The Government continues to invest in research which will deliver tangible benefits to New Zealanders, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.
Three New Zealand research teams have been granted funding to partner with Japanese research organisations on projects that aim to make New Zealand more prepared and resilient when natural disasters strike.
“This Government is focused on putting funding where it will make the biggest difference. Natural disasters pose a significant risk in New Zealand – a good reminder of that is the recent elevation of alert levels at Whakaari White Island,” says Dr Reti.
“Collaboration with like-minded nations and sharing research infrastructure enables our researchers to lead and participate in world-class science, innovation and technology that benefits New Zealand.
“Building relationships with international partners is critical to developing a vibrant science and innovation sector, which is a core part of our plan to deliver economic growth.
“New Zealand and Japan share similar risks when it comes to earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic activity. By working together in these projects, we can better understand risks and potential mitigate options for future events.
“Working together with Japan also enables our researchers to access invaluable resources and experience such as their Marine Seismic VesselResearch Vessel Kaimei, proprietary modelling software, and access to structural laboratories. I look forward to seeing the outcomes of this research and the benefits it brings.”
The University of Canterbury will work with Tohoku University on a structural retrofitting system to enhance the resilience of buildings in seismic events while reducing the cost of traditional retrofitting with a new modular infill system.
GNS Science will work Japan’s National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience (NIED) on tolerable levels of ashfall following volcanic events.
GNS Science will also work with the Japan Agency for Marine Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) for a seismic study of the Hikurangi subduction zone – New Zealand’s largest threat for tsunamis.
The research teams will each receive $300,000 from the Government’s Catalyst Fund. Japanese research teams will receive equivalent funding from our Japanese partner – the Japan Science and Technology Agency.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
New Chief Executive appointed at MHRA
Lawrence Tallon is appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
The government has today announced the appointment of Lawrence Tallon as the new Chief Executive Officer of Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
Following an extensive recruitment process, Mr Tallon will begin the role from 1 April 2025.
He will succeed Dame June Raine DBE who is retiring and has led the organisation since 2019, having steered the MHRA through the COVID-19 pandemic and the UK’s exit from the European Union.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:
“I’m delighted to appoint Lawrence Tallon as CEO, marking an important new chapter for the MHRA.
“MHRA’s work is mission critical to making the NHS fit for the future. There is a revolution taking place in life sciences, with new innovative medicines developed more frequently than ever before. We need the MHRA to work much faster so patients can benefit as soon as possible, and I’m confident that Lawrence is the man for the job.
“The agency plays a crucial role in protecting public health and promoting medical innovation and, under Lawrence’s leadership, I am confident it will continue to be a world-leading regulator.
“I want to thank Dame June and wish her all the best in her retirement.”
Throughout his career, Mr Tallon has demonstrated a strong commitment to healthcare innovation and patient safety.
He is currently Deputy Chief Executive at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, where he has served since March 2020.
He is also managing director of the Shelford Group, which represents some of England’s leading NHS teaching hospitals. This experience has given him valuable insight into the challenges and opportunities facing modern healthcare systems.
Prior to this he served as Director of Strategy, Planning and Performance at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and worked within the Department of Health and Social Care alongside ministers and NHS leaders.
Professor Anthony Harnden, Chair of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said:
“I am delighted to welcome Lawrence Tallon as the new MHRA Chief Executive.
“Lawrence is an impressive leader who brings with him a wealth of experience from across the healthcare sector, nationally and globally. I look forward to working with him to maintain the UK as a global centre of excellence in life sciences and strengthening safety systems in the best interests of patients and the public.
“I would also like to give enormous thanks to Dame June Raine, who is handing the baton on to Lawrence after more than 5 years of being MHRA CEO and nearly 40 illustrious years at the Agency. June’s leadership and unwavering commitment to patient and public health cannot be overstated.”
The appointment comes at a crucial time for the MHRA as it continues to enhance its position as a sovereign regulator and strengthen its international partnerships. Mr Tallon will lead the organisation’s work to accelerate patient access to innovative medicines and medical devices while maintaining the highest standards of safety and effectiveness.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the UK’s regulator of medicines, medical devices and blood components for transfusion.
Computer scientists have developed a powerful machine learning model that can detect toxic social media comments with remarkable accuracy, paving the way for safer digital interactions.
A team of researchers from Australia and Bangladesh has built a model that is 87% accurate in classifying toxic and non-toxic text without relying on manual identification.
Researchers from East West University in Bangladesh and the University of South Australia say their model is an improvement on existing automated detection systems, many of which produce false positives.
Lead author, data science expert Ms Afia Ahsan, says the massive increase in cyberbullying and hate speech in recent years is leading to serious mental health issues, self-harm and – in extreme cases – suicide.
“Despite efforts by social media platforms to limit toxic content, manually identifying harmful comments is impractical due to the sheer volume of online interactions, with 5.56 billion internet users in the world today,” she says.
“Removing toxic comments from online network platforms is vital to curbing the escalating abuse and ensuring respectful interactions in the social media space.”
UniSA IT and AI researcher, Dr Abdullahi Chowdhury, says the team tested three machine learning models on a dataset of English and Bangla comments collected from social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
Their optimised algorithm achieved an accuracy of 87.6%, outperforming the other models which achieved accuracy rates of 69.9% (baseline Support Vector Machine) and 83.4% (Stochastic Gradient Descent model).
“Our optimised SVM model was the most reliable and effective among all three, making it the preferred choice for deployment in real-world scenarios where accurate classification of toxic comments is critical,” Dr Chowdhury says.
Future research will focus on improving the model by integrating deep learning techniques and expanding the dataset to include more languages and regional dialects. The team is now exploring partnerships with social media companies and online platforms to implement this technology.
MIL Analysis: Here are the top five Russian language articles published today. The analysis includes five key articles prioritized at the moment.
Today’s analysis provides us with new opportunities in the economic and social spheres. Cybersecurity remains a hot topic, and citizens can now self-ban loans to ensure safety.
Education: The finals of space profiles of the “National Technological Olympiad” were solemnly closed at the Higher School of Economics. In addition, the XIII Rosneft Winter Sports Games ended in the city of Krasnoyarsk.
Since March 1, a person can through Gosusgoservices voluntarily refuse the opportunity to enter into loan or credit agreements and thus protect themselves from the situation when fraudsters draw up a loan in his name.
On March 1, Moscow hosted the closing ceremony of the finals of space profiles of the National Technological Olympiad (NTO), the project office of which works at the Higher School of Economics. The names of winners and prize-winners in three areas at once were announced: “Aerospace Systems”, ‘Analysis of Space Images and Geospatial Data’ and ‘Satellite Systems’. The best were 21 schoolchildren from 13 regions of Russia. The competitions were traditionally held with the support of Roscosmos State Corporation.
On March 3, 2025, Mikhail Makarenko, Professor of the State University of Management, Doctor of Economic Sciences, Honorary Chemist of the USSR, Veteran of Labor, Veteran of the Great Patriotic War, turns 100 years old!
A solemn awarding ceremony was held for the winners of the XIII Rosneft Winter Sports Games, which took place in Krasnoyarsk over five days. The Company dedicated the competition to the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, which the whole country is celebrating this year.
As part of this year’s popular science marathon “Darwin’s Week”, the dean of the Physics Department of Novosibirsk State University, Dr. Vladimir Blinov, gave a lecture on how people’s ideas about the origin and structure of the Universe have changed and what role relic radiation plays in this.
Learn more about MIL’s content and data services by visiting milnz.co.nz.
LOS ANGELES, March 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hanmi Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: HAFC, or “Hanmi”), and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Hanmi Bank (the “Bank”), today announced that Christine P. Ball has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Company and the Bank effective March 1, 2025. The addition of Ms. Ball brings the total number of Hanmi Board directors to eleven.
“Christine brings a wealth of banking experience to the Hanmi Board,” said John J. Ahn, Chairman of the Board. “Her proven leadership and strategic insight, along with her deep expertise in credit and risk management, will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen our commitment to sound financial stewardship and long-term growth. We are very pleased to welcome Christine to our Board and look forward to her contributions.”
Ms. Ball was appointed to the Risk, Compliance and Planning Committee of the Company, as well as the Loan and Credit Policy Committee and Asset Liability Management Committee of the Bank.
Ms. Ball has more than 20 years of experience in corporate, commercial and private banking. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President and Deputy Chief Credit Officer for City National Bank in Los Angeles. She joined the bank in 2013 as Senior Vice President and Division Credit Manager, Entertainment. Prior to that, Ms. Ball was a Senior Vice President at Wells Fargo Bank from 2008 until 2013 and a Senior Vice President for Wachovia Bank from 2006 until 2008 when it merged with Wells Fargo Bank. Ms. Ball earned a B.A. degree in economics from the University of California, Davis and an M.B.A. degree in finance from Cornell University.
About Hanmi Financial Corporation Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Hanmi Financial Corporation owns Hanmi Bank, which serves multi-ethnic communities through its network of 32 full-service branches, five loan production offices and three loan centers in California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Virginia and Washington. Hanmi Bank specializes in real estate, commercial, SBA and trade finance lending to small and middle market businesses. Additional information is available at www.hanmi.com.
SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Astera Labs, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALAB), a global leader in semiconductor-based connectivity solutions for AI and cloud infrastructure, today announced the appointment of Dr. Craig Barratt to its Board of Directors. Dr. Barratt is a seasoned technology industry veteran with decades of experience as an impactful leader and board member at networking, semiconductor, and medical device companies.
“Craig’s proven track record of scaling high-growth technology companies and driving breakthrough innovations at industry leaders like Atheros, Google, and Qualcomm makes him an invaluable addition to Astera Labs’ Board of Directors,” said Jitendra Mohan, CEO and Co-founder, Astera Labs. “His strategic insight and deep technical expertise will provide critical guidance as we continue to expand our leadership in connectivity solutions for AI and cloud infrastructure.”
Dr. Barratt served as President, CEO, and a Director of Atheros Communications, Inc., a fabless semiconductor company and Silicon Valley success story that developed wireless and wired communication technologies. During his tenure, he led the company through an IPO until its acquisition by Qualcomm, when he then took up the position of President at Qualcomm Atheros, the networking and connectivity subsidiary of Qualcomm.
Dr. Barratt is also the former Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Connectivity Group at Intel Corporation, since its acquisition of Barefoot Networks, Inc., where he led the computer networking company as President and CEO. Prior to Barefoot Networks, he held several roles at Google, Inc., including Senior Vice President, Access and Energy.
Dr. Barratt currently chairs the board of Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (Nasdaq: ISRG) – a medical device technology market leader – and previously served on the board of IonQ Inc. He holds doctorate and Master of Science degrees in electrical engineering from Stanford University, as well as undergraduate degrees in electrical engineering and in pure mathematics and physics from the University of Sydney.
“Craig is a highly accomplished leader with deep expertise in scaling innovative technology companies and shaping transformative products in the semiconductor and networking industries,” said Manuel Alba, Chairman of the Board, Astera Labs. “His extensive board and executive experience, combined with his strategic vision, will be instrumental in helping to steer Astera Labs as we continue our rapid growth and innovation in AI connectivity.”
“Astera Labs is at the forefront of enabling the next generation of AI and cloud infrastructure with its unmatched execution in addressing the industry’s most critical connectivity bottlenecks,” said Dr. Craig Barratt. “I am excited to join the Board and collaborate with the team to support the company’s strong momentum and strengthen its industry leadership.”
About Astera Labs Astera Labs is a global leader in purpose-built connectivity solutions that unlock the full potential of AI and cloud infrastructure. Our Intelligent Connectivity Platform integrates PCIe®, CXL®, and Ethernet semiconductor-based solutions and the COSMOS software suite of system management and optimization tools to deliver a software-defined architecture that is both scalable and customizable. Inspired by trusted relationships with hyperscalers and the data center ecosystem, we are an innovation leader delivering products that are flexible and interoperable. Discover how we are transforming modern data-driven applications at www.asteralabs.com.
Sea life in the seafloor of New Zealand’s most productive and important commercial fishing ground shows resilience to disturbance, according to a new study published in the New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research.
The research found that some aspects of seafloor ecosystems on the Chatham Rise showed an ability to recover relatively quickly from physical disturbances, such as those caused by seafloor mining and trawling.
The research suggests that the seafloor ecosystem of the Chatham Rise may be more resilient to disturbances than previously thought, says NIWA marine ecologist Dr Rachel Hale, lead author for the study. “This resilience may be due to the region’s history of natural and human disturbances, which has led to the dominance of opportunistic species. While our results are encouraging, it’s important to note that there were some post-disturbance changes in the environmental characteristics that were measured. These changes, particularly in the composition of seafloor communities, may have longer-term repercussions for ecosystem processes.”
Researchers disturbed an area of seafloor on the Chatham Rise and monitored the impacts on sediment, seafloor-dwelling aquatic animals, and took measurements of oxygen and nutrient fluxes, and bacterial abundance. They found disturbance changed the sediment composition, reducing food quality, and initially reducing the diversity of seafloor-dwelling aquatic life, though after a year some of the aquatic life had bounced back. Contrary to expectation, the disturbance didn’t result in significant changes to the nutrient levels, and the rapid recolonization of the seabed saw bacteria levels recover.
The study revealed the resilience of the sea floor to disturbance, but also highlights potential long-term changes that need more investigation, says Dr Hale. “Expansion of extractive industries to deep-sea environments will lead to increased stresses on seafloor ecosystems. Further long-term studies are required to fully understand the potential impacts of disturbance on sediment processes, nutrient cycling, and the overall health of the Chatham Rise ecosystem.”
The Chatham Rise is a large area of ocean floor around 1,400km east of New Zealand which stretches some 1,000 km long. The underwater plateau, accessible to trawling, provides about 60% of New Zealand’s fish catch, including hoki, hake, ling, warehou, squid, orange roughy and deep-sea dory. Data from research has enriched models and enabled long-term monitoring, with NIWA undertaking surveys since 1992 on fisheries and ecosystems.
The research was a NIWA collaboration with Victoria University of Wellington and Waikato University.
This research was undertaken as part of the Resilience of benthic communities to the effects of sedimentation (ROBES) programme funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (contract CO1X1614).
Multiple sclerosis is a disease that results when the immune system mistakenly attacks the brain and spinal cord. It affects nearly one million people in the U.S. and over 2.8 million worldwide. While genetics play a role in the risk of developing multiple sclerosis, environmental factors such as diet, infectious disease and gut health are major contributors.
The environment plays a key role in determining who develops multiple sclerosis, and this is evident from twin studies. Among identical twins who share 100% of their genes, one twin has a roughly 25% chance of developing MS if the other twin has the disease. For fraternal twins who share 50% of their genes, this rate drops to around 2%.
Scientists have long suspected that gut bacteria may influence a person’s risk of developing multiple sclerosis. But studies so far have had inconsistent findings.
To address these inconsistencies, my colleagues and I used what researchers call a bedside-to-bench-to-bedside approach: starting with samples from patients with multiple sclerosis, conducting lab experiments on these samples, then confirming our findings in patients.
In our newly published research, we found that the ratio of two bacteria in the gut can predict multiple sclerosis severity in patients, highlighting the importance of the microbiome and gut health in this disease.
First, we analyzed the chemical and bacterial gut composition of patients with multiple sclerosis, confirming that they had gut inflammation and different types of gut bacteria compared with people without multiple sclerosis.
Specifically, we showed that a group of bacteria called Blautia was more common in multiple sclerosis patients, while Prevotella, a bacterial species consistently linked to a healthy gut, was found in lower amounts.
In a separate experiment in mice, we observed that the balance between two gut bacteria, Bifidobacterium and Akkermansia, was critical in distinguishing mice with or without multiple sclerosis-like disease. Mice with multiple sclerosis-like symptoms had increased levels of Akkermansia and decreased levels of Bifidobacterium in their stool or gut lining.
Bench to bedside
To explore this further, we treated mice with antibiotics to remove all their gut bacteria. Then, we gave either Blautia, which was higher in multiple sclerosis patients; Prevotella, which was more common in healthy patients; or a control bacteria, Phocaeicola, which is found in patients with and without multiple sclerosis. We found that mice with Blautia developed more gut inflammation and worse multiple sclerosis-like symptoms.
Even before symptoms appeared, these mice had low levels of Bifidobacterium and high levels of Akkermansia. This suggested that an imbalance between these two bacteria might not just be a sign of disease, but could actually predict how severe it will be.
We then examined whether this same imbalance appeared in people. We measured the ratio of Bifidobacterium adolescentis and Akkermansia muciniphila in samples from multiple sclerosis patients in Iowa and participants in a study spanning the U.S., Latin America and Europe.
Our findings were consistent: Patients with multiple sclerosis had a lower ratio of Bifidobacterium to Akkermansia. This imbalance was not only linked to having multiple sclerosis but also with worse disability, making it a stronger predictor of disease severity than any single type of bacteria alone.
One of the most interesting findings from our study was that normally beneficial bacteria can turn harmful in multiple sclerosis. Akkermansia is usually considered a helpful bacterium, but it became problematic in patients with multiple sclerosis.
A previous study in mice showed a similar pattern: Mice with severe disease had a lower Bifidobacterium-to-Akkermansia ratio. In that study, mice fed a diet rich in phytoestrogens – chemicals structurally similar to human estrogen that need to be broken down by bacteria for beneficial health effects – developed milder disease than those on a diet without phytoestrogens. Previously we have shown that people with multiple sclerosis lack gut bacteria that can metabolize phytoestrogen.
Although the precise mechanisms behind the link between the Bifidobacterium-to- Akkermansia ratio and multiple sclerosis is unknown, researchers have a theory. Both types of bacteria consume mucin, a substance that protects the gut lining. However, Bifidobacterium both eats and produces mucin, while Akkermansia only consumes it. When Bifidobacterium levels drop, such as during inflammation, Akkermansia overconsumes mucin and weakens the gut lining. This process can trigger more inflammation and potentially contribute to the progression of multiple sclerosis.
Our finding that the Bifidobacterium-to-Akkermansia ratio may be a key marker for multiple sclerosis severity could help improve diagnosis and treatment. It also highlights how losing beneficial gut bacteria can allow other gut bacteria to become harmful, though it is unclear whether changing levels of certain microbes can affect multiple sclerosis.
While more research can help clarify the link between the gut microbiome and multiple sclerosis, these findings offer a promising new direction for understanding and treating this disease.
Ashutosh Mangalam received funding from the NIH/NIAID, VA, and the University of Iowa. He holds a patent licensed to Evelo Biosciences by Mayo Clinic on a technology using Prevotella histicola to treat autoimmune diseases. No funds or products from this patent were used in this study.
Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, slammed the Trump administration for stopping $65 million in funding for Alzheimer’s disease research at 14 research institutions across the country. 14 of the 35 Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers (ADRCs) have had their funding halted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) because the Trump Administration continues to cancel NIH Advisory Council meetings, which are the final required step in the grant approval process.
Since day one, the Trump Administration has prohibited NIH from announcing more than 185 study section and Advisory Council meetings on the Federal Register, forcing the cancellation of NIH’s National Institute on Aging (NIA) January Advisory Council meeting where renewal applications for the 14 ADRCs were to be reviewed. As a result, those 14 ADRCs will begin to run out of funding starting today, and all of them will run out of funding by April 30th. This is just one example of the tens of thousands of grants and billions of dollars in medical research funding that the Trump Administration is currently holding up across NIH.
“President Trump has single-handedly stopped Alzheimer’s disease research in its tracks, let that sink in,” said Senator Baldwin. “The millions upon millions of families with a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias are relying on this research for hope, but Donald Trump and Elon Musk are refusing to fund this research because they are in an all-out quest for every dollar they can find for their billionaire tax break. This is Alzheimer’s disease research– including at the University of Wisconsin – that is discovering ways to prevent these diseases, detect them earlier, develop new treatments, and ultimately find cures – but Donald Trump is throwing that by the wayside so he can give handouts to his wealthy friends.”
The NIA funds 35 ADRCs at major medical and academic institutions in 24 states across the country. Scientists at these Centers are conducting cutting-edge research to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease and providing resources and infrastructure for patients suffering with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. These Centers also train the next generation of researchers to treat patients with Alzheimer’s disease and help families manage symptoms and cope. This national network of Centers is dedicated to developing and testing new ways to detect, diagnose, treat, and prevent dementia and improve care for people with Alzheimer’s disease. Much of the important progress in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia research in the United States over the last 40 years stems from research conducted at the ADRCs.
The Government of British Columbia has appointed four new Provincial Court judges to support access to justice.
The new judges are:
Ariana Ward (effective March 28, 2025);
James Henry (effective March 21, 2025);
Brian Dybwad (effective March 21, 2025); and
Mylene de Guzman (effective March 28, 2025).
Ariana Ward has practised law for 27 years. Born in Iran, Ward moved to the United States before immigrating to Canada. After completing law school, she became Crown counsel. Since 1996, Ward has worked in almost every area of the BC Prosecution Service (BCPS). From 2008-17, she worked for the BCPS as weekend bail Crown. Since 2018, she has worked as trial counsel. Committed to Indigenous reconciliation, she has been counsel in North Vancouver’s Indigenous sentencing court. Ward’s contributions to the legal community include judging in the UBC Moot Court program and working as a sessional instructor at Douglas College where she taught an Introduction to Criminal Justice, Indigenous People and the Law course.
James Henry was called to the B.C. bar in May 1996. He has been working as Crown counsel since 2017. For 20 years before that, he worked as defence counsel in Surrey and the Fraser Valley. He is Métis on his grandfather’s side of the family, and is a member of and served on the board of directors of the Nova Metis Heritage Association. In 2020, he joined the Indigenous Prosecution Service Resource Group. In 2022, he was appointed as administrative Crown counsel overseeing the scheduling of more than 50 prosecutors in the Surrey office.
Brian Dybwad is a member of the Tsetault-Gitxsan Nation on his mother’s side, and his father is Norwegian. He is a hereditary Chief, with the name Skawill, which translates to big rock in the middle of the river. He graduated from University of Victoria in 1998 and was called to the B.C. bar in 2010. He has primarily practised as a lawyer on north Vancouver Island. In private practice, between 2010 and 2018, he focused on criminal defence, family law and child-protection matters. Between 2018 and 2022, he was the managing lawyer for the Parents Legal Centre in Campbell River. From July 2022, he has held managing lawyer positions at Legal Aid BC. From 2015-17, he was the president of the Campbell River Bar Association, member at large at the British Columbia Law Institute, and in 2022 and 2024 was elected as a bencher of the Law Society of British Columbia.
Mylene de Guzman was born in the Philippines. She immigrated to Ontario where she attended the University of Windsor and obtained her law degree in 1995. Articling at Greig, Skagen & Kennedy, she has worked as a family law lawyer in New Westminster and the Fraser Valley for most of her career. She obtained her accreditation as a family law mediator and arbitrator in 2015. She devotes 20% of her practice to alternative dispute resolutions. She is on the roster of Access Pro Bono lawyers, participating in legal clinics and conducting mediations. De Guzman is also a member of Amici Curiae Friendship Society, participating as a guest speaker and lecturer for legal clinics. She has worked as a volunteer in the legal community, taking on executive roles, including president of the New West Bar Association in 2022. She is the first vice-president of the Canadian Bar Association.
These judicial appointments are made by considering various factors, such as the court’s requirements, the diversity of the judiciary and the candidates’ areas of expertise. The appointments show the Province’s continued dedication to ensuring fair access to justice for everyone in British Columbia.
Quick Facts:
The process to appoint judges involves the following steps:
Interested lawyers apply, and the Judicial Council of B.C. reviews the candidates.
The council is a statutory body made up of the chief judge, an associate chief judge, other judges, lawyers and members from outside the legal profession.
The council recommends potential judges to the attorney general, with the final appointment made through a cabinet order-in-council.
Although judges and judicial justices are located in a judicial region, many use technology, such as videoconferencing, for court proceedings.
Judges travel regularly throughout the province to meet changing demands.
Learn More:
For information about the judicial appointment process, visit: https://provincialcourt.bc.ca/
NASA has selected Norman Knight as acting deputy director of Johnson Space Center. Knight currently serves as Director of Johnson’s Flight Operations Directorate (FOD), responsible for astronaut training and for overall planning, directing, managing, and implementing overall mission operations for NASA human spaceflight programs. This also includes management for all Johnson aircraft operations and aircrew training. Knight will serve in this dual deputy director and FOD director role for the near term. “It is an honor to accept my new role as acting deputy director for Johnson,” Knight said. “Human spaceflight is key to our agency’s mission and our Johnson team is unified in that goal. The successes we see every day are the evidence of that. It never ceases to amaze me what our team is capable of.” Knight began his career at the Johnson Space Center as a Space Shuttle mechanical systems flight controller, working 40 missions in this capacity. He progressed through management roles with increasing responsibility, and in 2000, he was selected as a flight director and worked in that capacity for numerous International Space Station expeditions and Space Shuttle missions. In 2009, he became the deputy chief of the Flight Director Office and participated in a NASA fellowship at Harvard Business School in general management. In 2012, Knight was selected as the chief of the Flight Director Office and then in 2018 as deputy director of the Flight Operations Directorate after serving a temporary assignment as the assistant administrator, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. In 2021, Knight was selected as the director of FOD. “Norm has an accomplished career within the agency,” said Steven Koerner, Johnson acting director. “His leadership, expertise, and dedication to the mission will undoubtably drive our continued success.” Throughout his career, Knight has been recognized for outstanding technical achievements and leadership, receiving a Spaceflight Awareness Honoree award for STS-82. He also received several center and agency awards, including two Exceptional Achievement medals, multiple Johnson and agency group achievement awards, two Superior Accomplishment awards, an Outstanding Leadership medal, the Johnson Director’s Commendation award, and the Distinguished Service medal. Knight earned a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering from the Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in 1990.
An international team of researchers has discovered that previously observed variations in brightness of a free-floating planetary-mass object known as SIMP 0136 must be the result of a complex combination of atmospheric factors, and cannot be explained by clouds alone. Using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to monitor a broad spectrum of infrared light emitted over two full rotation periods by SIMP 0136, the team was able to detect variations in cloud layers, temperature, and carbon chemistry that were previously hidden from view. The results provide crucial insight into the three-dimensional complexity of gas giant atmospheres within and beyond our solar system. Detailed characterization of objects like these is essential preparation for direct imaging of exoplanets, planets outside our solar system, with NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which is scheduled to begin operations in 2027.
SIMP 0136 is a rapidly rotating, free-floating object roughly 13 times the mass of Jupiter, located in the Milky Way just 20 light-years from Earth. Although it is not classified as a gas giant exoplanet — it doesn’t orbit a star and may instead be a brown dwarf — SIMP 0136 is an ideal target for exo-meteorology: It is the brightest object of its kind in the northern sky. Because it is isolated, it can be observed with no fear of light contamination or variability caused by a host star. And its short rotation period of just 2.4 hours makes it possible to survey very efficiently. Prior to the Webb observations, SIMP 0136 had been studied extensively using ground-based observatories and NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes. “We already knew that it varies in brightness, and we were confident that there are patchy cloud layers that rotate in and out of view and evolve over time,” explained Allison McCarthy, doctoral student at Boston University and lead author on a study published today in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. “We also thought there could be temperature variations, chemical reactions, and possibly some effects of auroral activity affecting the brightness, but we weren’t sure.” To figure it out, the team needed Webb’s ability to measure very precise changes in brightness over a broad range of wavelengths.
Using NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph), Webb captured thousands of individual 0.6- to 5.3-micron spectra — one every 1.8 seconds over more than three hours as the object completed one full rotation. This was immediately followed by an observation with MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument), which collected hundreds of spectroscopic measurements of 5- to 14-micron light — one every 19.2 seconds, over another rotation. The result was hundreds of detailed light curves, each showing the change in brightness of a very precise wavelength (color) as different sides of the object rotated into view. “To see the full spectrum of this object change over the course of minutes was incredible,” said principal investigator Johanna Vos, from Trinity College Dublin. “Until now, we only had a little slice of the near-infrared spectrum from Hubble, and a few brightness measurements from Spitzer.” The team noticed almost immediately that there were several distinct light-curve shapes. At any given time, some wavelengths were growing brighter, while others were becoming dimmer or not changing much at all. A number of different factors must be affecting the brightness variations. “Imagine watching Earth from far away. If you were to look at each color separately, you would see different patterns that tell you something about its surface and atmosphere, even if you couldn’t make out the individual features,” explained co-author Philip Muirhead, also from Boston University. “Blue would increase as oceans rotate into view. Changes in brown and green would tell you something about soil and vegetation.”
To figure out what could be causing the variability on SIMP 0136, the team used atmospheric models to show where in the atmosphere each wavelength of light was originating. “Different wavelengths provide information about different depths in the atmosphere,” explained McCarthy. “We started to realize that the wavelengths that had the most similar light-curve shapes also probed the same depths, which reinforced this idea that they must be caused by the same mechanism.” One group of wavelengths, for example, originates deep in the atmosphere where there could be patchy clouds made of iron particles. A second group comes from higher clouds thought to be made of tiny grains of silicate minerals. The variations in both of these light curves are related to patchiness of the cloud layers. A third group of wavelengths originates at very high altitude, far above the clouds, and seems to track temperature. Bright “hot spots” could be related to auroras that were previously detected at radio wavelengths, or to upwelling of hot gas from deeper in the atmosphere. Some of the light curves cannot be explained by either clouds or temperature, but instead show variations related to atmospheric carbon chemistry. There could be pockets of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide rotating in and out of view, or chemical reactions causing the atmosphere to change over time. “We haven’t really figured out the chemistry part of the puzzle yet,” said Vos. “But these results are really exciting because they are showing us that the abundances of molecules like methane and carbon dioxide could change from place to place and over time. If we are looking at an exoplanet and can get only one measurement, we need to consider that it might not be representative of the entire planet.” This research was conducted as part of Webb’s General Observer Program 3548. The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency). Downloads Right click any image to save it or open a larger version in a new tab/window via the browser’s popup menu. View/Download all image products at all resolutions for this article from the Space Telescope Science Institute. View/Download the research results from The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Laura Betz – laura.e.betz@nasa.govNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Margaret W. Carruthers – mcarruthers@stsci.eduSpace Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md. Hannah Braun – hbraun@stsci.eduSpace Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md.
More Webb News More Webb Images Webb Science Themes Webb Mission Page Learn more about brown dwarf discoveries Article: Spectroscopy 101
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Lisa G. Johnston has been named the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia. As Acting United States Attorney, Johnston is the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Southern District of West Virginia, which covers 23 counties, and oversees all federal criminal prosecutions as well as the litigation of all civil matters in which the United States has an interest.
“I am honored to serve as Acting United States Attorney and pledge to continue to fulfill the vital mission of the Department of Justice,” Johnston said. “On behalf of this office and its dedicated attorneys and staff, I look forward to working closely and collaboratively with our law enforcement partners to protect the public, enforce the law fairly and consistently, and promote respect for the legal system and the rule of law.”
Johnston previously served as the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia from February 2021 to October 2021. She joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of West Virginia in August 2006. Since January 2018, Johnston has served as First Assistant United States Attorney, the second most-senior official in the United States Attorney’s Office tasked with overseeing the operations of the criminal, civil and administrative sections of the United States Attorney’s Office.
Johnston began her 37-year career in the Northern District of West Virginia, where she served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney and then as an Assistant United States Attorney. In October 2001, Johnston accepted a detail with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Chief Counsel’s Office where she served as a legal advisor to ATF employees in the Louisville Field Division. In August 2005, Johnston accepted a detail with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, where she handled immigration appeals.
Throughout her extensive career as an Assistant United States Attorney, Johnston has handled investigations and prosecutions of federal criminal laws involving crimes against children, firearms, violence, drug trafficking, health care fraud, immigration, and other white-collar offenses.
As Acting United States Attorney, Johnston oversees a staff of 34 attorneys and 41 non-attorney personnel located in offices in Charleston, Huntington, and Beckley.
A native of Moundsville, West Virginia, Johnston earned a Juris Doctor degree from the West Virginia University College of Law in 1988. She graduated Cum Laude from West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism in 1984.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.
Source: United States Senator for New York Charles E Schumer
DOGE & New Admin Have Fired Thousands Of Federal Workers In Past Month, Disproportionally Impacting Vets, Who Make Up 30% Fed Workforce, Uprooting Lives And Directly Impacting Care For Veterans Across Upstate NY
Alissa Ellman, An Army Veteran Who Is Disabled From Burn Pit Exposure In Afghanistan, Dedicated Her Life To Service And Worked For The Buffalo VA To Help Her Fellow Veterans, But Like Thousands Of Others Found Out She Was Callously Fired Without Warning This Past Week – Now She Is Joining Schumer In Calling For Better Treatment For Our Vets
Schumer: We Need To Be Increasing Care For Our Veterans In Western NY, Not Firing Them
U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer today announced he will bring Western NY’s Alissa Ellman, a disabled Army veteran who served in Afghanistan who was suddenly fired this past week from her job working for the Buffalo VA, as his personal guest to attend President Trump’s Joint Session of Congress. Under new DOGE directive and President Trump, hundreds of thousands of federal workers, of which 30% are veterans, have been fired in the past month, including 2,400 VA employees, like Alissa.
“Alissa Ellman dedicated her life to service for our country, both in the Army, where she suffered injuries, and here in Western NY helping her fellow veterans while working at the Buffalo VA. Firing her, firing veterans and slashing thousands from the VA workforce is outrageous and should be reversed. This is not how you treat our veterans – it’s not just unacceptable, it’s un-American,” said Senator Schumer. “DOGE cuts and Trump’s funding freeze have created chaos in Western NY and kneecapped far too many vets. I am all for cutting out inefficiency, but you use a scalpel, not a chainsaw. Jobs and care for our veterans in Upstate NY is not government waste. Even funding to help vets suffering from toxic burn pit exposure, like Alissa, was put on the chopping block. Our nation told our veterans that if they put their lives and health on the line to protect our freedoms, we would take care of them, and now we need the Trump administration to uphold that promise. I look forward to welcoming Alissa Ellman as my personal guest to President Trump’s address to a Joint Session of Congress as we fight for better treatment of our veterans here in Western NY and across the country.”
Alissa Ellman said, “I am speaking out because I cannot see how employing veterans in the federal government is fraud, waste, or abuse. Veterans are some of the best people I know. Veterans have sacrificed for this country; they are the ones who have been defrauded – their talents wasted and service abused. For many of us these jobs are more than a job, they are how we continue our service, continue our devotion to make America a better place. I’m not telling you my story for pity; my life will be fine. But we need to be making more thoughtful cuts to the federal workforce, not our vets.”
Schumer said this fire first, ask questions later approach towards cutting jobs and funding is unacceptable, especially when caring for our veterans. Federal jobs give preference to veterans, allowing them to continue serving our country in what was previously a stable government career, which is why approximately 30 percent of the federal workforce are veterans.
Schumer in 2022 led the PACT Act to passage in the Senate. The PACT Act extends health coverage for veterans like Alissa who were exposed to burn pit smoke and other environmental hazards that caused cancers and other illnesses during their service. However, in the past month President Trump’s funding & hiring freeze has also led to hundreds of cuts for VA health research, including projects to study burn pit exposure and most recently contracts with VA to help vets with toxic exposure were temporarily suspended. Schumer said this horrific pattern of cuts and firings that is directly impacting our veterans cannot continue, and he is looking forward to welcoming Alissa to demand better treatment for veterans across America.
These funding cuts have also directly hit care for veterans in Upstate NY, with VA workers being laid off in Rochester, Canandaigua, Buffalo, and just last week in Steuben County at the Bath VA facility impacting treatment for veterans suffering from addiction and substance use disorder. Schumer said now more than ever veterans are concerned about their benefits, and VA staffers are concerned about their jobs especially with the Trump administration saying more mass firings are coming soon. Schumer has been leading the charge to stop this in the Senate, most recently demanding VA Secretary Collins demanding they reverse the mass terminations of VA employees and reinstate the workers ensuring our nation’s veterans receive quality healthcare.
Biography for Alissa Ellman:
Alissa Ellman joined the Army National Guard at the age of 17, and she returned from basic training to high school ten days before the September 11th attack which further spurred her desire to serve her country. She deployed to Afghanistan voluntarily from January 2003 to June 2004 as a flight operation specialist. She returned to the Afghanistan with Halliburton from 2005-2008 managing flight line operations in Kandahar. In 2008, Alissa returned to Western New York, started a family and later graduate Magnum Cum Laude from Niagara University with a degree in Special Education.
In 2018, Alissa was diagnosed with a rare adrenal cancer, pheochromocytoma, associated with toxic burn pit exposure during her service in Afghanistan. After 5 years of treatment at the VA, she was deemed 100% disabled, a diagnosis she never envisioned, but knew that she continued to want to serve her community.
In December 2023, she began to apply to work at the Buffalo VA working for the education department to help fellow veterans as that means to give back. Not taking the job for the money, receiving only a few dollars more per month on top of her VA disability payments, but to continue to help the community she cared so deeply about, eventually being hired in April 2024.
She met all the training and meeting production numbers, and in January had a 200% daily production average. When the VA began announcing the cuts under the new administration, she told her friends she was safe because she always exceeded work goals, but she was wrong.
Last week, Alissa found herself locked out of her computer, with both her and her boss thinking at first it was an error, only to later find out she had been fired. Alissa said she never felt so disrespected after giving so much.
She will attend President Trump’s Joint Address to Congress Tuesday evening, March 4th as Senator Schumer’s honored guest.
IIFT Signs MoU with APEC – Antwerp/Flanders Port Training Center, Belgium to Strengthen Trade and Logistics Education MoU to build cooperation,provide training and insights into global trade practices: Minister Shri Jitin Prasada
Posted On: 03 MAR 2025 9:44PM by PIB Delhi
The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with APEC – Antwerp/Flanders Port Training Center, Belgium, marking a significant step towards enhancing academic collaboration and knowledge exchange in the fields of international trade, logistics, and supply chain management.
The MoU aims to strengthen trade education and training ties between India and Belgium by facilitating faculty and student exchanges for cross-cultural business learning. It includes joint research on port management, global logistics, and trade facilitation, along with specialized training programs, workshops, and industry interactions. Additionally, the collaboration will enhance knowledge transfer in critical areas such as e-governance, digital trade, and emerging business technologies.
Addressing the gathering, Minister of State for Commerce & Industry, Shri Jitin Prasada underscored the importance of international partnerships in strengthening India’s trade ecosystem. “India and Belgium have shared strong trade ties for decades. This MoU will further build on our cooperation, ensuring that our future business leaders are equipped with world-class training and insights into global trade practices.”
The dignitaries from Belgium lauded the initiative, acknowledging the role of such collaborations in strengthening global trade networks. His Excellency Matthias Diependaele remarked that the people of India are making the right choices by choosing democracy, the rule of law, and partnership. He also highlighted Antwerp’s strategic location, noting that it serves as a vital gateway to Europe, facilitating trade and economic connectivity on a global scale. They expressed optimism about the positive impact this partnership will have on trade education and policy development.
Commerce Secretary Shri Sunil Barthwal expressed his happiness over the signing of the MoU and reaffirmed India’s commitment to becoming globally competitive in international trade logistics through IIFT’s new initiative in collaborative research and training with APEC.
Following the MoU signing, a roundtable discussion was held between the Minister-President of Belgium and IIFT alumni who had previously visited Flanders, sharing their experiences and key takeaways from the program.
The MoU was signed in the presence of esteemed dignitaries, including Shri Jitin Prasada, Minister of State for Commerce & Industry; Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce & Industry – Ajay Bhadoo; the Belgian delegation – His Excellency Matthias Diependaele, Minister-President of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister of Economy, Innovation, and Industry, Foreign Affairs, Digitalisation, and Facility Management; Mr. Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO of Port of Antwerp-Bruges; Mr. Dirk De Fauw, President of Port of Antwerp-Bruges International and Mr. Kristof Waterschoot, Managing Director of Port of Antwerp-Bruges International.
From IIFT, the event was graced by Prof. Rakesh Mohan Joshi, Vice Chancellor, IIFT, along with senior faculty members and distinguished alumni who have previously benefited from exposure to the Port of Antwerp.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Rakesh Mohan Joshi, Vice Chancellor, IIFT, emphasized the importance of this partnership in providing IIFT students with practical exposure to global trade and logistics operations. “This collaboration will not only enhance our students’ understanding of port operations and global supply chain mechanisms but also create opportunities for joint research, training programs, and faculty exchanges,” he said. He reiterated IIFT’s commitment to offering world-class education with practical insights into international trade and logistics.
Mr. Kristof Waterschoot, Managing Director of Port of Antwerp-Bruges International, highlighted the longstanding relationship between Port of Antwerp and IIFT, stating, “This MoU will further solidify our efforts in capacity building and knowledge-sharing in trade facilitation.”
This collaboration builds on the longstanding relationship between IIFT and the Port of Antwerp, which began in 2019 with 206 students from the institute visiting the port for firsthand learning. As an integral part of IIFT’s curriculum, port visits have enriched students’ understanding of supply chain efficiencies, customs regulations, and global trade operations.
The event concluded with a commitment from both institutions to implement the objectives outlined in the MoU and work towards building a robust framework for academic and industry collaborations in international trade.
About IIFT: Established in 1963 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Commerce, the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) has gained Deemed University status and is one of the premier business institutions in India, focusing on Foreign Trade. It is highly regarded as an academic center of excellence in international business research, training, and education.
About APEC – Antwerp/Flanders Port Training Center: APEC is a leading training institute affiliated with the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, providing specialized programs in port management, trade facilitation, and logistics, contributing to global capacity building in the maritime and trade sectors.
Retired Justice Michael Wilson and Professor Vesselin Popovski hail PM Gati Shakti as a solution to global transportation challenges PM Shri Narendra Modi’s visionary leadership has enabled PM Gati Shakti to spur innovation and sustainability: Retired Justice Wilson
ODOP initiative set to transform India’s economy: Professor Popovski
Posted On: 03 MAR 2025 6:48PM by PIB Delhi
The PM Gati Shakti Experiential Centre at Bharat Mandapam is extraordinary and is an example of India’s brilliance and its cutting-edge technology combined in a way that celebrates the tradition of the country. This was stated by Justice Michael Wilson, former Supreme Court Judge of Hawaii, United States of America who visited the high-tech Centre at New Delhi today. Professor Vesselin Popovski of Soka University, Japan also called the experience absolutely spectacular and added that it captures the beauty, diversity and creativity of the Indian government.
Retired Justice Wilson expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for allowing him and his colleague Professor Vesselin Popovski to observe the cutting-edge approach to one of the international problems – transportation. He also remarked that the Experiential Centre provides hope to the world because it reflects immense dedication to the local heritage, artistry and shows at the same time that India understands sustainability.
Noting that Hawaii has been experiencing environmental and transportation problems, Mr. Wilson praised PM’s efforts in implementing PM Gati Shakti and said that the initiative will give citizens hope as it reflects dedication to the heritage, local artistry and also at the same time realises that we live in a planet that needs to be taken care of. Elaborating on the initiative, Mr. Wilson emphasised that PM Gati Shakti shows that the country with the biggest population can have faster modes of transportation if attention is given to best and sustainable practices. Idea of speed coupled with technology brings together international capital at the world stage, he said.
The dignitaries were given a tour of the PM Gati Shakti Experiential Centre in Bharat Mandapam by Shri Ramesh Verma, Deputy Secretary, Logistics Division, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). Speaking on his experience of the tour, Mr. Wilson remarked that the Experiential Centre captures the talent, expertise and the entrepreneurial spirit of the country to grow its economy that is sustainable.
Professor Vesselin, on his experience of the Centre, said that the 40-min experience at the Centre made him realise that India truly is a future global power. On One District One Product (ODOP), which is also showcased at the Centre, he said that the initiative will benefit the producers, consumers, suppliers and every stakeholder in the value chain. The ODOP also connects industries from agriculture, textile to manufacturing. It also is an opportunity for international investment, foreign consumers are also going to benefit from the initiative, he said. Professor Popovski also stressed on the young demographic of the country and pointed out that India’s educated youth have the capability to be the future of the world for the next 60 years.
The Gati Shakti Experiential Centre is a state-of-the-art audio-visual museum for PM Gati Shakti and the One District One Product (ODOP) scheme and has been developed at the ITPO Complex in New Delhi. Using cutting-edge technologies like a 270-degree screen and holographic displays, the centre will raise awareness about various initiatives on logistic and transportation showcasing their success.
PM Gati Shakti incorporates the infrastructure schemes of various Ministries and State Governments such as Bharatmala, Sagarmala, inland waterways, dry/land ports, and UDAN. This digital platform is designed to bring various Ministries, including Railways and Roadways, to ensure integrated planning and coordinated execution of infrastructure projects. The initiative aims to provide seamless and efficient connectivity for the movement of people, goods, and services across various modes of transport, thereby enhancing last-mile connectivity and reducing travel time.
PRESIDENT OF INDIA INAUGURATES VISITOR’S CONFERENCE 2024-25 PRESENTS VISITOR’S AWARDS 2023
YOU HAVE A CRUCIAL ROLE IN ACHIEVING THE GOAL OF ESTABLISHING INDIA AS AN IMPORTANT CENTRE OF THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY: PRESIDENT MURMU TO HEADS OF INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING
Posted On: 03 MAR 2025 6:45PM by PIB Delhi
The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the two-day Visitor’s Conference 2024-25 at Rashtrapati Bhavantoday (March 3, 2025). The President of India is the Visitor of 184 Central Institutes of Higher Education.
In her inaugural address, the President said that the level of development of any country is reflected in the quality of its education system. She told the heads of the institutions of higher learning that they have a crucial role in achieving the goal of establishing India as an important centre of the knowledge economy. She highlighted the need to pay a lot of attention to research along with education. She said that the Government of India has established the National Research Fund with a very good objective. She expressed confidence that institutions of higher learning would make good use of this important initiative and encourage research.
The President said that the ambition of our higher education community should be that researchers from our institutions get recognition at the world level, patents of our institutions can bring change in the world, and students from developed countries choose India as a preferred destination for higher education.
The President said that students from India enrich the world’s leading educational institutions and developed economies with their talent. She emphasised the need of making efforts to utilize their talent in our country. She stated that our national goal of establishing India as a Global Knowledge Super Power would be achieved only when the world community is eager to adopt the work being done in our laboratories.
The President said that many higher education institutions of our country have global brand value. The students of these institutions get big responsibilities in the best institutions and companies of the world. However, all our institutions should move ahead very fast. The leadership of heads of institutions of higher learning would be recognised by developing and utilising the immense talent of our large youth population.
The President said that along with excellence, social inclusion and sensitivity should also be an essential aspect of our education system. No economic, social, or psychological limitation of any kind should be a hindrance in getting higher education. She said that heads and teachers of institutions of higher learning should take care of young students, remove any insecurity from their minds and provide them moral and spiritual strength. She urged them to make every possible effort to provide counselling and inspiration to students and spread positive energy in the campuses.
The President said that our country has a rich tradition of scientific achievements. The branches and sub-branches of Indian knowledge and science have flourished in every region of the country. It would be very useful to rediscover the invaluable but extinct streams of knowledge and science by doing intense research. She stated that it is the responsibility of the higher education ecosystem to find ways to use such organically grown knowledge systems in today’s context.
The President said that educational institutions shape the future of the nation. Young students learn from the conduct of our policy makers, teachers, heads of institutions, and senior students. She expressed confidence that with their global thinking, the heads of higher learning institutions would prepare a generation of builders of a developed India.
During the inaugural session, the President presented the eighth Visitor’s Awards in the categories of Innovation, Research, and Technology Development.
· The Visitor’s Award for Innovation was given to Prof Saripella Srikrishna, Banaras Hindu University, for developing Novel Indigenous Innovation in Quantum Technology to boost the National Green Hydrogen Mission.
· The Visitor’s Award for Research in the field of Physical Sciences was conferred upon Prof Ashwini Kumar Nangia, University of Hyderabad, for his seminal research in the discovery and development of high bioavailability drugs and pharmaceuticals with enhanced efficacy at affordable cost.
· The Visitor’s Award for Research in Biological Sciences was jointly presented to Prof Rina Chakrabarti, University of Delhi and Prof Raj Kumar, Central University of Punjab. Prof Chakrabarti has been conferred the Award for her research contributions to Sustainable Freshwater Aquaculture while Prof Raj Kumar has been presented the Award for his research contributions to exploring various cancer hallmarks and the development of synthetic anticancer lead molecules.
· The Visitor’s Award for Technology Development was presented to Dr Venkateswarlu Chintala, Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya, for his research contributions to the petrol and diesel production at commercial scale from landfill municipal mixed plastic waste.
Tomorrow, the Conference will deliberate on issues such as – Flexibility in academic courses, Credit Sharing and Credit Transfer with multiple entry and exit options; Internationalisation efforts and collaboration; Translation Research and Innovation related to converting research or innovation into useful products and services; Effective student selection processes and respecting student choices in context of NEP; and Effective assessments and evaluation. The outcome of these deliberations will be presented before the President in the closing session of the Conference.
While women are working and earning more than ever before, they are now empowered with even more information to take into salary negotiations and to decide which companies to work for.
This information is especially valuable in a tight labour market, with the unemployment rate at just 4.1%, as companies fight for top talent.
This is the second year the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has published company gender pay gaps, responding to concerns that progress on gender equality had been stalling.
Pay gap transparency tackles the problem of “asymmetric information” where employers know where each worker sits on the pay scale, but employees don’t.
Data from 7,800 private companies
Women’s typical full-time annual salaries sat at A$72,638 in 2023–24, compared to men’s $84,048.
Though narrowing, that’s still a gap of $11,410 a year, or around $220 a week.
The gap is much larger once bonuses, overtime and superannuation are included: $18,835 or a total remuneration gap of 18.3%.
All private companies in Australia with at least 100 employees must report their data to the federal agency. This covers 5.3 million employees across 7,800 companies, a big expansion from last year’s 5,000 companies as more companies improve their data reporting.
Employees can look at the agency’s website to find the gender pay gap of their private sector employer – or one they are thinking of joining.
This year’s calculations of company gender pay gaps also incorporate the salaries of top executives.
When CEOs and heads of business are factored in, the difference in men’s and women’s average total remuneration swells to $28,435, or 21.8%.
This all adds up to men out-earning women by an average of $547 per week.
A closer look at company-level gender pay gaps
Across all companies, the average gender gap in total remuneration is 13.0%. But the magnitude varies widely across different companies.
Around 2,200 companies (around one-quarter) have a gap exceeding 20%. Of these, around 250 companies have a gap stretching beyond 40%.
At the other end, around one-quarter of companies have a gap that is either zero or negative, meaning in favour of women.
The agency considers a gender pay gap within the range of negative 5% to positive 5% to be a reasonable measure to aim for.
Of the largest organisations (with 5,000 or more employees), airlines are among the worst performers. Virgin has an average gender gap in total remuneration of 41.7% while Qantas reports a gap of 39.2%.
Among the banks, Commonwealth Bank and Westpac both report an average gender pay gap of 22.4%. Suncorp’s gap sits at 19.3%, NAB’s is at 19.0%, and ANZ has a gap of 18.8%.
Progress is happening
The purpose of publishing company pay gap data is to propel progress on gender equality in Australian workplaces.
It follows legislated reforms designed to motivate employers to pay closer attention to their gender pay gap and take more action.
Comparisons to last year’s data suggest this is happening. The agency reports that just over half of all employers (56%) reduced their gender pay gap. And 68% conducted an analysis of their gender pay gap, which is an important first step in making progress.
Greater transparency makes employers more accountable for improving working conditions.
It is also a way to recognise the companies that are improving over time and learn from their success.
Correct interpretation is critical
The gender pay gap, measured as the difference between men’s and women’s earnings, is not the same as equal pay for equal or comparable work. For over 50 years, it has been against the law in Australia to pay men and women differently for doing work of equal value.
Employer-level gaps in earnings reflects a combination of factors, including gender patterns in the different types of occupations that men and women tend to be in within a company. But these gender patterns in job types do not explain the whole picture.
Biases and barriers persist, including unconscious favouritism, gender imbalances in care-giving responsibilities and the perpetuation of gender stereotypes.
This is also not a gap that can be explained by women working fewer hours than men. The calculations include part-time employees, whose pay is converted into an annualised full-time equivalent.
Each employer has the chance to provide deeper analysis and explanation of their gender pay gap, and the actions they are taking, in their official employer statements which are also available on the agnecy’s website.
This information will empower not just current employees but also prospective employees, customers, business partners and the wider community in their choices of which companies to work for, do business with, and endorse – and which ones not to.
Leonora Risse receives research funding from the Trawalla Foundation and the Women’s Leadership Institute Australia. She has previously undertaken commissioned research for the Workplace Gender Equality Agency. She is a member of the Economic Society of Australia and the Women in Economics Network. She serves as an Expert Panel Member on gender pay equity for the Fair Work Commission.
In many countries, buying food at supermarkets, convenience stores and online has become the norm. But what’s the convenience of modern food shopping doing to our health?
Our study, published today with colleagues from UNICEF, looked at how people in 97 countries shopped for groceries over 15 years.
Globally, we found a huge increase in the number of supermarkets and convenience stores (which we’ll shorten to chain grocery stores in this article). We also found people are spending more money in these stores and on their online platforms.
But this has come at a cost to our health. People in countries with the most chain grocery stores per person buy more unhealthy food and are more likely to be obese.
Here’s why we’re so concerned about this public health disaster.
The rise of chain grocery stores
Our study analysed food industry data from a business database to understand how the food retail sector has changed worldwide over time. We looked at the kinds of stores, how much people spend there, and how much unhealthy processed food is sold. We linked these trends with changes in obesity rates using data from a large global initiative.
We found the density of chain grocery stores (number of stores per 10,000 people) has increased globally by 23.6% over 15 years (from 2009 to 2023).
We found far more of these stores per person in high-income countries, as you may expect. However, it’s in low- and middle-income countries where numbers are increasing the fastest.
Rapid urbanisation, rising incomes and customer demand mean large retail companies see these countries as new potential markets.
For example, the density of chain grocery stores increased by about 21% a year in Myanmar, about 18% a year in Vietnam and about 12% a year in Cambodia.
In Vietnam, the number of chain grocery stores increased by about 18% a year. Nature-Andy/Shutterstock
We’re shopping online too
The data in our study also covers the rise of online food shopping. For instance, the worldwide spend on online grocery shopping was 325% more in 2023 compared with 2014.
Out of the 27 countries we looked at for online food shopping, people in the United Arab Emirates and the United States were the top spenders. In 2023, the average person in the United Arab Emirates spent about US$617 that year, 570% more than in 2014. In the US, the average person spent US$387 in 2023. That’s about 125% more than in 2014.
The rise of chain grocery stores, including their online platforms, is also changing what we eat.
Over the 15 years of our study, there has been a 10.9% increase in the sales of unhealthy processed food from those chain grocery stores.
In South Asia, the increase has been particularly rapid. People in Pakistan have been buying 5% more unhealthy processed foods from chain grocery stores every year for the past 15 years. In India, it’s 4% more and in Bangladesh 3% more.
Over 15 years, our study also showed the percentage of people with obesity across all countries rose from 18.2% to 23.7%. It was the countries with the biggest increases in chain grocery stores where we saw the sharpest increases in obesity.
Laos is a good example. The number of chain grocery stores per person in the country has been increasing by 15% each year since 2009, while the percentage of people with obesity has doubled from 2009 to 2023.
In almost all countries, obesity is on the rise. In Australia, overweight and obesity have recently officially overtaken tobacco as the biggest burden on our health.
Over 15 years, there has been a 10.9% increase in the sales of unhealthy processed food globally. Pratiwi Ambarwati/Shutterstock
Why do we think supermarkets are to blame?
Supermarkets and hypermarkets sell healthy foods, such as fruit and vegetables. Yet, there are good reasons to think our retail environment might be to blame for the rise in obesity.
Highly processed foods
Chain grocery stores typically sell an enormous array of highly processed packaged foods high in sugar, fat and salt that can harm our health. One study of the food and drinks available in supermarkets from 12 countries showed the majority are classified as unhealthy. Given our findings of rapid increases in chain grocery in low- and middle-income countries, it was alarming in this study that the least healthy products were typically seen in supermarkets from countries like India, China and Chile.
Heavy promotion
Chain grocery stores often aggressively promote unhealthy foods. This includes through price discounting; advertising in circulars, on TV and social media; and by being placed in prominent displays at checkouts and the ends of aisles. Studies have shown this to be true in Belgium, Ireland and another 12 countries.
Online, we see unhealthy foods promoted more often (with discounts and displayed more prominently) than healthy options. For instance, on average at least one-third of products prominently displayed on Australian supermarket websites are unhealthy.
More buying power
Compared to small independent grocers, large chain grocery stores globally have a far larger influence on decisions around product assortment and price. Because of this, they can control supply chains, often in partnership with national and multi-national food manufacturers of ultra processed, unhealthy packaged foods.
What can we do about it?
There are many social, political, cultural and economic factors that contribute to the rise in obesity globally. Many of these relate to the price, availability and promotion of food in retail settings and the way the retail industry is structured.
Because of this, we think it’s time for governments and retailers to step up and start making changes to where and how we shop for food.
Some countries are already beginning to act. In the United Kingdom for example, government legislation now prevents placing unhealthy foods in prominent places such as the checkout counter and at the ends of aisles close to checkouts. From October this year, further restrictions on the price promotion of unhealthy foods (such as “buy one, get one free”) will also come into force in the UK.
There is also plenty that retailers can do. In Norway, for example, one major grocery chain launched a comprehensive healthy eating campaign several years ago, including by increasing the size and prominence of healthy food displays and offering discounts on fruits and vegetables. This led to a 42% increase in vegetable sales and a 25% rise in fruit sales from 2012 until 2020.
Now more than ever, it is time to create healthier retail food environments that support nutritious diets and help reverse the rising rates of obesity.
Tailane Scapin receives funding from UNICEF.
Adrian Cameron receives funding from the National Heart Foundation of Australia, the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and UNICEF. He is affiliated with INFORMAS (International Network for Food and Obesity / Non-communicable Diseases Research, Monitoring and Action Support) and is the Director of the RE-FRESH: Next Generation NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Food Retail Environments for Health.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon O’Connor, Professor in U.S. Politics and U.S. Foreign Relations, United States Studies Centre,, University of Sydney
Since returning to the US presidency, Donald Trump has outdone himself, gaining global media headlines and attention with outrageous statements and dramatic decisions.
The most consequential decision so far has been the freezing of many US aid and development programs. The freeze had an immediate impact. Even with some waivers now in place, it is likely that starving people in Ethiopia will not get the famine relief desperately needed; food is rotting in African harbours as constitutional battles over executive power are waged in Washington.
There are numerous examples of other reckless policy decisions. In terms of long term consequences, arguably the worst decision Trump has made is pulling the United States out of the Paris Agreement on climate change. He also wound back a slew of Biden administration policies while erasing the term “climate change” from various government websites.
Then there are Trump’s statements on Ukraine, Gaza and Panama. Last weekend, his treatment of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House meeting caused widespread dismay around the world, as Trump doubled down on his promotion of Putin’s talking points and Russian government interests.
So what’s Trump’s game plan?
With Trump, it is tempting to claim he is a chaos merchant with no plan or method to his madness. According to this view, when he is challenged or criticised, he will escalate the threats and increase the insults.
Therefore, conventional wisdom has it that the best way to deal with Trump is to flatter and humour him, then wait for his attention to be distracted by another prize. This understanding of Trump has been developed by international relations scholar Daniel Drezner into the “toddler-in-chief” thesis.
Psychological understandings of Trump are useful to a point, but it is worth remembering presidencies are run by vast administrations of people, departments and agencies, and not just one person. Moreover, an institution as large as the US Defense Department – with its two million employees and military bases in at least 80 countries around the world – has a near permanent mindset of its own. This, in turn, tends to make presidents as seemingly different as Obama and Trump custodians of many similar military policies and postures.
The way I have initially examined Trump in my own research is to see him as a hardline conservative nationalist who believes projecting US power with tough talk and reminding other nations of American military might is the best approach to world politics.
Previous Republican presidents, most notably George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan, adopted this so-called “cowboy” approach. It’s a posture that rejects the idea that the US is the leader of a liberal international order (a leadership role promoted by their Democratic party opponents).
My starting point for analysis sees continuities between Reagan, Bush and Trump, and highlights their arrogance and ignorance when it comes to dealing with the rest of the world.
Similar, but different
However, there are some things about Trump that are clearly different and distinct. Before his second term, the most unusual aspect of Trump’s foreign policy approach was the volume and range of his scattergun rhetoric towards other leaders and nations. For example, he threatened North Korea with “fire and fury and, frankly, power, the likes of which this world has never seen before”, but later told a rally of supporters that, “We fell in love. No, really. He wrote me beautiful letters.”
As for academic perspectives that might help us better understand what kind of politician Trump is and what his next moves might be, the obvious label is “crudely transactional”. His attitude to most minor and middle powers seems to be “what have you done for me lately?” or “why does America owe your nation anything?”.
When it comes to Russia, and potentially China, there has been speculation Trump is adopting a geopolitical approach with parallels to the “great game” of the 19th century. The “great game” is another way of saying imperialism, and this is a largely underused way of describing American foreign policy in general and the second Trump administration in particular.
Then there is the question of whether the (other) “f-word” is a useful way to understand Trump and Trumpism: are his rhetoric and his domestic and international policies fascist? They are definitely ultra-nationalist and racist, which are two key components of fascism; Trumpism revolves around a charismatic leader that has enough in common with fascist Italy and Nazi Germany to make opponents of Trump justifiably nervous. But does Trumpism have the other key element of fascism: mob or state violence that is at times directed at scapegoated enemies?
There is certainly an embrace of revenge and cruelty by Trump in general, which is being carried out in practice by Musk’s DOGE project. However, whether it is useful to call the second Trump administration fascist, or just fascistic for now, is a complex question within scholarly circles.
Five weeks into the second Trump administration, and many of the most destructive ideas that were laid out last year in the unofficial campaign manifesto Project 2025 are being put into place. It has been a long-term dream of many hardline conservatives to gut America’s foreign aid and development programs, which is now happening at a frightening pace.
What lies ahead that turns rhetoric into reality is hard to entirely predict, but many of Trump’s utterances this year have clearly been imperialistic and fascistic. Trump does not have to ignore the constitution or be a textbook fascist to be a terribly dangerous president. Being an authoritarian, which he has no qualms about embracing, is worrying enough.
Brendon O’Connor 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 question of how best to eliminate corruption has exercised the minds of philosophers as much as the practical drafters of legislation from Ancient Greek and Roman times.
Within the political sphere, the notion of “corruption” has fluctuated between broad and narrow conceptions.
The broad conception relates to the decay of institutions or of the stature of the individuals who comprise them. On the other hand, the narrow conception focuses on the abuse of public office for private gain.
There is also “grey corruption” – which involves questionable behaviour involving a breach of integrity standards that does not necessarily amount to criminal conduct.
This could include where a person has undue influence over a politician, such as by essentially buying that power through making large donations or hiring expensive lobbyists, particularly where it causes public officials to behave in corrupt ways.
However the notion is defined, it is clear the fight against corruption is one of the basic tasks of a liberal democracy, perhaps even of an effectively functioning civil society.
Corruption control is a pressing issue worldwide: the United Nations estimated the economic cost of corruption at 5% of global domestic product or $3.6 trillion annually.
Australia has had a number of major corruption scandals throughout its history. Corruption was rife in the colonial era, where wealthy landholders sought to influence parliamentarians with monetary bribes.
This has been followed by several major corruption scandals, such as the Fitzgerald inquiry, which revealed widespread police corruption involving illegal gambling and prostitution.
What are anti-corruption commissions?
Anti-corruption commissions are arguably the most significant tool developed in liberal democracies to fight corruption in recent times.
The first anti-corruption commission in Australia, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), was established in New South Wales in 1988 by then premier Nick Greiner.
Infamously, a few years later, Greiner became the first premier to resign due to an ICAC investigation.
Over the next few decades, all states and territories have set up their own anti-corruption or integrity commissions.
In 2023, the Commonwealth followed suit with the introduction of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), a promise made by Anthony Albanese in the lead-up to the 2022 election after considerable pressure from the public and from within parliament.
As a result, Australia now has a comprehensive network of broad-based public sector anti-corruption agencies covering all levels of government – a significant development nationally and internationally.
Anti-corruption commissions are tasked with investigating serious and systemic corrupt conduct in government. This includes not just members of the House and Senate, but their staff and public servants.
In performing their functions, these commissions have strong coercive powers, equivalent to the powers of a royal commission. This includes the power to compel documents and witnesses.
Some anti-corruption commissions such as the NACC and NSW’s ICAC have the power to conduct public hearings if they believe it’s in the public interest. This increases transparency in government. But concerns have been expressed about reputational damage for those subject to investigations.
Anti-corruption commissions also have corruption prevention functions. They are tasked with educating the public about the detrimental effects of corruption on public administration.
Reports of anti-corruption commissions are often attended by significant media publicity, leading to public awareness of corruption in government.
Why are anti-corruption commissions needed?
It has become well accepted that effective anti-corruption institutions play an important role as institutions supporting constitutional democracy.
The state anti-corruption bodies have brought to light many indiscretions by politicians that would have otherwise remained hidden.
Without these commissions, corruption in the public sector can take root without us knowing about it. An anti-corruption agency is a powerful deterrent against improper behaviour.
Yet anti-corruption commissions tend to be unpopular within governments because they scrutinise government action. This means the a commission may expose improper conduct or corruption within their ranks.
It is common for governments hostile to anti-corruption commissions to attack them, including by reducing their powers or funding.
This is despite their integral role in our democracy. Alongside other oversight bodies such as the ombudsman (who investigates maladministration within government) and auditor-general (who performs audits of government expenditure), anti-corruption commissions form part of an intricate, interlocking integrity framework that monitors executive action.
Who watches the watchdogs?
A big question is about how we ensure anti-corruption commissions do not overstep their bounds. Given their broad coercive powers, how do we hold them to account?
From their inception, concerns have been expressed about the potential for anti-corruption bodies to infringe on civil liberties, and the possibility they may exceed or abuse their powers.
In Australia, anti-corruption commissions are subject to a strong system of accountability through parliaments and the courts. They report to dedicated parliamentary committees who scrutinise their actions and decisions. Complaints against anti-corruption commissions can be made to a dedicated inspectorate – an independent statutory officer who oversees their actions.
Anti-corruption commissions are also subject to judicial review by the courts to ensure they don’t exceed their legal boundaries. Court scrutiny occurs when a person investigated by an anti-corruption commission takes their grievance to court.
To be effective, anti-corruption commissions require strong powers and institutional independence. But this needs to be balanced with accountability and the protection of individual rights.
What is pork barrelling and what are some recent examples?
Pork barrelling involves governments channelling public funds to seats they hold or seats they would like to win from an opponent, as a way of winning voters’ favour. This means the money is used for political purposes, rather than proper allocation according to merit.
We have been inundated with pork barrelling scandals in recent years. This includes the car park rorts scandal, where 77% of the commuter car park sites selected were in electorates held by the then Coalition government, rather than in areas of real need with congestion issues.
This followed close on the heels of the “sports rorts” scandal. Minister Bridget McKenzie resigned from cabinet following allegations she had intervened in the sport grants program to benefit the Coalition government while in a position of conflict of interest.
My research has shown that pork barrelling is an intractable problem across multiple governments over many decades. It takes different forms based on electoral systems.
Australia has a single member electorate parliamentary system, which makes it more susceptible to pork barrelling than multi-member electorates such as Norway or Spain. The belief is that politicians who “bring home the bacon” for their constituents are electorally rewarded for doing so.
This means there are incentives for the central cabinet to strategically apportion benefits to marginal electorates to increase prospects of electoral success. There is also an incentive to bias the apportionment of funds towards the party in power.
In short, rorts scandals keep happening because governments believe that channelling money to marginal and government electorates will win them elections.
Potentially the NACC could investigate rorts scandals, but only where it amounts to serious or systemic corrupt conduct.
How do we fix the grants system?
At the federal level, we have sophisticated financial management legislation that provides a framework for grant rules. The Commonwealth grant rules provide a detailed set of guidelines that ministers and government officials must follow on grant application and selection processes.
However, there are significant loopholes in the rules. For example, the “car park rorts” scandal is not covered by these rules because it involves money being channelled through the states.
Also, there are no sanctions for breaching the rules. So ministers and government officials can break the rules without any repercussions.
To fix the system, we need to reform the rules about grants allocation and close the loopholes. We also need to impose punishment for breaching the rules.
It is imperative our grants administration system be reformed to ensure that taxpayer funds are protected from governmental abuse. If the ministerial discretion available in grants processes is improperly used, this can give rise to political favouritism and corruption.
How corrupt is Australia compared to other countries?
There is a public perception that a small elite is reaping large benefits in Australian society in terms of political influence and its flow-on dividends.
In Australia, the “game of mates” is flourishing. There’s now a revolving door in politics with many politicians, advisers and senior government officials leaving the public sector to become well-paid lobbyists.
Add to that the appointments of political “mates” to commissions, tribunals and cushy ambassadorships and the blatant misuse of parliamentary entitlements such as helicopter trips on taxpayer funds.
Political parties are also accepting millions of dollars in donations from lobbyists and others interested in influencing policy outcomes.
All of this adds to the perception that the system is rigged – and not in favour of the person on the street.
Australia has fallen steadily in Transparency International’s global corruption index, from 8th place in 2012 to 14th in 2024. But even so, Australia is the 14th-least corrupt country in the world, which is still a respectable ranking.
More alarming is the fact that one in 30 Australian public servants said in a survey last year they had seen a colleague acting in a corrupt manner.
The types of corruption witnessed included cronyism or nepotism (favourable treatment of friends or family members without proper regard to merit). Fraud, forgery, embezzlement and conflicts of interest were also reported.
In the 1980s, there were incidences of large-scale corruption that rocked the country, culminating in the Fitzgerald Inquiry in Queensland and the WA Inc Royal Commission in Western Australia. These scandals led to the resignations and imprisonments of various former ministers and officials.
Although we have not sunk to such depths since then, state anti-corruption commissions, such as the NSW ICAC, have uncovered various instances of corruption in recent years. The NSW ICAC’s inquiries have led to the resignations of several politicians, as well as the conviction of former Labor MP Eric Obeid.
Another classic case of corruption exposed by the ICAC led to the downfall of former Newcastle lord mayor, Jeff McCloy. McCloy famously bragged that politicians treated him like a “walking ATM” and admitted to giving two MPs envelopes of cash amounting to $10,000.
In Victoria, the Independent Broad-Based Anti-Corruption Commission’s (IBAC) revealed that a lobbyist funnelled suitcases of cash totalling more than $100,000 from a property developer to a councillor, under the guise of sham transactions.
These explosive scandals involving corrupt conduct by public officials have eroded public trust in politicians. But the exposure of these scandals by anti-corruption commissions have an important deterrent and educative effect on public officials and the broader public.
Our faith in government has been eroded by a lack of transparency and the perception that those in power are enjoying unfair benefits. The active investigations by robust institutions such as anti-corruption commissions will act as checks and balances on governmental power – and are key to a vibrant democracy.
This is an edited extract from How Australian Democracy Works, a new book from leading authors at The Conversation on all aspects of our political system and its history, out March 4.
Yee-Fui Ng 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.
Some of the objects captured by ASKAP.Author provided
Radio astronomers see what the naked eye can’t. As we study the sky with telescopes that record radio signals rather than light, we end up seeing a lot of circles.
The newest generation of radio telescopes – including the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) and MeerKAT, a telescope in South Africa – is revealing incredibly faint cosmic objects, never before seen.
In astronomy, surface brightness is a measure that tells us how easily visible an object is. The extraordinary sensitivity of MeerKAT and ASKAP is now revealing a new “low surface brightness universe” to radio astronomers. It’s comprised of radio sources so faint they have never been seen before, each with their own unique physical properties.
Many of the ASKAP results presented here were obtained with one of its major observing programs called EMU (Evolutionary Map of the Universe). EMU is mapping the entire southern sky with an unprecedented sensitivity and will deliver the most detailed map of the southern hemisphere sky to date – a spectacular new radio atlas that will be used for decades to come.
EMU’s all-hemisphere coverage paired with ASKAP’s exceptional sensitivity, especially within the Milky Way, is what’s yielded so many recent discoveries.
Here’s what they’re teaching us.
Unstable stars
Kyklos (left) and WR16 (r). Author provided
The ghostly ring Kýklos (from the Greek κύκλος, circle or ring) and the object WR16 both show the environment of rare and unusual celestial objects known as Wolf-Rayet stars.
When big stars are close to running out of fuel, they become unstable as they enter one of the last stages of the stellar life cycle, becoming a Wolf-Rayet star. They begin surging and pulsing, shedding their outer layers which can form bright nebulous structures around the star.
In these objects, a previous outflow of material has cleared the space around the star, allowing the current outburst to expand symmetrically in all directions. This sphere of stellar detritus shows itself as a circle.
Exploded stars
Left to right clocwise: the supernova remnants Stingray 1, Perun, Ancora and Unicycle. Author provided
Stingray 1, Perun, Ancora and Unicycle are supernova remnants. When a big star finally runs out of fuel, it can no longer hold back the crush of gravity. The matter falling inwards causes one final explosion, and the remains of these violent star deaths are known as supernovas.
Their expanding shockwaves sweep up material into an expanding sphere, forming beautiful circular features.
The supernova remnant will be deformed by its environment over time. If one side of the explosion slams into an interstellar cloud, we’ll see a squashed shape. So, a near-perfect circle in a messy universe is a special find.
Teleios – named from the Greek Τελεɩοσ (“perfect”) for its near-perfectly circular shape – is shown below. This unique object has never been seen in any wavelength, including visible light, demonstrating ASKAP’s incredible ability to discover new objects.
The shape indicates Teleios has remained relatively untouched by its environment. This presents us with an opportunity to make inferences about the initial supernova explosion, providing rare insight into one of the most energetic events in the universe.
ASKAP EMU radio image of the Teleios supernova remnant. Author provided
At the other extreme, we can take an object and discover something entirely new about it. The Diprotodon supernova remnant is shown below.
This remnant is one of the largest objects in the sky, appearing approximately six times larger than the Moon. Hence the name: the animal Diprotodon, one of Australia’s most famous megafauna, a giant wombat that lived about 25,000 years ago.
ASKAP’s sensitivity has uncovered the object’s full extent. This discovery led to further analysis, uncovering more of the history and the physics behind this object. The messy internal structure can be seen as different parts of the expanding shell slam into a busy interstellar environment.
ASKAP radio image of Diprotodon, a supernova remnant. Green circle shows the previous measured size, and the yellow circle shows the new ASKAP measured size. Earth’s Moon size is shown in the top right for scale, and Diprotodon’s namesake is shown in the top left. Author provided
A cosmic mirror
Lagotis is another object that can show how new telescope data can reclassify previously discovered objects. The reflection nebula VdB-80 has been seen before, within the plane of our Milky Way galaxy. The light we see was emitted by nearby stars, and then reflected off a nearby cloud of gas and dust.
Lagotis, with its cloud of ionised hydrogen or HII region seen on the right. Author provided
However, with newly available ASKAP EMU data, we were able to discover an associated cloud of ionised hydrogen (known as an HII region, pronounced “aitch two”), where stellar energy has caused the gaseous matter to lose its electrons.
This HII region is seen to coexist with the reflection nebula, sharing the same stellar centre, and is created from the star pushing into a molecular cloud. This movement is akin to burrowing, so the object earned the name Lagotis after Macrotis lagotis, the Australian greater bilby.
Outside the galaxy
ASKAP and MeerKAT are also illuminating objects from outside our Milky Way galaxy – for example, “radio ring” galaxies. When we use visible light to look at the stars in this galaxy, we see a rather plain disk.
But in radio light, we see a ring. Why is there a hole in the middle? Perhaps the combined force of many exploding supernovas has pushed all the radio-emitting clouds out of the centre. We’re not sure – we’re looking for more examples to test our ideas.
Finally, LMC-ORC is an Odd Radio Circle (ORC), a prominent new class of objects with unfamiliar origins. Only being visible in radio light, they are perhaps the most mysterious of all.
A radio ring galaxy (left) and LMC-ORC (r). Author provided
The next generation
MeerKAT and ASKAP are revealing incredible insights into the low surface brightness universe. However, they are precursors for the Square Kilometre Array, an international collaborative endeavour that will increase the abilities of radio astronomers and reveal even more unique features of the universe.
The low-surface brightness universe presents many mysteries. These discoveries push our understanding further. Currently, the EMU survey using ASKAP is only 25% complete.
As more of this survey becomes available, we will discover many more unique and exciting objects, both new to astrophysics and extensions on previously known objects.
Acknowledgements: Aaron Bradley and Zachary Smeaton, Masters Research Students at Western Sydney University, made valuable contributions to this article.
Nicholas Tothill receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
Andrew Hopkins, Luke Barnes, and Miroslav Filipovic 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.
Have you ever been called a Luddite? We have – usually as an insult, rooted in a popular misconception that Luddites are anti-progress fanatics.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The original 19th century Luddites weren’t against technology. Rather, they resisted its oppressive use.
Their rebellion was violently suppressed. But their core critique lives on: technology should benefit all of humanity, not a privileged few.
Today, as Silicon Valley billionaires and United States president Donald Trump turbocharge corporate control of public digital infrastructure, this critique rings truer than ever.
In response, we are a seeing a growing surge of attempts to wrest back control of technology for democratic ends. This is a kind of “digital Luddism” which echoes past struggles against high-tech injustice.
The original Luddites
The Luddites were 19th century English textile workers who destroyed machinery threatening their craft and livelihoods. Historians call their tactics “collective bargaining by riot”. They were fighting against technologies that centralised power and stripped workers of dignity.
Luddite resistance was part of broader struggles for labour rights and socioeconomic justice.
Earlier, England’s Diggers and Levellers resisted the privatisation of communal lands. This foreshadowed today’s battles over corporate control of digital infrastructure.
The Luddites faced severe punishment, including imprisonment and even execution. Despite this, their legacy endures. Today, dismissing critics of Big Tech as “Luddites” repeats the mistake of conflating resistance to exploitation with fear of progress.
In the most extreme scenario, unchecked corporate power allied with monstrous government polices can lead to atrocities. In Nazi Germany, for example, Dehomag, a former subsidiary of computer giant IBM, provided data systems to the Nazis to track victims. Chemical company IG Farben also supplied Zyklon B gas for extermination camps. Many other companies profited from forced labour and funded the regime. This shows how complicity can make oppression more efficient.
Digital Luddism doesn’t reject innovation. It demands technology serve stakeholders, not shareholders.
Removal: dismantling entrenched power
Some systems are beyond reform, requiring direct intervention. Removal involves political action and legal regulation. It also involves public pressure to break monopolies or impose penalties on unethical corporations.
Big Tech has also repeatedly faced huge fines and antitrust lawsuits. However, breaking up or nationalising these corporations remains rhetoric for now.
But digital Luddism isn’t just about using different tools. It’s about systemic change towards sustainable, transparent and user-controlled infrastructure.
Open-source AI projects such as China’s DeepSeek and HuggingFace’s Deep Research now rival corporate models, proving open tech is a force to reckon with.
The original Luddites smashed machines. But the global nature of today’s digital infrastructure makes physical sabotage impractical. That’s why digital Luddism isn’t about smashing screens. Instead, it’s about smashing oppressive systems.
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 Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth
March 03, 2025
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the Executive Director of the Illinois Head Start Association Lauri Morrison-Frichtl will be her guest to President Donald Trump’s Joint Address to Congress as part of the Senator’s ongoing efforts to push back against Trump’s illegal funding freeze that continues to inflict needless chaos, confusion and financial pain on Head Start programs and the middle-class families they serve throughout Illinois. With over 37 years of experience with Head Start, Executive Director Morrison-Frichtl is a steadfast leader and advocate for the wellbeing of the thousands of children and families in our state who face the most significant barriers to achieving success in school and in life. Additionally, nearly 70% of Illinois Head Start and Early Head Start parents are in the workforce and rely on Head Start’s programs in order to go to their jobs—allowing them to support their families and contribute to our economy. An official portrait photo of Illinois Head Start Executive Director Lauri Morrison-Frichtl can be found on the Senator’s website.
“Despite running on the promise that he would lower costs for middle-class Americans, Donald Trump’s illegal funding freeze is hurting the same families he swore he’d protect by jeopardizing the Head Start programs so many rely on,” Duckworth said. “Leaders like Lauri Morrison-Frichtl are on the frontlines of Trump’s needless chaos—which is continuing to cause irreversible damage and jeopardize Illinois Head Start’s ability to serve thousands of children and families. I’m proud to have Lauri Morrison-Frichtl as my guest to the Joint Address to remind middle-class Americans and this Administration just how critical Head Start services are—not only for working parents trying to make ends meet, but also for the next generation of students. We cannot let Trump and Republicans tear down this lifeline for families in order to fund tax cuts for billionaires—full stop.”
“I am deeply honored to be invited as Senator Duckworth’s guest for the Joint Address to Congress,” said Morrison-Frichtl. “As the Executive Director of the Illinois Head Start Association, I’ve seen firsthand the transformative power of Head Start in creating safe, nurturing environments where children can thrive and in empowering parents to pursue meaningful employment across the great state of Illinois. However, recent disruptions and uncertainties around federal funding have created significant anxiety and stress among our parents, staff, and communities across Illinois. We are committed to navigating these challenges and ensuring that the bureaucratic hurdles do not undermine the trust that families, staff, and children place in our programs. The work we do is critical. I am honored to work with Senator Duckworth and other elected officials to support our children and families and champion the rights they need and deserve.”
Earlier this month, Duckworth joined Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, parents, teachers and staff at Two Rivers Head Start in Elgin to underscore how Trump’s illegal funding freeze is continuing to cause financial setbacks for Head Start programs in Illinois. As a result, many Head Start agencies across the state remain unsure about how they’ll be able to provide food and resources to the kids in their care or whether they’ll have to shut down altogether.
Lauri Morrison-Frichtl is the Executive Director of the Illinois Head Start Association. With a Master of Science degree in Education from Western Michigan University, Lauri brings over 37 years of experience working with Head Start, Early Head Start, and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs. She has further enriched her professional expertise through participation in the UCLA Johnson & Johnson Management Fellows Program and the Nike Leadership Institute.
In 2019, Lauri was honored with the prestigious Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award by the Illinois Head Start community. She has also developed local and national training curricula for both Head Start and child care programs. Known for her dedication and passion, Lauri is a compassionate leader who is deeply committed to the mission of Head Start and continually advocates for the success and well-being of children and families served by Illinois Head Start and Early Head Start programs.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has named Paul W. Brown as the special agent in charge of the Atlanta Field Office. Mr. Brown most recently served as the special agent in charge of the Mobile Field Office.
Mr. Brown joined the FBI as a special agent in 2006 and was first assigned to the Bedford Resident Agency in New Hampshire.
In 2012, Mr. Brown was promoted to supervisory special agent and moved to the Counterterrorism Division at FBI Headquarters. He was promoted to unit chief in 2013 and served as a program manager over U.S.-based international terrorism investigations.
Mr. Brown transferred in 2015 to the Jacksonville Field Office, where he led the North Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force.
In 2018, Mr. Brown was selected to serve as the assistant special agent in charge of cyber, counterintelligence, and crisis response programs of the Phoenix Field Office. He left in 2019 when he was promoted to section chief and appointed director of the FBI’s High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group.
Mr. Brown was promoted again in 2020 to deputy assistant director of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate. In 2022, he moved to Alabama to serve as the special agent in charge of the Mobile Field Office.
Prior to joining the FBI, Mr. Brown served as an officer in the U.S. Army and worked as a business consultant for a multinational professional services company. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Western Illinois University and an MBA from Tarleton State University in Texas.
Does your small toe hide beneath the next its next-door neighbour? Although there isn’t scientific evidence this condition known as “Irish pinky toe” is more common in Ireland, it’s a popular idea that it’s a genetic trait among some people with Celtic heritage. And as podiatrists in Ireland, it is certainly something we see every day.
An Irish pinky toe may look unusual, cause pain or increase your chances of losing it altogether. Added pressure on the toe or toenail can also cause corns, calluses, thickened toenails and even ulcers that may lead to amputation.
If you’ve ever thought, “What is wrong with that little toe?” or “Why don’t I have a nail on that toe?” then here’s why you might need to take extra care to avoid potential wounds – and even amputation – in future. Fortunately, toe amputations are a relatively rare occurrence but can be offered if the toe continues to cause pain after all other treatments have been tried or if there is infection or gangrene.
Because an Irish pinky toe sits under the one beside it and often rotates, this can cause pressure on the neighbouring toe. If two bones or joints are pressed close together, this may cause the skin to thicken and result in a corn.
This might also happen if the little toenail irritates the skin and, if the nail is long or sharp, this might pierce the skin and cause a wound or an infection.
The little toe and toenail may also rub up against the lining of your shoes, leading to painful friction blisters or shoes that wear out quickly. Wellington boots may be ideal for music festivals and the rainy Irish weather but don’t tend to fit very well, causing the foot to slide about inside.
Repeated friction or trauma may even damage the nail matrix, the part that makes nail, attached to the bone. This could lead to permanent thickening of the nail, that may become unsightly and cause pain.
The “Irish pinky toenail” is similar. This is when the toenail may split in two or an extra nail-like skin lesion develops. Sometimes, it may look like you have two nails, a condition described by podiatrists as a petaloid nail or a Lister’s or Durlacher corn. It’s difficult to determine how common petaloid nails are because they’re underdiagnosed and rarely reported.
What can I do?
Whatever your heritage, show your pinky toes some love and avoid future problems by trying to avoid tight footwear, especially boots with a firm toe, such as steel toe caps, court shoes, or any shoe with an unforgiving fabric such as a patent finish.
Some people might throw on any old socks in the morning but ill-fitting socks can contribute to problem foot health – socks that do not stretch, or have heavy seams, may increase the pressure on your pinky toes. Pain or problems may be caused by the toe itself or, perhaps, a sock seam, rigid fabric or the style of shoe. It’s worth investing in high quality, breathable fabrics for socks, such as cotton or bamboo.
If you have to wear specific safety footwear for your job, such as in farming and construction, you may find higher quality, thicker socks are better than boots with thick fabrics in the toe, that will wear down over time. Perhaps also consider investing in a silicone-lined toe sleeve, which acts like a hat for your toes and protects them from the pressure of footwear.
Alternatively, it’s possible “prop the toe” by making custom supports. We do this by creating a silicone device which lifts the toe off the ground, separates tight toes or improves the toes position, to avoid future problems. For existing corns, callus or wounds, it’s best to get a trained specialist who can remove excess nail or skin painlessly with a blade to reduce discomfort.
Irish pinky toes don’t always always cause pain, but if they do, there are ways to reduce it, one step at a time.
Lauren Connell is the owner of L.A Podiatry.
Benjamin Bullen 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 – UK – By Daniel O’Brien, Lecturer, Department of Literature Film and Theatre Studies, University of Essex
Director Miloš Forman’s masterpiece, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, turns 50 this year. Despite this milestone, it remains a fresh and timeless piece of cinema from the New Hollywood movement.
Combining iconic performances and universal themes of individualism versus the establishment, Forman’s film is perhaps Jack Nicholson’s greatest performance. He plays Randle Patrick McMurphy, a charismatic convict feigning mental illness in order to serve his sentence at a psychiatric hospital and avoid prison labour.
Here, he becomes an unlikely leader to the ward’s patients, helping them to discover self-belief and confidence. He also attempts to steer them away from the regime of the cold and oppressive nurse, Mildred Ratched, brilliantly played by Louise Fletcher. Fletcher’s performance earned her an Oscar for best actress (along with best actor for Nicholson, and three other wins for best picture, director and adapted screenplay).
The trailer for One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.
Forman’s film achieves the seemingly impossible by having the audience root for a morally corrupt character (McMurphy’s convictions include statutory rape). This detail is mentioned just once, early in the film, and is seemingly forgotten in order to reorient him as an unlikely saviour, rather than unsavoury character. Nicholson’s magnetism certainly helps.
Scenes of the anti-hero warmly bonding with his fellow male patients are in stark contrast to the bureaucratic iciness of Ratched, who coldly controls the men of the asylum.
The hospital ward becomes the metaphorical arena for a battle between individual and establishment. The timeliness of this story – and of the problematic treatment of mental health patients – is one of the reasons the film remains so timeless.
Another is the significant role that games play in bringing the group of outsiders together.
The magic circle
Johan Huizinga was one of the first cultural theorists to analytically consider the role of games, describing play as a type of “magic circle”.
This was because it marked out a separate space from the rest of the world. Examples of this term can range from the football pitch to the card table or even a stage, where an audience gather to watch a play, rarely crossing the invisible line.
Huizinga’s term carved out a separate area purely for those players involved in the act of play. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, McMurphy galvanises his fellow patients through play, teaching them a range of games from blackjack to basketball. He introduces some of them to baseball through his endeavour to watch the World Series on television, forbidden by Ratchet’s ward policy.
Games and play in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. By Daniel O’Brien.
As he opens these magical circles to his ward-mates, so the confidence of his peers grows, animated with joy and camaraderie. The strict bureaucratic rules from Ratched are filtered with rules from games. McMurphy becomes a reluctant leader, initialling conning the men, but then desperately trying to help them live.
Another moment of play occurs when McMurphy dupes his way into taking the patients out on a fishing trip. He impersonates a doctor and passes the patients off as his colleagues.
In the fishing boat scene, one of the most optimistic within the film (and the only one that takes place away from the hospital grounds), the patients come together like a family. McMurphy is the metaphorical father, teaching them how to bait a hook.
The film circumvents this obvious opportunity for McMurphy’s escape. He instead chooses to offer a form of escape to his companions, enabling them to see what freedom and independence looks like, if only for an afternoon.
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Play of course is also a central factor in McMurphy’s presence at the hospital from the beginning. It’s left uncertain whether or not he is simulating mental illness in order to avoid a tougher sentence.
Viewers are reminded of this pretence after McMurphy is forced to undergo electroshock therapy. He returns to the ward acting as though he is now cognitively impaired, before flashing the classic Nicholson grin, which lights him up (to paraphrase McMurphy himself) like a pinball machine.
His play is often weaponised as an attack on Ratched and her rules – or perhaps even on her entire gender. McMurphy’s deck of erotic playing cards is often presented at moments of play to remind us of his unbridled sexuality and ambiguous morality.
But of course, this film isn’t just about McMurphy or Ratched. It’s an ensemble film, beautifully performed by outstanding actors, including Will Sampson, Christopher Lloyd, Brad Dourif and Danny DeVito.
The film has been parodied many times, from The Simpsons to British sitcom Spaced, reminding viewers over many years of its cultural significance. In 2008 one of its original stars, DeVito, parodied the film in his sitcom, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Fifty years on, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest has lost none of its power. So find a copy and hit play for a rewatch; its still as fresh as a new pack of Juicy Fruit.
Daniel O’Brien 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 – UK – By Sarah Lonsdale, Senior Lecturer in Journalism, City St George’s, University of London
Ferryland lighthouse near Labrador in the Canadian Arctic, an area mapped by Mina Hubbard in 1905. Nagel Photography
In the summer of 1905, a young Canadian widow, Mina Hubbard, set out on an expedition to map the northeastern corner of Labrador, from Lake Melville up to Ungava Bay, an inlet of the Arctic Ocean. It was an unusual challenge for a former nurse who had left school at 16.
Her husband, Leonidas Hubbard, had died in this same harsh environment two years earlier. Mina, 35, intended to complete his work.
Although she faced physical dangers on the 600-mile journey – starvation, bears, freezing rivers and rapids – her greatest antagonists were the reporters and editors of the male-dominated outdoors press of early 20th-century north America.
The popular Outing magazine, for whom Leonidas Hubbard had written, was the most excoriating. Its editor, Caspar Whitney, thundered in an editorial that “the widow” should not be in the wilderness, let alone speak about it.
The wild was no place for a white woman, especially one accompanied by First Nation (Native American) guides. This was not long after she had given an interview to another paper.
Mina Hubbard in northern Labrador.
Other newspapers described her as a grief-stricken hysteric. This was the only explanation they could find for her decision to go on such a long and arduous journey. When she was 300 miles into her expedition, having found the source of the Naskaupi River, the New York Times reported on its front page that she had given up, beaten back by hardship and privations.
Instead the paper claimed that a man, an explorer called Dillon Wallace who was also in northern Labrador, was “pushing forward beyond any white man’s previous track”. In fact, Hubbard had neither given up, nor had Wallace caught up with her. She would reach Ungava Bay several weeks before his party. But it fitted the dominant narrative of the time: that the wilderness was no place for a woman.
I explore the idea of what the wild is, and of its being a gendered space, in my new book, Wildly Different: How Five Women Reclaimed Nature in a Man’s World. From ancient myths such as Ulysses or Gilgamesh, to the present where research shows that women face harassment and othering even on remote Antarctic bases, the wild has for centuries been a site of heroic male adventuring and rugged exploration.
Studies show that even in modern hunting societies, while women tend forest plots and hunt small game near the village or camp, it is the men who go away, often for many days, to hunt for big game and status.
Myths from across the world have told listeners and readers that women who stray beyond the city wall, village paling or encampment are either supernatural, monsters, or have been banished for perceived sins against society.
In the Greek myth of Polyphonte, the young girl who refuses to follow the correct gender role to become a wife and mother, and wants instead to hunt in the forest, is treated to a terrible punishment from the gods. She is tricked into falling in love with a bear-turned-man and gives birth to two bestial children. She and her sons are then transformed into flesh-eating birds.
In a more recent echo of the media coverage of Mina Hubbard’s journey, in Kenya in the 1980s and 1990s, the environmental activist Wangari Maathai was attacked and belittled. She even had a curse put on her for planting trees in forests earmarked for development by the country’s then president, Daniel arap Moi, and for challenging Moi’s plans to build a skyscraper in one of Nairobi’s last green spaces.
At the height of Maathai’s confrontation with President Moi, the Daily Nation newspaper repeated criticism of both Maathai and her Green Belt Movement organisation. Headlines included: “MPs condemn Prof Maathai” and “MPs want Maathai movement banned”. Her crime? Wanting to slow disastrous desertification and soil erosion, and to empower rural women by planting 30 million trees.
When British mountaineer Alison Hargreaves was killed in the Himalayas in 1995, reporting focused on her being a mother and wife. Historical newspaper records I found during my research roundly accused her of abandoning her primary role of caring for her children.
The Sunday Times called her “A mother obsessed”, while the Independent led with the headline, “Dangerous ambition of a woman on the peaks”. The Daily Telegraph headline read, “A wife driven to high challenges”. Readers’ letters were even more critical, branding her as selfish and irresponsible.
A novelty nail file
Women who have received neutral or positive coverage for their work have tended to have novelty value, or had accomplished a feat so extraordinary that their being a woman was part of the narrative.
The entomologist Evelyn Cheesman spent decades collecting insects on Pacific islands, from the Galapagos to New Guinea. Her work led to support for a biological dividing line between different ecosystems in the New Hebrides to be named Cheesman’s Line, and her contribution to science was a great novelty for the newspaper press.
Her months-long, arduous expedition to Papua New Guinea in the early 1930s earned her the headline in the now defunct UK News Chronicle, “Woman collects 42,000 insects”.
After Cheesman published her memoir in 1957, detailing four decades of exploration, the headline in the newspaper Reynolds News announced: “Woman trapped in giant spider’s web”. The sub-head simply statesd, “saved by her nail file”.
More broadly, my research disappointingly concludes that over 100 years on, women explorers and scientific fieldworkers are still represented as unusual or out of place in the wild. These media narratives are dangerous as they feed into social attitudes that put women at risk and cause them to change their behaviour outdoors by avoiding isolated places, especially beyond daylight hours, for example.
Studies show that women (and black and hispanic) hikers in the US are more afraid of being attacked by men than by bears or other wild animals. Women’s outdoor groups, and campaigners such as Woman with Altitude and the Tough Girl podcast are working hard to counter this narrative, encouraging women to enjoy the beauties and discoveries still to be made in the world’s most rugged and remote places.
Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Michael Tamvakis, Professor of Commodity Economics and Finance, City St George’s, University of London
The UK has become a world leader in offshore wind power.iweta0077 / shutterstock
Gas and electricity bills will rise again for millions of UK households on April 1, when the latest energy price cap takes effect. A typical household will pay £111 more per year.
Though prices have fallen somewhat since their peak in 2022, bills are still considerably higher than they have been historically. That’s despite the construction over the past decade of vast wind farms in the North Sea – which, once built, provide electricity for very little extra cost.
So what explains the UK’s pricey gas and electricity?
Since the 1990s, the UK has been dependent on natural gas in more ways than one. In 2023 (the most recent year for which we have full statistics), gas accounted for 33% of the UK’s energy and almost as much of the electricity it generated. That year, wind contributed 29% to generation and solar an additional 5%, which is of some significance.
As nearly all households are connected to mains gas, most energy bills reflect the global price of gas.
The UK has to compete with demand for gas from other markets, especially, but not exclusively, the EU. The higher the demand, the higher the price. Before the Ukrainian crisis, many EU economies, especially Germany, were able to source abundant gas through pipelines from Russia.
The UK, like other big European countries such as Spain, Italy and France, was able to meet some of its gas supply via pipelines (from Norway in the case of the UK), but also in the form of more expensive liquefied natural gas (LNG) from as far afield as Qatar, Algeria, West Africa and, more recently, the US.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, the flow of pipeline gas has almost entirely stopped. Germany and western EU countries have to compete with everyone else to source their gas from Norway or international LNG markets. A few countries on the eastern side of the EU, such as Austria and Hungary, are still sourcing their gas from Russia but face western criticism for that continued dependence.
This all matters to UK consumers because most of a household’s average energy bill reflects the vagaries of the international gas market. A relatively harsh winter in Europe means they have purchased more gas and paid more for it. In a global market the UK consumer will have to pay this price as well. Even a harsh winter in Japan means that more LNG is directed there, increasing prices for UK and EU consumers.
We can’t suddenly turn on the wind
Even the growth in renewables, especially wind power, does not offer protection against the vagaries of the global gas markets. It is well known that wind energy is intermittent and therefore difficult to forecast and base generation plans on.
Wind energy is what people in the electricity industry call “non-dispatchable”. Because electricity is a universal good, which we expect to have whenever we ask for it, the national grid needs to be able to balance the randomness of wind generation with the immediate response of a reliable, quick-start, “dispatchable” source of generation. Gas fits the bill.
As a result, expensive gas which is called on to make up for the loss of wind or solar generation, ends up setting the electricity price (called the “system price”) most days. Other countries experience something similar. Germany, for instance, generates just 15% of its electricity from gas (albeit with a further 25% from coal) and gets a higher proportion from renewables (28% wind and 12% solar). Yet it still has to use gas frequently to balance the electrical system, with the same effect as in the UK.
Ultimately, the more variable renewable electricity we inject into the system, the more we need to plan for, and invest in, infrastructure that can support it. That means a smarter grid, fewer grid bottlenecks within the UK, more and bigger interconnections to other European countries and battery solutions which can store electricity both for short periods (minutes and hours) and for days and even weeks.
Putting all these elements in place is a Herculean task. Gas fills the gap, but in a way which is more expensive (for now) and continues emitting greenhouse gases, albeit at half the rate that coal did.
Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?
Michael Tamvakis 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.
OAKLAND — In recognition of National Consumer Protection Week, California Attorney General Rob Bonta today released 2024’s Top 10 Consumer Complaints and highlighted ongoing efforts to protect California consumers. The list released today includes the top consumer complaint categories the California Department of Justice (DOJ) has received in the last calendar year. Attorney General Bonta urges Californians to report misconduct or violations of state consumer protection laws to DOJ at oag.ca.gov/report. Complaints submitted by the public provide DOJ and sister agencies with important information about potential misconduct to help determine whether to investigate a business or individual.
“California is a pillar of strong state consumer protection laws and an outspoken advocate for robust federal protections,” said Attorney General Bonta. “This National Consumer Protection Week, I urge Californians to help us further this work. If you see misconduct or are the victim of a scam, my office wants to know about it: I encourage consumers to immediately file a complaint online at oag.ca.gov/report. Whether protecting our kids online, stopping egregious bank fees, or cracking down on illegal price gouging, as the People’s Attorney, I am committed to going to the mat for California consumers.”
Fighting to Keep More Money in the Pockets of Californians:
Attorney General Bonta took on bad actors and archaic policies that hurt Californians pocketbooks. Last year, DOJ announced a $700 million multistate settlement with Johnson & Johnson for failing to disclose if asbestos was present in its talc products; secured a settlement with ticket reseller StubHub, Inc. for failing to pay timely refunds to Californians for canceled events during the COVID-19 pandemic; and sponsored successful legislation to protect Californians’ financial future by banning the inclusion of medical debt on credit reports.
Last month, Attorney General Bonta supported lawsuits challenging the Trump Administration’s efforts to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Since its creation, the CFPB has actively worked to make the lives of everyday people better and has returned over $20 billion to Americans nationwide. The shuttering of the CFPB would cause catastrophic harm to consumer protections, leaving no federal oversight over large banks, and saddling state agencies with the sole responsibility to protect consumers from conduct regulated by the CFPB.
Putting Social Media Companies on Notice:
In response to a dramatic uptick of consumer complaints, last March, Attorney General Bonta sent a letter to Meta expressing deep concern regarding the increase in account takeovers and lockouts on Facebook and Instagram and the inadequacy of the company’s response to prevent and address consumer harm from these takeovers. The letter asked Meta to take immediate action to increase mitigation tactics and respond to users whose accounts have been taken over.
Sticking up for Students:
In the last year, Attorney General Bonta continued to protect students by securing a decision that upheld a judgment against Ashford University for giving students false or misleading information about career outcomes, cost and financial aid, and transfer credits, as well as a $4.5 million settlement with University of Phoenix for aggressive and unlawful military student recruitment tactics.
Protecting Children Online:
Attorney General Bonta continued to take action to create a safer internet for children and teens. In October 2024, DOJ filed a lawsuit against TikTok for harming young users and deceiving the public about the social media platform’s dangers; and secured a decision in his lawsuit against Meta that largely denies Meta’s attempt to evade responsibility for their role in the children’s mental health crisis. DOJ proudly supported legislation that would put consumers in control of their relationship with social media, like SB 976 (Skinner), recently enacted legislation which interrupts the ability of social media companies to use addictive design features, and AB 56 (Bauer-Kahan), newly proposed legislation that would require warning labels on social media platforms.
Advancing Your Data Privacy Rights:
In January, Attorney General Bonta reminded Californians of their right to stop or “opt-out” of the sale and sharing of their personal information under the California law, and encouraged consumers to consider familiarizing themselves with the Global Privacy Control (GPC), an easy-to-use browser setting or extension that allows consumers to take back control of their personal data.
Last year, Attorney General Bonta announced a settlement with DoorDash for violating California privacy laws by selling its customers’ personal information; and worked with local partners to secure a settlement with a video game developer for illegally collecting and sharing children’s data.
Scram, Scams!
Attorney General Bonta continued educating and warning consumers about financially harmful and widespread AI-generated scams, toll booth scams, romance scams, and package delivery text-based scams; and continued the fight against annoying and illegal robocalls, which are often a vehicle for scams.
Setting the Record Straight on AI:
In January, Attorney General Bonta issued two legal advisories, reminding consumers of their rights, and advising businesses and healthcare entities who develop, sell, or use artificial intelligence (AI) about their obligations under California law. Many consumers and patients are not aware of when and how AI systems are used in their lives or by institutions that they rely on.
Businesses use AI systems to evaluate consumers’ credit risk and guide loan decisions, screen tenants for rentals, and target consumers with ads and offers, as such, must comply with California consumer protection laws.
Tackling Price Gouging During a Natural Disaster:
In the wake of Los Angeles Fires, Californians should be coming together to help our neighbors, not attempting to profit off their pain. DOJ takes its duty to protect the public from price gouging, rental bidding, and unsolicited property offers by predatory buyers extremely seriously. In addition to sending over 700 warning letters to hotels and landlords, DOJ has several active investigations into price gouging and has announced price gouging charges against three Los Angeles real estate agents and a landlord (January 22, January 28, and February 18). These investigations are often the result of review of complaints received by DOJ.
DOJ established the Disaster Relief Task Force to work closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement and regulatory partners; last month, DOJ collaborated with, Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto on misdemeanor price gouging charges against a homeowner and real estate agent who allegedly engaged in price gouging in violation of the law.
For more tips and information on consumer protection, please visit https://oag.ca.gov/consumers.
