Nobel laureates issue stark warning on fascism in open letter

Australian Nobel laureates Brian Schmidt and Barry Marshall are among more than 400 intellectuals worldwide who have signed a letter denouncing rising world authoritarianism and its threat to liberal democracies and academic freedom.
The letter, signed by scholars from 30 countries and including 20 Nobel laureates, marks the 100th anniversary of Italian resistance to fascism.

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Nova Peris, Erin Molan trapped in Israel as Iran bomb hit

Sky News AU

2 hours ago

Sky News AU

Nova Peris, Erin Molan trapped in Israel as Iran bomb hit

Former Australian Olympian and Labor Senator Nova Peris and media personality Erin Molan are both trapped in Israel as Iranian rockets rain down on the Jewish state. The pair, posting to X, are both in Tel Aviv, which has been hit by bombs and rockets in the past 24 hours. 'The past 24 hours have been deeply confronting,' Ms Peris said. 'We spent the early hours of yesterday in a bomb shelter, and much of today there too. 'The last four to five hours have been extremely frightening and distressing.' The Middle East is on edge after Israel launched what it called 'pre-emptive' strikes on the Iranian capital Tehran overnight. Iran reportedly launched about 150 missiles in retaliatory strikes, nine of which landed in Israel. Ms Peris said she had bunkered down with 11 other Australians in a bomb shelter. According to The Australian, the other members of the group are Ms Peris' husband Scott Appleton, Aboriginal education manager Maurice Goolagong, eye surgeon Kris Rallah-Baker, Kimberley elder Ian Trust, Indigenous leaders Jody Hampton and Renee Fowlestone, The Australian's Indigenous affairs correspondent Paige Taylor, filmmakers Annette and Eliya Cohen, lawyer Fred Linker and Middle East expert Bren Carlill. The group is reportedly touring Israel as part of a delegation hosted by the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council Foreign Minister Penny Wong is reportedly in contact with the group. 'We can't wait to come home. But for now, we're safe, in bomb shelters, we're together, and our hearts are with all those living through this terror,' Ms Peris said. 'We've witnessed the unrelenting ballistic missile attacks in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and across Israel. 'There have now been three waves of missiles fired directly from Iran, targeting civilians, destroying homes and causing widespread devastation.' Ms Molan, who was previously a Sky News host and Daily Telegraph columnist, said in a video recorded from her shelter that the past few hours had been 'like a movie'. 'I'm just in a shelter at the moment. 'Apparently, missiles have hit in Tel Aviv, I can hear the sounds around us. 'We're just kind of relying on different updates that are coming in, but there were Houthi missiles incoming, but I'm not sure if these are Houthi or if they're direct from Iran. But yeah, there's a significant amount of activity happening now in Tel Aviv where we are now. You can hear missiles hitting.' Global leaders have called for de-escalation of the conflict including UN chief Antonio Guterres. 'Israeli bombardment of Iranian nuclear sites,' Mr Guterres said. 'Iranian missile strikes in Tel Aviv. 'Enough escalation. 'Time to stop. 'Peace and diplomacy must prevail. Just last week Ms Peris posted on social media that she had 'returned to the Holy Land'. This is her third visit to Israel since the October 7 attacks in 2023, which triggered war between Israel and Hamas. The posts show a wide-ranging tour of the country, including a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Originally published as Nova Peris, Erin Molan trapped in Israel as Iran rocket terror hits

Momentum building for global plastic pollution pact

The Advertiser

3 hours ago

The Advertiser

Momentum building for global plastic pollution pact

Australia has thrown its support behind a declaration to curb plastic pollution fast and deliver on a global treaty targeting waste at the source. More than 90 countries have backed "the Nice wake-up call for an ambitious plastics treaty" at the United Nations Ocean Conference, which has taken place in the French Mediterranean coast city over the past week. Plastic waste is projected to outweigh all fish by 2050 and is particularly harmful to seabirds and marine animals that ingest it, both in large pieces and as it breaks down into microplastics. The tiny plastic particles have now found their way into the food chain, with exposure linked to endocrine disorders and cardiovascular problems. A global agreement to reduce both the manufacture and consumption of plastic has been in the works since a 2022 but progress has been stalled by oil-producing nations pushing for more flexibility on production limits. The show of support at the major ocean conference lands ahead of another round of negotiations in Geneva in August. Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt says it's important to tackle the plastic problem across the full life cycle. "In our Pacific region, including on Australia's coastline and offshore territories, we see the impacts of globally mismanaged plastics which are killing marine life and washing up on shore," he said in a statement. Australia has a commitment to phasing out "problematic and unnecessary" plastics. There have been some successes, including widespread bans on lightweight plastic shopping bags, but a 2024 policy assessment concluded more needed to be done. Progress on the high seas treaty has also been achieved at the third UN Ocean Conference, with French President Emmanuel Macron expecting the 60 necessary ratifications to come through in time for the agreement to come into force by January 2026. Australia has made ratification a priority when parliament returns. Once in force, the pact will allow the creation of marine parks in international waters, key to supporting biodiversity and healthy fish stocks. Senator Watt has also reiterated the government's commitment to classifying 30 per cent of Australian waters as "highly protected areas" by 2030. A sizeable 44 per cent is classified as marine parks but not all those zones are fully protected from fishing and industrial activity. Seafood Industry Australia chief executive officer Veronica Papacosta says the domestic industry is across Australia's 30 x 30 ocean protection commitment and has been working constructively with government. "We need to make sure the ocean is protected, we only want sustainable use of the ocean," she told AAP. But she favoured a nuanced conversation based on the latest thinking on habitat protection and sustainable fishing practices. "The time we start getting stressed is when marine parks start getting used as an anti-fishing campaign because that's not what they should be nor what they're originally designed to do," she said. Australia has thrown its support behind a declaration to curb plastic pollution fast and deliver on a global treaty targeting waste at the source. More than 90 countries have backed "the Nice wake-up call for an ambitious plastics treaty" at the United Nations Ocean Conference, which has taken place in the French Mediterranean coast city over the past week. Plastic waste is projected to outweigh all fish by 2050 and is particularly harmful to seabirds and marine animals that ingest it, both in large pieces and as it breaks down into microplastics. The tiny plastic particles have now found their way into the food chain, with exposure linked to endocrine disorders and cardiovascular problems. A global agreement to reduce both the manufacture and consumption of plastic has been in the works since a 2022 but progress has been stalled by oil-producing nations pushing for more flexibility on production limits. The show of support at the major ocean conference lands ahead of another round of negotiations in Geneva in August. Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt says it's important to tackle the plastic problem across the full life cycle. "In our Pacific region, including on Australia's coastline and offshore territories, we see the impacts of globally mismanaged plastics which are killing marine life and washing up on shore," he said in a statement. Australia has a commitment to phasing out "problematic and unnecessary" plastics. There have been some successes, including widespread bans on lightweight plastic shopping bags, but a 2024 policy assessment concluded more needed to be done. Progress on the high seas treaty has also been achieved at the third UN Ocean Conference, with French President Emmanuel Macron expecting the 60 necessary ratifications to come through in time for the agreement to come into force by January 2026. Australia has made ratification a priority when parliament returns. Once in force, the pact will allow the creation of marine parks in international waters, key to supporting biodiversity and healthy fish stocks. Senator Watt has also reiterated the government's commitment to classifying 30 per cent of Australian waters as "highly protected areas" by 2030. A sizeable 44 per cent is classified as marine parks but not all those zones are fully protected from fishing and industrial activity. Seafood Industry Australia chief executive officer Veronica Papacosta says the domestic industry is across Australia's 30 x 30 ocean protection commitment and has been working constructively with government. "We need to make sure the ocean is protected, we only want sustainable use of the ocean," she told AAP. But she favoured a nuanced conversation based on the latest thinking on habitat protection and sustainable fishing practices. "The time we start getting stressed is when marine parks start getting used as an anti-fishing campaign because that's not what they should be nor what they're originally designed to do," she said. Australia has thrown its support behind a declaration to curb plastic pollution fast and deliver on a global treaty targeting waste at the source. More than 90 countries have backed "the Nice wake-up call for an ambitious plastics treaty" at the United Nations Ocean Conference, which has taken place in the French Mediterranean coast city over the past week. Plastic waste is projected to outweigh all fish by 2050 and is particularly harmful to seabirds and marine animals that ingest it, both in large pieces and as it breaks down into microplastics. The tiny plastic particles have now found their way into the food chain, with exposure linked to endocrine disorders and cardiovascular problems. A global agreement to reduce both the manufacture and consumption of plastic has been in the works since a 2022 but progress has been stalled by oil-producing nations pushing for more flexibility on production limits. The show of support at the major ocean conference lands ahead of another round of negotiations in Geneva in August. Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt says it's important to tackle the plastic problem across the full life cycle. "In our Pacific region, including on Australia's coastline and offshore territories, we see the impacts of globally mismanaged plastics which are killing marine life and washing up on shore," he said in a statement. Australia has a commitment to phasing out "problematic and unnecessary" plastics. There have been some successes, including widespread bans on lightweight plastic shopping bags, but a 2024 policy assessment concluded more needed to be done. Progress on the high seas treaty has also been achieved at the third UN Ocean Conference, with French President Emmanuel Macron expecting the 60 necessary ratifications to come through in time for the agreement to come into force by January 2026. Australia has made ratification a priority when parliament returns. Once in force, the pact will allow the creation of marine parks in international waters, key to supporting biodiversity and healthy fish stocks. Senator Watt has also reiterated the government's commitment to classifying 30 per cent of Australian waters as "highly protected areas" by 2030. A sizeable 44 per cent is classified as marine parks but not all those zones are fully protected from fishing and industrial activity. Seafood Industry Australia chief executive officer Veronica Papacosta says the domestic industry is across Australia's 30 x 30 ocean protection commitment and has been working constructively with government. "We need to make sure the ocean is protected, we only want sustainable use of the ocean," she told AAP. But she favoured a nuanced conversation based on the latest thinking on habitat protection and sustainable fishing practices. "The time we start getting stressed is when marine parks start getting used as an anti-fishing campaign because that's not what they should be nor what they're originally designed to do," she said. Australia has thrown its support behind a declaration to curb plastic pollution fast and deliver on a global treaty targeting waste at the source. More than 90 countries have backed "the Nice wake-up call for an ambitious plastics treaty" at the United Nations Ocean Conference, which has taken place in the French Mediterranean coast city over the past week. Plastic waste is projected to outweigh all fish by 2050 and is particularly harmful to seabirds and marine animals that ingest it, both in large pieces and as it breaks down into microplastics. The tiny plastic particles have now found their way into the food chain, with exposure linked to endocrine disorders and cardiovascular problems. A global agreement to reduce both the manufacture and consumption of plastic has been in the works since a 2022 but progress has been stalled by oil-producing nations pushing for more flexibility on production limits. The show of support at the major ocean conference lands ahead of another round of negotiations in Geneva in August. Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt says it's important to tackle the plastic problem across the full life cycle. "In our Pacific region, including on Australia's coastline and offshore territories, we see the impacts of globally mismanaged plastics which are killing marine life and washing up on shore," he said in a statement. Australia has a commitment to phasing out "problematic and unnecessary" plastics. There have been some successes, including widespread bans on lightweight plastic shopping bags, but a 2024 policy assessment concluded more needed to be done. Progress on the high seas treaty has also been achieved at the third UN Ocean Conference, with French President Emmanuel Macron expecting the 60 necessary ratifications to come through in time for the agreement to come into force by January 2026. Australia has made ratification a priority when parliament returns. Once in force, the pact will allow the creation of marine parks in international waters, key to supporting biodiversity and healthy fish stocks. Senator Watt has also reiterated the government's commitment to classifying 30 per cent of Australian waters as "highly protected areas" by 2030. A sizeable 44 per cent is classified as marine parks but not all those zones are fully protected from fishing and industrial activity. Seafood Industry Australia chief executive officer Veronica Papacosta says the domestic industry is across Australia's 30 x 30 ocean protection commitment and has been working constructively with government. "We need to make sure the ocean is protected, we only want sustainable use of the ocean," she told AAP. But she favoured a nuanced conversation based on the latest thinking on habitat protection and sustainable fishing practices. "The time we start getting stressed is when marine parks start getting used as an anti-fishing campaign because that's not what they should be nor what they're originally designed to do," she said.

‘Like a movie': Aussies facing Iranian bombs

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