definition is too imprecise. In my own research, I’ve argued that this kind of generality is a strength: it helps keep our theories flexible, and applicable to new contexts.
K2-18b may be a promising candidate for identifying extraterrestrial life. But excitement about biosignatures such as DMS disguises deeper, theoretical problems that also need to be resolved.
Novel lifeforms in distant, unfamiliar environments might not be detectable in the ways we expect. Philosophers and scientists will have to work together on non-reductive descriptions of living processes, so that when we do stumble across alien life, we don’t miss it.
Campbell Rider is the recipient of an Australian government RTP scholarship for his doctoral studies.
Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) hosted her 36th West Virginia Girls Rise Up program at Ruthlawn Elementary School in Charleston, W.Va. where she was joined by America250 Chair Rosie Rios.
Senator Capito and Rios met with 4th and 5th grade female students to discuss the importance of self-confidence, education, and physical fitness. Additionally, Senator Capito and Rios discussed America250, the official nonpartisan entity charged by Congress with planning the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which our nation will celebrate next year. Senator Capito serves as an America250 Commissioner, one of only a few members of the Senate appointed, while Rios serves as the Chair.
“As our nation prepares to celebrate such a historic milestone, I can’t think of a better group of young girls who will lead us to even greater heights in the future. Empowering the next generation of leaders is one of the most important investments we can make. I was proud to bring my Girls Rise Up program to a new group of students, alongside Rosie Rios—a trailblazer in her own right. Together, we delivered the message to these young women that if they dream big, lead boldly, and know their voices matter, that the sky is the limit.,” Senator Capito said.
“I’m honored to join Senator Capito and the Girls Rise Up initiative to help inspire the next generation of leaders,” Rosie Rios, Chair of America250, said. “As we approach America’s 250th anniversary, it’s vital that we empower the voices who will define the next 250 years. Girls Rise Up is helping young women see themselves as leaders in America’s next chapter and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
“With great reverence, I am pleased to welcome Senator Capito and the 43rd United States Treasurer Rosie Rios to Ruthlawn Elementary. Two shining examples of what is possible when girls chart their own course. Girls Rise Up is such a wonderful opportunity for current leaders in their field to share strength, wisdom and self-determination with our future leaders, who just happen to be girls. We need our female youth to be passionate about their personal stories of growth and grit and never give up on their dreams. Another pioneering woman, Eleanor Roosevelt, said, ‘The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.’ Together we can build an awareness of Girl’s Rise Up’s three pillars of success, so our young ladies can be ‘Mustang STRONG,’ this year and beyond. Thank you, Senator Capito, for your vision and dedication to guiding a better future!” Natalie Laliberty, Ruthlawn Elementary Principal, said.
Senator Capito launched the West Virginia Girls Rise Up program in 2015 to instill confidence in young West Virginia women and empower them to be strong and kind female leaders. The program focuses on three areas: education, fitness, and self-confidence. Learn more about the program here.
Photos from today’s event can be found below:
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Rosie Rios, America250 Chair, at a Girls Rise Up event at Ruthlawn Elementary School in Charleston, W.Va. on Tuesday April 22, 2025.
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) hosts a Girls Rise Up event at Ruthlawn Elementary School in Charleston, W.Va. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) hosts a Girls Rise Up event at Ruthlawn Elementary School in Charleston, W.Va. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) hosts a Girls Rise Up event at Ruthlawn Elementary School in Charleston, W.Va. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.
Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), co-chair of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, released the following statement in response to a new report by the ADL, which found that in 2024, antisemitic incidents rose to the highest level on record since it began tracking them in 1979. Notably, there were over 9,000 instances of antisemitic vandalism, harassment, and assaults on the Jewish community — which all saw increases from the year prior.
“No one should be threatened or made to feel unsafe because of who they are. The ADL report confirms what we’ve known to be true: incidents of antisemitic harassment, vandalism, and assault are on the rise,” said Senator Rosen. “These disturbing acts of anti-Jewish hate and violence are unacceptable, and we all have a responsibility to push back on these incidents of bigotry whenever they occur. I will continue working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to take action to address antisemitism and protect Jewish communities.”
Senator Rosen has been a leader in the fight to combat antisemitism, Holocaust denial, and distortion. In February, Rosen introduced the bipartisan Antisemitism Awareness Act, which directs the Department of Education to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism when investigating antisemitic acts on college campuses. Earlier this year, Rosen introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen Holocaust education. Last year, Rosen’s bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Never Again Education Act became law. Rosen helped launch the first-ever Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism with Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and led the push to create the first-ever national strategy to counter antisemitism. Senator Rosen also helped introduce a bipartisan resolution denouncing antisemitism at institutions of higher education, which passed the Senate unanimously.
Australia just sweltered through one of its hottest summers on record, and heat has pushed well into autumn. Once-in-a-generation floods are now striking with alarming regularity. As disasters escalate, insurers are warning some properties may soon be uninsurable. Yet, despite these escalating disasters — and a federal election looming — conversation around climate change remains deeply polarising.
But are people’s minds really made up? Or are they still open to change?
In research out today, we asked more than 5,000 Australians a simple question: what would change your mind about climate change? Their answers reveal both a warning and an opportunity.
On climate, Australians fall into six groups
Almost two thirds (64%) of Australians are concerned about the impact of climate change, according to a recent survey.
But drill deeper, and we quickly find Australians hold quite different views on climate. In fact, research in 2022 showed Australians can be sorted into six distinct groups based on how concerned and engaged they are with the issue.
At one end was the Alarmed group – highly concerned people who are convinced of the science, and already taking action (25% of Australians). At the other end was the Dismissive group (7%) – strongly sceptical people who often view climate change as exaggerated or even a hoax. In between were the Concerned, Cautious, Disengaged and Doubtful – groups who varied in belief, awareness and willingness to engage.
In our nationally representative survey, we asked every participant what might change their opinion about climate change? We then looked at how the answers differed between the six groups.
For those already convinced climate change is real and human-caused, we wanted to know what might make them doubt it. For sceptical participants, we wanted to know what might persuade them otherwise. In short, we weren’t testing who was “right” or “wrong” – we were mapping how flexible their opinions were.
Our views aren’t set in stone
People at both extremes – Alarmed and Dismissive – were the most likely to say “nothing” would change their minds. Nearly half the Dismissive respondents flat-out rejected the premise. But these two groups together make up just one in three Australians.
What about everyone in the middle ground? The rest – the Concerned (28%), Cautious (23%), Disengaged (3%) and Doubtful (14%) – showed much more openness. They matter most, because they’re the majority — and they’re still listening.
People with dismissive views of climate science are a small minority. jon lyall/Shutterstock
What information would change minds?
What would it take for people to be convinced? We identified four major themes: evidence and information, trusted sources, action being undertaken, and nothing.
The most common response was a desire for better evidence and information. But not just any facts would do. Participants said they wanted clear, plain-English explanations rather than jargon. They wanted statistics they could trust, and science that didn’t feel politicised or agenda-driven. Some said they’d be more convinced if they saw the impacts with their own eyes.
Crucially, many in the Doubtful and Cautious groups didn’t outright reject climate change – they just didn’t feel confident enough to judge the evidence.
The trust gap
Many respondents didn’t know who to believe on climate change. Scientists and independent experts were the most commonly mentioned trusted sources – but trust in these sources wasn’t universal.
Some Australians, especially in the more sceptical segments, expressed deep distrust toward the media, governments and the scientific community. Others said they’d be more receptive if information came from unbiased or apolitical sources. For some respondents, family, friends and everyday people were seen as more credible than institutions.
In an age of widespread misinformation, this matters. If we want to build support for climate action, we need the right messengers as much as the right message.
What about action?
Many respondents said their views could shift if they saw real, meaningful action – especially from governments and big business. Some wanted proof that Australia is taking climate change seriously. Others said action would offer hope or reduce their anxiety.
Even some sceptical respondents said coordinated, global action might persuade them – though they were often cynical about Australia’s impact compared to larger emitters. Others called for a more respectful, depoliticised conversation around climate.
In other words, for many Australians, it’s not just what evidence and information is presented about climate change. It’s also how it’s said, who says it, and why it’s being said.
Of course, the responses we gathered reflect what people say would change their minds. That’s not necessarily what would actually change their minds.
As climate change intensifies, so does misinformation — especially online, where artificial intelligence and social media accelerate its spread.
Misinformation has a corrosive effect. Spreading doubt, lies and uncertainty can erode public support for climate action.
If we don’t understand what Australians actually need to hear about climate change – and who they need to hear it from – we risk losing ground to confusion and doubt.
After years of growth from 2012 to 2019, Australian backing for climate action is fluctuating and even dropping, according to Lowy Institute polling.
Climate change may not be the headline issue in this federal election campaign. But it’s on the ballot nonetheless, embedded in debates over how to power Australia, jobs and the cost of living. If we want public support for meaningful climate action, we can’t just shout louder. We have to speak smarter.
Kelly Kirkland receives funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC).
Samantha Stanley receives funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC).
Abby Robinson, Amy S G Lee, and Zoe Leviston do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
Breakthrough in bowel cancer research will speed up diagnosis
Government backs world-leading trial of cutting-edge technology to diagnose bowel cancer earlier, harnessing the power of technology to treat patients.
Patients could soon benefit from world-leading technology to diagnose bowel cancer earlier, faster and cheaper, reducing the need for invasive colonoscopies and biopsies, and potentially saving valuable time and resource for the NHS, the government has announced today (Wednesday 23rd April).
The technology, made on British soil by Xgenera, in collaboration with the University of Southampton, has the potential to detect bowel cancer earlier, improving diagnosis rates, and offering patients valuable time back to treat the disease faster and more effectively.
Bowel cancer is the UK’s fourth most common cancer, with over 42,000 people diagnosed each year. Early diagnosis is crucial, with 9 in 10 people surviving bowel cancer when it’s detected at stage 1, compared to just 1 in 10 when diagnosed at stage 4.
This government is driving forward improvements to cancer care through the Plan for Change to fix our NHS – including by improving waiting times for lower gastrointestinal diagnosis. From July 2024 to February 2025, 76.6% of patients have received their cancer diagnosis or all clear within 28 days, an increase of 4ppt compared to the previous year.
Today’s announcement comes as the Health and Social Care Secretary is set to visit a research lab funded by Cancer Research UK, which has been renamed in memory of campaigner Dame Deborah James.
The BowelBabe Laboratory will bring together leading scientists to advance our understanding of bowel cancer. It will conduct cutting-edge research and will aid in the development of new treatments for bowel cancer.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, said:
From my own experience, I know the devastating toll cancer can take on patients and families, and how many of them have been faced with long waiting lists to get the diagnosis and treatment they deserve.
We know that the key to surviving cancer is catching it as early as possible, so this government is taking the urgent action needed to make sure that happens through our Plan for Change, from developing world leading technology to detect bowel cancer earlier, through to setting up hubs for the UK’s top scientists to research and treat the disease.
Dame Deborah James dedicated her life to raising awareness for cancer and finding ways that we can beat it, so it is only right that we honour her legacy by investing in research to help stop one of the country’s biggest killers.
And research is only one part of the work we’re doing. Our National Cancer Plan will transform cancer so patients can get the latest treatments and technology, ultimately bringing this country’s cancer survival rates back up to some of the best in the world.
Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Chief Executive Officer of the NIHR said:
Innovations such as the mIONCO-Dx blood test offer an exciting new era in cancer detection with the potential for quicker, easier and more effective ways to detect cancers before they become more difficult to treat.
The NIHR is supporting initiatives such as these, utilising the latest technologies such as AI, to provide patients and the public with timely, accurate and easily accessible options. Supporting the UK’s thriving life sciences sector is key to seeing these strides in diagnosis and early prevention.
In collaboration with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the government has awarded £2.4m to progress the development of the AI-driven blood test, known as miONCO-Dx. The test was developed on data from over 20,000 patients and has since been translated into a cheaper, faster and more scalable solution, marking a significant step forward. This new solution will be assessed in a clinical trial of 8,000 patients, giving a formal and significant step towards bringing the test closer to patients by ensuring it is fit for purpose in the NHS.
The test works by measuring the microRNA in a blood sample and using AI to identify if cancer is present and if so, where it is located in the body. Initial tests have produced promising results, having shown that it is able to detect 12 of the most lethal and common cancers, including bowel cancer, at an early stage, with over 99% accuracy. With no other trial currently working in the same way, this a world-leader and will support in placing Britain at the forefront of revolutionising healthcare.
The simple blood test will be able to identify cancer earlier, where treatment is not only more effective, but also cheaper and easier, potentially freeing up valuable NHS resources and staffing time in the long run.
Bowel cancer can be difficult to detect in the early stages, and survivability drops significantly as the disease progresses, as treatment options become more limited. Investing in technologies that can support experts to detect cancer early, such as the miONCO-Dx, is an essential first step in reducing the lives lost by cancer.
Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said
Bowel cancer is the second biggest cause of cancer deaths in the UK. I’m delighted to welcome the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, to the Bowelbabe Laboratory and show him the cutting-edge research being carried out in the name of the inspirational Dame Deborah James. She touched the lives of so many, and her legacy is supporting people affected by bowel cancer across the country.
This NIHR trial shows the importance of research and the impact new technology and developments could have. The upcoming National Cancer Plan for England is an opportunity for the UK Government to improve the lives of not just bowel cancer patients, but all cancer patients. We will continue to work with them on this.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said:
This blood test has the potential to help us detect bowel cancer earlier and reduce the need for invasive tests, and the next step in this trial will now be vital in gathering further evidence on its effectiveness and how it could work in practice.
Dame Deborah James was a tireless and inspirational campaigner who helped change the national conversation on bowel cancer – it’s fitting that this lab in her name will drive forward research that could help thousands more people survive the disease.
Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said:
Bowel cancer has brought heartbreak to too many families across the country. But working in partnership with the NHS, researchers, and business, we can harness AI to overhaul how we detect and treat this horrendous disease. This new method is less invasive and will help with earlier detection which means keeping more families together for longer.
Our support for cancer research will unlock more innovation and make vital work like that of the BowelBabe Research Lab possible. All of this will help us build a better NHS as part of our Plan for Change.
Fighting cancer on all fronts, from diagnosis, research, prevention and treatment, is a key commitment made by the government. Earlier this year, the government launched a call for evidence for the National Cancer Plan, designed to improve patient experience to fight cancer.
This forms part of the wider strategy to reduce lives lost to the biggest killers across the UK, with investment in AI and innovative technologies helping to speed up diagnosis and improve treatment.
As part of its Plan for Change, the government will transform the NHS and is already seeing results – with waiting lists falling by over 200,000 since July last year.
91% of Kiwi workers are using generative AI to assist them in their day-to-day tasks
93% of workers are transparent with their manager/employer about using generative AI in their day-to-day work
87% of workers believe developing generative AI skills is necessary for career success.
Auckland, 23 April 2025 – Workers are openly using generative AI to complete day-to-day tasks and recognise that learning and enhancing AI skills related to their role is necessary for future career success. New independent research by specialised recruiter Robert Half finds artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini are now a workplace staple, used (almost) every day by half (56%) of Kiwi workers.
Workers embrace the benefits of using AI
Most (91%) workers are using generative AI tools to some degree in their role, including almost half (56%) who do so regularly:
26% of workers use it every day
30% of workers often, or almost every day, use it
22% of workers sometimes use it
13% of workers don’t often use it but do access them on occasion
9% of workers never use it to do their jobs.
“Within a remarkably short timeframe, generative AI has become a daily tool for workers, moving from relative unknown to widespread adoption,” says Ronil Singh, Director at Robert Half. “Even with ongoing questions about AI’s future, a growing understanding of the benefits offered by Gen AI tools, such as ChatGPT and Gemini, is driving their adoption in daily work routines.
“Progressive employers are championing Gen AI adoption, understanding its power to streamline operations and foster innovation. They see the value Gen AI can bring to everyday tasks, enabling workers to dedicate more time on more complicated, strategic or creative initiatives.”
Most workers do not feel the need to hide their use of generative AI tools, as 93% of workers are transparent about their usage with their manager. The remaining 7% of employees are more covert about its use and are not transparent with their employer.
“Widespread transparency in Gen AI usage reflects a rising confidence in this technology. While some are still defining optimal applications, most employers see Gen AI as a benefit, not a detriment,” says Singh.
Learning to use AI is essential to get ahead
Going beyond generative AI and into broader AI applications in the workplace, employees agree that learning how to use AI tools is necessary for future success.
When workers were asked how necessary they feel it is to learn and enhance AI skills related to their role, 87% of them agree. At 94%, tech/IT workers were the most likely to agree, followed by 80% of finance and accounting staff.
“With workers across generations acknowledging the critical role of AI skills in career advancement, continuous learning and development becomes a necessity. Companies that prioritise AI adoption and invest in comprehensive training will gain a significant competitive edge in talent acquisition and retention, solidifying their future success,” concluded Singh.
About the research
The study is developed by Robert Half and was conducted online in November 2024 by an independent research company among 500 full-time office workers in finance, accounting, and IT and technology. Respondents are drawn from a sample of SMEs as well as large private, publicly-listed and public sector organisations across New Zealand. This survey is part of the international workplace survey, a questionnaire about job trends, talent management and trends in the workplace.
About Robert Half
Robert Half is the global, specialised talent solutions provider that helps employers find their next great hire and jobseekers uncover their next opportunity. Robert Half offers both contract and permanent placement services, and is the parent company of Protiviti, a global consulting firm. Robert Half New Zealand has an office in Auckland. More information on roberthalf.com/nz.
OAKLAND – Sheila Quintana pleaded guilty in federal court today to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud in connection with her role in a scheme to defraud congregations of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (AME Zion Church) across California as well as private lenders.
Quintana, 71, of Vallejo, was indicted along with co-defendant Staccato Powell, 65, of Wake Forest, N.C., by a federal grand jury in January 2022 on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349 and two counts of wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343. Powell was additionally charged with one count of mail fraud.
On April 18, 2025, an information was filed charging Quintana with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371, and re-alleging the three counts against her in the indictment. Quintana waived indictment on the charges in the information. She pleaded guilty this afternoon to the count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371 and agreed to cooperate with the government.
According to court documents, Powell and Quintana were officers of the Western Episcopal District, Inc. (WED, Inc.), an entity that Powell formed in 2016 after Powell’s selection as bishop to AME Zion Church’s Western Episcopal District, a geographic division of the church covering several states in the western United States, including California. AME Zion Church is an historically African-American denomination of approximately 1.4 million adherents worldwide.
Powell was the chief executive officer (CEO) of WED, Inc., and Quintana became the chief financial officer (CFO) in March 2017. In pleading guilty, Quintana admitted to using false statements and material omissions to obtain from local pastors grant deeds to church properties, and then using fake resolutions to memorialize the agreement of the local congregations to new mortgages on the local church properties when no such authorization had been given.
Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani made the announcement.
Quintana admitted to fraudulently obtaining mortgages on the following church properties:
Kyles Temple in Vallejo: Quintana was part of a group that assisted with the purchase of a $1.5 million episcopal residence in Granite Bay, with approximately $1 million covered by a bank loan. To obtain the additional $500,000 in funding, Quintana learned that the anticipated loans required the use of two church properties as collateral. The group identified two church properties that would be used as collateral to secure financing to purchase the episcopal residence, including Kyles Temple in Vallejo. At the time, Quintana was the chair of the Board of Trustees of Kyles Temple as well as the CFO of WED, Inc. Quintana drafted a fake resolution reflecting authorization by Kyles Temple for the loan and giving herself authority to execute loan documents in her role as Chair of the Board of Trustees. She admitted that there was no meeting at Kyles Temple to approve (or even discuss) this resolution.
First AME Zion Church in San Jose: In October 2017, Quintana assisted with documents and transactions to use the First AME Zion Church in San Jose as collateral for a new loan to buy a parsonage, a residence for the congregation’s new pastor. Quintana prepared a fake resolution on the San Jose congregation’s letterhead stating that the new pastor was authorized to sign all documents pertaining to the real estate transactions, following a “unanimous vote by the membership.” During the processing of the loan paperwork, Quintana learned that a title search for the San Jose church revealed a title interest in the property held by the AME Zion Church of Los Angeles. She then prepared another fake resolution stating that the AME Zion Church in Los Angeles held a membership meeting on or about Oct. 12, 2017, and voted to deed the church in San Jose to WED, Inc. Using the resolutions, WED, Inc. obtained a loan, the proceeds of which were used to purchase the parsonage. Quintana learned in late November 2017 that the San Jose congregation disputed the transaction, including the assertion that the church’s membership voted unanimously to approve the resolution. In or about August 2019, Quintana assisted with an additional transaction to refinance the 2017 loan using the First AME Zion Church of San Jose as collateral.
Greater Cooper AME Zion Church in Oakland: As CFO of WED, Inc., Quintana executed loan documents in May 2019 to borrow $525,000 using the Greater Cooper AME Zion Church in Oakland as collateral. Quintana signed the grant deeds transferring the property of Greater Cooper AME Zion Church in Oakland to WED, Inc. and other closing documents on May 16, 2019, and signed the deed of trust for the transaction as CFO of WED, Inc. on May 24, 2019. Following that, Quintana emailed Powell to inform him that the “expected cash amount from the Cooper loan is $506,000 . . . .” Quintana later learned that the property of Greater Cooper had been encumbered with approximately $1.5 million in debt and that the congregation objected to the encumbrance as unauthorized.
University AME Zion Church of Palo Alto: Quintana understood in 2017 that Powell had informed the Reverend of University AME Zion Church of Palo Alto that Powell planned to use the University church as collateral for a loan. Quintana prepared the paperwork needed for the transfer of the University AME Zion Church to WED, Inc. In March 2018, Quintana received paperwork for a $2 million loan using University AME Zion Church as collateral, and emailed the loan papers to Powell for him to sign. WED, Inc. encumbered the University AME Church with loans totaling $3.6 million, which Quintana admitted was debt that the congregation’s membership neither knew about nor authorized.
First AME Zion Church in Los Angeles: Beginning in December 2017, Quintana assisted with documents and transactions to use the First AME Zion Church in Los Angeles as collateral for a new loan. Quintana understood from Powell that the pastor of the Los Angeles church had told Powell that the membership had approved the transfer of title from the Los Angeles church to WED, Inc. Quintana prepared a resolution that purported to document a meeting at which the membership approved the transfer and authorized the Reverend of the Los Angeles church to sign documents pertaining to the transfer, as well as an updated resolution that purported to document a meeting at which the membership approved the transfer of title to WED, Inc., and authorized Powell to sign all documents pertaining to the transaction. She sent both fake resolutions to the lender. Quintana signed a resolution of the Board of WED, Inc. on Dec. 15, 2017, approving the obtaining of a loan using the Los Angeles church property as collateral, and executed loan documents on Dec. 20, 2017. Quintana admitted that she knew that the resolution included false information that was material to obtaining the loan using the church as collateral, and intended that the use of the false and material information would result in the loan’s approval and funding.
Quintana further admitted that between September 2018 and June 2019, in recognition of the amount of time she had spent assisting Powell with the business of the Western Episcopal District, she prepared and signed three checks drawn on WED, Inc.’s bank account and made payable to her spouse totaling $67,500. The checks were payable to Quintana for her benefit. Quintana wrote and signed these checks making payment to her spouse because she did not want anyone other than Powell to know of the payments.
According to the information filed on April 18, 2025, WED, Inc. filed a bankruptcy petition in July 2020 in which it claimed its assets included 11 churches, a parsonage, and Powell’s official residence. The petition stated that WED, Inc.’s real property was worth $26,338,031 and had debts totaling $12,475,453.
Quintana is next scheduled to appear in court on July 15, 2025, for a status hearing. She faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. Any sentence will be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan U. Lee is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Kathy Tat and Helen Yee. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI.
Regulation Minister David Seymour has today provided an update on the implementation of the Early Childhood Education (ECE) regulatory review. “This review and the changes announced today show the power of a sector review. The Ministry for Regulation went in and listened to the people who actually run, work at, and use early childhood regulation. They found people encircled by multiple regulators enforcing out of date rules, and proposed solutions now being put into action,” Mr Seymour says. “By the end of next year ECE providers will be governed by a regulatory system which ensures regulations are focused on what matters, child safety.
Cabinet has agreed to 15 changes which modernise and simplify regulations across ECE. Services will be able to get on with what they do best – providing safe, high-quality care and education as the changes are rolled out over the coming year. “Part of the change will involve amending laws in Parliament. The Education and Training (Early Childhood Education Reform) Amendment Bill will action many of these changes. The bill will be introduced in July, and I expect it to be passed by the end of the year,” Mr Seymour says. “The biggest complaint arises from the calcified, high stakes licencing criteria – 98 of them – that can each have a centre shut down with little to no notice. New licensing criteria will be gazetted by the end of September, following the recommendation to change or merge approximately three-quarters of the licensing criteria. Consultation will begin shortly to test the precise changes. “By mid next year, graduated enforcement tools will be used to respond to breaches of the remaining licensing criteria. The only enforcement tools previously available were the granting or removal of ECE licenses, which is too blunt a tool for managing minor breaches and enabling early intervention. There will no longer be high-stakes open-or-shut rules that create anxiety and strained relationships for regulators and centre operators alike.” Graduated enforcement will give the regulator a range of enforcement measures. They will be able to respond proportionately to breaches, changing the sector’s culture from a punitive approach to promoting quality. “The implementation of the recommendations represents a major shakeup of the sector’s outdated system. It is a great result for children, parents and ECE service providers,” Mr Seymour says. “The changes will reduce unnecessary compliance costs, remove duplication, and streamline operational requirements. ECE providers will no longer be burdened with 98 separate licensing criteria, many of which were arbitrary or outdated, such as requirements to:
maintain a constant indoor temperature of 18 degrees, when common sense says a minor deviation from 18 degrees won’t hurt anyone, and hold immunisation records for every child over 15 months, which the Ministry of Health already does.
“This will encourage more providers into a thriving market with reduced operation costs and compliance headaches. For parents this will mean more safe and affordable ECE options for their children. “As part of its comprehensive review, the Ministry for Regulation analysed over 2,300 submissions and written feedback, met with parents and caregivers, providers and workers, visited 16 ECE services, and conducted a series of structured interviews and workshops with other agencies that engage with or regulate the sector. Thank you to the thousands of people who contributed their views. “This is just the beginning. The Ministry is now helping the agriculture and horticulture sector implement sector review findings, and progressing sector reviews into the hairdressing and barbering, and the telecommunications sector. They’re also working closely with the industrial hemp industry and others who’ve come forward through our red tape tipline. “In a high-cost economy, regulation isn’t neutral. It’s a tax on growth. Every completed review makes it easier to do business, access services, and innovate in New Zealand. The ECE review is the first of many examples of what smarter regulation looks like in action.” Link to report: https://www.regulation.govt.nz/about-us/our-publications/regulatory-review-of-early-childhood-education-full-report/ Link to report summary: https://www.regulation.govt.nz/about-us/our-publications/regulatory-review-of-early-childhood-education-summary/
23 April 2025 – A basic transaction account should be available to anyone, irrespective of their circumstances, financial position or capability with technology, according to the Council of Financial Regulators (CoFR).
CoFR, which includes the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, the Financial Markets Authority, the Commerce Commission, the Treasury and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, has released a joint Issues Paper on Access to Basic Transaction Accounts.
Following the release of the Issues Paper, a public consultation is now open. CoFR is seeking feedback on the proposed introduction of basic transaction accounts to better support customer groups that are currently excluded. The consultation will remain open for eight weeks and will close on 18 June 2025.
“Having a transaction account means people can safely receive, store, spend and save money. Transaction accounts are a vital foundation for people to take part in the modern economy,” says Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, Christian Hawkesby.
Basic transaction accounts are different from bank accounts that are currently on offer, as they have additional controls in place (such as transaction limits) that make them unsuitable for money laundering and the financing of terrorism. These additional controls make basic transaction accounts a low-risk product, allowing simplified onboarding.
This means that basic transaction accounts can provide people with access to banking services who might otherwise be turned away, such as an older person whose driver’s licence may have expired, someone who has recently been released from prison, or a young person who may not have a passport yet.
The Issues Paper highlights different options that have been taken to introduce minimum standards for basic transaction accounts in other countries.
FMA Chief Executive Samantha Barrass says, “In order for the financial system to work for people in New Zealand, they need to be able to readily access basic banking services if they need them.”
“Overseas in places such as the UK, basic transaction accounts can be a lifeline for people to receive an income or make payments, and we want to see them available here,” she says.
Mr Hawkesby says, “We see the benefits that basic transaction accounts could have for some New Zealanders and broader society, particularly for customers who may be in challenging circumstances and struggle to meet traditional onboarding requirements, such as providing ID.”
Westpac NZ recently launched a pilot basic bank account with the objective of improving access to banking services. Westpac NZ’s new basic bank account will be a transactional bank account with simplified onboarding processes to support people who currently struggle to meet legal identification requirements.
“Our final market study report into personal banking services recommended that the sector works together to make basic bank accounts widely available. It’s encouraging to see the issues paper published today and we encourage all stakeholders to have their say over the course of the next eight weeks,” Dr John Small, Chair of the Commerce Commission, says.
What is financial inclusion? – “When individuals and businesses have access to useful and affordable financial products and services that meet their needs -transactions, payments, savings, credit and insurance – delivered in a responsible and sustainable way.” This definition comes from the World Bank.
