The Crunch: how Ukraine drones hit Russia; marine heatwaves; and the collapse of Canada's third parties
There's been so much great datavis published over the last couple of weeks, it was a real struggle to whittle down. But in this week's newsletter we've got another great political▲triangle▲ chart, an analysis of the accuracy of Asian casting in Hollywood, a visual explainer on the Ukraine drone attack on Russia, an interactive map showing the extent of marine heatwaves and how you can mislead people by being selective with the data you show.
The Greens lost three seats and their party leader in the 2025 Australian federal election, despite a relatively steady national vote. How did this happen? We took a deep dive into the Greens vote, looking at how dispersed Greens voters are across the country, why a seat redistribution affected Adam Bandt in Melbourne, and the 'three-cornered' contests between the Greens and the major parties in Brisbane.
Stick around to the end of the piece to play with our interactive preferences calculator.
Our colleagues in the US have also published this great visual guide to the Los Angeles protests. The map is particularly useful if, like us, you find it hard to tell the scale of the protests from the television coverage.
1. How accurately are Asian-Americans cast in Hollywood?
There's a lot to like in this visual essay from Dorothy Lu and Anna Li at the Pudding. It starts with a lovely comic strip explaining the inspiration for the piece, then takes a detailed look at Asian representation in cinema.
2. Ukraine drone attack
Even days after Ukraine's drone attack deep in Russian territory earlier in June, it was hard to imagine what exactly had happened.
Reuters has a great visual explainer, showing what the drones look like and how they were smuggled into Russia inside modified trucks.
3. Marine heatwaves getting more frequent and widespread
A quarter of the world's oceans experienced temperatures in 2024 that qualify as a heatwave.
Delger Erdenesanaa and climate graphics wizard Harry Stevens at the NYT have produced this interactive piece looking at how widespread marine heatwaves have become ($), with an excellent, if confronting, interactive map that shows the spread of heatwaves over time.
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The map also works really well on mobile, which you can't always say about a lot of interactive maps.
4. ▲△▲MORE TRIANGLES ▲△▲
Regular readers of the Crunch will know that we love ternary scatterplots, so we were excited to see this view of Canadian election results which shows the movement of vote share in every federal riding (these are Canadian electoral districts), from third parties to the two major parties.
The chart was made by designer Nick Abasolo, and you can read more about it here.
The New York Times on boys falling behind in kindergarten ($)
The Economist on girls falling behind in maths ($)
Our World in Data on how childhood leukemia became treatable
As The Economist's Archie Hall said, this chart posted by the UK Conservatives is the type where when you start the x axis really matters:
And so the FT's Alphaville made this excellent edit of the chart, showing how inflation was far higher – and increased far more – under the Conservatives:
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The Guardian
43 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Australia to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN next month
The Australian government will recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations general assembly next month, Anthony Albanese has confirmed, saying a two-state solution was 'humanity's best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza.' The confirmation comes hours after the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu – facing growing disapproval over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza – branded Australia and European nations 'shameful' for considering recognising a Palestinian state. The Australian prime minister said he spoke to Netanyahu last week and told him 'the situation in Gaza has gone beyond the world's worst fears', citing an unacceptable civilian death toll. More than 60,000 civilians have been killed during Israel's bombing campaign in Gaza, local health authorities report, following the 7 October 2023 terror attack by Hamas where 1,200 Israelis were killed and dozens taken hostage. 'Australia will recognise the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own, predicated on the commitments Australia has received from the Palestinian Authority. We will work with the international community to make this right a reality,' Albanese announced on Monday. Appearing alongside Albanese, foreign minister Penny Wong said: 'We can't keep waiting for the end of a peace process that has ground to a halt.' 'We have always said that Palestinian civilians cannot be made to pay the price of defeating Hamas. But a whole population has been shattered. So this September, the international community has the chance to forge hope from despair, as the world seizes the opportunities that are presented by the new commitments of the Palestinian Authority and as the world seeks to support the Arab League's efforts to isolate Hamas.' The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) called the government's decision a 'betrayal' and a 'disappointment'. Coalition defence spokesperson Angus Taylor called the decision 'premature,' claiming it would reward Hamas. Australia's move matches recognition pledges made by countries including France, Canada and the United Kingdom in recent weeks, amid gathering international momentum for a Palestinian state and condemnation of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, including plans to militarily occupy the entire territory. The Labor government has been facing demands from inside and outside its party ranks to accelerate moves to recognise a Palestinian state, with public pressure growing after hundreds of thousands of people marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge last weekend. Sign up: AU Breaking News email Calls grew at the weekend after Netanyahu's cabinet announced plans to occupy Gaza – Wong urged Israel not to follow through on, claiming it could constitute a breach of international law. Labor Friends of Palestine, an internal rank-and-file membership group which has been campaigning intensely for the government to recognise a Palestinian state, said Monday's announcement 'delivers on policy long supported by Labor members who will strongly welcome this move.' Albanese spoke with Netanyahu last week to inform him of Australia's pending move, while Wong spoke with US counterpart Marco Rubio on Monday. The prime minister said Israel's government 'continues to defy international law and deny sufficient aid, food and water to desperate people, including children.' In a written statement, Albanese and Wong claimed Netanyahu's government was 'extinguishing the prospect of a two-state solution' with its actions in threatening to further occupy Gaza and expand West Bank settlements. 'Australia is further compelled by the Netanyahu government's disregard of the international community's calls, and its failure to comply with its legal and ethical obligations in Gaza,' they wrote. Albanese told the press conference Australia's recognition pledge was predicated on commitments he said he'd received from the Palestinian Authority, the governing body which administers part of the Palestinian territory of the West Bank. Albanese said those commitments include a demilitarised Palestine, recognising Israel's right to exist in peace and security, the PA holding elections and undertaking governance reforms, and no role for terror group Hamas in a future Palestinian state. He also said the government wanted Israeli hostages released. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Wong on Monday said practical steps, such as an Australian embassy presence or conferring full embassy status to the Palestinian delegation to Australia, would be tied to commitments from the Palestinian Authority. She conceded there was 'much more work to do in building a Palestinian state.' 'We will help build the capacity of the Palestinian Authority, and with the international community, Australia will hold the Palestinian Authority to its commitments,' Wong said. Asked whether the recognition move was purely symbolic, Albanese said an end to conflict between Israel and Palestine could only come following a two-state solution, calling the move 'practical contribution towards building momentum'. In a statement, ECAJ president Daniel Aghion said the government had not confirmed what it would do if Israeli hostages were not returned, and that Israel 'will feel wronged and abandoned by a longstanding ally.' 'This commitment removes any incentive or diplomatic pressure for the Palestinians to do the things that have always stood in the way of ending the conflict,' he said. Netanyahu, in a press conference overnight, was strongly critical of growing international moves to recognise a Palestinian state. 'To have European countries and Australia march into that rabbit hole, just like that, fall right into it,' he said. 'This canard is disappointing, and I think it's actually shameful. But it's not going to change our position.' Netanyahu went on to claim Israel was 'actually applying force judiciously, and they know it'. 'They know what they would do if right next to Melbourne or right next to Sydney you had this horrific attacks. I think you would do it, at least what we're doing, probably maybe not as efficiently and as precisely as we're doing it.'
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Albanese's Palestinian statehood decision won't please everyone – but it's better than the horrifying status quo
As Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong prepared to announce Australia's recognition of the state of Palestine on Monday, nervous anticipation rippled around Parliament House. Staffers gathered in windows above the prime minister's courtyard, ready to take photos of the announcement unfolding below. Anne Aly, the first Muslim woman to sit in cabinet, watched from one floor up as Albanese and Wong fronted the media, while the country's most senior bureaucrat, Steven Kennedy, paced nervously nearby. Australia, Albanese declared, would join partners including France, the UK and Canada in recognising Palestine at the United Nations next month, saying peace could only be temporary until both Israeli and Palestinian statehood was permanent. Sign up: AU Breaking News email Reflecting on the bloody war in Gaza, and the escalation currently being engineered by Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, Albanese said recognition was a step towards a two-state solution and would help stem the humanitarian crisis playing out on televisions and smartphones around the world. 'The toll of the status quo is growing by the day, and it can be measured in innocent lives,' Albanese said. 'The world cannot wait for success to be guaranteed. That only means waiting for a day that will never come.' Despite being signalled for months – and coming after images of starvation out of Gaza and huge numbers of demonstrators crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge – Monday will stand as a landmark moment of Albanese's prime ministership. Albanese himself has been making speeches about Palestinian statehood for decades. Under pressure from Labor's base, he made his move as part of a global pushback against Israel's plans for more fighting in Gaza, anger at Israel's settlements, and as calls for humanitarian aid fell on deaf ears. Five Al Jazeera journalists were killed on Monday, victims of a targeted Israeli airstrike on their tent. Former minister Ed Husic has described the growing energy against the war as a tide of 'moral momentum'. Labor was ultimately satisfied with commitments from the Palestinian Authority to demilitarise Gaza, reform governance, hold elections, stop payments to prisoners and provide basic services including education. Albanese secured the assurances from Mahmoud Abbas, the 89-year-old leader of the authority, the organisation set up in the wake of peace agreements in the 1990s. Critically, Abbas recognised Israel's right to exist. Whether Albanese's decision is a turning point, or remembered as a symbolic move in the decades-long mire of conflict, will be determined by whether Abbas can deliver, and whether Netanyahu, who appears to be extending the war to ensure his own political survival, will ever allow peace. Albanese himself is also aware he is breaking with the United States and risking the ire of Donald Trump, who is still one of Netanyahu's closest backers. Trump has linked Canada's decision on recognition to tougher trade tariffs. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Like Netanyahu, the opposition leader, Sussan Ley, and frontbenchers Angus Taylor and Michaelia Cash, say recognition rewards Hamas for its terror and murder. The Liberals echoed the Trump administration's concerns that any advantage to Hamas would slow down progress on peace, given previous ceasefire talks have failed. But Netanyahu is increasingly isolated and Australia's decision reflects growing anger about Palestine's suffering among everyday people here. The move won't be enough for some supporters, either. The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network said trade and diplomatic relations with Israel should be cut off, warning Palestinian rights are not the gift of western states. The Greens want an end to weapon component exports and Labor Friends of Palestine say more sanctions are needed. They are almost certainly right that more needs to be done. But Australia recognising Palestine is a step towards peace – and as Wong said, doing the same thing but hoping for a different outcome is the only certain road to failure. Tom McIlroy is Guardian Australia's chief political correspondent
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Australia recognising Palestine a ‘political fig leaf' without sanctions, Palestinian Action Network head says
The Albanese government's announcement it will recognise Palestinian statehood at the United Nations next month has been dubbed a 'political fig leaf' by Australian Palestinian Advocacy Network, which called on the government to cut ties with Israel. Labor's move has also been met with criticism by the Coalition, which said it supports a two-state solution although it called recognition at the September meeting premature. Others, including Labor MPs and advocates, have welcomed the announcement. On Monday, Anthony Albanese said a two-state solution 'is humanity's best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East'. APAN in response, accused the government of using recognition as a 'political fig leaf' and said it would be completely meaningless while Australia continues to trade and have diplomatic relations with Israel. APAN president Nasser Mashni said the government should stop supplying arms to Israel and impose country-level sanctions. 'Recognition is completely meaningless while Australia continues to trade, to supply arms, to have diplomatic relations and to diplomatically protect and encourage other states to normalise relations with the very state that is committing these atrocities,' he said. 'Palestinian rights are not to be gifted by western states. They are not dependent on negotiation with or behaviour or approval of their colonial oppressors. 'What I want today is for Palestinians not to be slaughtered ... What happens after that will be upon the Palestinian people when they have their agency to determine their self determination. 'It's not my job, or Anthony Albanese's to determine how Palestinians might seek this opportunity.' The opposition has criticised the move, which followed nations including France, the UK and Canada, claiming it 'risks delivering Hamas one of its strategic objectives of the horrific terrorism of October 7.' In a statement, opposition leader Sussan Ley, and shadow foreign minister Michaelia Cash said the decision puts Australia at odds with the US. 'The Coalition has serious concerns about the Albanese Government's decision to unilaterally recognise a Palestinian state outside of a proper peace and two-state process.' The Israeli embassy said the move would undermine Israel's security and accused the government of abandoning the conditions it had set on Hamas and Palestine before recognising its statehood. Israel's ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon said the move would not change the reality on the ground. 'By recognising a Palestinian state while Hamas continues to kill, kidnap and reject peace, Australia undermines Israel's security, derails hostage negotiations, and hands a victory to those who oppose coexistence,' he wrote. 'Peace is built by ending terror, not rewarding it.' Labor MPs were quick to welcome the decision, including Ed Husic, who called it an important step. Husic had been publicly pushing for recognition, and had implored Australia to join the growing international momentum. He argued on Monday that the move wasn't merely symbolic, and would help provide a practical pathway to achieve peace. 'Will this immediately end the starvation and what people are experiencing, innocent Palestinians, on the ground today? No, it will not and we have to be realistic about that,' Husic told ABC TV. 'But for many of us in the Labor Party who have pushed for this over many years, this is a fulfilment of what we wanted to see and what was provided for through a national platform.' Anne Aly, the first Muslim woman to sit in cabinet, told ABC TV the decision would be a circuit breaker. 'Now is the time for that circuit breaker. The world… including Australia has just about pretty much had enough,' she said. 'Recognition is not tokenistic, recognition is actually a pathway to a two-state solution.' The Greens welcomed the move to recognition, but the party's foreign affairs spokesman, David Shoebridge, said the government should ban all arms trade, including trading parts for the F-35 fighter jet, and increase sanctions. 'What Australia has done today is take a tiny step away from a shrinking and discredited minority of states, centred on the US and Israel, to join the overwhelming majority of nations that already recognise Palestine. 'Genocide is not a communications problem, an escalating series of statements will not end it.' The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, insisted on Sunday the government is not supplying weapons to Israel.
