The mining magnate does away with the constraints of arithmetic, simultaneously demanding lower taxes and more public spending
A striking feature of the age of billionaires in which we now live is that billionaires are more and more inclined to give us the benefit of their opinions. In the past year alone, we’ve had Marc Andreessen’s retro-futurist “Techno-optimist manifesto”, Mark Zuckerberg’s pronouncements on the future of media, and, most recently, a cosy chat between Elon Musk and Donald Trump (whose billionaire status is often touted but remains questionable). In most cases, the main effect has been to demonstrate that, however good they are at making money, billionaires are no smarter than the rest of us when it comes to politics or the ordinary business of life.
Australia’s richest billionaire by far is Gina Rinehart, who has massively multiplied the already substantial fortune she inherited from her father, the late Lang Hancock (Rinehart claims she inherited more debts than assets). Like Hancock, who spent decades on the rightwing fringe of Australian politics, Rinehart has never been shy about expressing her opinions.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
08/23/2024 - 19:00
08/23/2024 - 11:01
Researchers argue that to protect human wellbeing global decisions with the potential to impact the environment must be guided by our understanding of the inseparable connection between humans and nature. The article's authors are aiming to support fair and inclusive decision-making for a healthy ocean for people and planet.
08/23/2024 - 10:00
New male baby of near-threatened species born at Werribee open range zoo to be named in public competition in coming weeks
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A very large bundle of joy was quietly delivered to a Melbourne zoo last Sunday as a southern white rhino gave birth to a male calf.
Mother Kipenzi, 11, and father Kifaru, 15, welcomed their 60kg baby into the world in the early hours of 18 August, Werribee open range zoo announced.
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08/23/2024 - 09:31
Type of microplastics used in skin exfoliators and banned in UK and US found in 45% of Indian products studied
India should consider a ban on microbeads in personal care products, in line with many other countries in the world, say researchers.
Microbeads are a type of microplastic used in cosmetic products to exfoliate the skin. After a public uproar when the plastics were highlighted in Europe a decade ago, they were banned in the Netherlands in 2014, with many other countries following, including the US in 2015 and the UK in 2018.
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08/23/2024 - 09:00
For all the initial noise against low-traffic neighbourhoods, most people like them and they can benefit the public purse
Here are four words you might not expect from me, as a former Conservative aide, so make the most of them: Louise Haigh is right. Half right, anyway. Labour’s new transport secretary has taken some flak – though not, interestingly, a vast amount - for interviews this week stating that councils that create low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs), 20mph zones and bike lanes on their roads “will have my full support”.
“An abdication of responsibility,” huffed the Sun. “Labour declares war on drivers,” announced GB News, though no one was actually quoted to this effect – the shadow transport spokesperson, Helen Whately, said only that Labour “seems unable to take a common sense approach”.
Andrew Gilligan was transport adviser to Boris Johnson in Downing Street, and cycling commissioner for London 2013-16.
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08/23/2024 - 08:00
For centuries, having a pigeon as a pet was seen as a status symbol – now a new wave of fans are praising them as loving, smart and ‘sort of chill’
Pidge is a New York City It Girl. Over 50,000 followers tune into her TikTok to learn her beauty routine or see her posing on the subway. She’s invited to book launches, where she mingles with other influencers. She loves statement bags: her newest is brat green.
Oh, and Pidge is short for Pidgey, as in pigeon – she’s a bird.
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08/23/2024 - 06:00
Turnout gear sold in Massachusetts and Connecticut must be free of toxic ‘forever chemicals’ by 2027 and 2028
Massachusetts and Connecticut are the first two states in the US to ban the use of toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” in protective gear worn by firefighters.
Turnout gear, including jackets, pants, boots, gloves and other protective equipment that firefighters wear is treated heavily with PFAS that makes it resistant to water and heat, and helps the textiles breathe.
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08/23/2024 - 05:00
Amid rising temperatures last year, unionized UPS workers made heat an issue – but despite a key contract win, workers say little progress has been made
Seth Pacic works as a United Parcel Service delivery driver in Dallas, Texas. In the summer, he has a second “full-time job”: staying cool.
Each morning, Pacic packs his cooler full of ice, water jugs and hydrating foods such as pickles and grapes. He straps frozen cooling packs to his wrists, hangs another around his neck and ensures he has powdered sports drinks and a battery-operated fan on hand.
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08/23/2024 - 04:43
August should mean peak snow depth, Jindabyne worker says, but early blast of spring threatens ‘catastrophic’ premature end to season
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Australia’s snow season has begun to melt away early as unseasonable warmth cuts snowfalls to almost half the average for this time of year, experts say.
A global-heating fuelled early blast of spring weather means the season may have peaked early, with snow fields melted by warm temperatures and washed away by showers.
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08/23/2024 - 04:21
A volcano in south-west Iceland has erupted for the sixth time since December, spraying red-hot lava and smoke. The eruptions show the challenge faced by the island country of nearly 400,000 people, as scientists warn that the Reykjanes peninsula could face repeated events for decades or even centuries
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