Today, 31 First Nations and environmental groups call on the Australian Government to continue pushing for a robust and ambitious Global Plastics Treaty ahead of negotiations recommencing in Geneva this August.
The only way to end ocean plastic pollution here at home and around the world is through bold and binding global action to cut plastic production and consumption, and take a full lifecycle approach to managing plastics – including plastic fishing and aquaculture gear.
Plastic pollution is now a global environmental disaster that impacts every corner of Australia’s coastline:
Recycling alone will not end plastic pollution. Voluntary pledges have failed. The only path forward is a strong and robust Global Plastics Treaty with ambitious and enforceable rules to end plastic pollution.
Low ambition from a handful of countries with vested interests in plastic production cannot be allowed to derail this global opportunity to end plastic pollution. There is no time for compromise. Plastic pollution is choking our oceans, killing marine life, and threatening ecosystems from coast to coast. It is also entering our food chain, directly impacting seafood consumption by First Nations peoples and all Australians.
We welcome the Australian Government’s renewed commitment to support a strong Global Plastics Treaty. The Australian Government must use all diplomatic means to finalise a strong, legally binding plastics treaty at INC-5.2. Now is the time to act – for our environment, for our climate, and for future generations.
This statement is supported by:
Australian Marine Conservation Society
Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation
Vonda Malone Consultancy
Boomerang Alliance
OceanEarth Foundation
Sea Shepherd
Australian Microplastic Assessment Project (AUSMAP)
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ed Case (Hawai‘i – District 1)
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Congressman Ed Case (HI-01), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, today voted in full Committee against the proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Transportation-Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Appropriations and FY 2026 Energy and Water Appropriations measures.
The FY 2026 housing and transportation bill proposes to spend $89.9 billion for HUD, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness and the Department of Transportation, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This is a decrease of $4.5 billion from the FY 2025 enacted level.
The $57.3 billion Energy and Water Appropriations bill funds the Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) civil works programs and various energy programs. This is a decrease of nearly $776 million from the FY 2025 enacted level.
“While these measures fund many critical Hawai‘i priorities I requested, I regrettably had to vote against both bills because of massive cuts to federal program that help everyday Americans with rising housing, transportation and energy costs,” explained Case.
The Transportation-HUD Appropriations bill included some important wins for Hawai‘i requested by Case including $5.5 million for Case’s Community Funding Projects (described below), as well as $18.3 million for the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant and $28 million for the Native Hawaiian Housing Loan Guarantee Fund (for both of which programs the President’s budget has proposed $0). It also included Case’s request to continue funding for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which plays a crucial role in enhancing the safety of the helicopter and small aircraft industry through accident investigation, analysis and recommendations to prevent future incidents, including several fatal accidents throughout Hawai‘i.
Despite these positives, Case said the bill poses significant risks to vulnerable communities by exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis and undercutting critical housing support systems. The bill eliminates the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, the only federal program dedicated to developing new affordable rental and homeownership options. It also defunds the PRO Housing Program, which empowers local governments to address housing shortages. Together, these actions remove essential tools for expanding the affordable housing supply.
The bill further harms Americans aspiring to homeownership by stripping funding from housing counseling assistance. The net effect of the bill threatens nearly 415,000 households that rely on HUD assistance, putting them at risk of eviction and housing instability.
The Energy and Water Appropriations bill also included numerous wins for Hawai‘i requested by Case, including funding for USACE programs that aid in the preservation of Hawaii’s coastlines across all seven inhabited islands. Specifically, the bill includes $2 million to study avenues of protection for public infrastructure on small beaches from erosion and damage caused by storms and natural wave currents; $18 million for regional sediment management, construction, operations and regulatory functions in the coastal zone; and $38 million for programs which manage aquatic weeds in public waters.
Notably, one of Case’s highest priorities, an instruction to the USACE to complete a major update study for Honolulu Harbor, was included in the bill. This provision directs the USACE to investigate modifications to Honolulu Harbor to better handle the impacts of military operations in the state and throughout the Indo-Pacific as a whole, which can open up additional federal resources for the planned improvements of Honolulu Harbor. Also included in the bill is $9.5 million for USACE program that aids in the planning, designing and construction of small projects for commercial navigation purposes such as channels, breakwaters and jetties. This funding will aid in the investigation of best practices for Honolulu Harbor modifications.
Despite these positives, Case opposed the measure in light of the widespread elimination of funding to advance clean, affordable and secure energy for Americans. The bill slashes vital clean energy funding nationwide, with Hawai‘i set to experience a cut of 31% on federal funding for clean energy projects and investments.
“While the Energy and Water Appropriations measures fund many critical Hawai‘i and priorities I requested, regrettably the bill will increase energy costs for American families by revoking more than $5 billion in clean energy investments.
“Without these federally funded programs and incentives, we risk falling dangerously behind our clean energy goals,” said Case.
Through his assignment on the Committee, Case secured the following seven Member-designated Community Project Funding (CPF) projects across the two bills that specifically focused on local needs in Hawai‘i:
· $2 million for the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation to repair Aloha Tower, including replacing its 40-foot mast, repairing the crown of the tower and replacing its windows to weatherproof the landmark. This funding is essential to maintain Aloha Tower’s structural integrity, enhance public access and ensure that it remains a celebrated symbol of Honolulu’s history for generations to come.
· $1 million for the City and County of Honolulu for its Waikīkī Vista Project. This project converts former Tokai University and Hawai‘i Pacific University classrooms into a consolidated, family-friendly emergency shelter and additional affordable housing units for low-income families. This investment will directly enhance the City’s ability to reduce family homelessness and expand affordable housing inventory in one of Hawaii’s most housing-challenged areas.
· $850,000 for the City and County of Honolulu to support its Safe Harbor Support for Housing Survivors of Domestic Violence project. This funding will expand the Domestic Violence Action Center’s successful housing program by supporting property acquisition and staffing to increase safe and stable housing options for survivors and their children.
· $850,000 for Kalihi Waena Elementary School to construct a new single-span pedestrian bridge with American with Disabilities Act-compliant access between Kūhiō Park Terrace and the school. The new bridge will replace dangerously deteriorating infrastructure and ensure safe and equitable access for students and community members.
· $300,000 for Highlands Intermediate School to modernize and expand its media center infrastructure. The renovation will create a collaborative, technology-driven learning environment that fosters student creativity, innovation and digital literacy.
· $250,000 for the Hawai‘i State Parks System and Hawai‘i Nature Center to upgrade educational and operational facilities, including classroom expansion and replacement of a sustainable wetland wastewater system supporting environmental education for thousands of Title I students annually.
· $250,000 for the Hawai‘i State Broadband Office for broadband infrastructure development in our local community centers. Funding will be used toward essential network enhancements, including rewiring, electrical system upgrades and the installation of Wi-Fi access points to ensure reliable, high-speed connectivity.
The House’s CPF rules require that each project must have demonstrated community support, must be fully disclosed by the requesting Member and must be subject to audit by the independent Government Accountability Office. Case’s disclosures are here: https://case.house.gov/services/funding-disclosures.htm.
Transportation-HUD Funding Bill
More specifically, the bill includes the following funding requested by Case for programs to improve access to affordable housing in Hawai‘i and nationwide:
· $18.3 million for the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant Program, which supports the building, acquisition and rehabilitation of affordable homes.
· $5 million for core housing research partnerships with Native Hawaiian serving institutions among other minority serving institutions.
· $56 million for the Self-Help and Assisted Homeownership Opportunity Program.
· $17 billion for project-based rental assistance.
· $5.6 billion for the Community Development Fund, which includes $3.3 billion for the Community Development Block Grant formula program.
· $4 billion for the Homeless Assistance Grants.
Transportation and infrastructure programs requested and secured by Case include:
· $380 million for the Maritime Security Program, $123 million for the Port Infrastructure Development Program and $30 million for assistance to small shipyards like Kalaeloa/Barbers Point.
· $64 billion for the Federal Highway Administration to improve the safety and long-term viability of our highways.
· $23 billion for the FAA, including $10 billion to fully fund air traffic control operations and allow the FAA to hire 2,500 air traffic controllers to replace the retiring workforce.
· $15 billion for the Federal Transit Administration.
A summary of the Transportation-HUD Appropriations bill is available here.
Energy and Water Funding Bill
More specifically, the bill includes the following energy and water-related programs and provisions requested and secured by Case and of specific benefit to Hawai‘i:
· Language directing the USACE to investigate modifications to Honolulu Harbor to better accommodate the impacts of military operations in the state and throughout the Indo-Pacific as a whole.
· $2 million for the USACE’s beach erosion and hurricane and storm damage reduction activities.
· $40 million for flood control and coastal emergencies efforts.
· $18 million for the USACE’s National Coastal Mapping Program, which provides high-resolution elevation and imagery data along the U.S. shorelines on a recurring basis which can provide a better understanding of human uses, issues and constraints in coastal regions.
· $12 million for the USACE’s Aquatic Plant Control Program, which conducts research and development of biological, chemical, cultural and ecological capabilities for controlling invasive aquatic plants.
· Language modifying a clean energy program under DOE that has been widely beneficial for Hawai‘i. The newly named Energy Technology Innovation Office, previously known as the Energy Transitions Initiative, supports island and remote communities by providing personalized technical and financial assistance. Case recently introduced legislation make to make this program permanent. (See here for more details.)
· Language directing the DOE to investigate potential benefits of having small-modular nuclear reactors as a source of clean, domestically sourced electricity for remote, noncontiguous U.S. areas such as Hawai‘i.
A summary of the Energy and Water Appropriations bill is available here.
These two bills are the 6th and 7th of twelve separate bills developed and approved by the Appropriations Committee that would fund the federal government at some $1.6 trillion for FY 2026 commencing October 1st of this year. The bills now move on to the full House of Representatives for its consideration.
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 18, 2025.
WA had the highest rates of Indigenous child removal in the country. At last, the state is finally facing up to it Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jenna Woods, Dean, School of Indigenous Knowledges, Murdoch University Matt Jelonek/Getty Images First Nations people please be advised this article speaks of racially discriminating moments in history, including the distress and death of First Nations people. In 1997, Australia was confronted with the landmark Bringing Them Home
Separated men are nearly 5 times more likely to take their lives than married men Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Wilson, Research Fellow and PhD Candidate in Men’s Mental Health, The University of Melbourne Breakups hurt. Emotional and psychological distress are common when intimate relationships break down. For some people, this distress can be so overwhelming that it leads to suicidal thoughts and behaviours. This problem
Thinking of trekking to Everest Base Camp? Don’t leave home without this expert advice Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Heike Schanzel, Professor of Social Sustainability in Tourism, Auckland University of Technology Purnima Shrestha /AFP via Getty Images Tourists in Kathmandu are tempted everywhere by advertisements for trekking expeditions to Everest Base Camp. If you didn’t know better, you might think it’s just a nice hike in
Pragmatic engagement – what Albanese’s visit reveals about China relations in a turbulent world Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edward Sing Yue Chan, Postdoctoral Fellow in China Studies, Australian National University The Albanese government has faced an increasingly uncertain world since its re-election in May. US President Donald Trump has cast a long shadow over the Australia–US alliance, raising fresh questions about Canberra’s long-term regional strategy.
‘Don’t tell me!’ Why some people love spoilers – and others will run a mile Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anjum Naweed, Professor of Human Factors, CQUniversity Australia DreamBig/Shutterstock, The Conversation This article contains spoilers! I once leapt out of a train carriage because two strangers were loudly discussing the ending of the last Harry Potter book. Okay – I didn’t leap, but I did plug my
Keith Rankin Analysis – Letter from Westphalia, Germany; 6 June 1933 Analysis by Keith Rankin. On Saturday I came into possession of this letter, transcript below. I will note that the recipient of the letter is someone I know a bit about; I would like to know more about his time in London, circa 1930-1932. I understand that he attended the London School of Economics. I
Australian law is clear: criticism of Israel does not breach the Racial Discrimination Act Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bill Swannie, Senior Lecturer, Thomas More Law School, Australian Catholic University Earlier this month, the Federal Court found controversial Muslim cleric Wissam Haddad breached the Racial Discrimination Act. Justice Angus Stewart ruled a series of speeches Haddad posted online were “fundamentally racist and antisemitic [and] profoundly offensive”
New Barbie with type 1 diabetes could help kids with the condition feel seen – and help others learn Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lynne Chepulis, Associate Professor, Health Sciences, University of Waikato Mattel Inc/AP, The Conversation, CC BY Barbie has done many things since she first appeared in 1959. She’s been an astronaut, a doctor, a president and even a palaeontologist. Now, in 2025, Barbie is something else: a woman
Rising seas threaten to swallow one of NZ’s oldest settlement sites – new research Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter N. Meihana, Senior Lecturer in History, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University Veronika Meduna, CC BY-SA One of Aotearoa New Zealand’s oldest settlement sites is at risk of being washed away by rising seas, according to new research. Te Pokohiwi o Kupe (Wairau Bar) near
AI is now part of our world. Uni graduates should know how to use it responsibly Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Fitzgerald, Associate Professor and Deputy Associate Dean (Academic), Faculty of Business, Economics and Law, The University of Queensland MTStock Studio/ Getty Images Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming an everyday part of lives. Many of us use it without even realising, whether it be writing emails, finding
Susi Newborn among activists featured in Pacific ‘nuclear free heroes’ video Pacific Media Watch Greenpeace pioneer and activist Susi Newborn is among the “nuclear free heroes” featured in a video tribute premiered this week in an exhibition dedicated to a nuclear-free Pacific. The week-long exhibition at Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s Ellen Melville Centre, titled “Legends of the Pacific: Stories of a Nuclear-Free Moana 1975-1995,” closes tomorrow afternoon.
Grattan on Friday: New parliament presents traps for Albanese and Ley Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Anthony Albanese hasn’t been in any rush to convene the new parliament, which Governor-General Sam Mostyn will open on Tuesday. It’s only mildly cynical to observe that governments of both persuasions often seem to regard having pesky members and senators
Police protection for New Caledonian politicians following death threats By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk New Caledonian politicians who inked their commitment to a deal with France last weekend will be offered special police protection following threats, especially made on social media networks. The group includes almost 20 members of New Caledonia’s parties — both pro-France and pro-independence — who took
12 countries agree to confront Israel collectively over Gaza after Bogotá summit ANALYSIS: By Mick Hall Collective measures to confront Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people have been agreed by 12 nations after an emergency summit of the Hague Group in Bogotá, Colombia. A joint statement today announced the six measures, which it said were geared to holding Israel to account for its crimes in Palestine and
Rainbow Warrior bombing by French secret agents remembered 40 years on SPECIAL REPORT: By Te Aniwaniwa Paterson of Te Ao Māori News Forty years ago today, French secret agents bombed the Greenpeace campaign flagship Rainbow Warrior in an attempt to stop the environmental organisation’s protest against nuclear testing at Moruroa Atoll in Mā’ohi Nui. People gathered on board Rainbow Warrior III to remember photographer Fernando Pereira,
Why a surprise jump in unemployment isn’t as bad as it sounds Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jeff Borland, Professor of Economics, The University of Melbourne New figures show Australia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate unexpectedly rose to 4.3% – its highest level since late 2021 – in June this year, up from 4.1% in May. While this is bad news, it’s not as bad
Australia got off on a technicality for its climate inaction. But there are plenty more judgement days to come Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wesley Morgan, Research Associate, Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney This week, the Federal Court found the Australian government has no legal duty to protect Torres Strait Islanders from climate change. The ruling was disappointing, but it’s not the end of the matter. The plaintiffs,
Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Mathieu Duval, Adjunct Senior Researcher at Griffith University and La Trobe University, and Ramón y Cajal (Senior) Research Fellow, Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH)
Fossils are invaluable archives of the past. They preserve details about living things from a few thousand to hundreds of millions of years ago.
Studying fossils can help us understand the evolution of species over time, and glimpse snapshots of past environments and climates. Fossils can also reveal the diets or migration patterns of long-gone species – including our own ancestors.
But when living things turn to rock, discerning those details is no easy feat. One common technique for studying fossils is micro-computerised tomography or micro-CT. It’s been used to find the earliest evidence of bone cancer in humans, to study brain imprints and inner ears in early hominins, and to study the teeth of the oldest human modern remains outside Africa, among many other examples.
However, our new study, published today in Radiocarbon, shows that despite being widely regarded as non-destructive, micro-CT may actually affect fossil preservation and erase some crucial information held inside.
Preserving precious specimens
Fossils are rare and fragile by nature. Scientists are constantly evaluating how to balance their impact on fossils with the need to study them.
When palaeontologists and palaeoanthropologists (who work on human fossils) analyse fossils, they want to minimise any potential damage. We want to preserve fossils for future generations as much as possible – and technology can be a huge help here.
Micro-CT works like the medical CT scans doctors use to peek inside the human body. However, it does so at a much smaller scale and at a greater resolution.
This is perfect for studying small objects such as fossils. With micro-CT, scientists can take high-resolution 3D images and access the inner structure of fossils without the need to cut them open.
These scans also allow for virtual copies of the fossils, which other scientists can then access from anywhere in the world. This significantly reduces the risk of damage, since the scanned fossils can safely remain in a museum collection, for example.
Micro-CT is popular and routinely used. The scientific community widely regards it as “non-destructive” because it doesn’t cause any visual damage – but it could still affect the fossil.
Jaw bone of the human fossil species Homo antecessor from Spain. Left: micro-CT scan with a cutting plane to visualise the inner structures, bone and teeth; right: 3D reconstruction based on the high-resolution micro-CT images. Laura Martín-Francés
How does micro-CT imaging work?
Micro-CT scanning uses X-rays and computer software to produce high-resolution images and reconstruct the fossil specimens in detail. Typically, palaeontologists use commercial scanners for this, but more advanced investigations may use powerful X-ray beams generated at a synchrotron.
The X-rays go through the specimen and are captured by a detector on the other end. This allows for a very fine-grained understanding of the matter they’ve passed through – especially density, which then provides clues about the shape of the internal structures, the composition of the tissues, or any contamination.
The scan produces a succession of 2D images from all angles. Computer software is then used to “clean up” these high-resolution images and assemble them into a 3D shape – a virtual copy of the fossil and its inner structures.
Example of micro-CT results on a hominin fossil known as Little Foot, from southern Africa.
But X-rays are not harmless
X-rays are a type of ionising radiation. This means they have a high level of energy and can break electrons away from atoms (this is called ionisation).
However, despite what we know about the impact of X-rays on living cells, the potential impact of X-rays on fossils through micro-CT imaging has never been deeply investigated.
What did our study find?
Using standard settings on a typical micro-CT scanner, we scanned several modern and fossil bones and teeth from animals. We also measured their collagen content before and after scanning.
Collagen is useful for many analytical purposes, such as finding out the age of the fossils using radiocarbon dating, or for stable isotope analysis – a method used to infer the diet of the extinct species, for example. The collagen content in fossils is usually much lower than in modern specimens because it slowly breaks down over time.
After comparing our measurements with unscanned samples taken from the same specimens, we found two things.
First, the radiocarbon age remained unchanged. In other words, micro-CT scanning doesn’t affect radiocarbon dating. That’s the good news.
The bad news is that we did observe a significant decrease in the amount of collagen present. In other words, the micro-CT scanned samples had about 35% less collagen than the samples before scanning.
This shows micro-CT imaging has a non-negligible impact on fossils that contain collagen traces. While this was to be expected, the impact hasn’t been experimentally confirmed before.
It’s possible some fossil samples won’t have enough collagen left after micro-CT scanning. This would make them unsuitable for a range of analytical techniques, including radiocarbon dating.
What now?
In a previous study, we showed micro-CT can artificially “age” fossils later dated with a method called electron spin resonance. It’s commonly used to date fossils older than 50,000 years – beyond what the radiocarbon method can discern.
This previous study and our new work show that micro-CT scanning may significantly and irreversibly change the fossil and the information it holds.
Despite causing no visible damage to the fossil, we argue that in this context the technique should no longer be regarded as non-destructive.
Micro-CT imaging is highly valuable in palaeontology and palaeoanthropology, no doubt about that. But our results suggest it should be used sparingly to minimise how much fossils are exposed to X-rays. There are guidelines scientists can use to minimise damage. Freely sharing data to avoid repeated scans of the same specimen will be helpful, too.
Mathieu Duval receives funding from the Spanish State Research Agency (Agencia Estatal de Investigación). He is currently the recipient of a Ramón y Cajal fellowship (RYC2018-025221-I) funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by ‘‘ESF Investing in your future”. This work is also part of Spanish Grant PID2021-123092NB-C22 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDER, UE, and by ‘‘ERDF A way of making Europe”.
Laura Martín-Francés receives funding from Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions of the EU Ninth programme (2021-2027) under the HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01-Project: 101060482.
Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Nicole Rinehart, Nicole Rinehart, Professor, Clinical Psychology, Director of the Neurodevelopment Program, School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University
Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects how people’s brains develop and function, impacting behaviour, communication and socialising. It can also involve differences in the way you move and walk – known as your “gait”.
Having an “odd gait” is now listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as a supporting diagnostic feature of autism.
What does this look like?
The most noticeable gait differences among autistic people are:
toe-walking, walking on the balls of the feet
in-toeing, walking with one or both feet turned inwards
out-toeing, walking with one or both feet turned out.
spending longer in the “stance” phase, when the foot leaves the ground
taking more time to complete each step.
Autistic people show much more personal variability in the length and speed of their strides, as well as their walking speed.
Gait differences also tend to occur alongside other motor differences, such as issues with balance, coordination, postural stability and handwriting. Autistic people may need support for these other motor skills.
The basal ganglia are broadly responsible for sequencing movement including through shifting posture. It ensures your gait appears effortless, smooth and automatic.
The cerebellum then uses visual and proprioceptive information (to sense the body’s position and movement) to adjust and time movements to maintain postural stability. It ensures movement is controlled and coordinated.
Developmental differences in these brain regions relate to the way the areas look (their structure), how they work (their function and activation) and how they “speak” to other areas of the brain (their connections).
While some researchers have suggested that autistic gait occurs due to delayed development, we now know gait differences persist across the lifespan. Some differences actually become clearer with age.
In addition to brain-based differences, the autistic gait is also associated with factors such as the person’s broader motor, language and cognitive capabilities.
People with more complex support needs might have more pronounced gait or motor differences, together with language and cognitive difficulties.
Not all differences need to be treated. Instead, clinicians take an individualised and goals-based approach.
Some autistic people might have subtle gait differences that are observable during testing. But if these differences don’t impact a person’s ability to participate in everyday life, they don’t require support.
An autistic person is likely to benefit from support for gait differences if they have a functional impact on their daily life. This might include:
increased risk of, or frequent, falls
difficulty participating in the physical activities they enjoy
physical consequences such as tightness of the Achilles and calf muscles, or associated pain in other areas, such as the feet or back.
Some children may also benefit from support for motor skill development. However this doesn’t have to occur in a clinic.
Given children spend a large portion of their time at school, programs that integrate opportunities for movement throughout the school day allow autistic children to develop motor skills outside of the clinic and alongside peers. We developed the Joy of Moving Program in Australia, for example, which gets students moving in the classroom.
Our community-based intervention studiesshow autistic children’s movement abilities can improve after engaging in community-based interventions, such as sports or dance.
Community-based support models empower autistic children to have agency in how they move, rather than seeing different ways of moving as a problem to be fixed.
Where to from here?
While we have learnt a lot about autistic gait at a broad level, researchers and clinicians are still seeking a better understanding of why and when individual variability occurs.
We’re also still determining how to best support individual movement styles, including among children as they develop.
However there is growing evidence that physical activity enhances social skills and behavioural regulation in preschool children with autism.
So it’s encouraging that states and territories are moving towards more community-based foundational supports for autistic children and their peers, as governments develop supports outside the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Nicole Rinehart receives funding from: Moose Happy Kids Foundation, MECCA M-Power, the Grace & Emilio Foundation, Ferrero Australia, as part of the global Kinder Joy of moving program, Aspen Pharmacare Australia Pty Ltd, Jonathan and Simone Wenig, Adam Krongold, the Grosman Family Foundation, the Shoreline Foundation, the Victorian Department of Education, the NSW Department of Education, and the Department of Social Services – Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) Program, and has worked in partnership with the Australian Football League.
Chloe Emonson works on projects that receive funding from: Moose Happy Kids Foundation, MECCA M-Power, the Grace & Emilio Foundation, Ferrero Australia, as part of the global Kinder Joy of moving program, Aspen Pharmacare Australia Pty Ltd, Jonathan and Simone Wenig, Adam Krongold, the Grosman Family Foundation, the Shoreline Foundation, the Victorian Department of Education, the NSW Department of Education, and the Department of Social Services – Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) Program, and has worked in partnership with the Australian Football League.
Ebony Lindor works on projects that receive funding from: Moose Happy Kids Foundation, MECCA M-Power, the Grace & Emilio Foundation, Ferrero Australia, as part of the global Kinder Joy of moving program, Aspen Pharmacare Australia Pty Ltd, Jonathan and Simone Wenig, Adam Krongold, the Grosman Family Foundation, the Shoreline Foundation, the Victorian Department of Education, the NSW Department of Education, and the Department of Social Services – Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) Program, and has worked in partnership with the Australian Football League.
Breakups hurt. Emotional and psychological distress are common when intimate relationships break down. For some people, this distress can be so overwhelming that it leads to suicidal thoughts and behaviours.
This problem seems especially the case for men. Intimate partner problems including breakups, separation and divorce feature in the paths to suicide among one in three Australian men aged 25 to 44 who end their lives.
Men account for three in every four suicides in many nations worldwide, including Australia. So improving our understanding of links between relationship breakdown and men’s suicide risk has life-saving potential.
Our research, published today, is the first large-scale review of the evidence to focus on understanding men’s risk of suicide after a breakup. We found separated men were nearly five times more likely to die by suicide compared to married men.
What did we find?
We brought together findings from 75 studies across 30 countries worldwide, involving more than 106 million men.
We focused on understanding why relationship breakdown can lead to suicide in men, and which men are most at risk. We might not be able to prevent breakups from happening, but we can promote healthy adjustment to the stress of relationship breakdown to try and prevent suicide.
Overall, we found divorced men were 2.8 times more likely to take their lives than married men.
For separated men, the risk was much higher. We found that separated men were 4.8 times more likely to die by suicide than married men.
Most strikingly, we found separated men under 35 years of age had nearly nine times greater odds of suicide than married men of the same age.
Some men’s difficulties regulating the intense emotional stress of relationship breakdown can play a role in their suicide risk. For some men, the emotional pain tied to separation – deep sadness, shame, guilt, anxiety and loss – can be so intense it feels never-ending.
Overall, our research found relationship breakdown may lead to suicide for some men because of the complex interaction between the individual (emotional distress) and interpersonal (changes in their social network and availability of support) impacts of a breakup.
Many of these impacts don’t seem to feature in the paths to suicide after a breakup for women in the same way.
Breakups also impact social networks
As intimate relationships become more serious, we tend to spend less time investing in our friendships, especially if juggling the demands of a career and family.
This can create a risky situation if relationships break down, as it seems many men are left with little support to turn to. This rang true in our research, as men’s social disconnection and loneliness seemed to increase their suicide risk following relationship breakdown.
We also know people can struggle to know how to support men after a breakup. Research has found some men who ask for support are told to just “get back on the horse”. Such a response invalidates men’s pain and reinforces masculine stereotypes that relationship breakdown doesn’t affect them.
So, what can we do?
There is no simple answer to preventing suicide following relationship breakdown, but a range of opportunities exist.
We can embed support groups and other opportunities for connection and peer support in relationship services that are regularly in contact with those navigating separation, to help combat loneliness.
We can ensure mental health practitioners are equipped with the skills necessary to engage and respond effectively to men who seek help following a breakup, to help keep them safe until they can get back on their feet.
Most importantly, if men come to any of us seeking support after a breakup, we can remember that time is often a great healer. The best we can do is sit with men in their pain, rather than try and get them to stop feeling it. This connection could be life-saving.
Support and information is available at Relationships Australia and MensLine Australia. If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Michael Wilson works for The University of Melbourne and consults to Movember. He receives funding from the Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship, provided by the Australian Commonwealth Government and the University of Melbourne.
Jacqui Macdonald receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Medical Research Future Fund and the Australian Research Council. She convenes the Australian Fatherhood Research Consortium and she is on the Movember Global Men’s Health Advisory Committee.
Zac Seidler has been awarded an NHMRC Investigator Grant. He is also the Global Director of Research with the Movember Institute of Men’s Health. He advises government on men’s suicide, masculinities, violence prevention and social media policy.
Tourists in Kathmandu are tempted everywhere by advertisements for trekking expeditions to Everest Base Camp. If you didn’t know better, you might think it’s just a nice hike in the Nepalese countryside.
Typically the lower staging post for attempts on the summit, the camp is still 5,364 metres above sea level and a destination in its own right. Travel agencies say no prior experience is required, and all equipment will be provided. Social media, too, is filled with posts enticing potential trekkers to make the iconic journey.
But there is a real risk of creating a false sense of security. An exciting adventure can quickly turn into a struggle for survival, especially for novice mountaineers.
Nevertheless, Sagarmatha National Park is deservedly popular for its natural beauty and the allure of the world’s highest peak, Chomolungma (Mount Everest). It is also home to the ethnically distinctive Sherpa community.
Consequently, the routes to Everest Base Camp are among the busiest in the Himalayas, with nearly 60,000 tourists visiting the area each year. There are two distinct trekking seasons: spring (March to May) and autumn (September to October).
High mountains require everyone to be properly prepared. Events which under normal conditions might be a minor inconvenience can be magnified in such an environment and pose a serious risk.
Even at the start of the trek in Lukla (2,860m), one is exposed to factors that can directly or indirectly affect one’s health, especially altitude mountain sickness or unfamiliar bacteria.
We interviewed 24 trekkers in May this year, as well as 60 residents and business owners in May 2023, to explore some of the safety issues anyone considering heading to base camp should be aware of.
Life at high altitude
First, it’s vital to choose goals within one’s technical and physical capabilities. While the human body can adapt to altitudes of up to 5,300m, the potential risk of altitude mountain sickness can occur at only 2,500m – lower than Lukla.
Proper acclimatisation above 3,000m means ascending no more than 500m a day and resting every two to three days at the same altitude. The optimal (though rarely followed) approach is the “saw tooth system” of climbing during the day but descending to sleep at a lower level.
Residents of the Khumbu region (on the Nepalese side of Everest) are familiar with the problem of tourists not acclimatising, or not paying attention to their surroundings. As one hotel owner said, pointing to a trekker setting out:
He’s going uphill and it’s already late. It’s going to get dark and cold soon. He won’t make it to the next settlement. We have to report this to the authorities or go after him ourselves.
Inexperienced trekkers should hire a local guide. Several we interviewed had needed medical evacuation, including a woman in her mid-20s who had to leave base camp after one night. She found her guides – not locals – online. But they never checked her vital signs during the trek:
[The doctors] said that I had high-altitude pulmonary edema […] it was just really important to come down the elevation. And if I had tried to go higher, it probably would have been really bad.
Health checks throughout the trek are imperative. This includes assessing the four main symptoms of altitude mountain sickness: headache, nausea, dizziness and fatigue. If they appear, the trekker shouldn’t go higher and might even need to descend.
A Sherpa woman at the market in Namche Bazar, Nepal: respect the culture, eat local food. Paula Bronstein/Getty Images
Take time to adapt
Using a reputable local trekking agency might be more expensive, but it will help ensure safety and also familiarise the visitor with the local culture, helping avoid negative impacts on the host community.
Too often, the primary goal of trekkers is a photo on the famous rock at base camp. Once obtained, many simply take a helicopter back to Kathmandu. As a helicopter tour agency owner said:
They don’t want to get back on their feet. The goal, after all, has been achieved. In general, tourists used to be much better prepared. Now they know they can return by helicopter.
Helicopter travel can be dangerous on its own, of course. But this tendency to view the trek as a one-way trip also affects host-guest relations and can irritate local communities.
It’s also important to monitor your food and drink intake and watch for signs of food poisoning. Diarrhoea at high altitudes is particularly dangerous because it leads to rapid dehydration – hard to combat in mountain conditions.
Low air pressure and reduced oxygen exacerbate the condition, weakening the body’s ability to recover. Also, the symptoms of dehydration can resemble altitude mountain sickness.
When travelling in other climate zones or countries with different sanitary standards, there is inevitable contact with strains of bacteria not present in one’s natural microbiome.
A good solution is to spend a few days naturally adapting to bacterial flora at a lower altitude in Nepal before heading to the mountains. Also, try to eat the local food, such as daal bhat, Nepal’s national dish. According to one hotel owner in Pangboche:
Tourists demand strange food from us – pizza, spaghetti, Caesar salad – and then are angry that it doesn’t taste the way they want. This is not our food. You should probably eat local food.
Most of the trekkers we interviewed during this spring season reported experiencing gastrointestinal issues, often for several days.
In the end, the commonest cause of failure or accident in the mountains is overestimating one’s abilities – what has been called “bad judgement syndrome” – when the route is too hard, the pace too fast, or there’s been too little time spent acclimatising.
A simple solution: walk slowly and enjoy the views.
Michal Apollo receives funding from the National Science Centre NCN Poland, the small-scale project awarded by the Institute of Earth Sciences, and the Research Excellence Initiative of the University of Silesia in Katowice. He is affiliated with the Global Justice Program, Yale University, and Academics Stand Against Poverty.
Heike Schanzel 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.
I once leapt out of a train carriage because two strangers were loudly discussing the ending of the last Harry Potter book. Okay – I didn’t leap, but I did plug my ears and flee to another carriage.
Recently, I found myself in a similar predicament, trapped on a bus, entirely at the mercy of two passengers dissecting the Severance season two finale.
But not everyone shares my spoiler anxiety. I have friends who flip to the last page of a book before they’ve read the first one, or who look up the ending before hitting play. According to them, they simply need to know.
So why do some of us crave surprise and suspense, while others find comfort in instant resolution?
What’s in a spoiler?
Spoilers have become a cultural flashpoint in the age of streaming, social media and shared fandoms.
Researchers define “spoiler” as undesired information about how a narrative’s arc will conclude. I often hear “spoilers!” interjected mid-sentence, a desperate protest to protect narrative ignorance.
Hitchcock’s twist-heavy Psycho elevated spoiler sensitivity. Its release came with an anti-spoilers policy including strict viewing times, lobby warnings recorded by the auteur himself, and even real policemen urging “total enjoyment”. A bold ad campaign implored audiences against “cheating yourselves”.
The twists were fiercely protected.
Even the Star Wars cast didn’t know Darth Vader’s paternity twist until premiere night. Avenger’s Endgame filmed multiple endings and used fake scripting to mislead its stars. And Andrew Garfield flat-out lied about his return to Spider-Man: No Way Home – a performance worthy of an Oscar – all for the sake of fan surprise and enjoyment.
But do spoilers actually ruin the fun, or just shift how we experience it?
The satisfaction of a good ending
In 2014, a Dutch study found that viewers of unspoiled stories experienced greater emotional arousal and enjoyment. Spoilers may complete our “mental models” of the plot, making us less driven to engage, process events, or savour the unfolding story.
But we are also likely to overestimate the negative effect of a spoiler on our enjoyment. In 2016, a series of studies involving short stories, mystery fiction and films found that spoiled participants still reported high levels of enjoyment – because once we’re immersed, emotional connection tends to eclipse what we already know.
But suspense and enjoyment are complex bedfellows.
American media psychology trailblazer Dolf Zillmann said that suspense builds tension and excitement, but we only enjoy that tension once the ending lands well.
The thrill isn’t fun while we’re hanging in uncertainty – it’s the satisfying resolution that retroactively makes it feel good.
That could be why we scramble for an “ending explained” when a film or show drops the ball on closure. We’re trying to resolve uncertainty and settle our emotions.
Spoilers can also take the pressure off. A 2009 study of Lost fans found those who looked up how an episode would end actually enjoyed it more. The researchers found it reduced cognitive pressure, and gave them more room to reflect and soak in the story.
Spoilers put the audience back in the driver’s seat – even if filmmakers would rather keep hold of the wheel. People may seek spoilers out of curiosity or impatience, but sometimes it’s a quiet rebellion: a way to push back against the control creators hold over when and how things unfold.
That’s why spoilers are fertile ground for power dynamics. Ethicists even liken being spoiled to kind of moral trespass: how dare someone else make that decision for me?!
But whether you avoid spoilers or seek them out, the motive is often the same: a need to feel in control.
Shaping your emotions
Spoiler avoiders crave affect: they want emotional transportation.
When suspense is part of the pleasure, control means choosing when and how that knowledge lands. There’s a mental challenge to be had in riding the story as it unfolds, and a joy in seeing it click into place.
That’s why people get protective, and even chatter about long-aired shows can spark outrage. It’s an attempt to police the commentary and preserve the experience for those still waiting to be transported.
Spoiler seekers want control too, just a different kind. They’re not avoiding emotion, they’re just managing it. A spoiler affords control over our negative emotions, but also softens the blow, and inoculates us against anxiety.
Psychologists dub this a “non-cognitive desensitisation strategy” to manage surprise, a kind of “emotional spoiler shield” to protect our attachments to shows and characters, and remind us that TV, film and book narratives are not real when storylines hit close to home.
Knowing what happens turns into a subtle form of self-regulation.
So, what did I do when Severance spoilers floated by? Did I get off the bus? Nope, I stayed put and faced the beast. As I tried to make sense of the unfamiliar plot points (The macrodata means what? Mark stays where?), I found the unexpected chance to dive deeper.
Maybe surprise is not the sum of what makes something entertaining and worth engaging with. Spoiler alert! It’s good to have an end to journey towards, but it’s the journey that matters, in the end.
Anjum Naweed 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 – Global Perspectives – By Rachel Fitzgerald, Associate Professor and Deputy Associate Dean (Academic), Faculty of Business, Economics and Law, The University of Queensland
Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming an everyday part of lives. Many of us use it without even realising, whether it be writing emails, finding a new TV show or managing smart devices in our homes.
But apart from a handful of computing-focused and other STEM programs, most Australian university students do not receive formal tuition in how to use AI critically, ethically or responsibly.
Here’s why this is a problem and what we can do instead.
But this does not teach students how these tools work or what responsible use involves.
Using AI is not as simple as typing questions into a chat function. There are widely recognised ethical issues around its use including bias and misinformation. Understanding these is essential for students to use AI responsibly in their working lives.
So all students should graduate with a basic understanding of AI, its limitations, the role of human judgement and what responsible use looks like in their particular field.
We need students to be aware of bias in AI systems. This includes how their own biases could shape how they use the AI (the questions they ask and how they interpret its output), alongside an understanding of the broader ethical implications of AI use.
For example, does the data and the AI tool protect people’s privacy? Has the AI made a mistake? And if so, whose responsibility is that?
What about AI ethics?
The technical side of AI is covered in many STEM degrees. These degrees, along with philosophy and psychology disciplines, may also examine ethical questions around AI. But these issues are not a part of mainstream university education.
This is a concern. When future lawyers use predictive AI to draft contracts, or business graduates use AI for hiring or marketing, they will need skills in ethical reasoning.
Ethical issues in these scenarios could include unfair bias, like AI recommending candidates based on gender or race. It could include issues relating to a lack of transparency, such as not knowing how an AI system made a legal decision. Students need to be able to spot and question these risks before they cause harm.
In healthcare, AI tools are already supporting diagnosis, patient triage and treatment decisions.
For example, if a teacher relies on AI carelessly to draft a lesson plan, students might learn a version of history that is biased or just plain wrong. A lawyer who over-relies on AI could submit a flawed court document, putting their client’s case at risk.
How can we do this?
There are international examples we can follow. The University of Texas at Austin and University of Edinburgh both offer programs in ethics and AI. However, both of these are currently targeted at graduate students. The University of Texas program is focused on teaching STEM students about AI ethics, whereas the University of Edinburgh’s program has a broader, interdiscplinary focus.
Implementing AI ethics in Australian universities will require thoughtful curriculum reform. That means building interdisciplinary teaching teams that combine expertise from technology, law, ethics and the social sciences. It also means thinking seriously about how we engage students with this content through core modules, graduate capabilities or even mandatory training.
It will also require investment in academic staff development and new teaching resources that make these concepts accessible and relevant to different disciplines.
Government support is essential. Targeted grants, clear national policy direction, and nationally shared teaching resources could accelerate the shift. Policymakers could consider positioning universities as “ethical AI hubs”. This aligns with the government-commissioned 2024 Australian University Accord report, which called for building capacity to meet the demands of the digital era.
Today’s students are tomorrow’s decision-makers. If they don’t understand the risks of AI and its potential for error, bias or threats to privacy, we will all bear the consequences. Universities have a public responsibility to ensure graduates know how to use AI responsibly and understand why their choices matter.
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.
In the thrilling finale of the TV series The Americans, set during the Reagan administration, deep-cover KGB operatives Philip and Elizabeth Jennings are faced with a difficult decision. Posing as an ordinary American married couple, for decades they have raised children, filed tax returns and slipped effortlessly into the rhythms and routines of everyday suburban existence in Washington, D.C.
All the while, they’ve been spying – gathering intelligence and surreptitiously feeding it to their communist masters in Soviet Moscow. Now, with the FBI closing in and their cover on the brink of collapse, they must decide whether to stay and face arrest or flee the country they’ve come to call home. There’s also their teenage children to consider.
The story seemed too incredible to be true – but in fact it was based in part on Donald Heathfield and Ann Foley, subsequently outed as Andrei Bezrukov and Elena Vavilova, a Russian couple who had spent more than 20 years masquerading as Canadians. At the time of their unmasking, they were living quietly in the United States with Tim and Alex, their two sons.
Review: The Illegals: Russia’s Most Audacious Spies and the Plot to Infiltrate the West – Shaun Walker (Profile)
A new book, The Illegals, tells of a network of Russian agents operating across the US, during the late 20th and early 21st centuries – including Bezrukov and Vavilova. It opens with their dramatic 2010 arrest, part of ten Russian spies (mostly illegals like them) detained by the FBI.
Author Shaun Walker, the Guardian’s central and eastern Europe correspondent, draws on declassified archival material and first-hand interviews. The result is an engrossing, eye-opening account of the secret world of the Soviet “illegals programme”: embedded spies who lived surreptitiously in the West without the safety blanket of diplomatic protection.
As Walker explains, “legals” were Russian operatives working under official cover – as diplomats or embassy staff, privy to diplomatic immunity. By contrast, “illegals” operated off the grid. They crept silently into Western countries under false identities, often stolen from the dead. This made them harder to detect, but left them far more vulnerable if exposed.
One of the most high-profile figures in the 2010 spy bust was Anna Chapman. Unlike many other illegals, Chapman didn’t even bother to disguise her Russian identity. Instead, as Walker recounts, she entered America using a British passport – acquired through a brief marriage to a UK citizen – and worked as a New York real estate broker.
Her photogenic looks and media-friendly persona made her the public face of the scandal. After being deported, Chapman reinvented herself as a television host, runway model and pro-Kremlin influencer.
The real Americans
Walker outlines how Bezrukov and Vavilova first met in the early 1980s, as history students in Siberia. There, KGB “spotters” identified them for potential recruitment. Later, he adds,
they progressed to an arduous training programme lasting several years, moulding their language, mannerisms and identities into those of an ordinary couple. They left the Soviet Union separately in 1987, staged a meeting in Canada, and began a relationship as if they had just met.
Having married under their assumed names, Andrei and Elena adopted the habits and customs of an ordinary middle-class life. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the couple were cut off from Moscow, but by the end of the decade they were reactivated by the SVR, Russia’s new foreign intelligence agency. Around this time, Andrei won a place at Harvard’s Kennedy School, allowing the family to move to Massachusetts and integrate further into American society.
As Andrei networked in academic and policy circles, Elena maintained the illusion of domestic normality, fashioning herself as a doting “soccer mom”, raising the kids and keeping house. Meanwhile, she was secretly decoding encrypted radio messages in the back room.
This went on for years. Then, one day, an unexpected knock on the door as they celebrated their son Tim’s 20th birthday brought the charade crashing down. FBI agents burst in, handcuffed the couple in front of their sons and marched them out into the street.
Soon after their arrest, Andrei and Elena were deported to Russia in a high-profile spy swap. They were awarded state honours by Vladimir Putin and briefly became minor celebrities in Moscow. Their sons, both born in Canada, were left reeling.
In 2016, Walker tracked the sons down for a piece he was writing for The Guardian: they were in the process of suing the Canadian government to have their citizenship reinstated, having been stripped of it when everything kicked off. In 2019, a court ruled Tim and Alex (who was 16 when the FBI arrested his parents) could keep their citizenship. Both insisted they had known nothing about their parents’ espionage work.
Alex Valivov, son of Russian ‘illegal’ spies disguised as Americans, talked to the media after he won a court bid to keep his Canadian citizenship.
Putin ‘beside himself’
As Walker recounts, the raid had been coordinated by then-FBI director Robert Mueller. It had been timed to avoid derailing a carefully planned diplomatic summit.
In 2009, Barack Obama launched a high-profile “reset” of relations with Russia. Obama wanted to woo Dmitry Medvedev – a moderate political figurehead standing in for Putin, who remained the real power behind the scenes in Russia.
A planned summit in Washington intended to cement the spirit of renewed cooperation. But as the scale of Russia’s covert operation became apparent, the White House was faced with a dilemma: how to respond without jeopardising the reset.
According to Walker, Obama was irked by the whole situation. He quipped that it felt like something out of a John Le Carré novel. Eventually, a compromise was reached: the arrests would happen, but only after Medvedev’s visit, so as not to cause undue embarrassment.
Colonel Aleksandr Poteyev, deputy head of Directorate “S” of the SVR, was the man overseeing the illegals scheme. After the arrests were made, he quietly walked out of the agency headquarters in Yasenevo for the last time. He was the mole who had tipped off the Americans. From there, he made his way to Ukraine, where the CIA could safely extricate him to the US. On hearing the news, Putin was reportedly beside himself with rage, Walker writes.
Intrigued by this “twisted family story”, Walker started to look into the illegals venture in greater depth. He quickly realised “there was nothing quite like it in the history of espionage”. At times, various intelligence agencies had deployed operatives as foreign nationals, “but never with the scope or scale of the KGB programme”.
A century of dramatic, bloody history
The illegals were, in Walker’s reckoning, something uniquely Russian, rooted in the country’s complex historical experience. The more he read, the more he came to view the programme as a lens through which he could “tell a much bigger story, of the whole Soviet experiment and its ultimate failure, a century of dramatic and bloody history”.
To understand how the illegals project came about, Walker winds the clock all the way back to 1917, when the Bolsheviks seized power – and espionage became a cornerstone of the nascent Soviet state. He reminds us while Lenin and his comrades had won formal control of the nation, “they still faced the colossal task of implementing and retaining it across the vast Russian landmass”.
Lenin was sure that state institutions would eventually wither away, the evolving worker’s paradise rendering them meaningless. However, to achieve this happy end point, he believed an interim period of ruthless state violence was required.
The Cheka: precursor to the KGB
This helps to explain why he established the Cheka, a secret police force tasked with crushing counterrevolutionary activity and enforcing Bolshevik rule. At its head was Feliks Dzerzhinsky, a fanatical Polish ideologue who had spent years in Siberian exile. Far from a temporary measure, the Cheka “quickly grew to a huge fighting force that could be unleashed on political and class enemies”, Walker writes.
Feliks Dzierzynski was the head of the Cheka, the Russian secret police force that preceded the KGB. Wikimedia Commons
The Cheka was an important player in the Russian Civil War, which pitted Lenin’s Reds against the Whites – a loose alliance of pro-tsarist regiments and foreign mercenaries, often united by little more than their implacable hatred of Bolshevism. The situation on the ground was chaotic and unpredictable; both sides engaged in ruthless violence.
Here, in this blood-drenched crucible, the Bolsheviks honed their clandestine methods – konspiratsiya (subterfuge) – perfecting the use of disguises, false identities and underground communication. In areas where the Whites gained a territorial foothold, agents were ordered to stay behind and coordinate resistance, laying the groundwork for what would become the illegals programme.
When the Bolsheviks emerged victorious in 1921, the Cheka was not disbanded – but repurposed. The practice of planting operatives deep inside enemy lines survived the war and expanded in scope. Lenin’s idea of combining legal diplomatic work with illegal undercover infiltration became a defining feature of how the Soviet Union would run its intelligence services for the next 70 years.
Stalin’s secret police
Under Lenin’s successor, Joseph Stalin, the secret police was transformed into an all-encompassing instrument of surveillance, repression and domination.
Purges consumed the party. Ideological fervour curdled into show trials and murderous terror. And paranoia became an organising principle of Soviet political life. The demand for vigilance intensified – not just at home, where informants and denunciations became routine, but also abroad. Real and purported enemies were seen lurking in the democratic institutions of the West.
Ironies abound here. The very methods that helped to sustain the early Soviet state – secrecy, trickery, duplicity – soon became grounds for suspicion on Stalin’s watch. The generation of illegals trained and embedded during the 1920s and early 1930s were among those earmarked for liquidation, Walker writes. Stalin, ever wary of plots against him, came to view his own spies as potential traitors.
He ignored – or wilfully dismissed – much of the intelligence they had risked their lives to gather, often with disastrous consequences. When advance warnings of Operation Barbarossa, Hitler’s secret plan to betray Stalin and launch a massive invasion of the Soviet Union, landed on his desk in 1941, for instance, they were waved away as provocation or outright fabrication. In some cases, he had his spies tortured or shot. Loyalty was no protector against paranoia.
Dmitry Bystrolyotov was a legend in Soviet intelligence circles. Alchetron
Among the casualties was Dmitry Bystrolyotov, who Walker describes as “perhaps the most talented illegal in the history of the programme”. A truly chameleonic figure, Bystrolyotov was a dashing and multilingual agent whose exploits in Western Europe made him a legend in Soviet intelligence circles. “His speciality was the recruitment of agents who had access to diplomatic codes and ciphers,” the Russian scholar Emil Draitser attests, “and his modus operandi involved women”.
Through a series of painstakingly crafted affairs, Bystrolyotov gained access to confidential dispatches, internal memos and state secrets. His work offered Stalin a rare glimpse into the inner workings of Europe’s ruling elite. But when The Great Terror rolled around in 1937, none of it mattered. He was arrested, sentenced and dispatched to the Gulag, callously tossed aside by the system he had served with such distinction.
Walker emphasises:
the history of the illegals offers a neat reflection of the story of Russia itself. The early programme, with its soaring ambition, its obsession with subterfuge, and its disregard for the well-being of individuals, holds up a mirror to the fiery utopianism of the early Soviet Union.
Did the Cold War really end?
These were people expected to vanish into enemy territory, sacrifice their identifies and live double lives, all in service of a revolutionary vision. But by the time the Soviet Union spluttered to an ignominious halt in 1991, that dream had long since died.
As Walker shows, most of the operatives who followed in the footsteps of Bystrolyotov were not darkly romantic infiltrators scaling embassy walls or charming secrets out of countesses. They were “sleepers” – often efficient, occasionally incompetent – blending quietly into Western cities and suburbs, awaiting a call to action that, in many cases, never came. The glitz had given way to the grind.
The Americans ends with Phillip and Elizabeth, the couple based on Bezrukov and Vavilova, gazing out across the Moscow skyline. Two weary spies coming in from the cold, they have returned to a rapidly unravelling motherland that may not understand – let alone appreciate – the sacrifices they have made in the service of its ideology.
As Walker discovered, Berzukov, when he isn’t being paid handsomely by an oil company, now lectures in international relations at one of Russia’s most prestigious universities. Vavilova, fittingly enough, now writes spy fiction.
Yet in real life, the story doesn’t end quite there. Under Putin, a former KGB officer who cut his teeth in the culture of espionage, Russia’s intelligence services have returned to the illegals programme with a renewed sense of purpose (though stripped of the ideological zeal that once propelled it).
Walker is careful not to indulge in idle speculation, but he points to compelling evidence suggesting the illegals programme has evolved rather than vanished. High-profile attacks on UK soil – including the poisoning of form spy Sergei Skripal – suggest Russian intelligence agencies remain willing to operate far beyond their national borders.
In the same breath, Walker describes what might be termed the digital turn of the illegals programme. In the place of suburban sleepers decoding radio signals, Russia has backed teams of online operatives – “troll illegals” – tasked with wrecking havoc across Western social media platforms.
These paid agents don’t gather intelligence so much as sow discord. They stoke culture wars, amplify political divisions and undermine trust in democratic institutions. Walker offers Russia’s meddling in the rancorous 2016 American election as an illustrative case in point.
In Putin’s merciless autocracy, secrecy has once again became a virtue – and the spy, far from being a dusty relic of the 20th century, is once again a symbol of national strength.
In that sense, The Illegals is not just a history of espionage. It is a timely reminder that, at least for some, the Cold War never really ended. It just burrowed deeper underground.
Alexander Howard does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The kettle is a household staple practically everywhere – how else would we make our hot drinks?
But is it okay to re-boil water that’s already in the kettle from last time? While bringing water to a boil disinfects it, you may have heard that boiling water more than once will somehow make the water harmful and therefore you should empty the kettle each time.
Such claims are often accompanied by the argument that re-boiled water leads to the accumulation of allegedly hazardous substances including metals such as arsenic, or salts such as nitrates and fluoride.
This isn’t true. To understand why, let’s look at what is in our tap water and what really happens when we boil it.
What’s in our tap water?
Let’s take the example of tap water supplied by Sydney Water, Australia’s largest water utility which supplies water to Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra region.
From the publicly available data for the January to March 2025 quarter for the Illawarra region, these were the average water quality results:
pH was slightly alkaline
total dissolved solids were low enough to avoid causing scaling in pipes or appliances
fluoride content was appropriate to improve dental health, and
it was “soft” water with a total hardness value below 40mg of calcium carbonate per litre.
The water contained trace amounts of metals such as iron and lead, low enough magnesium levels that it can’t be tasted, and sodium levels substantially lower than those in popular soft drinks.
These and all other monitored quality parameters were well within the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines during that period. If you were to make tea with this water, re-boiling would not cause a health problem. Here’s why.
It’s difficult to concentrate such low levels of chemicals
To concentrate substances in the water, you’d need to evaporate some of the liquid while the chemicals stay behind. Water evaporates at any temperature, but the vast majority of evaporation happens at the boiling point – when water turns into steam.
During boiling, some volatile organic compounds might escape into the air, but the amount of the inorganic compounds (such as metals and salts) remains unchanged.
While the concentration of inorganic compounds might increase as drinking water evaporates when boiled, evidence shows it doesn’t happen to such an extent that it would be hazardous.
Let’s say you boil one litre of tap water in a kettle in the morning, and your tap water has a fluoride content of 1mg per litre, which is within the limits of Australian guidelines.
You make a cup of tea taking 200ml of the boiled water. You then make another cup of tea in the afternoon by re-boiling the remaining water.
On both occasions, if heating was stopped soon after boiling started, the loss of water by evaporation would be small, and the fluoride content in each cup of tea would be similar.
But let’s assume that when making the second cup, you let the water keep boiling until 100ml of what’s in the kettle evaporates. Even then, the amount of fluoride you would consume with the second cup (0.23mg) would not be significantly higher than the fluoride you consumed with the first cup of tea (0.20mg).
The same applies to any other minerals or organics the supplied water may have contained. Let’s take lead: the water supplied in the Illawarra region as mentioned above, had a lead concentration of less than 0.0001mg per litre. To reach an unsafe lead concentration (0.01mg per litre, according to Australian guidelines) in a cup of water, you’d need to boil down roughly 20 litres of tap water to just that cup of 200ml.
Practically that is unlikely to happen – most electric kettles are designed to boil briefly before automatically shutting off. As long as the water you’re using is within the guidelines for drinking water, you can’t really concentrate it to harmful levels within your kettle.
But what about taste?
Whether re-boiled water actually affects the taste of your drinks will depend entirely on the specifics of your local water supply and your personal preferences.
The slight change in mineral concentration, or the loss of dissolved oxygen from water during boiling may affect the taste for some people – although there are a lot of other factors that contribute to the taste of your tap water.
The bottom line is that as long as the water in your kettle was originally compliant with guidelines for safe drinking water, it will remain safe and potable even after repeated boiling.
Faisal Hai 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.
Underprivileged primary school children are about to suffer the same poor service as their intermediate and secondary school peers, with the Government’s announcement today that primary schools are transitioning to the cut price, revised Ka Ora Ka Ako – Healthy School Lunches programme.
The revised version of the school lunch programme, rolled out to secondary and full primary schools in January 2025, saw the Government partner with national consortium the School Lunch Collective to achieve drastic reductions in the programme cost. The new version of the programme is being plagued by a multitude of problems, including delivery of unsafe and unpalatable food, massive wastage of uneaten meals and packaging, and the nutritional quality of the lunches plummeting.
Nutrition experts found the government-funded school lunches are failing nutrition standards. The new lunches now provide only about half the energy recommended for a school lunch. Despite all providers being contractually obliged to meet the Ministry of Education’s Nutrition Standards, none of the 13 meals provided by School Lunch Collective that were examined by nutrition experts met them. This means the lunches are no longer healthy – despite the programme being named the Healthy School Lunches programme.
This is hardly surprising, given the School Lunch Collective members, Libelle and Compass, were failing to consistently deliver good quality lunches under the previous funding model, when they were receiving nearly three times the funding per lunch.
“It’s not a cost saving if it’s not delivering the nutrition our most disadvantaged children need to succeed at school. Under the previous model, schools could choose how they provided lunches to their tamariki, with many walking away from Compass and Libelle to either do it themselves or work with local community businesses. Tamariki got better food for less cost. Our growing teenagers are now getting less to eat and being told to be grateful for it”, says Professor Lisa Te Morenga, Health Coalition co-chair and Massey University researcher.
“This Government has prioritised productivity, but hungry, undernourished children cannot learn effectively nor be productive. More than a quarter of children in Aotearoa face poverty and food insecurity – this programme is designed to help those kids. These children are our future workforce; we need to invest in them”, says Professor Te Morenga.
“I’m extremely angry and disappointed this government continues to ignore our voices and our evidence of the success of locally provided lunches. Instead, they want to remove what’s working to save a few dollars – at the expense of our tamariki. We need to be investing in our tamariki and their future, says Seletute Mila, Tumuaki/Principal of Arakura School.
“The changes to Ka Ora, Ka Ako have set back the progress schools were making in helping New Zealand’s disadvantaged children. The programme must be fixed now- by being appropriately valued for the potential it has to lift our most disadvantaged children out of poverty and to lead healthy, productive lives. This benefits us all. We are calling for this current mean and draconian model to be abandoned. Raise the funding and give communities the flexibility to provide the best nutritious food they can for their tamariki,” says Professor Te Morenga.
More information
Reports from schools across Aotearoa reveal serious failures in the revised programme, including:
Lack of allergy-friendly meals: Students with allergies are left without safe options,as reported by BusinessDesk.
Waste and inefficiency: Unappealing meals are going uneaten, and previous systems to redistribute food to students or charities are no longer happening.
Excess rubbish: The new system generates more landfill waste than before.
Poor nutrition: The lack of fruit likely means lower fibre intake.
Lack of transparency: Schools and families don’t know the actual nutritional value of meals.
Halal concerns: No clear process ensures meals meet halal dietary needs.
Late or missing deliveries: Many schools report meals not arriving on time.
Repetitive and insufficient portions: Meals lack variety and are often too small.
No direct communication: Schools can no longer work directly with suppliers.
No student feedback: Tamariki have no way to voice concerns about their meals.
Source: United States Senator for Texas Ted Cruz
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and colleagues introduced the Space Exploration Research Act to promote aeronautical and space research, educate a 21st century space workforce, and enhance U.S. commercial competitiveness in the space and aerospace industries.
The legislation authorizes the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to lease and lease-back certain property to alleviate roadblocks for the development and use of property adjacent to NASA facilities. The bill also helps Johnson Space Center (JSC) remain as a lead center for training and exploration activities, which will make Texas a hub for job growth in the space and aerospace industry.
Sen. Cruz said, “This is a pivotal moment and exciting time for space exploration. A strong, strategic partnership between NASA and our thriving commercial space sector has made the U.S. a leader in space. This legislation is a big win for Texas jobs, American innovation, and national security. As China races to dominate the final frontier, the U.S. must stay ahead, which means continuing to promote space research and exploration here at home.”
Sen. Padilla said, “California’s three NASA centers promote vital scientific research and support groundbreaking space innovations critical to our nation’s competitiveness. Our commonsense, bipartisan legislation would allow NASA centers in California and across the country to take advantage of unused facilities to generate revenue and advance scientific research, education, and training.”
Joining Sens. Cruz and Padilla were Sens. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).
Sen. Britt said, “Our space program is vitally important to both U.S. national and economic security. I am proud that Alabama and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center are right at the heart of fulfilling President Trump’s mission for space exploration. This commonsense measure will allow us to put unused properties to good use — advancing workforce training, allowing the transfer of aeronautical and space technologies to companies and universities, and ensuring our state remains a leader in space research. I’m proud to stand with Chairman Cruz in introducing this legislation.”
Sen. Luján said,“New Mexico plays a big role in leading the country in space exploration and innovation. By strengthening partnerships between NASA and our universities, we can give more students in New Mexico the chance to get hands-on experience with space research. That’s why I’m proud to introduce a bill that will make it easier for NASA to team up with public and nonprofit groups, helping grow our space economy and create new opportunities.”
Sen. Wicker said,“Innovation is critical to expanding America’s space exploration capabilities. NASA centers should have the resources and expertise to grow in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This legislation would enable Mississippi’s Stennis Space Center to maximize underutilized areas at its facilities.”
BACKGROUND
In June of 2023, as a part of a strategy to build a nearby hub of human spaceflight expertise, JSC announced a solicitation of proposals from civil and commercial entities for use of 240 acres of land on the western end of the property. The proposals were for the lease of all or a portion of the available undeveloped property.
Texas A&M submitted a proposal to JSC, and the Texas State Legislature passed House Bill 1, which appropriated funding to the Texas Space Commission and Texas A&M University for the construction of facilities adjacent to JSC for mission training, research, and the curation of astronautical materials. Representatives from JSC and Texas A&M broke ground on the Texas A&M Space Institute at Exploration Park in November 2024.
JSC has expressed interest in utilizing the capabilities of the Space Institute to supplement its facilities. This proposed legislation codifies the ability of NASA facilities to lease the land to state governments, universities, and non-profits. After the land and facilities are developed by the above parties, this legislation also allows NASA to lease back the facilities for its use.
The Space Exploration Research Act aims to benefit a multitude of educational institutions, commercial space, and surrounding employers. The legislation enables access to cutting-edge facilities, provides students with hands-on opportunities to solve real-world space problems, and builds up a workforce for the rapidly growing space economy.
Click here for the full bill text.
Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry
Today we have issued another round of invitations to the government’s Economic Reform Roundtable.
The Roundtable is all about building consensus on long term economic reform, with a focus on resilience, productivity and budget sustainability.
The latest round of invitees includes expert voices on economic policy, leaders with broad industry and policy experience, and important perspectives from regulators, the public sector and the states.
It’s an outstanding group of people who we believe will make a big contribution to the future direction of economic reform.
They are thought leaders who have been chosen for their ability to make meaningful contributions across a broad range of areas and across each of the three days.
More invitations will be issued for participants to attend specific sessions, as the agenda takes shape.
While we can’t invite representatives from every industry or organisation, everyone has the chance to have their say in this process with online submissions still open.
Roundtable invitations issued today include:
Sue Lloyd‑Hurwitz AM, Chair, National Housing Supply and Affordability Council
Matt Comyn, Chief Executive Officer, Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Scott Farquhar, Chair, Tech Council of Australia
Cath Bowtell, Chair, IFM Investors
Ben Wyatt, Board Member, Woodside, and former Treasurer of Western Australia
Ken Henry AC, Chair, Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation
Andrew Fraser, Chair, Australian Retirement Trust, Chancellor, Griffith University and former Treasurer of Queensland
Allegra Spender MP, Federal Independent Member for Wentworth
Daniel Mookhey MLC, Chair, Board of Treasurers and NSW Treasurer
Gina Cass‑Gottlieb, Chair, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
Steven Kennedy PSM, Secretary, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Jenny Wilkinson PSM, Secretary, Department of the Treasury
Invitations issued last month:
Danielle Wood, Chair, Productivity Commission
Sally McManus, Secretary, Australian Council of Trade Unions
Michele O’Neil, President, Australian Council of Trade Unions
Liam O’Brien*, Assistant Secretary, Australian Council of Trade Unions
Joseph Mitchell*, Assistant Secretary, Australian Council of Trade Unions
Bran Black, Chief Executive Officer, Business Council of Australia
Andrew McKellar, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Innes Willox, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Industry Group
Matthew Addison, Chair, Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia
Cassandra Goldie, Australian Council of Social Service
Ted O’Brien, Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Treasurer
*These participants will attend as alternates for the Secretary and President of the ACTU.
Biographies
Sue Lloyd‑Hurwitz AM
Sue is the Chair of National Housing Supply and Affordability Council; a non‑executive director of Rio Tinto, Macquarie Group and INSEAD; and a Fellow of the University of Sydney Senate. Previously, Sue was CEO and Managing Director of Mirvac and President of Chief Executive Women.
Dr Kerry Schott AO
Kerry is a Director of AGL, Chair of the Carbon Market Institute and Chair of the Competition Review Expert Advisory Panel. Recently, she was Chair of the New South Wales Net Zero Emissions and Clean Economy Board, Chair of the Advisory Board to EnergyCo NSW, and an Adviser to Aware Super. Kerry brings extensive experience in transport, infrastructure and energy, across both business and government sectors.
Matt Comyn
Matt is the CEO and Managing Director of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Matt has over 25 years of experience in the banking sector, including as Managing Director of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s biggest digital business, CommSec, and brings extensive experience in digital adoption.
Scott Farquhar
Scott is the Co‑Founder of Atlassian, one of the world’s leading software collaboration companies and Australia’s first tech unicorn. Scott is a Founding Member and Chair of the Tech Council of Australia and is also the Co‑Founder of Skip Capital, a private fund investing in exceptional tech and infrastructure entrepreneurs.
Cath Bowtell
Cath is the Chair of IFM Investors, Industry Super Holdings and is a Director of Industry Fund Services. Cath has worked for many years in senior roles in both the superannuation industry and union movement. Cath is also currently the Chair of the Jobs and Skills Australia Ministerial Advisory Board.
The Hon Ben Wyatt
Ben is a former Treasurer of Western Australia and holds a number of current board positions, including for Woodside. Ben held a number of ministerial positions in WA and became the first Indigenous treasurer of an Australian parliament. Ben brings extensive knowledge of public policy, finance, international trade and Indigenous affairs.
Dr Ken Henry AC
Ken is an Australian economist and former public servant, including as Secretary of the Department of the Treasury from 2001 to 2011. Ken has held numerous positions in both government and the private sector, and is currently Chair of the Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation, the Nature Finance Council, and Wildlife Recovery Australia.
The Hon Andrew Fraser
Andrew is the Chair of the Australian Retirement Trust, Chancellor of Griffith University and a Director of the Bank of Queensland. He also works in the charity sector, where he serves as the Chair of Orange Sky Australia. Andrew is a former Deputy Premier and Treasurer of Queensland, and brings broad experience across the private and public sectors, and the charitable and education sectors.
Allegra Spender MP
Allegra is the Federal Independent Member for Wentworth. Prior to entering Parliament, Allegra worked as a business analyst at McKinsey, a policy analyst with UK Treasury and was later the Managing Director at Carla Zampatti Pty Ltd. Allegra was also previously the Chair of the Sydney Renewable Power Company, and CEO of the Australian Business and Community Network.
The Hon Daniel Moohkey MLC
Daniel is NSW Treasurer and the current Chair of the Board of Treasurers. Daniel has been a member of the NSW Legislative Council for over ten years and has delivered three Budgets in his over two years as the Treasurer of NSW.
Gina Cass‑Gottlieb
Gina is Chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Gina has over 30 years’ experience advising on merger, competition and regulatory matters in Australia and New Zealand. Gina brings broad and deep experience on consumer and competition issues across the economy.
Dr Steven Kennedy PSM
Steven is Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and was previously Secretary to the Treasury. Prior to this, Steven was Secretary of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development between September 2017 and August 2019. In a public service career spanning more than 30 years, Steven has held a series of other senior positions.
Jenny Wilkinson PSM
Jenny Wilkinson commenced as Secretary to the Australian Treasury in June 2025, becoming the first woman to hold this position in its 124‑year history. Jenny was previously Secretary of the Department of Finance. During her career, Jenny has held other senior positions in Commonwealth Treasury, the Parliamentary Budget Office, the Department of Industry, the Department of Climate Change, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and the Reserve Bank of Australia.
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
Watch: Senator Markey hosts spotlight hearing on birth control access in the Post-Roe Era
Washington (July 17, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), ranking member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) Committee’s Subcommittee on Primary Health & Retirement Security, and Representative Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) held a hearing yesterday titled “A Right at Risk: Protecting the Right to Contraception and Reproductive Freedom in the Post-Roe Era” to spotlight how Republican attacks on birth control access threaten reproductive freedom nationwide. Earlier this month, Republicans cut millions in Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood in their so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” which Trump signed into law.
“As Republicans pursue their agenda of unprecedented cuts to our health programs, banning funding for Planned Parenthood and ripping health care away from millions of Americans, the threat to the right to contraception is no longer hypothetical—it is real, and it is here,” said Senator Markey. “We must meet this moment with the urgency it deserves. We must pass the Right to Contraception Act and guarantee that reproductive freedom does not depend on where you live or who is in power in your statehouse. We cannot allow MAGA extremists to roll back decades of progress. And we will not stop until the right to contraception and reproductive freedom is protected—for everyone, everywhere.”
“As Republicans wage unprecedented and unconstitutional attacks on Americans’ health care, it is important for us to hear from those on the frontlines of the fight for reproductive freedom,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher. “Millions of Americans rely on contraception of all kinds to plan their families and their lives, and ninety percent of Americans support access to all forms of birth control. I am grateful to Senator Markey for joining me in hosting today’s hearing to bring this important issue to light. As a representative from a state intent on taking away our right and our access to quality, affordable reproductive health care, I will continue to do everything I can to protect the health, privacy, dignity, and autonomy of women and families across our country.”
Senator Markey and Representative Fletcher were joined by several reproductive rights experts and advocates who delivered testimony on how Republican attacks on birth control access harm communities across the country.
“Across the country—and in my home state of Indiana—birth control is being targeted through misinformation and ideology that are completely disconnected from science and clinical reality. These attacks are not about patient safety or public health. They are about control and because of the broad popularity of contraception, they are designed to be less noticeable,” said Dr. Tracey Wilkinson, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Obstetrics & Gynecology, Indiana University School of Medicine. Read Dr. Tracey Wilkinson’s testimonyhere.
“Access to contraception is essential to sexual and reproductive healthcare and gender equity. Contraception is not merely a matter of personal choice; it is healthcare, and access to this healthcare has a large and positive impact on maternal and infant health outcomes, economic stability, and prosperous, safe communities. Nonetheless, the advances we have made in a ‘purple’ state like Virginia are clearly precarious,” said Tarina Keene, executive director of REPRO Rising Virginia. “And—if a state like Virginia can’t rely on its own government to protect and advance its right to contraception, then surely other state governments, ones that are more openly attacking reproductive rights, cannot be expected to do the same.” Read Tarina Keene’s testimonyhere.
“Jane’s Due Process has helped young Texans access reproductive healthcare for almost 25 years. Texas has required parental involvement for access to prescriptive birth control for young people under 18 since 1998, and in 2022, a federal judge determined that Title X federal family planning providers could no longer provide prescriptive birth control to Texas teens without parental consent despite decades of protected federal provision. We hear every day from young people negatively impacted by these barriers. We believe that everyone, including young people, deserve the right to self-determination, and full access to the complete spectrum of family planning options, including birth control, is a big part of ensuring that right. We need to protect and expand young people’s access to contraception so that they can make the decisions for their own futures that are right for them,” said Lucie Arvallo, Executive Director, Jane’s Due Process. Read Lucie Arvallo’s testimonyhere.
“Contraception is a key component of reproductive health care. The decision about whether, when, or how to become a parent is one of the most important life decisions we make. For the past sixty years, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England has touched the lives of more than a million people in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, including for birth control services. We are an integral part of the health care system and proudly provide the highest quality, nonjudgmental care to all who walk through our doors. Patients count on us. The reality is that in rural states like ours, you’d be hard pressed to find someone whose life hasn’t been touched by Planned Parenthood of Northern New England,” said Nicole Clegg, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. “That’s why the attacks targeting Planned Parenthood are so dangerous. The harm caused when we are forced to leave a community is well documented. People’s health is jeopardized. They go without care. Cancers are left undetected. Unintended pregnancy rates rise, and pregnancy outcomes worsen. Birth control is essential health care. No one wants politicians and judges involved in their medical decisions. People want to be able to see their trusted provider, get medically accurate information, and have peace of mind. Thank you to our champions in Congress for shining a light on the devastating outcomes of the attacks on birth control and the providers who make access possible.” Read Nicole Clegg’s testimonyhere.
“Contraception is essential health care — and a vital tool that allows people to decide if, when, and how to grow their families,” said Taylor St. Germain, Deputy Director of Reproductive Equity Now. “When it came to Roe, we waited too long to act, and that delay cost us dearly. We can’t make that same mistake again. I’m grateful to Senator Markey and Representative Fletcher for bringing us together for this critical, timely hearing to protect our care and defend our right to contraception at the federal level before it’s too late.” Read Taylor St. Germain’s testimonyhere.
In February 2025, Senator Markey reintroduced the Right to Contraception Act, legislation that would create a statutory right to obtain and use contraceptives and ensure health care providers have a right to provide contraceptives, contraception, and share information about this essential care.
In September 2024, Senator Markey joined Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) in support of the Right to IVF Act, legislation that would establish a nationwide right to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and other assisted reproductive technology, as well as lower the costs of IVF treatment for the millions of families who need it to have their children. In October 2023, Senator Markey, alongside with other Democratic Senators urged the Biden administration to require insurers to fully cover over-the-counter birth control, with no out-of-pocket costs or prescription barrier.
SYDNEY, NSW – Robotic AI Skin has been selected as one of six finalists in the inaugural Propel-AIR program, Australia’s first dedicated AI and Robotics Sprint.
Inneurva, the Sydney medtech and robotics startup behind the innovation, will now compete for the opportunity to travel to Boston and work alongside MassRobotics.
Teaching Machines to Feel
Inneurva is developing flexible, intelligent artificial skin that brings a sense of touch to robots through soft, sensor-rich patches that can be attached to robotic grippers, humanoid robots, or even clothing.
“We want to give AI the intelligence of touch. With Robotic AI Skin, robots can feel what they touch and respond accordingly, whether it’s identifying a person, checking body temperature, or assessing the ripeness of fruit,” said founder Tass Paritt.
Inneurva Founder Tass Parritt
“The CEO of NVIDIA Jensen Huang recently spoke about the arrival of physical AI, a new generation of artificial intelligence that doesn’t just see or hear, but actually feels the world around it. Our project is part of that movement. We are not just teaching machines to think, we’re teaching them to feel.”
The technology captures complex tactile information including pressure, temperature, and gesture recognition, using embedded AI to interpret and respond in real time. This enables safer, more intuitive interactions between humans and machines.
Modular Technology with Wide Applications
The sensor patch can be applied to robotic grippers, humanoid limbs, or worn as smart fabric. It allows machines to recognise who is touching them, detect how something is touched, and learn and adapt to the meaning of those interactions.
Applications range from healthcare robots and eldercare assistants to industrial automation and agriculture. Robots equipped with Robotic AI Skin could detect the ripeness of fruit during picking or monitor human health indicators during physical interaction.
Strong Research Foundation
Robotic AI Skin is backed by foundational IP and supported through collaborations with CSIRO, University of Technology Sydney, and a UK-based university research partner. The team has received early-stage funding and support from Microsoft’s Startup Hub.
With backing from Microsoft’s Startup Hub, the team is exploring the creation of a “tactile language model” using synthetic data, an emerging field that parallels large language models but for physical sensation.
Commercial Pathways
The company aims to explore multiple pathways to commercialisation including OEM partnerships with robotics manufacturers, licensing of core tactile sensing IP and AI models, and custom development for medtech and assistive robotics.
“Touch is the missing piece in robotics. We want to make it easy to embed tactile intelligence into any device so robots can understand us better and act more safely,” Paritt said.
The team is currently building an MVP with plans to deliver a functional prototype within six months. Through Propel-AIR, Inneurva will focus on simulation testing and refining product-market fit.
The winner will travel to MassRobotics in Boston for a one-month residency, with access to leading robotics companies and world-class institutions like MIT and Harvard.
About Robotic AI Skin
Robotic AI Skin is a pioneering project from Australian medtech and robotics startup Inneurva, founded by Tass Paritt. Inneurva is developing flexible, intelligent artificial skin that brings a sense of touch to robots for safer, more intuitive human-machine interactions.
Breakups hurt. Emotional and psychological distress are common when intimate relationships break down. For some people, this distress can be so overwhelming that it leads to suicidal thoughts and behaviours.
This problem seems especially the case for men. Intimate partner problems including breakups, separation and divorce feature in the paths to suicide among one in three Australian men aged 25 to 44 who end their lives.
Men account for three in every four suicides in many nations worldwide, including Australia. So improving our understanding of links between relationship breakdown and men’s suicide risk has life-saving potential.
Our research, published today, is the first large-scale review of the evidence to focus on understanding men’s risk of suicide after a breakup. We found separated men were nearly five times more likely to die by suicide compared to married men.
What did we find?
We brought together findings from 75 studies across 30 countries worldwide, involving more than 106 million men.
We focused on understanding why relationship breakdown can lead to suicide in men, and which men are most at risk. We might not be able to prevent breakups from happening, but we can promote healthy adjustment to the stress of relationship breakdown to try and prevent suicide.
Overall, we found divorced men were 2.8 times more likely to take their lives than married men.
For separated men, the risk was much higher. We found that separated men were 4.8 times more likely to die by suicide than married men.
Most strikingly, we found separated men under 35 years of age had nearly nine times greater odds of suicide than married men of the same age.
Some men’s difficulties regulating the intense emotional stress of relationship breakdown can play a role in their suicide risk. For some men, the emotional pain tied to separation – deep sadness, shame, guilt, anxiety and loss – can be so intense it feels never-ending.
Overall, our research found relationship breakdown may lead to suicide for some men because of the complex interaction between the individual (emotional distress) and interpersonal (changes in their social network and availability of support) impacts of a breakup.
Many of these impacts don’t seem to feature in the paths to suicide after a breakup for women in the same way.
Breakups also impact social networks
As intimate relationships become more serious, we tend to spend less time investing in our friendships, especially if juggling the demands of a career and family.
This can create a risky situation if relationships break down, as it seems many men are left with little support to turn to. This rang true in our research, as men’s social disconnection and loneliness seemed to increase their suicide risk following relationship breakdown.
We also know people can struggle to know how to support men after a breakup. Research has found some men who ask for support are told to just “get back on the horse”. Such a response invalidates men’s pain and reinforces masculine stereotypes that relationship breakdown doesn’t affect them.
So, what can we do?
There is no simple answer to preventing suicide following relationship breakdown, but a range of opportunities exist.
We can embed support groups and other opportunities for connection and peer support in relationship services that are regularly in contact with those navigating separation, to help combat loneliness.
We can ensure mental health practitioners are equipped with the skills necessary to engage and respond effectively to men who seek help following a breakup, to help keep them safe until they can get back on their feet.
Most importantly, if men come to any of us seeking support after a breakup, we can remember that time is often a great healer. The best we can do is sit with men in their pain, rather than try and get them to stop feeling it. This connection could be life-saving.
Support and information is available at Relationships Australia and MensLine Australia. If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Michael Wilson works for The University of Melbourne and consults to Movember. He receives funding from the Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship, provided by the Australian Commonwealth Government and the University of Melbourne.
Jacqui Macdonald receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Medical Research Future Fund and the Australian Research Council. She convenes the Australian Fatherhood Research Consortium and she is on the Movember Global Men’s Health Advisory Committee.
Zac Seidler has been awarded an NHMRC Investigator Grant. He is also the Global Director of Research with the Movember Institute of Men’s Health. He advises government on men’s suicide, masculinities, violence prevention and social media policy.
First Nations people please be advised this article speaks of racially discriminating moments in history, including the distress and death of First Nations people.
In 1997, Australia was confronted with the landmark Bringing Them Home report. It chronicled the country’s long, dark history of the forced removal of First Nations children.
The report also made recommendations on what to do next. Compensation was key among them. Every state and territory heeded that call in the years that followed, except Western Australia.
In the decades since, many have called for the recognition of, and compensation for, First Nations people in WA forcibly removed from their families, culture and Country. In May, Premier Roger Cook answered that call, announcing a redress scheme for living survivors of the Stolen Generations.
But the Stolen Generations aren’t just historical; they’re ongoing. Many still feel the reverberations of decades of trauma. WA will finally seek to redress some of it.
Generations forced apart
WA had the highest rates of forcible removal of Aboriginal children in this country. Today, more than 50% of Aboriginal people in WA are either Stolen Generations survivors or their direct descendants.
Historian Margaret Jacobs wrote that through the 1905 Aborigines Protection Act, “Indigeneity itself became inextricably associated with neglect”.
Aboriginal families, due solely to their Aboriginality, were regarded as inferior and their children were removed en masse to missions where traditional cultural practices were prohibited. Stolen Generations child removals continued until the 1970s.
In the missions where Aboriginal children were placed after removal, psychological, physical and sexual abuse was widespread. The children, often removed as infants, were institutionalised and raised by religious missionaries.
Speaking in traditional languages or engaging in cultural practices were prohibited, with the goal being to strip them of their Aboriginality so they could be fully assimilated into Western society. To minimise barriers to this, parents and families were prohibited from communicating or visiting their children.
The human consequences of these inhumane practices have been monumental.
The financial impact
Attachment theory attests to the importance of early childhood experiences of love, care and safety on an individual’s future life outcomes. The theory suggests infants develop one of four main attachment styles in response to the care they receive from their parents or other carers during infancy.
The significance of this in the context of generations of children being forcibly removed from their caregivers cannot be understated.
In addition, the majority of Stolen Generations children survived various forms of abuse within these institutions and live with the resulting trauma of that.
Under the 1905 act, any property or personal items owned by Aboriginal people could be confiscated at any time and money owing to Aboriginal peoples, including wages, was to be paid to the Chief Protector of Aborigines.
This prevented Aboriginal families from securing financial stability and establishing intergenerational wealth, despite their significant labour contributions to WA’s economic development.
A good indicator of intergenerational wealth consolidation can be found in rates of home ownership.
Currently, 45.8% of Aboriginal people in the greater Perth area own their home, compared with 70.4% of their non-Aboriginal counterparts.
Of those, 10.8% of Aboriginal households own their home outright, compared with 28.5% for non-Aboriginal owners.
This makes redress not just a symbolic move, but a deeply practical one too.
Compounding disadvantage
Overall, these circumstances have created a “gap within the Gap”.
This refers to the first gap, being that Aboriginal people have poorer life outcomes than their non-Aboriginal counterparts.
The gap within that gap is that Stolen Generations survivors and their descendants have poorer life outcomes than the general Aboriginal population.
Stolen Generations peoples and their descendants are more likely to have mental health disorders, to experience family violence, homelessness or criminal justice involvement, and to have an addiction, including substances and gambling, while also being less likely to have a support network.
This state scheme will make individual payments to living survivors of the Stolen Generations who were forcibly removed before July 1 1972.
It will deliver a one-off payment of $85,000 to survivors in recognition of the trauma and pain they suffered through their removal.
Registrations for Stolen Generations members who are eligible for this scheme will open in the latter half of 2025 and payments will commence by the end of the year.
It won’t fix everything, but it’s a welcome sign of progress.
13YARN is a free and confidential 24/7 national crisis support line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are feeling overwhelmed or having difficulty coping. Call 13 92 76.
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.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Swimming at the Rhine-Ruhr World University Games will feature several student-athletes who competed at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
High-profile coaches who have been behind some of biggest stars will also be part of the Games.
Team USA will see Olympians Emma Lebron Weber and Jacob Ryan Mitchell as well as world junior mixed and women’s relay gold medalist Maxine Charlize Parker in the pool.
Olympians Julie Brousseau, Patrick Hussey and Emma O’Croinin will be the shepherds for Canada.
Canada’s Ashley McMillan will be on the chase for medals having made the final in the 200m individual medley at the 2024 world championships.
Britain will have a strong presence in the 100m breaststroke with Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Archie Goodburn in the squad.
Loughborough’s Fleur Lewis will be on the medal hunt in the 800m freestyle after breaking an 18-year-old British short-course record in the 1,500m freestyle at the BUCS Championships 2023.
With the World Aquatics Championships beginning immediately after the opening of the FISU Games, many student-athletes will be heading straight from Berlin to Singapore.
Among them is Paige Van Der Westhuizen from Zimbabwe, who studies at the University of Stirling in Scotland.
“I’m feeling good,” she said. “Having the World University Games just before the World Aquatics Championships will be tough, but I’m excited.”
Swimming Australia’s head coach Rohan Taylor, who had coached Beijing 2008 Olympic champion Leisel Jones, said that the FISU Games will also help provide an incentive to keep student-athletes in their sport.
“Athletes often face a crossroads that can end their careers,” Taylor said on Thursday. “They think they have to choose between university and a professional career of swimming.”
“The World University Games provide an incentive for athletes to continue developing both paths by keeping them in the sport longer.”
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
With a Danish flag wrapped around her shoulders, taekwondo athlete Eva Eun-Kyung Sandersen raced around the venue Thursday after claiming the first gold of the Rhine-Ruhr World University Games in the women’s individual poomsae with a score of 8.732.
A nine-time World Poomsae medalist and 11-time European champion, Sandersen dominated the final with refined technique and precise coordination, finishing ahead of South Korea’s Jung Haeun. Kaitlyn Marie Reclusado of the United States and China’s Pan Meijing shared bronze.
“I feel so relieved,” said Sandersen, pausing to catch her breath in a post-match interview. “I’m really happy and proud of my trainer and everything we’ve worked for. I can finally tell them that we did something great together.”
Despite having stood on many podiums before, the gold at the University Games held special significance for the 24-year-old.
“I’ve practiced taekwondo for about 15 years. The sport is my whole life – it’s everything I think about. This gold medal means so much to me.”
This marked Sandersen’s first and last appearance at the Universiade. She had hoped to make her debut two years ago in China’s Chengdu, but a last-minute injury ended those plans.
“I was supposed to go to Chengdu, but I injured my knee just one month before, due to intense training over a long period,” she said, becoming emotional. “It was a tough time, and it was hard to recover both physically and mentally.”
Born to South Korean parents and raised in Denmark, Sandersen wasn’t introduced to taekwondo right away.
“My sports journey actually started with ballet,” she said. “But my mom suggested I try taekwondo because of our Korean heritage.”
After a decorated career that spans both continental and global success, Sandersen now hopes to combine her two passions: sport and science.
“I’m a student majoring in pharmacy, and ideally I’d love to find a way to blend pharmacy with sports. I want to promote taekwondo around the world and show people how beautiful it is.”
She also shared a personal dream: to one day see her discipline recognized at the Olympic level.
“I know individual poomsae isn’t currently part of the Olympic program, so I may never get the chance to compete at the Olympics,” she said. “But I really hope it will be included one day, and if it is, I’ll definitely fight for that glory.”
Tourists in Kathmandu are tempted everywhere by advertisements for trekking expeditions to Everest Base Camp. If you didn’t know better, you might think it’s just a nice hike in the Nepalese countryside.
Typically the lower staging post for attempts on the summit, the camp is still 5,364 metres above sea level and a destination in its own right. Travel agencies say no prior experience is required, and all equipment will be provided. Social media, too, is filled with posts enticing potential trekkers to make the iconic journey.
But there is a real risk of creating a false sense of security. An exciting adventure can quickly turn into a struggle for survival, especially for novice mountaineers.
Nevertheless, Sagarmatha National Park is deservedly popular for its natural beauty and the allure of the world’s highest peak, Chomolungma (Mount Everest). It is also home to the ethnically distinctive Sherpa community.
Consequently, the routes to Everest Base Camp are among the busiest in the Himalayas, with nearly 60,000 tourists visiting the area each year. There are two distinct trekking seasons: spring (March to May) and autumn (September to October).
High mountains require everyone to be properly prepared. Events which under normal conditions might be a minor inconvenience can be magnified in such an environment and pose a serious risk.
Even at the start of the trek in Lukla (2,860m), one is exposed to factors that can directly or indirectly affect one’s health, especially altitude mountain sickness or unfamiliar bacteria.
We interviewed 24 trekkers in May this year, as well as 60 residents and business owners in May 2023, to explore some of the safety issues anyone considering heading to base camp should be aware of.
Life at high altitude
First, it’s vital to choose goals within one’s technical and physical capabilities. While the human body can adapt to altitudes of up to 5,300m, the potential risk of altitude mountain sickness can occur at only 2,500m – lower than Lukla.
Proper acclimatisation above 3,000m means ascending no more than 500m a day and resting every two to three days at the same altitude. The optimal (though rarely followed) approach is the “saw tooth system” of climbing during the day but descending to sleep at a lower level.
Residents of the Khumbu region (on the Nepalese side of Everest) are familiar with the problem of tourists not acclimatising, or not paying attention to their surroundings. As one hotel owner said, pointing to a trekker setting out:
He’s going uphill and it’s already late. It’s going to get dark and cold soon. He won’t make it to the next settlement. We have to report this to the authorities or go after him ourselves.
Inexperienced trekkers should hire a local guide. Several we interviewed had needed medical evacuation, including a woman in her mid-20s who had to leave base camp after one night. She found her guides – not locals – online. But they never checked her vital signs during the trek:
[The doctors] said that I had high-altitude pulmonary edema […] it was just really important to come down the elevation. And if I had tried to go higher, it probably would have been really bad.
Health checks throughout the trek are imperative. This includes assessing the four main symptoms of altitude mountain sickness: headache, nausea, dizziness and fatigue. If they appear, the trekker shouldn’t go higher and might even need to descend.
A Sherpa woman at the market in Namche Bazar, Nepal: respect the culture, eat local food. Paula Bronstein/Getty Images
Take time to adapt
Using a reputable local trekking agency might be more expensive, but it will help ensure safety and also familiarise the visitor with the local culture, helping avoid negative impacts on the host community.
Too often, the primary goal of trekkers is a photo on the famous rock at base camp. Once obtained, many simply take a helicopter back to Kathmandu. As a helicopter tour agency owner said:
They don’t want to get back on their feet. The goal, after all, has been achieved. In general, tourists used to be much better prepared. Now they know they can return by helicopter.
Helicopter travel can be dangerous on its own, of course. But this tendency to view the trek as a one-way trip also affects host-guest relations and can irritate local communities.
It’s also important to monitor your food and drink intake and watch for signs of food poisoning. Diarrhoea at high altitudes is particularly dangerous because it leads to rapid dehydration – hard to combat in mountain conditions.
Low air pressure and reduced oxygen exacerbate the condition, weakening the body’s ability to recover. Also, the symptoms of dehydration can resemble altitude mountain sickness.
When travelling in other climate zones or countries with different sanitary standards, there is inevitable contact with strains of bacteria not present in one’s natural microbiome.
A good solution is to spend a few days naturally adapting to bacterial flora at a lower altitude in Nepal before heading to the mountains. Also, try to eat the local food, such as daal bhat, Nepal’s national dish. According to one hotel owner in Pangboche:
Tourists demand strange food from us – pizza, spaghetti, Caesar salad – and then are angry that it doesn’t taste the way they want. This is not our food. You should probably eat local food.
Most of the trekkers we interviewed during this spring season reported experiencing gastrointestinal issues, often for several days.
In the end, the commonest cause of failure or accident in the mountains is overestimating one’s abilities – what has been called “bad judgement syndrome” – when the route is too hard, the pace too fast, or there’s been too little time spent acclimatising.
A simple solution: walk slowly and enjoy the views.
Michal Apollo receives funding from the National Science Centre NCN Poland, the small-scale project awarded by the Institute of Earth Sciences, and the Research Excellence Initiative of the University of Silesia in Katowice. He is affiliated with the Global Justice Program, Yale University, and Academics Stand Against Poverty.
Heike Schanzel 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 Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
A Perspective article published in Nature Reviews Diversity looks at genome engineering for biodiversity conservation and restoration.
Prof Bruce Whitelaw, Professor of Animal Biotechnology and Director of The Roslin Institute, said:
“Biodiversity across our planet is both facing unprecedented challenges and increasing recognised as critical for planetary health. Genome editing technology offers approaches that overcome aspects that current approaches addressing biodiversity cannot address – it can restore lost genetic diversity and increase the resilience of endangered species. Genome editing technology is advancing fast and for species where we know much about their genetic make-up could be used now to reduce genetic load and enable adaption to environmental change. This could include restoration of lost variation but we are still some way-off from restoring a species – although this is foreseeable for the future. No single technology can solve all biodiversity concerns. Genome editing should be adopted alongside traditional conservation methods and habitat restoration. The driver should be for social benefit, have societal involvement, and be guided by science-based regulation – and should be viewed as another useful method in the race to safeguard the world’s needed biodiversity.”
Prof Dusko Ilic, Professor of Stem Cell Science at King’s College London, said:
“The article is a thoughtful and forward-looking synthesis, offering a powerful vision for integrating genome engineering into conservation biology. However, its weaknesses lie in over-optimism, lack of robust comparative cost-effectiveness analysis, and occasional underplaying of ecological, regulatory, and ethical risks—especially in complex field scenarios.
“The paper persuasively argues that genome engineering can address genomic erosion—an underappreciated long-term threat in conservation biology—by restoring adaptive genetic variation and reducing genetic load. The technology has potential, but the evidence base is currently stronger in theory and in model organisms than in demonstrated success with real-world.
“The authors assume that the relationship between genome-wide variation and fitness is sufficiently understood to justify editing decisions. In reality, the genotype–phenotype–fitness map remains poorly resolved in most non-model organisms, which weakens confidence in editing targets. What improves fitness in captivity or small restored habitats may not translate under fluctuating wild conditions.
“The paper clearly articulates how genome engineering can target fixed deleterious alleles, reintroduce lost immunogenetic diversity, and enhance climate adaptation capacity—things traditional conservation (e.g. protected areas, captive breeding) cannot accomplish once variation is lost.
“The concept is compelling but lacks quantitative modelling or comparative data to support the claim that genome editing is more effective or feasible than scaled-up traditional approaches in most cases.
“The argument presumes that ancestral or heterospecific alleles can be confidently identified and reintroduced without negative pleiotropic effects, but this is rarely tested rigorously outside lab settings.
“The paper is also light on cost-benefit comparisons. For example, how does gene editing for climate resilience compare (in cost, efficacy, and ecological risk) to investing in habitat corridors that allow natural gene flow?
“International approvals for edited wildlife release is a probable limiter of near-term feasibility. Regulatory inertia and public scepticism that have historically limited the rollout of genetically modified (GM) organisms—particularly in agriculture, where decades of commercial GM crop use remain contentious in many countries despite robust safety data. Scientific bodies (e.g., WHO, NAS, EFSA) consistently find no substantiated health risks from approved GM crops, yet public acceptance varies widely. The first GM crop was approved in the US in 1994. Thirty years later, only about 30 countries cultivate GM crops, and about 70 allows imports but not domestic cultivation.
“The distinction between technical readiness (editing) and ecological readiness (release, integration, adaptation) is important. Timescales needed for breeding, backcrossing, release, and population establishment, are equally complex. In species with long generation times, edited lineages may not reach ecological relevance for decades.
“While critical of de-extinction, the authors do not fully confront the blurring of boundaries in practice—e.g. Colossal Biosciences’ projects (which some authors are affiliated with) walk a fine line between de-extinction branding and conservation justification.
“The critique of de-extinction would be more credible if potential conflicts of interest were explicitly addressed, and if more scrutiny were applied to projects that market proxy-species restorations as conservation.
“The call for responsibility is ethically sound, but implementation guidance is vague. How, for example, will conservation scientists ensure openness when working with private-sector collaborators like biotech firms or proprietary genome platforms? How engineered lineages may tie future conservation efforts to specific technologies or patents, raising issues of access, control, and continuity?”
Prof Tony Perry, Head of the Laboratory of Mammalian Molecular Embryology at the University of Bath, said:
“This timely Perspective collates potential contributions from the revolution in ‘genome engineering’ (including genome editing) to biodiversity conservation. The piece points out that to be effective, these advances need to include advanced assisted reproduction methodologies, such as embryonic and stem cell chimeras and nuclear transfer cloning. In addition, the behaviour of individual or small numbers of gene variants moved into a foreign genome may be difficult or impossible to predict, making it desirable to replicate entire genomes from the oldest sources available.
“The challenges of achieving this are considerable even for well-studied species, but by raising the profiles of these challenges, the Perspective promises to accelerate our efforts to solving them for species conservation and its retroactive cousin, de-extinction.”
‘Genome engineering in biodiversity conservation and restoration’ by Cock van Oosterhout et al. was published in Nature Reviews Biodiversity at 00.01 UK time Friday 18 July.
Bruce Whitelaw: “I receive funding from BBSRC, Roslin Foundation, and Gates Foundation. I am a member of FSA’s Advisory Committee for Novel Foods & Processes, and the Engineering Biology Responsible Innovation Advisory Panel.”
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
A study published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging looks at cardiac scarring and arrhythmia in veteran males.
Prof Steffen Petersen, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, Queen Mary University of London; Consultant Cardiologist at Barts Health NHS Trust; BHF Data Science Centre Interim Director; and Immediate Past President, European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging, said:
“This study is an important contribution to improving our current understanding of the long-term heart health impact of endurance exercise in older asymptomatic male athletes. First, scar formation in the heart is common in about half of those athletes enrolled. Second, a type of scar which is not due to poor blood supply of the heart muscle predicts the occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias, but a very common type (insertion point between the left and right heart) is not concerning, which is reassuring to know.
“A strength of the study is the confidence we can have in the accuracy of the outcome regarding ventricular arrhythmias, as determined by implantable loop recorders. A weakness is the limited generalisability of the findings due to the small sample size, exclusive inclusion of male endurance athletes over 50 years of age from a single centre.”
Prof James Ware, Professor of Cardiovascular and Genomic Medicine, Imperial College London and the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, and NHS consultant cardiologist, said:
“This is in my opinion a well designed and well executed study. The authors themselves acknowledge the principal limitations of the study, and the conclusions are balanced and fair. The press release is a fair reflection of the science described in the article.
“I would note:
“This is a highly selected group of competitive athletes who have trained intensively for many years. I would not expect these findings to have direct relevance to most recreational athletes, and I would not want anyone to be scared of exercise as a result of this study. Regular physical activity is hugely beneficial for the vast majority of people, and I would encourage participation and enjoyment. Dr Swoboda emphasises this in his own comments.
“Nonetheless, fibrosis (scarring) is evidently more common in these high intensity athletes, and associated with heart rhythm abnormalities. This is something we need to understand better.
“Most of the arrhythmias observed were non-sustained ventricular arrhythmia (NSVT) – that is short runs of abnormal rhythm lasting
‘VENTricular arrhythmia and cardiac fibrOsis in endUrance eXperienced athletes (VENTOUX)’ by Wasim Javed first author et al. was published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging at 00:01 UK time on Friday 18 July 2025.
Declared interests
Prof Steffen Petersen: “Disclosures:
Consultancy, Circle Cardiovascular Imaging, Inc., Calgary, Alberta, Canada (in my view no conflict related to this work).
Named reviewer of two relevant European guidelines:
Pelliccia A, Sharma S, Gati S, Bäck M, Börjesson M, Caselli S, Collet JP, Corrado D, Drezner JA, Halle M, Hansen D, Heidbuchel H, Myers J, Niebauer J, Papadakis M, Piepoli MF, Prescott E, Roos-Hesselink JW, Graham Stuart A, Taylor RS, Thompson PD, Tiberi M, Vanhees L, Wilhelm M; ESC Scientific Document Group. 2020 ESC Guidelines on sports cardiology and exercise in patients with cardiovascular disease. Eur Heart J. 2021 Jan 1;42(1):17-96. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa605. Erratum in: Eur Heart J. 2021 Feb 1;42(5):548-549. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa835. PMID: 32860412.
Visseren FLJ, Mach F, Smulders YM, Carballo D, Koskinas KC, Bäck M, Benetos A, Biffi A, Boavida JM, Capodanno D, Cosyns B, Crawford C, Davos CH, Desormais I, Di Angelantonio E, Franco OH, Halvorsen S, Hobbs FDR, Hollander M, Jankowska EA, Michal M, Sacco S, Sattar N, Tokgozoglu L, Tonstad S, Tsioufis KP, van Dis I, van Gelder IC, Wanner C, Williams B; ESC Scientific Document Group. 2021 ESC Guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention in clinical practice. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2022 Feb 19;29(1):5-115. doi: 10.1093/eurjpc/zwab154. PMID: 34558602.
Author of relevant European consensus paper:
Galderisi M, Cardim N, D’Andrea A, Bruder O, Cosyns B, Davin L, Donal E, Edvardsen T, Freitas A, Habib G, Kitsiou A, Plein S, Petersen SE, Popescu BA, Schroeder S, Burgstahler C, Lancellotti P. The multi-modality cardiac imaging approach to the Athlete’s heart: an expert consensus of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging. Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2015 Apr;16(4):353. doi: 10.1093/ehjci/jeu323. PMID: 25681828.”
Prof James Ware: “I was not involved in this study, though have collaborated with Dr Swoboda on other research projects.
Industry relationsships (in the last 2 years): I have received research support from Bristol Myers Squibb, and have acted as a paid advisor to Health Lumen, Tenaya Therapeutics, and Solid Biosciences. I am a founder with equity in Saturnus Bio.
I do not consider that these relationships are directly related to the subject of this paper.”
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
As Washington presses ahead with additional tariffs on products from the European Union (EU) and beyond, European officials and experts are urging the diversification of trade markets to mitigate the damage that such coercive financial statecraft is inflicting on global supply chains.
TARIFF GAME SETTING OFF CHAIN REACTION
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Saturday that his administration would impose 30 percent tariffs on EU and Mexican exports, arguing that bilateral trade had long been unbalanced and lacked reciprocity.
Trucks wait to enter the Container Terminal Tollerort in Hamburg, Germany, May 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)
The Irish Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald described the tariff threat as “volatile” and “not helpful at all.” “That poses a challenge for Ireland, for Europe, for the world,” she told Xinhua at a press conference in London.
Countries across Europe have been warning about the impact of the seemingly unrelenting tariff assaults on their economies.
The Bank of Slovenia estimated that U.S. tariffs could indirectly disrupt the broader European value chain and impact about 15,000 jobs in Slovenia, a significant number in a country of just 2.1 million people.
The Bank of England also said in its latest Financial Stability Report that the global economy faces rising downside risks, citing U.S. tariffs, and despite a new trade agreement between Britain and the United States in May, a further escalation in trade disputes globally could amplify financial stress and drag on economic growth in Britain.
Companies of all sizes, from those exporting to the U.S. to manufacturers heavily reliant on global supply chains, are feeling the strain that the tariffs are placing on their operations.
Neb Chupin, founder of Croatia’s Hermes International, a successful fig jam producer in the U.S. market, said, “With 10 percent tariffs, we are losing about 20,000 U.S. dollars a week. What would happen with 30 or even 50 percent tariffs? I cannot even sleep at night as the situation is very unstable.”
With 40 percent of exports going to the U.S., Finland’s pharmaceutical industry could also be severely affected by potential U.S. tariffs. Johanna Sipola, deputy CEO of Keskuskauppakamari, or the Finnish Chamber of Commerce, called the tariffs “unrealistic” and warned that the greater risk is the uncertainty they create.
“If the tariffs were implemented, the repercussions for international pharmaceutical production would be significant. The industry’s delivery chains are unusually global, and even minor disruptions can trigger substantial changes in medicine prices and demand,” Sipola said.
Beyond the immediate effects, the high-stakes tariff game is setting off a chain reaction across global supply chains and geopolitical dynamics.
Gavran Igor, an economic analyst from Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that the longer-term impact of the tariffs could prove even more damaging for Balkan manufacturers that are integrated into EU-based industries, particularly automotive supply chains.
Czech Republic’s Finance Minister Zbynek Stanjura said that exports to the United States account for less than 3 percent of the country’s total exports. However, the country would also be indirectly affected through its European partners who purchase Czech goods and components.
STRENGTHENING COOPERATION WITH MULTI-PARTNERS URGED
Inevitably, even countries with modest trade ties to the world’s largest economy can still feel the ripple effects of Washington’s unpredictability. In response, experts recommend that European nations broaden their trade partnerships, especially with China, Southeast Asia and other regions.
“Europe must, in the long term, become more independent from the American market. A joint free trade zone with the ASEAN countries and the rapid ratification of the agreement with Mercosur are urgently needed,” Dirk Jandura, president of the Federation of German Wholesale, Foreign Trade and Services, said in a statement after Trump’s new tariff announcement.
Mario Boselli, chairman of the Italy China Council Foundation, said that the shifting dynamics might prompt Europe to reconsider its external economic strategy. In his view, strengthening cooperation with China is a “highly strategic choice.”
“If economies, like the EU, China, the United Kingdom, Brazil and India, keep global trade open, the U.S. tariffs’ impact on global supply chains will be lower. That’s the opportunity,” said Carlo Altomonte, associate professor of the Department of Social and Political Sciences of Bocconi University in Milan.
Martin Geissler, Partner at the management consultancy Advyce & Company, echoed the suggestions by sharing Germany’s auto industry as an example. “German automakers have often not yet recognized the growth prospects that exist in Africa and many emerging countries,” Geissler said, contrasting this with China’s strategic engagement with multi-partners.
Bernardo Mendia, Secretary General of the Portugal-China Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is leading a Portuguese delegation to the ongoing China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing.
A key factor driving Portugal’s participation this year, in his words, is the rise of protectionism, logistical disruptions and geopolitical shifts. In the face of these challenges, China offers a distinctive platform to develop innovative solutions, business models, and collaborative partnerships, he said.
Looking ahead, experts believe that Washington’s trade policies could ultimately backfire on the U.S. economy itself.
“The U.S. needs many of our industrial products, which cannot be easily replaced in the short term. This allows German manufacturers of these goods to largely pass on the tariffs in their prices to the detriment of the U.S. economy,” said Juergen Matthes, head of International Economic Policy, Financial and Real Estate Markets Research Unit at the German Economic Institute.
Leading lights of UK research spearhead search for world’s best talent
12 leading universities and research institutions selected to deliver government’s £54 million fund to recruit world’s top researchers.
12 leading universities and research institutions selected to deliver government’s £54 million fund to recruit world’s top researchers
From AI to medicine, cutting-edge research is delivering the new breakthroughs and products that are key to economic growth, the core mission of the Plan for Change
Global Talent Fund is just one part of over £115 million in funding dedicated to attracting top talent to the UK
12 of the UK’s leading universities and research institutions, across all 4 nations, will deliver the Global Talent Fund: a £54 million investment in Britain’s future prosperity and economic growth.
The new £54 million Global Talent Fund is designed to attract a total of 60-80 top researchers (both lead researchers and their teams) to the UK, working in the 8 high priority sectors critical to our modern Industrial Strategy like life sciences and digital technologies. By bringing the very best minds in fields that will be critical to the future of life and work to the UK, we can pave the way for the products, jobs and even industries that define tomorrow’s economy, to be made and grow in Britain.
From Argentine César Milstein’s work on antibodies, to Hong Kong-born Sir Charles Kao who led the development of fibre optics, through to German Ernst Chain’s efforts to make penicillin usable in medicine, there is a long pedigree of overseas researchers making great breakthroughs whilst working in the UK. We want the UK to continue to be the natural home of the very best science and research, the world over.
Driving new tech innovations and scientific breakthroughs will fire up the UK economy and put rocket boosters on the government’s Plan for Change. The IMF estimates that breakthroughs in AI alone could boost productivity by as much as 1.5 percentage points a year, which could be worth up to an average £47 billion to the UK each year over a decade. Other technologies could be gamechangers too: quantum computing could add over £11 billion to the UK’s GDP by 2045, while engineering biology could drive anywhere between £1.6-£3.1 trillion in global impact by 2040.
Science Minister Lord Vallance said:
Genius is not bound by geography. But the UK is one of the few places blessed with the infrastructure, skills base, world-class institutions and international ties needed to incubate brilliant ideas, and turn them into new medicines that save lives, new products that make our lives easier, and even entirely new jobs and industries. Bringing these innovations to life, here in Britain, will be critical to delivering this government’s Plan for Change.
My message to the bold and the brave who are advancing new ideas, wherever they are, is: our doors are open to you. We want to work with you, support you, and give you a home where you can make your ideas a reality we all benefit from.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said:
The UK is home to some of the world’s best universities which are vital for attracting international top talent. Supported by our new Global Talent Taskforce, the Global Talent Fund will cement our position as a leading choice for the world’s top researchers to make their home here, supercharging growth and delivering on our Plan for Change.
The institutions selected to deliver the Global Talent Fund are:
University of Bath
Queen’s University Belfast
University of Birmingham
University of Cambridge
Cardiff University
Imperial College London
John Innes Centre
MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
University of Oxford
University of Southampton
University of Strathclyde
University of Warwick
These organisations will each get an equal share of the £54 million Fund, to use bringing some of the world’s foremost researchers and their teams to the UK. Each of them has a track record of recruiting and supporting top international R&D talent, as well as securing international competitive research funding to the UK. They are empowered to develop their own approaches and plans to spend their share of the Global Talent Fund to attract research talent from the around the globe in their choice of Industrial Strategy areas, including covering visa and relocation costs for researchers and their family members.
The Global Talent Fund, administered by UKRI, is just one part of over £115 million funding that is being dedicated to attracting the very best scientific and research talent to the UK. In addition to this fund, 2 fellowships have been launched, aimed at bringing groundbreaking AI research teams to UK organisations and labs: the £25 million Turing AI ‘Global’ Fellowships, as well as a UK-based expansion of the Encode: AI for Science Fellowship.
Alongside this, 2 new fast-track research grant routes have been announced by the National Academies – including £30 million from the Royal Society for a Faraday Discovery Fellowship accelerated international route, part-funded by their £250 million DSIT endowment. The Royal Academy of Engineering has announced a similar fast track international route, as part of its £150 million Green Future Fellowships endowment from DSIT – this funding will ensure the UK competes for the best global talent in science and research. While researchers looking to relocate to the UK can also benefit from the Choose Europe scheme, thanks to the UK’s association to Horizon Europe.
All of these efforts will be supported by the Global Talent Taskforce. Launched as part of the Industrial Strategy, the taskforce will report directly to the Prime Minister and Chancellor, and support researchers, scientists and engineers as well as top-tier investors, entrepreneurs and managerial talent to bring their skills to Britain.
Work to cultivate top AI research talent in the UK is further bolstered through the Spärck AI scholarships, which will provide full funding for master’s degrees at 9 leading UK universities specialising in artificial intelligence and STEM subjects. These scholarships will open for applications in Spring 2026. We also support postgraduate research broadly, with £500 million UKRI funding supporting over 4.700 students at 45 higher education institutions to study projects in biological, engineering and physical, and natural and environmental sciences.
Professor Phil Taylor, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bath, said:
Our university was founded with a mission to work closely with industry, and partnership working has been in our DNA ever since. We are truly delighted to play our part in attracting outstanding global academics to help power research in the UK’s industrial strategy priority areas.
This major investment recognises the vital role universities play in driving innovation and growth across the UK. We look forward to working with DSIT and UKRI to attract more bright minds to play their part in our innovation-fuelled and impact-focussed research.
Professor Sir Ian Greer, President and Vice-Chancellor at Queen’s University Belfast said:
We are proud that Queen’s has been selected as one of the 12 institutions to deliver the Global Talent Fund. This funding will allow us to bring world-leading researchers to Northern Ireland in priority areas such as advanced manufacturing and cybersecurity, fields that are vital to our economy and to the UK’s global competitiveness.
By attracting exceptional talent from outside the UK, we are strengthening our research base, and helping to drive innovation within the local economy. This is a clear endorsement of the excellence and impact of research at Queen’s, and of our role in helping to deliver the UK government’s Industrial Strategy.
Professor Adam Tickell, Vice-Chancellor and Principal at the University of Birmingham said:
I am delighted that the University of Birmingham has been selected to support the government’s vision to attract exceptional international researchers to the UK. In celebration of our 125 anniversary this year, our University is committed to investing in the recruitment of 125 leading researchers. The Global Talent Fund investment means that we will now go even further – drawing a diverse community of world-leading researchers to Birmingham. They will join a thriving and ambitious research environment, where the potential for discovery, collaboration, and impact has never been greater. We look forward to welcoming a new generation of global research leaders to our University and city and to seeing the positive impact their work will have on the UK economy and on the health and wellbeing of society.
Professor Deborah Prentice, Vice-Chancellor, University of Cambridge, said:
The University is grateful for this award of funding. The Fund will bolster emerging and accelerating research areas, in line with the goals of the government’s Industrial Strategy. This investment will be pivotal in securing and supporting international academic expertise and strengthening the strategic opportunities the University is seeking to catalyse for both the University and the UK more widely. We look forward to the opportunities this will unlock.
Cardiff University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Wendy Larner said:
We are delighted to have secured this funding to help us attract the world’s best minds to Cardiff and Wales.
It is a clear endorsement of our standing and place in the UK research community and sends a clear message that we are well-positioned to attract global talent. It will enable us to support more of the world’s leading academics in Wales – helping to further boost our research capacity and global reputation in key research areas.
Professor Hugh Brady, President of Imperial College London said:
Imperial College London is a global university and international researchers are central to our success. They bring fresh perspectives, new ideas, and a spirit of discovery that enriches our community and drives breakthroughs that benefit all of society – from tackling malaria to breakthroughs in quantum computing.
The Global Talent Fund will support our efforts to attract the brightest minds from around the world. We look forward to welcoming them and continuing to push the boundaries of knowledge together.
Professor Cristobal Uauy, Director designate, John Innes Centre said:
This funding is a major boost to our efforts at the John Innes Centre to attract ambitious world-leading researchers to join our Healthy Plants, Healthy People, Healthy Planet vision.
By bringing outstanding talent to the Norwich Research Park, we are strengthening the UK’s global leadership in bio-based innovation, data-driven biology, and sustainable, high-value agri-tech, key pillars of the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy.
As a Chilean researcher who relocated to the UK, I’ve experienced first-hand the friendly, open and collaborative academic environment here. The world-class facilities, technology platforms and institutional support provided at the John Innes Centre are unrivalled. It’s the kind of environment where scientists can take bold ideas forward, build meaningful collaborations, and create lasting global impact.
Jan Löwe, Laboratory of Molecular Biology Director, said:
We welcome the government’s drive to attract global talent which addresses key barriers faced by researchers wishing to relocate to the UK.
The LMB’s scientific breakthroughs and technological advances have been driven by talented scientists of all nationalities since our origins in the 1940s. Science is a creative pursuit, and creativity thrives on diverse input from people of different backgrounds.
Research has no borders, and this funding will enable the LMB and fellow UK institutions to be competitive in the global scientific talent market and attract gifted scientists from around the world to drive UK innovations for the benefit of all.
Professor Irene Tracey CBE, FRS, FMedSci, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, said:
Oxford University has a long history of attracting exceptional global talent, enabling world-leading research, teaching, and innovation with wide-reaching social and economic impact. In 2021–2022, our science parks, knowledge exchange, and the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine contributed to a £6.6 billion boost to the UK economy, with our spinouts supporting over 31,600 UK jobs. Globally, the AZ vaccine is estimated to have saved over 6 million lives in its first year, resulting in a worldwide health economic impact of £2 trillion. The Global Talent Fund will draw internationally recognised experts to Oxford, building capability for future innovation and growth in the Industrial Strategy areas we have prioritised.
Professor Mark E. Smith, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Southampton, said:
We are proud that the University of Southampton has been chosen as one of the small number of organisations for this exciting and important initiative.
Attracting world-leading researchers to work in the United Kingdom will help to lead innovation in the technologies of the future, supporting industry and driving economic growth.
Southampton is a global University with a wealth of research talent and this funding will help us to build further on our existing strengths and partnerships.
Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde, said:
We welcome this important investment in global talent that UKRI has committed to and the alignment it creates between the new Industrial Strategy and the research and innovation leadership that is critical to its success.
Strathclyde is proud of its position as a leading international technological university. We deliver impact collaboratively by bringing together the excellent talented people we have at Strathclyde and through working closely with partners in other universities, industrial partners, innovation centres and National Laboratories through research that addresses market opportunities and national priorities – from climate resilience and sustainable energy to health innovation, and security and resilience.
This new funding from UKRI and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology reflects confidence in our ability to translate cutting-edge discovery into real-world applications and solutions, working collaboratively with industry, government and global partners. It will enhance our research environment, widen our talent pipeline and further enable our mission as a place of useful learning.
Professor Stuart Croft, Vice Chancellor and President of the University of Warwick said:
The University of Warwick is known for our world-leading expertise in Advanced Manufacturing and the Arts and this £4.35 million investment will accelerate the development of innovative insights, solutions, products, and services in an inter-disciplinary way. It will also help drive inclusive regional and national growth in the Creative Industries.
Through our strong partnerships with SMEs, industry, and local councils, this initiative will play a key role in advancing UK innovation and delivering meaningful benefits to communities across the West Midlands and the wider UK.
In our 60th anniversary year we are reaffirming our commitment to making a better world together and this funding will further strengthen our determination to deliver our vision.
Professor Christopher Smith, International Champion at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), said:
Global challenges from climate change to energy security, food systems to antimicrobial resistance do not respect borders, and neither should the research and innovation required to address them. Time and again, international collaboration has driven transformative breakthroughs: from the discovery of the Higgs boson at CERN, to the global effort to decode the complex wheat genome, enabling the development of high-yield, climate-resilient crops that support food security worldwide. The impact of global partnerships is clear.
The Global Talent Fund is a vital part of UKRI’s mission to support an open, dynamic, and diverse research and innovation system. By supporting our brilliant research institutes to attract outstanding individuals from across the world and foster collaboration between nations, we are strengthening the UK’s position at the heart of the global knowledge economy. This fund aligns with our enduring commitment to international engagement, and to working together to shape a better future for all.
Notes to editors
The £54 million Global Talent Fund comes over 5 years, starting in 2025/2026. The fund, administered by UKRI and delivered by universities and research organisations, will cover 100% of eligible costs, including both relocation and research expenses, with no requirement for match funding from research organisations. The initiative also includes full visa costs for researchers and their dependants, removing significant financial and administrative barriers to relocation.
Funding will be distributed evenly amongst the 12 research organisations.
The small number of world-class researchers, and their teams, who go on to be supported by these funds, will come to live and work in the UK via existing routes such as the Skilled Worker, Global Talent, and the Innovator Founder visas.
There are no plans to change existing visa routes – and the Immigration White Paper sets out the government’s broad approach to restoring order to the immigration system through the Plan for Change.
Washington, DC—Congressman Andy Ogles (TN-05) sent a formal letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon demanding an immediate compliance review of Belmont University for its alleged rebranding of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs in defiance of federal law and Executive Order 14173, “Combating Radical Ideologies in Higher Education.”
Despite public claims of compliance with President Trump’s directive to eliminate DEI programs, Belmont appears to have rebranded its DEI bureaucracy under a new label: “HUB”—Hope, Unity, and Belonging. Leaked video footage and whistleblower reports suggest this rebranding is an intentional effort to deceive federal authorities and continue promoting discriminatory programming under a new name.
“Belmont University claims to be a Christian institution grounded in Biblical principles—but its administration is injecting anti-gospel DEI ideology into its curriculum,” said Congressman Ogles. “President Trump has rightly demanded that colleges and universities dismantle the DEI cartel or lose federal funding. Belmont officials, however, have been caught on camera bragging about their ‘clever’ scheme to rebrand DEI and continue pushing the same radical agenda under a new name.
“I am demanding a full investigation into Belmont—and, if necessary, a cut to their federal funding. The preservation of faithful Christian education in Middle Tennessee is non-negotiable.”
The Family Court is basing decisions on ‘junk’ evidence and putting children’s futures at risk, according to a new journal article.
You might imagine the expert evidence heard in the Family Court, such as what’s provided by court psychologists, would stand up to scrutiny… not so, according to a scathing new journal article.
The study suggests judges, lawyers and psychologists in New Zealand’s Family Court are routinely accepting ‘junk’ evidence to support critical decisions about children’s lives.
University of Auckland law scholar Associate Professor Carrie Leonetti reviewed 29 Family Court judgements under the New Zealand Care of Children Act in which court professionals claimed to be citing academic research to support their decisions. Her investigation finds they frequently cited material that was not academic research, instead relying on online content, unpublished handouts, and presentations from conferences or legal training sessions.
“Clinical psychologists, often working without specialised forensic training, are presenting evidence that would not withstand academic scrutiny,” she says.
“I’m shocked at how judges never go … ‘but but but’… and ask some questions. We need to define what’s real, what isn’t, what’s reliable, and what’s not.”
New Zealand’s Evidence Act 2006 and the High Court Rules require expert witnesses to base their recommendations on evidence that’s within their area of expertise and generally accepted within a scientific field and specify the literature they rely on. Yet Leonetti’s paper details breaches of these requirements – including experts opining outside their area of expertise, misrepresenting research, and failing to qualify sweeping claims.
Examples include statements like “almost all disclosures of sexual abuse by children whose parents have separated are false” or “studies show that all children are better off in shared care” – broad claims Leonetti says are based on misrepresented or misunderstood literature.
“The Court’s reliance on a small, fringe collection of writings from conferences, trainings, and legal journals rather than peer-reviewed science publications is dangerous and unjust.”
Associate Professor Carrie LeonettiAuckland Law School
Leonetti’s paper, published in the Indiana Health Law Review, says some professionals referenced controversial or discredited theories while omitting landmark studies like research into Adverse Childhood Experiences, which shows the long-term traumatic impact of exposure to family violence in childhood.
She says Family Court judges, lawyers, and psychologists frequently misrepresent or misuse academic literature, dismissing evidence they disagree with and cherry-picking non-peer-reviewed material to support pre-existing views.
The paper also identifies what Leonetti dubs “Family Court favourites” – a small number of obscure authors and articles cited disproportionately by court professionals, regardless of their academic significance.
“The Court’s reliance on a small, fringe collection of writings from conferences, trainings, and legal journals rather than peer-reviewed science publications is dangerous and unjust.”
She also highlights the high cost of accessing peer-reviewed scientific publications and the rise of “predatory” academic journals.
“Since the 2000s, thousands of online journals with little to no peer review have emerged, making it difficult for non-experts to identify scientifically valid research.”
This erosion of the meaning of academic publication, says Leonetti, has made it harder for non-experts, such as judges, lawyers, and court psychologists, to “separate the wheat from the chaff when deciding which literature warrants consideration and which is the functional equivalent of self-publication.
“These courts are essentially making life-changing decisions about children’s futures based on what amounts to professional folklore rather than scientific evidence.”
The Albanese government has faced an increasingly uncertain world since its re-election in May.
US President Donald Trump has cast a long shadow over the Australia–US alliance, raising fresh questions about Canberra’s long-term regional strategy.
Against this backdrop, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s approach to foreign policy is reflecting a careful recalibration – one that seeks to balance security partnerships with the pursuit of economic opportunities, especially with Australia’s largest trading partner, China.
Albanese has wrapped up a six-day visit to China which was characterised by a highly pragmatic approach to dealing with the problems and irritants in the bilateral relationship.
Economic engagement
Albanese’s visit to Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu – cities emblematic of Australia’s political, economic and cultural connections with China – was more than symbolic.
But it was more than a leaders’ summit. A large team of key business leaders in banking, manufacturing, mining and education were on the trip to meet their Chinese counterparts and seek more cooperation.
Economic engagement dominated the visit. As Albanese highlighted before his trip, “my priority is jobs”.
Broader partnerships spanning multiple sectors, including healthcare, education and green energy, were canvassed. The two nations also explored closer cooperation on energy transition and climate change.
Chinese Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian has even floated a collaboration on artificial intelligence.
However, the suggestion has been met with caution in Canberra due to ongoing concerns around national security and data governance.
Cooperate where we can
Beyond trade and investment, the visit also marked an effort to rebuild people-to-people exchanges.
Since last year, Australian citizens have been able to visit China for up to 30 days without a visa. In turn, Australia will welcome more Chinese visitors under a new Memorandum of Understanding promoting Australia as a premier tourist destination for Chinese travellers.
Albanese’s meetings with Xi Jinping and Li Qiang also yielded concrete results.
The official joint statement emphasised economic cooperation, particularly in climate-related areas such as steel decarbonisation, dryland farming and the green economy.
These outcomes align with the Albanese government’s guiding principle: cooperate where we can.
The deeper economic cooperation has been noted in China, where there is an expectation collaboration will continue to accelerate on the back of improved relations.
As James Laurenceson of the Australia–China Relations Institute recently noted, a stronger economic partnership will help foster more resilient ties across the board.
More independent foreign policy
Other analysts also see increased mutual benefits in the bilateral relationship.
China-watcher James Curran suggests the visit may signal a maturing, more independent Australian foreign policy.
The primary role of Australian statecraft is to do everything we possibly can to avoid a conflict. To avoid ever getting close to a decision about following the Americans into a war of that kind.
This was best illustrated by Albanese’s refusal to provide Washington with a wide-ranging and largely open-ended commitment to support the US in any conflict with China over Taiwan.
Indeed, as Curran observes, Albanese has tried to steer the relationship away from disagreement and towards pragmatic engagement.
Following his meeting with Xi, Albanese was repeatedly asked by Australian journalists if he raised sensitive issues such as Taiwan, China’s military build-up and the South China Sea.
While he confirmed these topics were addressed, he emphasised a preference for peaceful engagement:
[…] we want peace and security in the region. That is in the interest of both Australia and in the interest of China.
Unsurprisingly, the joint statement made no reference to these issues, reflecting a mutual decision to sidestep confrontation in favour of stabilising the relationship.
Quietly managing differences
This diplomatic posture toward China would appear to be a defining feature of the Albanese government’s second term: strengthening cooperation while quietly managing differences.
Rather than highlighting points of contention, the government is opting to avoid open disagreement where possible.
Overt disputes risk destabilising bilateral ties. If issues are raised publicly, it is unlikely to shift entrenched positions on either side. This explains why the ownership of the Port of Darwin, for example, was not mentioned during Albanese’s meeting with Xi.
Critics, however, argue this risks projecting weakness towards China.
Justin Bassi, executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, warns the government is staying silent in the face of ongoing Chinese coercion:
Australia is only complying with China’s desires when the government says nothing and leaves the public to trust that the threats posed by China are all being dealt with in the classified realm. This is not viable policy. Australia’s sovereignty must not be contingent on Beijing’s preferences.
Even within China, analysts are cautious about Albanese’s approach. As one Chinese scholar told us, “a stable relationship does not necessarily mean a friendly one”.
In fact, while the Chinese media has stressed Australia and China’s shared commitment to regional stability, this was barely mentioned in the official joint statement.
Mutual interests
Still, there is recognition on both sides that pragmatism rather than ideological grandstanding is the more sustainable path forward.
In sum, Albanese’s visit does not mark a dramatic reset or bold new direction in Australia–China relations. Rather, it signals a shift toward greater realism.
In an increasingly complex and multipolar world, diplomacy grounded in mutual interests, rather than ideology, is not just practical, but may be a growing trend across the globe.
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.
Source: United States Small Business Administration
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today the opening of an SBA Business Recovery Center (BRC) in Tom Green Countyto assist small businesses, private nonprofit (PNP) organizations and residents affected by severe storms, straight-line winds and flooding beginning July 2.
Beginning Friday, July 18, SBA customer service representatives will be on hand at the Business Recovery Center in San Angelo to answer questions and assist with the disaster loan application process. No appointment is necessary, walk-ins are welcome. Those who prefer to schedule an in-person appointment in advance can do so at appointment.sba.gov.
The center’s hours of operation are as follows:
TOM GREEN COUNTY Business Recovery Center Angelo State University 69 N. Chadbourne St. San Angelo, TX 76903
Opens at 10 a.m., Friday, July 18 Mondays – Fridays, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The following location is also open and continues to serve survivors:
KERR COUNTY Business Recovery Center The YES Center at First Presbyterian Church 823 North St. Kerrville, TX 78028
“SBA’s Business Recovery Centers have consistently proven their value to business owners following a disaster,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “Business owners can visit these centers to meet face‑to‑face with specialists who will guide them through the disaster loan application process and connect them with resources to support their recovery.”
Businesses and nonprofits are eligible to apply for business physical disaster loans and may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.
The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and private nonprofit organizations impacted by financial losses directly related to these disasters. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for small aquaculture enterprises.
EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the business or PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.
Homeowners and renters are eligible to apply for home and personal property loans and may borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property, such as clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances. Homeowners may apply for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.
SBA representatives will also provide help to business owners and residents at disaster recovery centers when they are opened in the impacted area.
Interest rates are as low as 4% for small businesses, 3.625% for nonprofits, and 2.813% for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not begin to accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA determines eligibility and sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.
To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is Sept. 4, 2025. The deadline to return economic injury applications is April 6, 2026.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
The U.S. Senate narrowly approved on July 16, 2025, a bill that would claw back federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which distributes money to NPR, PBS and their affiliate stations. The US$9 billion rescission package will withdraw $1.1 billion Congress had previously approved for the CPB to receive in the 2026 and 2027 fiscal years. In addition, it makes deep foreign aid cuts. All Democrats present voted against the measure, joined by two Republicans: Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. As long as the House, which approved a previous version, votes in favor of the Senate’s version of the bill by midnight July 18, Trump will be able to meet a budgetary deadline by signing the measure into law in time for it to take effect.
What will happen to NPR, PBS and local stations?
NPR and PBS provide programming to local public television and radio stations across the country. The impact on them will be direct and indirect.
Both NPR and PBS receive money from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, an independent nonprofit corporation Congress created in 1967 to receive and distribute federal money to public broadcasters. More than 70% of the money it distributes flows directly to local stations. Some stations get up to half of their budgets from the CPB.
But NPR and PBS get much of their funding from foundation grants, viewers’ and listeners’ donations, and corporate underwriting. And local public radio and TV stations also get support from an array of sources besides CPB.
“There’s nothing more American than PBS,” said the network’s CEO, Paula Kerger, at a congressional hearing on March 26, 2025.
The nearly 1,500 public media stations in the U.S. rely on a mix of NPR, PBS and third-party producer programming, such as American Public Media and PRX, for the programs they offer. Local stations also produce and air regional news and provide emergency broadcasts for the government.
In rural areas with few broadcast stations and spotty cellphone coverage, public broadcast stations are vital sources of information about important community news and updates during emergencies. Federal support is essential for the programming and day-to-day operations of many local stations and allows for the maintenance of equipment and personnel to operate these vital community resources.
We believe that stations in communities that most need them, especially in rural locations, would be hit especially hard because they rely heavily on CPB funding.
Why is public media necessary when there’s news on the internet?
As journalism revenue has plummeted, public broadcasting has remained a vital source for news in communities across the nation. This is especially true in rural communities, where economic and political pressures have threatened the survival of local journalism.
In addition, with much online news coverage placed behind paywalls, public radio and television plays an important role in making quality journalism available to the American public.
Want crucial information about water systems in your drought-prone community? Public radio station KVMR in Nevada City, Calif., has a program for you. KVMR screenshot
Why did Congress approve these funds 2 years ahead?
Dozens of Native American stations are at risk of closing once the CPB is defunded. Native Public Media, a network of 57 radio stations and four TV stations, is a key source of news and information for tribal communities across the nation and relies on CPB support.
U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, a South Dakota Republican, publicly stated that he secured an agreement with the White House to move $9.4 million in Interior Department funding to two dozen Native American stations. But there is no provision related to this promise within the legislation.
Allison Perlman is the co-chair of the Scholars Advisory Committee of the American Archive of Public Broadcasting.
Josh Shepperd and Allison Perlman are under contract to co-author an update of the history of public broadcasting for Current, public media’s trade journal, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Josh and Allison are not paid employees or vendors of either institution.
