Category: Evening Report

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Serena Love, Honorary Research Fellow in Archaeology, The University of Queensland

In ancient Egypt, what was the Sphinx all about? – Effie, age 8, New Plymouth, New Zealand.

One of the most mysterious and iconic monuments of ancient Egypt is the Great Sphinx of Giza.

You’ve probably seen pictures of it — a huge statue with a lion’s body and a human head, sitting proudly near the Great Pyramids.

But what is the Sphinx? Why was it built? And what does it mean?

What is the Sphinx?

The Great Sphinx is a giant stone statue carved from the limestone bedrock.

It lies on the Giza plateau, on the west bank of the Nile River, near Cairo in Egypt.

The Sphinx is enormous — about 73 metres long (that’s longer than a football field!) and 20 metres tall, roughly the height of a five-story building.

It was carved around 4,500 years ago during the time of the Old Kingdom, the earliest days of ancient Egyptian civilisation.

The word “sphinx” itself comes from ancient Greek, but the Egyptians had another name for it.

They called it “shesep-ankh”, which means “living image”.

This name gives us a clue to what the statue meant to the people who built it. They saw the Sphinx as a living symbol of something powerful and divine.

The face of a pharaoh

If you look closely at the Sphinx, you’ll notice its face looks human.

Most Egyptian experts believe the face was carved to look like a real person — a pharaoh named Khafre. But there is some strong evidence to suggest it might have been started by his father, Khufu.

Pharaohs were the rulers of Egypt, considered half-human and half-god. They built great monuments to show their power and to help their souls live forever in the afterlife.

Pharaoh Khafre built the second of the three pyramids at Giza.

The Sphinx sits right next to his pyramid complex, which makes many historians think it was built to watch over his tomb.

The Sphinx, then, may show the pharaoh as a guardian — strong like a lion, but wise and godlike like a human.

The body of a lion

The body of the Sphinx is that of a lion, an animal the Egyptians admired for its strength and courage.

Lions were seen as protectors and symbols of power. They watched over sacred places, palaces, and tombs. So, when the ancient sculptors shaped the Sphinx from bedrock, they combined the mind of a pharaoh with the strength and power of a lion.

This mixture created a super powerful guardian creature — one that could protect Egypt and its kings for eternity.

Guardian of the horizon

Some ancient texts call the Sphinx “Hor-em-akhet”, which means “Horus of the Horizon”.

Horus was one of the most important gods in Egypt, often shown as a falcon who ruled the sky. Calling the Sphinx “Horus of the Horizon” suggests it was seen as an image of the rising sun — a divine protector connected to light, kingship, and rebirth.

If you stand in front of the Sphinx at sunrise, you can see how it faces directly east, toward the rising sun. This was likely no accident.

Ancient Egyptians carefully aligned their temples and monuments with the stars and the sun because they believed these heavenly bodies connected their world to the gods.

The Sphinx was part of a sacred plan linking earth, sky, and eternity.

The changing Sphinx

Over thousands of years, wind and sand have changed the way the Sphinx looks.

Its nose and beard are missing, parts of its headdress are damaged, and its body has been worn down by the desert.

But pieces of the Sphinx’s beard have been found and are now in museums. Some even say the statue was once brightly painted — red on the face, blue and yellow on the headdress.

Many Egyptians and travellers continued to visit and protect the Sphinx long after it was built. Pharaohs and priests repaired it many times.

One famous story tells how a young prince named Thutmose IV took a nap in front of the buried Sphinx, which had been buried up to the neck by drifting desert sands. In a dream, the Sphinx spoke to him, promising that if he cleared away the sand and restored the statue, he would one day be king.

The prince did as he was told — and he did become pharaoh! To honour the Sphinx, he placed a large stone tablet, or “stela”, between its paws. That inscription still stands there today.

A symbol of mystery

Even after all this time, the Sphinx keeps many secrets. We still don’t know exactly how long it took to carve, why its features were chosen, or if we have interpreted the symbolism correctly.

Some legends say the Sphinx guards a hidden chamber or treasures buried beneath it. Archaeologists haven’t found a treasure room, but modern scans have revealed small cavities and tunnels inside the bedrock — proof that the Sphinx still has more stories to tell.

Today, people travel from all over the world to see the Sphinx. It teaches a powerful lesson: even thousands of years ago, people were dreamers, builders, and artists. They asked big questions about life, death, and eternity — just like we do today.

Serena Love 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.

– ref. Curious Kids: in ancient Egypt, what was the Sphinx all about? – https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-in-ancient-egypt-what-was-the-sphinx-all-about-268182

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/26/curious-kids-in-ancient-egypt-what-was-the-sphinx-all-about-268182/

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wendy Scaife, Adjunct Associate Professor and Director, Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies, Queensland University of Technology

Few people globally have influenced business, sport, the environment and philanthropy like Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard.

Chouinard’s inventive approach across these spheres makes the recent biography Dirtbag Billionaire by The New York Times journalist David Gelles an intriguing read.

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Review: Dirtbag Billionaire: How Yvon Chouinard Built Patagonia, Made a Fortune, and Gave It All Away – David Gelles (Text Publishing)

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The anti-authoritarian entrepreneur started out making basic rock-climbing equipment. He then built a business reputation based on ethical commerce, and eventually gave away his company, promising all profits to fighting the climate crisis.

From an Australian perspective, there are lessons to learn given growing environmental and climate concerns, while both corporate giving and corporate distrust have surged in the past decade.

The wild early years

Chouinard prefers the “dirtbag” label to that of businessman or billionaire. It’s a reference from his 1960s lifestyle, a term for someone who sleeps rough, roams widely and disdains material possessions.

As a young climber chasing adventures with friends on rock faces, rivers and waves, Chouinard lived frugally. He ate cat food, squirrels and porcupines.

In these years, inventive Chouinard revolutionised climbing. Using a junkyard forge, he hand-crafted innovative, reusable, softer metal spikes to drive into rock faces. At first selling from his car boot, he built up a US and international customer base.

But, faithful to his environmental values, Chouinard then risked the company by ditching his original top-selling metal spike that damaged rock faces for one that did less harm to the cliff face.

Along the way he employed many fellow climbing, surfing and kayaking enthusiasts, prioritising employee wellbeing and engagement in the business. This was decades before employees were seen as a stakeholder, or internal culture was considered important in a business.

A clash of values

However, with the success of his Patagonia clothing business formed in 1973, Chouinard the conservationist had entered a highly capitalistic sector. The retail market was based on trend-driven overconsumption and exploitative labour and environmental practices.

His quest to do capitalism differently is instructive.

Despite higher costs, Chouinard moved the company into organic cotton use and encouraged regenerative topsoil practices. The principled actions built customer trust and loyalty.

His approach also inspired others who saw decisions that put environmental considerations above profit were good business all round.

As Patagonia grew into a billion-dollar company, he maintained a policy of donating 1% of sales (not just profit) to the environment, no matter how tight the times.

Chouinard co-established 1% for the Planet in 2001 as an accrediting body to encourage companies worldwide to donate 1% of their sales to environmental organisations. Since founding, over 11,000 companies in 110 countries have donated a total of US$823 million (A$1.2 billion).

Chouinard also actively called out corporate greenwashing, and Patagonia was a corporate activist on multiple issues. This included suing US President Donald Trump in 2017 to keep wilderness reserves safe from oil and gas exploration and land development.

One of the first B Corps

In another leadership move, Patagonia in 2012 became the first California company to become a certified Benefit Corporation, better known as a B Corp.

This is a legally binding, transparently measured commitment to act sustainably, live up to independent performance standards and consider worker, society and environmental interests.

Then, aged 83 in 2022, Chouinard established a pioneering succession trust structure and nonprofit collective for the business. This would see Patagonia continue as an independent, environment-led activist company rather than be floated or sold and have its values and foundations diluted.

This organisational restructure supercharged Chouinard’s philanthropy.

The family retains a voice, while giving away 100% of their estimated US$3 billion and all of Patagonia’s future profits that are not reinvested in the business. (US$100 million in 2022).

Even the legendary industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie only gave away 90% of his fortune.

Lessons for future philanthropists

My previous research records the top five motivations for Australian philanthropists as:

• making a difference
• giving back to the community
• personal satisfaction
• aligning with moral or philosophical beliefs, and
• setting an example.

Chouinard’s philanthropy touches on all of these.

US philanthropy researcher Paul Schervish uses the phrase “hyperagency” to capture the character and capacity that some individuals have to achieve the outcomes they deem important for society.

Schervish suggests such changemakers build their own world rather than staying within the constraints of traditional approaches.

Chouinard built his own version of capitalism. He continues to argue the Earth is the only resource base for business, and is therefore the prime business stakeholder. Without it, there are no customers, shareholders, employees or business.

Patagonia’s core mission became: “We’re in business to save our home planet”. The company established Earth as its major shareholder.

A message in Dirtbag Billionaire for givers small and large, individual and corporate, is that authentic giving is about values.

Such authentic giving across a lifetime using money, time, voice, networks, workplaces and ethical principles is rarely so well on display as in the life of Yvon Chouinard.

Wendy Scaife 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.

– ref. How this ‘dirtbag’ billionaire chose to do capitalism differently – https://theconversation.com/how-this-dirtbag-billionaire-chose-to-do-capitalism-differently-272271

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/26/how-this-dirtbag-billionaire-chose-to-do-capitalism-differently-272271/

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fiona Boylan, Senior Lecturer, School of Education, Edith Cowan University

Starting school is a big moment in a child’s life. It is a time filled with new routines, new people and new places. These changes can also mean it is sometimes a stressful time. But it doesn’t have to be.

Our recent research explored what helps children’s confidence as they begin formal schooling. More than 100 children aged three to six and 21 teachers participated in our study, which included interviews, observations and children’s drawings.

We found there are many simple, everyday things families can do to help children feel calm and ready for their first day.

Practise new skills

Our research shows children are often expected to be more independent at school than they are at home. They’ll need to open their own bag and lunchbox, organise their belongings and use the toilet without help.

Families can make the transition smoother by practising one or two of these skills each day in the lead‑up to school.

Encourage your child to pack and carry their bag, open and close their lunchbox, and manage any food packaging they’ll encounter, like zip-lock bags or containers.

Try packing their lunchbox during the holidays so they can practise opening items and learn what’s for morning tea and lunch. This also helps you spot packaging that’s too tricky (something teachers are always grateful for).

Set up routines

Young children need repeated practice to learn new tasks such as packing their bag, getting dressed, or organising what they need for the day.

In the schools we worked with, children transitioned more smoothly when parents practised getting-ready routines with them beforehand. Rehearsing the morning routine gives children a sense of what to expect, without the pressure of rushing out the door.

A simple visual chart on the fridge can help. For example, you might include three steps – “eat breakfast”, “brush teeth and hair”, “pack your bag”. This is usually enough for young children to manage at the start.

Get to know school’s places and spaces

Help your child feel familiar with their new setting before the first day by attending any orientation sessions or arranging a visit. Even walking around the school, driving past, or exploring the playground can make the environment feel safe.

Talk about what the day might involve for example,

you will meet your teacher at the classroom door and they will take you into the classroom. You’ll have a break where you can play on the equipment. I’ll be at the tree to pick you up in the afternoon.

Use any stories or short videos the school provides to build familiarity. The more children know what to expect, the more confident they’ll feel when they get to school.

Watch out for big feelings

Starting school is exciting but also tiring. Young children are adjusting to new routines, people and expectations. It’s normal for them to come home exhausted or irritable.

Keep afternoons calm and avoid extra activities so they have time to rest, play and recharge. Offer a snack and water as many children forget to drink during the day.

Once they’ve had downtime, gentle questions like “What was your favourite part of today?” work better than pressing for details. This means you are not pressuring kids to go over things when they are tired and helps avoid emotional outbursts. Don’t worry if they can’t remember names yet.

Remember, this transition can be tiring for parents too – so keeping after-school time simple helps everyone to manage their emotions.

Get to know the teachers and school

It’s not just children who prepare for starting school – schools prepare too. Teachers want to get to know your child and family because strong relationships help them support children more effectively.

Share things like the language you speak at home, your family culture, and your child’s routines.

Feel free to ask questions about the daily schedule. Research shows us when families and schools exchange information, a child’s transition to school is smoother.

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Leonie Barblett and Amelia Ruscoe from Edith Cowan University were co-researchers on the research mentioned in this article.

Fiona Boylan received funding from the Association of Independent Schools Western Australia for this research.

– ref. Practise using bags and lunchboxes: how to build your child’s confidence as they start school – https://theconversation.com/practise-using-bags-and-lunchboxes-how-to-build-your-childs-confidence-as-they-start-school-273800

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/26/practise-using-bags-and-lunchboxes-how-to-build-your-childs-confidence-as-they-start-school-273800/

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sandra van der Laan, Professor of Accounting, University of Sydney

All of us, sooner or later, will need to make a decision about the final resting place for ourselves or a loved one.

But the usual options offered by most funeral homes – burial or cremation – come with some pretty major environmental problems. Both involve huge amounts of energy, resources and pollution.

Some religions have clear rules around how a body should be laid to rest, but if you’ve got a broader set of options – and you can afford it – what are the alternatives to mainstream burial and cremation methods?

The burial problem

Burial is increasingly out of reach for many. It’s expensive and cemeteries are running out of space, particularly in urban areas.

While many cemeteries in Australia now have limited tenure on burial plots (25 years in most places, renewable up to 99 years), space is still at a premium.

Even if you can secure a spot in a cemetery, it’s worth noting it takes a vast amount of resources to create and transport a wooden coffin.

All that felling of trees, refining the wood, shaping it into a coffin, transporting the materials and final product – it adds up to a lot of greenhouse gases. And then there’s the additional resources used for memorials such as a headstone.

And, while embalming is not common in Australia, preserving bodies this way uses chemicals such as formaldehyde, which can contaminate the soil and groundwater. It also poses health risks to funeral workers.

What about more natural options?

Natural burial methods are a more environmentally friendly alternative.

Also referred to as green burials, this is where bodies are buried in shallow graves in biodegradable material, such as a shroud or cardboard coffin.

Again, however, physical space remains a challenge. There’s just not that many green burial sites in Australia, and securing a spot can be costly and difficult. It might also be very far from where you or your surviving family members live.

Another option known as “human composting” takes green burials a step further. That’s where human remains are transformed into nutrient-rich soil with the aid of organic matter. However, this method is currently not legal in Australia, despite the efforts of advocates.

What’s the issue with mainstream cremation techniques?

Cremation, chosen for around 70% of body disposals in Australia, is not particularly environmentally friendly.

Each cremation releases toxins such as mercury into the atmosphere, as well as a significant amount of of CO₂.

How much? Well, estimates vary but one 2021 report noted that the “total greenhouse impact, taking into account electricity, transport and resources inputs as well as natural gas, of a single cremation is around 430kg of CO₂ equivalent.”

Each standard burial as practiced in Australia, the same report noted, is responsible for the emission of 780kg of CO₂ equivalent.

Water cremation: greener but pricier

Water cremation, also known as alkaline hydrolysis, can reduce some of the environmental impacts of traditional flame cremation.

Water cremation produces far fewer emissions compared to flame cremation. It avoids the release of toxic fumes from burning things like mercury from dental fillings.

The process uses water and alkaline chemicals, which are heated and circulated in a stainless steel vessel to speed up decomposition.

The result is bone ash and a sterile liquid byproduct. The ash can be kept, buried or scattered in the same way as ashes from a flame cremation. The liquid can be recycled.

Currently water cremation is relatively expensive in Australia, costing around A$6,000 compared to around $1,000 for a flame cremation. However, it may become more affordable over time if the practice becomes more popular.

And while it is legal in most of Australia, availability is restricted as there are only a few operators nationwide.

What about donating my body to science?

Donating your body to science might appeal to some as a form of “recycling”.

However, university and hospital-based programs generally cremate remains after they finish using your body or tissues for research and education, unless the body has been embalmed. If it has been embalmed or the family has specific requests, the body will be given a simple burial subject to certain conditions.

Private body donation operators merely harvest usable tissue immediately after death, leaving the family to dispose of the body via whatever method they would have done anyway.

In the end

A key issue across all options is that many people want a spot they can go to pay respect and remember loved ones – a sense of place.

While cremated remains can be placed in a niche in a cemetery with a memorial plaque, more often they are scattered in a meaningful place.

However, with cemeteries now leaning toward limited tenure for funeral plots, any enduring sense of place might also be lost even if you choose to be buried.

Finally, we all need to make sure we are all having conversations about our final wishes so loved ones have the best opportunity to carry them out.

In the end, the executor of the estate has the ultimate say over what happens to the body, so choose your executor carefully. Most people entrusted to this role tend to carry out the wishes of the deceased, if they are clearly articulated and affordable.

Sandra van der Laan has received funding from CPA Australia.

Lee Moerman has received funding from CPA Australia. She is a volunteer with Tender Funerals, a community-based, not-for-profit funeral home. Tender Funerals offers wooden, woven and cardboard caskets.

– ref. Human composting, natural burials, water cremation: greener ways to go when you die – https://theconversation.com/human-composting-natural-burials-water-cremation-greener-ways-to-go-when-you-die-270969

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/26/human-composting-natural-burials-water-cremation-greener-ways-to-go-when-you-die-270969/

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joshua Pate, Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy, University of Technology Sydney

It happens in slow motion. Your six-year-old daughter is sprinting across the playground at school drop-off time when her toe catches on uneven ground. She goes down hard.

The playground goes silent. She freezes and looks up, straight at you.
In that split second she scans your face for data. Should she be terrified?

I’ve been there. I’d like to tell you that my pain scientist brain kicks in immediately. But honestly it’s usually my panicked parent brain that gets there first. My stomach drops and my instinct is to gasp, or rush in to fix it.

This reaction is typical because we want to protect our kids. However, these moments are opportunities to teach children that their bodies are adaptable. Our reactions teach them whether pain is a disaster to be feared, or a feeling that’s safe to feel.

Adults as the volume knob

Children look to adults and even borrow our nervous system to gauge danger. They read our tone and posture as clues to determine how worried they should feel.

Research into everyday pain shows incidents such as bumps, cuts and scrapes happen frequently. For active toddlers in daycare, they occur about once every three hours. In these moments, adults often respond to the child’s distress, such as crying, rather than the actual severity of the injury.

When we panic, we turn the child’s pain volume knob up. When parents are highly distressed and protective about their child’s pain, it can make children more fearful. They may avoid activity or have more trouble with pain over time.

On the other hand, remaining calm helps children turn the volume down. We teach them that the alarm can be loud without the threat being catastrophic.

Two phrases that can backfire

It’s tempting to try to switch the alarm off immediately. However, two common phrases can shut down a child’s signal for help too quickly.

“You are OK”

It’s a common assumption that pain is only real when there is visible damage. Telling a child they’re fine when they’re clearly hurting can feel dishonest. It suggests their internal signals are wrong.

“Don’t cry”

Crying is a healthy signal for help. Asking a child to suppress it suggests the sensation is too scary to be acknowledged, cutting communication without resolving the underlying feeling of threat.

The internal scan versus the spoken message

A better approach is to separate what you do in your head from what you say out loud. Staying calm doesn’t mean ignoring genuine warning signs. The goal is calibrated concern, which is a middle ground between panic and dismissiveness.

Before saying anything, do a rapid risk scan. If they’re safe, responsive and breathing, you have confirmed it’s not an emergency. (Parents should still watch for red flags such as vomiting, confusion, unusual sleepiness, or pain that worsens rather than improves.)

If the injury is a minor scrape, you can shift to validation: “that looked sore”, “you got a fright”, or “I am here”. You are confirming verbally that they’re safe.

Age matters

Toddlers (2 to 5 years) rely on your facial expressions to know how to feel. Keep words simple and use physical comfort.

Primary school-aged kids (6 to 12 years) may want to be more involved in the solution, such as helping clean a scrape.

Teens can need a mix of validation and space. Ask what they need from you instead of doing everything for them.

From protection to movement

Once the tears settle, the recovery phase shapes the child’s relationship with movement. For years, the standard advice was RICER (rest, ice, compression, elevation, referral). Now, emerging evidence suggests that complete rest may delay healing.

Updated guidelines have shifted to PEACE & LOVE. PEACE applies immediately: protect, elevate, avoid anti-inflammatories, compress, educate. LOVE follows after a few days: load, optimism, vascularisation (promote blood flow via cardio), exercise.

The big shift here is optimism and load. This approach teaches children their bodies are designed to heal, and guides them back to gentle movement.

Three tiny experiments to try

1. Name it to tame it

Help your child turn a scary feeling into a piece of data. We found that even children without chronic pain have average pain ratings that fluctuate by up to 6 points out of 10 over six weeks. This volatility is typical. For tweens and older, you can ask, “What number is your pain right now on a scale from 0–10?”. This implicitly shows them that pain is changeable and usually drops quickly.

2. Calm then choose

Your calm nervous system helps soothe theirs. Try getting down to their level and take three slow breaths together. Depending on their age, you can then offer a choice to regain control: “Do you want to sit with me a bit longer or try walking to the slide?”

3. Retell the story later

Research confirms children can change their concept of pain through stories. Later that night, try parent-child reminiscing, which is where you retell the story of the fall together. Focus on personal strengths: “You were brave. You took deep breaths and then you got back up and played again”. This accurately reframes the memory from “I got hurt” to “I got hurt and I coped”.

Good enough is enough

If you overreacted to a recent mishap, be kind to yourself. Kids benefit from “good enough” patterns where their pain is taken seriously and their bodies are seen as capable.

So, let’s take a breath when bumps happen. Your child is looking at you. You have an opportunity to show them they’re safe and that their capable body knows how to heal.

Joshua Pate has received government funding for his research. He has received speaker fees for presentations on pain and physiotherapy. He receives book royalties.

– ref. Comfort them or let them tough it out? How parents shape a child’s pain response – https://theconversation.com/comfort-them-or-let-them-tough-it-out-how-parents-shape-a-childs-pain-response-269811

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/26/comfort-them-or-let-them-tough-it-out-how-parents-shape-a-childs-pain-response-269811/

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

The first Australian to qualify as an astronaut under Australia’s space program, Katherine Bennell-Pegg, is the 2026 Australian of the Year.

Bennell-Pegg, 41, who has yet to go to space, graduated from Basic Astronaut Training in 2024 as part of a class of six trained by the European Astronaut Centre in Germany. She was the first international candidate to do so. She had been picked for the program from more than 22,500 applicants.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese presented the Australian of the Year awards on Sunday night.

The Senior Australian of the Year is Professor Henry Brodaty, a pioneer in dementia treatment.

Young Australian of the Year is Nedd Brockmann, an ultra-marathon runner who has raised large sums to help the homeless.

The winner of the Local Hero section is Indigenous construction leader Frank Mitchell.

Bennell-Pegg, from South Australia, is an active promoter of Australia’s space program, and had the ambition of becoming an astronaut since she was a child. She regularly makes presentations to school children to inspire the next generation.
National Australia Day Council CEO Mark Fraser said she was “forging new frontiers for Australian space engineering, research and exploration.

“She leads by example, openly sharing her story to inspire the next generation and reminding us all of the power of a dream, and where determination can lead,” he said.

Bennell-Pegg was appointed director of space technology at the Australian Space Agency in 2022.

She has said “I have always dreamed of being an astronaut. When I was young, it was for the adventure, but after more than a decade working in space it’s now because I know the role it plays in tackling real-world problems and developing new knowledge that can benefit our society, environment, and science.”

The work of Brodaty, from New South Wales, is hailed as transformative in the diagnosis, care and prevention of dementia.

Momentum for his work came from the experience of his father, who was diagnosed in 1972 with Alzheimer’s disease, aged just 52. Back then, dementia was much more poorly understood than now.

In 2012, Brodaty co-founded the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing and led internationally-significant research that improved understanding of the risk and prevention of dementia.

His Maintain Your Brain large trial showed cost-effective and targeted intervention could delay the onset of dementia and even prevent it.

“Henry, 78, is a leader who has reshaped dementia care from every angle as he navigates toward a future where dementia is better treated and prevented,” the council said.

Brockmann, now 27 and from NSW, became concerned about homelessness when, as a young electrician from Forbes, on his regular trips to TAFE saw how many people were sleeping rough on Sydney’s Eddy Avenue. He wanted to highlight the problem.

In 2022, he ran from Cottesloe beach in Perth to Bondi beach in Sydney, a journey of 3,952 kilometres which he completed in 46 days, setting a record. He raised more than $2.6 million from 37,000 contributions.

He then established Nedd’s Uncomfortable Challenge in 2024 and with his team has raised more than $8 million to help the homeless.

Mitchell, 43, from Western Australia, a Whadjuk-Yued Noongar man, is co-director of Wilco Electrical and co-founder/director of Kardan, Baldja and Bilyaa in the trades and construction industry.

He was influenced by early experiences of suicide and the loss of best friends.

“As a young single father, being offered an electrical apprenticeship felt like a profound opportunity. When he became a business owner in 2015, he pledged to create the same opportunities for Mob.”

“Starting with just eight staff and $1.5 million turnover, Frank and his partners have created over 70 Aboriginal upskilling positions in the electrical and construction industry, including 30 electrical apprenticeships and awarding over $11 million to Aboriginal subcontractors.

“Today, all four companies collectively employ over 200 full-time staff.

“His story embodies a vision that integrates cultural values with business leadership, strengthening his ties to community while reshaping the construction industry and creating lasting impact and social justice,” the council said in its statement.

Michelle Grattan 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.

– ref. Astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg is 2026 Australian of the Year – https://theconversation.com/astronaut-katherine-bennell-pegg-is-2026-australian-of-the-year-274031

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/26/astronaut-katherine-bennell-pegg-is-2026-australian-of-the-year-274031/

ANALYSIS: By Jim Sanday

The recent announcement by Fiji’s Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs that Fiji will consider contributing troops to a proposed international stabilisation force in Gaza imposes a responsibility on all of us to ask the hard questions before the decision is finalised by Cabinet.

At the outset, let’s all be clear on one thing — Gaza is not a routine peacekeeping environment. It is a highly contested battlespace where the legitimacy, consent, and enforceability of any international force remain uncertain.

Before Fiji government commits its soldiers to Gaza, the public deserves clear answers to a number of questions about the risks such a deployment would pose to those on the ground.

1: Is there genuine consent?
The most fundamental issue is the explicit rejection of the stabilisation force concept by Hamas, the dominant armed actor in Gaza.

Peacekeeping doctrine rests on consent, impartiality, and limited use of force. When one principal party openly rejects a mission, the cornerstone of consent collapses.

Without consent, Fijian soldiers in Gaza will not be seen as neutral interposers. They risk being perceived as a hostile occupying force, regardless of intent.

For troops on the ground, this dramatically elevates the risk.

Patrols, checkpoints, convoys, and static positions become potential targets — not because Fijian and other soldiers in the stabilisation force have failed, but because their presence itself is rejected.

Fiji’s peacekeepers have historically operated where communities accepted their role.

Gaza would represent a fundamentally different operational reality.

2: How clear and limited is the mandate?
Public reporting suggests the proposed force would support public order, protect humanitarian operations, assist in rebuilding Palestinian policing, and potentially contribute to the demilitarisation of armed groups.

Each of these tasks carries different — and escalating — levels of risk.

Protecting aid corridors is one thing. Being perceived as assisting disarmament or security restructuring against the wishes of the dominant armed faction in Gaza, is quite another.

Without a narrow, realistic mandate and clear rules of engagement, Fijian soldiers in Gaza risk mission creep — sliding from stabilisation into enforcement.

History shows that unclear mandates expose peacekeepers to rising hostility while leaving them politically constrained in how they respond.

The Fiji public deserves to know exactly what its soldiers would be authorised — and expected — to do if confronted by armed resistance.

3: Are troops being deployed into an urban conflict?
Gaza is one of the most complex operating environments in the world: dense urban terrain, extensive tunnel networks, armed groups embedded within civilian populations, and a society traumatised by prolonged conflict.

If Hamas and other factions do not accept the force, Fijian soldiers will find themselves operating in conditions closer to low-intensity urban warfare.

In such environments, visibility offers no protection. Uniforms do not deter improvised explosive devices, snipers, or politically motivated attacks.

The Fiji public are entitled to know whether its sons and daughters are being sent to stabilise a peace — or to operate amid an unresolved conflict where peace does not yet exist.

4: What does Fiji’s own experience tell us?
Fiji’s long service with UNIFIL in Lebanon offers an important point of comparison.

Fijian troops operated there with a clear UN mandate, within defined areas of responsibility, and — crucially — with working relationships with local communities that largely accepted their presence. Even then, the environment was never risk-free.

Gaza would be more volatile.

Unlike southern Lebanon, Gaza involves an armed group that openly rejects the very concept of an international force.

That distinction matters profoundly for force protection and operational viability.

5: What is the duty of care?
Ultimately, the central issue is the Fiji government’s duty of care to its soldiers and their families.

Courage is not the same as recklessness.

Pride in service must be matched by a rigorous assessment of the risks; whether the mission is lawful, achievable, adequately resourced and grounded in a good dose of political reality.

Before any deployment, the government owes the public clear answers:

• Is there genuine consent from all major parties on the ground?
• Is the mandate limited, realistic, and enforceable?
• Are the rules of engagement robust enough if consent collapses?
• And is Fiji being asked to stabilise a peace — or to substitute for one that does not yet exist?

Asking these questions is not an act of disloyalty. It is the standard that has protected Fijian soldiers and their reputation in past deployments.

Our peacekeeping legacy was built on disciplined judgment, not on repeating the narrative of The Charge of the Light Brigade — where unquestioned courage and noble intentions led to a fatal advance born of strategic ambiguity, and soldiers paid the price for a lack of clarity.

Fiji’s peacekeeping reputation was earned through disciplined judgment and respect for human life, not by placing soldiers in harm’s way where there is no peace to keep.

Jim Sanday was a commissioned military officer in the pre-coup Royal Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) and commanded Fijian peacekeeping battalions in Lebanon and Sinai. In 2025, he led the National Security and Defence Review (NSDR) and co-authored the National Security Strategy that was approved by Cabinet in June 2025. This article was first pubished by the Fiji Sun and is republished by Asia Pacific Report with the author’s permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/25/gaza-peacekeeping-deployment-five-clear-questions-fiji-cannot-ignore/

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has appointed the Secretary of the Defence Department, Greg Moriarty, to be Australia’s new ambassador to Washington, succeeding Kevin Rudd, who leaves the position in March.

The highly-respected senior bureaucrat is a safe choice, and his defence background gives him special qualifications for the post when the further development of AUKUS will be a major preoccupation in coming years.

Moriarty will not be surrounded by any of the controversy that came with the appointment and tenure of Rudd, who had vehemently attacked US President Donald Trump in the years before becoming ambassador. In an embarrassing moment when Albanese had his first formal meeting with Trump last year, the president said to Rudd, “I don’t like you either, and I probably never will”.

Both sides of politics have tended to choose political appointments for the Washington post. Although there was some speculation Albanese might name a Labor figure as next ambassador, it always seemed likely he would opt for a more cautious choice this time around.

Albanese told the ABC while the appointment was his to make, he had discussed widely as to who was the appropriate person. The Trump administration had also been consulted.

Moriarty, 61, has headed the defence department since 2017, appointed under the Coalition government.

He served in the headquarters of the United States Central Command in the Persian Gulf during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

In a career extending across defence and diplomacy, he was ambassador to Indonesia in 2010-14 and ambassador to Iran in 2005-08.

Earlier he served in Papua New Guinea and as Senior Negotiator of the Peace Monitoring Group on Bougainville.

In 2015 he was appointed Australia’s first Counter Terrorismn Coordinator in the Prime Minister’s department .

He is well regarded by both sides of politics, and was international and national security advisor and then chief of staff to Malcolm Turnbull when Turnbull was prime minister.

The departure of Moriarty also gives the government more opportunity to shake up the top layers of the defence establishment, which it has begun to do.

The opposition welcomed the appointment.

In a statement opposition leader Sussan Ley and foreign affair spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said: “The Liberal Party has always stood for a strong alliance with the United States and Mr Moriarty has a proven track record of advancing Australia’s national interest under both Labor and Liberal governments.

“In this period of global uncertainty a strong alliance with the United States of America is more important than ever. Mr Moriarty is a safe pair of hands to advance Australia’s interest, build this relationship and ensure AUKUS reaches its full potential.”

Turnbull and former ambassador to Washington Arthur Sinodinos also praised the choice of Moriarty.

Canadian PM to address parliament in March

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney will visit Australia and address federal parliament in March, Albanese said on Sunday.

Last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos Carney made an splash with a speech in which he declared the the international rules-based order was undergoing a “rupture, not a transition”. He said middle powers “must act together, because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu”.

Asked about Carney’s comments Albanese told the ABC: “I agree with him and it’s consistent with what I said at the United Nations and with our engagement as well with middle powers”.

Michelle Grattan 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.

– ref. Albanese takes safe course, appointing defence chief Greg Moriarty to replace Kevin Rudd – https://theconversation.com/albanese-takes-safe-course-appointing-defence-chief-greg-moriarty-to-replace-kevin-rudd-274026

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/25/albanese-takes-safe-course-appointing-defence-chief-greg-moriarty-to-replace-kevin-rudd-274026/

ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on January 25, 2026.

Palestine rally targets NZ companies alleged link to ‘opaque’ supply lines in Gaza genocide
Asia Pacific Report Two New Zealand companies were condemned at a pro-Palestinian rally in Auckland today  for their alleged complicity in Israel-US military industrial complex roles linked to Israel’s genocide in Gaza. The rally in Auckland’s Te Komititanga Square was themed “NZ has blood on its hands” and speakers heavily criticised the conduct of Rocket

Israeli Supreme Court hearing on press access to Gaza looms – RSF and CPJ call for action
Nearly five months after a joint statement by 29 MFC member states called on Israel to allow press immediate independent access to Gaza and to protect journalists on the ground, the complete ban on media access remains in force. The ban has persisted since the start of the war over two years ago, despite the ceasefire

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/25/er-report-a-roundup-of-significant-articles-on-eveningreport-nz-for-january-25-2026/

Asia Pacific Report

Two New Zealand companies were condemned at a pro-Palestinian rally in Auckland today  for their alleged complicity in Israel-US military industrial complex roles linked to Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

The rally in Auckland’s Te Komititanga Square was themed “NZ has blood on its hands” and speakers heavily criticised the conduct of Rocket Lab and Rakon with their alleged “opaque” link to IDF targeting during the more than two-year war on the besieged enclave.

Although a ceasefire was declared last October 10, critics have condemned Israel for repeatedly violating the truce, killing at least a further 463 Palestinians out of the total of more than 71,000, mainly women and children.

The rally was organised by the Palestine Solidarity Network of Aotearoa (PSNA) in the 120th week of demonstrations and focused discussion on New Zealand’s complicity.

“I don’t want to ruin your day,” began PSNA organising committee member Brendan Corbett, “but as we gather here there is another group of people in a quiet Mt Wellington street staring at computer screens in the mission control office of a US Department of War contractor, Rocket Lab.”

He said they were launching spy satellites for Blacksky that ultimately fed data to Palantir, the notorious company that supplies AI-powered data, then to the IDF for the “targeted killing of Palestinians”.

“The US Department of War loves Rocket Lab so much they they have given them a US$2.4 billion contract shared with another American company to convert the rocket that they build at Warkworth into a hypersonic, 700 kg payload, missile.

“Rocket Lab have got the gall to call their rocket the ‘Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbited Test Electron’.

A first launch this year of the Electron due on Thursday was delayed by high winds.

“How the hell have we got to this stage that the US Department of War is active at this level in our community?” Corbett asked.

[embedded content]

From ‘link to chain’
He said Rocket Lab had gone from being a “link in the Gaza kill chain” to now “being the chain”.

Corbett told the crowd to “go back a bit” — to 2006 — for background.

Rocket Lab was the product of some “clever New Zealand rocket tech enthusiasts” who had an idea for a cheap, small rocket delivery service taking satellites into orbit.

The company was “commercialised” and then sold to American interests.

“By reassuring sceptical iwi that Rocket Lab would never carry military payloads they got approval for a launch facility in Māhia, near Gisborne, and a tracking facility on Rēkohu, Chatham Island.

“Fast forward 20 years to April 2025, Peter Beck, the founder and major shareholder in Rocket Lab announced: ‘It’s an honour to be selected by the American Space Systems Command to partner in delivering the Victus Haze mission and demonstrate the kind of advanced technically responsive capabilities critical to evolving national security needs.’”

Victus Haze is an American military research programme experimenting with hypersonic space vehicles.

War in space?
The United States has been assessing New Zealand capability to help with rapid rocket and satellite launches if “war breaks out in space”.

After outlining Rocket Lab’s activities, including its production plant in Warkworth, Corbett said: “You get the picture. Rocket Lab has fully embedded itself in the US Department of War . . . and their share price is rocketing up.”

“War is still one hell of a racket.”

Corbett concluded by saying: “This open disregard that Rocket Lab has for the people of New Zealand, dragging us into complicity with genocide must be challenged and confronted.”

in a speech by Christchurch peace activist Will Alexander, read out by PSNA’s Leeann Wahanui-Peters, another company, world-leading technology outfit Rakon, and its “unsettling path its products may be taking” was criticised.

Rakon manufactures crystal oscillators as dual-use components — “the same technology that guides a civilian drone to capture a beautiful landscape can guide an Israeli drone to a journalist’s tent.”

Alexander referred to a statement from Rakon in May 2024: “Rakon does not design or manufacture weapons. We do not supply products to Israel for weapons, and we are not aware of our products being incorporated into weapons which are provided to Israel.”

He responded: “I am not alleging that Rakon ships directly to the Israeli military.”

Compelling scenario
However, his speech spelt out a compelling scenario of how a supply chain was “more opaque, and that is by design.”

His argument was that in Auckland “we have a company producing a critical component” that was likely to “enable airstrikes that have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians including journalists, destroyed hospitals, universities, and homes, and caused famine”.

Alexander said that while Rakon operated within the law, the situation posed a “profound ethical question”.

“As New Zealanders, we have a proud history of standing for peace, for nuclear-free principles, and for international law. We rightly feel horror when we see the mass killing in Gaza.

“But are we comfortable knowing that a critical piece of that war machine, however small and unseen, might have a ‘Made in New Zealand’ signature etched into its circuitry?”

Israel is on trial with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for “plausible genocide” on a case brought by South Africa and supported by more than 30 countries and international organisations.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant are wanted on International Criminal Court (ICC) warrants for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/25/palestine-rally-targets-nz-companies-alleged-link-to-opaque-supply-lines-in-gaza-genocide/

Nearly five months after a joint statement by 29 MFC member states called on Israel to allow press immediate independent access to Gaza and to protect journalists on the ground, the complete ban on media access remains in force.

The ban has persisted since the start of the war over two years ago, despite the ceasefire plan that went into effect on 10 October 2025.

In a letter addressed to the foreign ministers of MFC member states — which includes the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Canada and France — RSF and CPJ have urged these governments to:

• Send official representatives to attend the January 26 hearing before Israel’s Supreme Court concerning the second petition filed by the Foreign Press Association (FPA) seeking unrestricted independent access into Gaza for journalists;
• Make press freedom a priority in discussions with the new technocratic government — appointed under the US President’s plan to govern Gaza and led by Ali Shaath — beginning with the immediate lifting of the media blockade; and
• Ensure that the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) applies UN Security Council Resolution 2222, which recognises journalists as civilians in times of conflict and guarantees both their protection and foreign media access to Gaza.

Independent access ‘fundamental’
“Independent access to conflict zones is a fundamental principle of war reporting,” said RSF’s director-general Thibaut Bruttin.

“The foreign press has been able to cover many recent high-intensity conflicts, from Iraq to Afghanistan to Ukraine.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/25/israeli-supreme-court-hearing-on-press-access-to-gaza-looms-rsf-and-cpj-call-for-action/

ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on January 24, 2026.

‘Thank God’ – parents of PNG conjoined twins grateful they defied medical advice
By Margot Staunton, RNZ Pacific senior journalist The parents of rare conjoined twins say doctors in Papua New Guinea told them to take the boys home as they were beyond hope. “Thank God we [defied them] and we are where we are,” the boys’ dad Kevin Mitiam, who is also a twin, said in Tok

Federal government’s crackdown on free speech affects all Australians
ANALYSIS: By Paul Gregoire Australia’s two federal combating antisemitism bills, the New South Wales laws providing the means to shutdown street protests and move on stationary public assemblies, along with the envoy’s plan to combat antisemitism and the Royal Commission into the same prejudice, have all been set in place following two ISIS-fuelled killers murdering

OpenAI will put ads in ChatGPT. This opens a new door for dangerous influence
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Raffaele F Ciriello, Senior Lecturer in Business Information Systems, University of Sydney OpenAI, The Conversation OpenAI has announced plans to introduce advertising in ChatGPT in the United States. Ads will appear on the free version and the low-cost Go tier, but not for Pro, Business, or Enterprise

The Mount Maunganui tragedy reminds us landslides are NZ’s deadliest natural hazard
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Martin Brook, Professor of Applied Geology, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images The tragic events in the Bay of Plenty this week are a stark reminder that landslides remain the deadliest of the many natural hazards New Zealand faces. On Thursday morning, a large landslide

Tokelau airport project scrapped despite multi-million dollar design
By Kaya Selby, RNZ Pacific journalist New Zealand has scrapped a project to build an airport in Tokelau after sinking NZ$3 million into the design phase. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade told RNZ Pacific that the Tokelau government had been advised of their decision. Tokelau is completely inaccessible by plane,

ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for January 23, 2026
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on January 23, 2026.

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/24/er-report-a-roundup-of-significant-articles-on-eveningreport-nz-for-january-24-2026/

By Margot Staunton, RNZ Pacific senior journalist

The parents of rare conjoined twins say doctors in Papua New Guinea told them to take the boys home as they were beyond hope.

“Thank God we [defied them] and we are where we are,” the boys’ dad Kevin Mitiam, who is also a twin, said in Tok Pisin.

Tom and Sawong — who were fused at the lower abdomen — had unplanned emergency surgery to divide them at Sydney Children’s Hospital on December 7.

The surgery was brought forward as Tom, the weaker twin, was deteriorating rapidly. A large multi-disciplinary team took seven hours to separate the boys but Tom died soon after he was detached from his brother.

The team spent a further five hours working on Sawong, who is doing well and could return home by the end of February.

“The Port Moresby General Hospital paediatrician team told us [twice] to go back home, that there was no hope for them,” their mum Fetima said in Tok Pisin.

“We were even told not to trust Jurgen Ruh [the family’s spokesperson] because they said he was giving us false hope.

“I am happy and I laugh when I see my baby Sawong and think about that advice,” she said.

“I am full of hope, I cuddle him and talk to him every day, as he grows.”

Hospital response
RNZ Pacific has asked Port Moresby General Hospital for a response.

The two-month-olds were medivacced from Port Moresby to Sydney on December 4, following medical advice that they undergo urgent surgery.

The move followed weeks of tense wrangling over the viability of separating them, which country would accept the case and perform the operation, and how it would be financed.

The boys shared a liver, bladder and parts of their gastrointestinal tract, but had their owns limbs and genitals.

They also had partial spina bifida — a neural tube defect that affects the development of a newborn’s spine and spinal cord. Tom also had a congenital heart defect, one kidney and malformed lungs.

Doctors at Port Moresby General Hospital initially explored the possibility of transferring the twins to Sydney, but the plans fell through when funding from a charity was pulled.

The hospital later made a u-turn and advised the couple to stay in PNG or face the death of either one or both of the boys.

Final decision
The Medical Director, Dr Kone Sobi, said previously that multiple discussions led to their final decision, and added: “The underlying thing is that both twins present with significant congenital anomalies and we feel that even with care and treatment in a highly specialised unit, the chances of survival are very very slim.

“In fact the prognosis is extremely bad and the twin’s future is unpredictable.”

Ruh told RNZ Pacific on Thursday that although Sawong remained in intensive care, monitored constantly by a specialist nurse, he was “strong and doing well”.

He was no longer on a ventilator, did not need supplementary oxygen and was gaining about 50 grams a day in weight, he said.

“The hose fitting on his nose is simply to monitor his breathing and to assist a little with extra pressure in his lungs.

“Doctors have now closed up a hole in his stomach with stretched skin and he is improving every day, but it will be another month or so before he is released, possibly by the end of February.

“Occasionally Sawong gives the biggest smile on earth; he is just happy with what he has.”

100 days old
The hospital recently celebrated Sawong reaching 100 days old with a simple but touching celebration.

“It threw a little party for Sawong, his parents and all the staff who have been part of his journey. Fetima cut a frozen cheesecake on his behalf,” Ruh said.

A massive funeral for Tom was held a month ago at the Mega Church in Hillsong, Sydney.

The family are expected to scatter his ashes after they return home to their remote village in PNG’s Morobe Province.

While the complex surgery was a success, the results were bittersweet for the parents.

“I thought it was amazing, after the surgery a nurse gave Tom to them and they spent hours just cuddling him,” Ruh previously told RNZ Pacific.

The parents had been through a “rollercoaster” of emotions since the twins were born on  October 9.

“They had accepted that they would lose Tom and there’s been many tears shed along the way,” he said previously.

Funding search
Ruh said last month that at one stage during negotiations the Sydney Children’s Hospital requested A$2 million to do the operation, but funds and guarantees could not be found.

RNZ Pacific understands that the parents had approached the PNG government for funding, but Ruh would not confirm this.

The ABC had reported that the hospital had asked for payment before the twins were transferred from PNG; however Ruh said as far as he knew no money had changed hands.

When asked how it was financed he said: “It’s a mixture of funding which took too long to organise.

“It should never have taken eight weeks to get the twins separated, it should have happened in eight days, but no referral pathway [to a foreign hospital] exists,” Ruh said.

He laid the blame on the PNG health system, and said babies born prematurely or with birth defects were lost in the system.

“It was a very disappointing ride we had, in terms of overall support from Port Moresby General Hospital. Then there were delays in getting them to Australia.

“We were exploring faster options, but we did not have any support.”

Private hospital
The boys were eventually moved from the public hospital to Paradise Private Hospital in Port Moresby, which provided them with free care.

The family felt the twins would be “safer” and have less chance of cross-infection from other babies, particularly of malaria.

A multi-disciplinary team from Sydney Children’s Hospital flew to Port Moresby on November 21 to assess the twins, amid growing public pressure in Australia and PNG.

At that point the boys only had a combined weight of 2.9kg, and Tom was relying on Sawong to keep him alive.

In a letter to doctors in PNG, the Sydney team said surgery was in fact feasible although Tom was not expected to survive it.

“The reason for the early separation is that Sawong is working hard to support Tom,” the letter said.

Urgent transfer
The team had recommended the twins be urgently transferred in a specialised aircraft with intensive care facilities plus medical and nursing personnel.

The boys underwent multiple investigations at Sydney Children’s Hospital, including an MRI and CT scan to define their anatomy and vascular supply.

“Before the surgery, the medical team [in Sydney] said it was a miracle that Tom had survived for two months,” Ruh said previously.

A huge team including liver surgeons, colorectal surgeons and urologists, specialised cardiac anaesthetists, cardiologists, neonatologists and interventional radiologists were involved in the surgery, supported by a large team of nursing and allied staff.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/24/thank-god-parents-of-png-conjoined-twins-grateful-they-defied-medical-advice/

ANALYSIS: By Paul Gregoire

Australia’s two federal combating antisemitism bills, the New South Wales laws providing the means to shutdown street protests and move on stationary public assemblies, along with the envoy’s plan to combat antisemitism and the Royal Commission into the same prejudice, have all been set in place following two ISIS-fuelled killers murdering 15 people at Bondi Beach six weeks ago.

While some of these measures were drafted in a hurry immediately post-Bondi in a theatrical attempt to prevent what had already occurred, much of the “combating antisemitism” smorgasbord of laws that serve to clamp down on free speech and the right to political communication in general, appear to have been waiting in the wings for the right political moment to enact.

These dramatic changes that have been foisted upon the country’s public square have been central to a broad campaign that the Zionist lobby has been progressing both locally and throughout the Western world, which is difficult to pin down as most of this advocating takes place behind closed doors, while when featured in the media, these positions are increasingly reflected as the norm.

The Zionist lobby is also known as the Israel lobby. Political Zionism advocates for the establishment of a Jewish state on Palestinian land, which is today Israel.

A key outcome of the doctrine of Zionism is the displacement and genociding of Palestinians. And it is these truths, and the fact that the Gaza genocide is in progress, that make it necessary to progress the lobby’s agenda right now.

But while the Albanese government is implementing the envoy’s plan and a Royal Commission into antisemitism, which both include a definition of antisemitism that serves to block criticism of Israel at the behest of the lobby, the scope of the federal hate laws further reveal desperate Labor and Liberal parties attempting to shore up power in the face of a drastically shifting political climate.

McCarthyite Zionism
While the Israel lobby has long been understood to have an excessive influence upon the US political establishment, the sway of the Zionist lobby in Australia had not been common knowledge among the broader public until Gaza, as over the past 26 months of the mass slaughter and starvation programme, the lobby’s propaganda machine has been actioned in an attempt to hide this.

As the internet filled with footage of Israeli state actors perpetrating horrific acts in the Gaza Strip in late 2023, the Australian public sphere became a place to attack constituents for speaking out about this worst atrocity since the genociding of Jewish people during the Second World War, and the key way to silence these critics was to charge them with antisemitism — the hate that stoked the Holocaust.

The central target of the local Zionist lobby has been the Palestine solidarity movement, which has been a loud secular voice sprung from a diverse constituency.

Yet, federal and state Labor leaders have been labelling these people, who have been calling for an end to the practice of exterminating humans to obtain land, as outright antisemites and further implied they’re somewhat terroristic.

Assisting in the progression of the Zionist lobby’s hasbara mission, a documentary about rising antisemitism was aired last year, then a series of staged antisemitic crimes swept Sydney streets, rallies against Israel’s barbarity in Gaza have been framed as antisemitic, Jewish voices decrying Israel have been labelled self-hating, while attempts to remove Palestinian voices are underway.

According to US professors Noam Chomsky and Judith Butler, the Israeli state and the Zionist lobby commenced framing criticism of Israel as antisemitic in the late 1960s.

This idea is predicated upon Israel being a Jewish state. It denies the fact that many Jewish people globally don’t adhere to the doctrine of Zionism. And it rests on a flimsy link that only holds because of the force of the lobbyists.

Getting our hasbara on
The Zionist lobby got a foot in the door when PM Anthony Albanase appointed arch-Zionist Jillian Segal to the newly created position of Australian Special Envoy on Antisemitism in July 2024.

This had appeared to be spurred by the moral panic around antisemitism, however it has since come to light that the envoy programme exists across the Western world, with the first US envoy appointed in 2004.

Segal released her Plan to Combat Antisemitism in July 2025. Albanese implemented it straight after Bondi.

At its heart, the plan inserts the IHRA definition of antisemitism that blocks criticism of Israel into every level of Australian government and all its institutions. Further aspects involve the monitoring of tertiary institutions and the media for antisemitism or rather, anti-Israel sentiment.

The IHRA working definition of antisemitism comprises of two lines and 11 examples of hatred towards Jewish people, seven of which involve criticising Israel.

The body that produced it has never officially adopted it. However, as one of its drafters has been warning over the past decade, the Zionist lobby has been weaponising the definition to silence anti-Israel criticism globally.

The determination to hold a Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion is the result of an all-pervasive campaign to see it established post-Bondi massacre, with the suggested reason being to understand how such a terrorist action was able to come to fruition.

Further moral panic
However, the criminal case against one shooter rules this out, so the inquiry will likely serve to stoke further moral panic.

The NSW government commenced seriously stamping out protest in April 2022.

So, the blanket ban on protests, or the public assembly restriction declaration regime rolled out post-Bondi, can be understood as not only placating the Zionist lobby, via the silencing of Palestine solidarity rallies on Gadigal land in the Sydney CBD, but it’s also as a continuation of the closing of the public sphere.

The 50 pages of hate crime laws the Albanese government whipped out of its back pocket last week, appeared so broad that the suggestion is the measures were in the works long before the antisemitic attack in Bondi on 14 December 2025.

ASIO boss Mike Burgess hinted at a need for these last year, so as to stamp out groups, like the neo-Nazi National Socialist Network and Islamic group Hitz ut Tahrir, as they had both been understood to be hovering just beneath the threshold of criminal activity.

So, broad is the reach is the new listing prohibited hate group regime that the major concern right now is that they might be applied to stamp out pro-Palestinian sentiment and protest in the public square to again placate the Zionist lobby.

But further, these laws sitting on the books could likely be used by a future “true blue” führer, so that their opposition can be eradicated on taking office.

The fallacy of necessitated free speech denial
NSW premier Chris Minns’ favoured mantra over the period of the Gaza genocide — or the rise in antisemitism in Australia if one is being “politically correct” — has been along the lines of “the reason NSW does not have free speech protections like they do in the United States, is that this state has a multicultural society and therefore, divergent voices must be tempered”. Yet, this is a lie.

During the 1890s drafting of the Australian Constitution, those involved determined not to enshrine rights in the founding document, as it might result in discriminatory laws already on the books that specifically applied to First Nations people and Chinese people becoming invalid, former High Court Justice Micheal Kirby has noted on occasion.

This was just prior to the 1901 federation of Australia, which was when various pieces of legislation were passed in order to progress the White Australia policy. So, rights were initially denied in this country to maintain a form of white supremacy.

The premier is not only progressing this line when the moral panic around antisemitism is in full flight, but he is also suggesting that the right to free speech should not be protected in NSW, over and over again, after NSW MP Jenny Leong introduced the Human Rights Bill 2025 last October, which seeks to protect free speech, or “freedom of opinion and expression”, among other rights.

The failure to protect free speech in this country was initially about maintaining power when attempting to establish an ethnostate. But the ongoing denial of rights protections since Australia embraced multiculturalism commencing in the 1970s, has really been about politicians maintaining power, and not an attempt to save various ethnic groups living here from annihilating each other.

The idea progressed by Minns is that the broad free speech protections in the United States, which are contained in the First Amendment of the US Constitution, would be a problem in our community because it is multicultural.

However, while the US has traditionally been understood to have been a melting pot of different ethnicities, what is operating as societies in both countries today are based upon multiethnicities, and they’re pretty much the same.

The progression of the “combating antisemitism” laws and policies right now is all about placating the Zionist lobby, while Israel takes as many pounds of flesh as it desires upon occupied Palestinian territory, in order to prevent the ongoing mass civil society outcry over this ethnic cleansing, the mass starvation and mass murder, along with the genocidal tactics that are ongoing in the Gaza Strip.

Yet, the federal listing of prohibited hate group regime also provides the ability to the major parties to criminalise their political opponents as hate groups — think, the Greens — at a point in time when the long-term capture of holding government office by the majors is now under threat.

Paul Gregoire is a Sydney-based journalist and writer. He is the winner of the 2021 NSW Council for Civil Liberties Award For Excellence In Civil Liberties Journalism. Prior to Sydney Criminal Lawyers®, Paul wrote for VICE and was the news editor at Sydney’s City Hub.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/23/federal-governments-crackdown-on-free-speech-affects-all-australians/

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Martin Brook, Professor of Applied Geology, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

The tragic events in the Bay of Plenty this week are a stark reminder that landslides remain the deadliest of the many natural hazards New Zealand faces.

On Thursday morning, a large landslide swept through the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park at the base of Mauao, triggering a major rescue and recovery operation that will continue through the weekend.

Hours earlier, two people were killed when a separate landslide struck a home in the Tauranga suburb of Welcome Bay. As of Friday evening, six people remain missing at Mount Maunganui.

These events occurred at the tail end of a weak La Niña cycle, which typically brings wetter conditions to northern New Zealand. At the same time, unusually warm sea-surface temperatures have been loading the atmosphere with extra moisture, helping to fuel heavier downpours.

In parts of northern New Zealand, more than 200 millimetres of rain fell within 24 hours in the lead-up to last week’s events – well above the typical thresholds known to trigger landslides.

Regions such as the Bay of Plenty, Coromandel, Northland and Tairāwhiti are especially vulnerable to intense rainfall, which weakens surface soils and the highly weathered rock beneath them, allowing shallow landslides to detach and flow downslope.

Most landslides in New Zealand are triggered by heavy rainfall, through a complex interplay of intrinsic factors – such as slope angle, soil and rock strength, and vegetation cover – and extrinsic factors, including rainfall intensity and how wet the ground already is from prior rainfall when a storm arrives.

Much of this risk is invisible, accumulating quietly beneath the surface until a sudden collapse occurs.

This helps explain why landslides have long proved so dangerous. Since written records began in 1843, they have been responsible for more deaths than earthquakes and volcanic eruptions combined.

Much of New Zealand’s steep, geologically young landscape is pockmarked by the evidence of millions of past landslides, most occurring on pasture and remote areas, far from people.

When landscapes tell a story

At Mount Maunganui, the shape of the land itself tells a story. The surrounding hill slopes are riddled with the scars of past landslides, revealing a landscape that has been repeatedly reshaped by slope failure over time.

New high-resolution mapping now allows scientists to see this in unprecedented detail. A 2024 LiDAR-derived digital elevation model, which effectively strips away vegetation to reveal the bare land surface, shows numerous landslide features across the slopes.

Many cluster along the coastal cliffs, but two particularly large ancient landslides can be seen directly above the holiday park.

These older slips left behind prominent head scarps – steep, crescent-shaped breaks in the hillside – indicating where large volumes of material once detached and flowed downslope onto flatter ground below.

Subsurface evidence reinforces this picture. A geotechnical investigation carried out in 2000, near the northern end of the campground’s toilet block, found a 0.7 metre layer of colluvium – loose debris deposited by earlier landslides and erosion – buried beneath the surface.

In other words, the site itself sits atop the remnants of past slope failures.

The January 22 landslide appears to have initiated in the narrow zone between the two earlier slips. This is a particularly vulnerable position: when neighbouring landslides occur, the remaining wedge of land between them can lose lateral support, becoming unstable, like a rocky headland jutting out from a cliff face.

Over long timescales, this kind of progressive slope collapse is a normal part of landscape evolution. But when it unfolds in populated areas, it can turn an ancient geological process into a human disaster.

From prediction to prevention

Predicting how far a landslide will travel, and which areas it might inundate, is critically important – but it remains an inexact science.

At its simplest, this can involve rough rules of thumb that estimate how far a landslide is likely to run based on slope height and angle. More sophisticated approaches use advanced computer models, such as Rapid Mass Movement Simulation (RAMMS) which simulate how landslide material might flow across the landscape.

These models were used, for example, to assess landslide risk at Muriwai, Auckland, following Cyclone Gabrielle.

By adjusting inputs such as rainfall intensity and soil properties, scientists can explore a range of possible scenarios, generating estimates of how far future landslides could travel, how deep the debris might be, and which properties could be affected.

The results can then be translated into landslide hazard maps, showing areas of higher and lower risk under different rainfall conditions. These maps are not predictions of exactly what will happen, but they provide crucial guidance for land-use planning, emergency management and public awareness.

New Zealand has made major progress in mapping floodplains, and most councils now provide publicly accessible flood hazard maps that influence building rules and help communities understand their exposure.

In the future, developing similarly detailed and widely available maps for landslide hazards would be a logical – potentially life-saving – next step.

Martin Brook receives funding from the Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tu Ake.

– ref. The Mount Maunganui tragedy reminds us landslides are NZ’s deadliest natural hazard – https://theconversation.com/the-mount-maunganui-tragedy-reminds-us-landslides-are-nzs-deadliest-natural-hazard-274201

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/23/the-mount-maunganui-tragedy-reminds-us-landslides-are-nzs-deadliest-natural-hazard-274201/

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Raffaele F Ciriello, Senior Lecturer in Business Information Systems, University of Sydney

OpenAI has announced plans to introduce advertising in ChatGPT in the United States. Ads will appear on the free version and the low-cost Go tier, but not for Pro, Business, or Enterprise subscribers.

The company says ads will be clearly separated from chatbot responses and will not influence outputs. It has also pledged not to sell user conversations, to let users turn off personalised ads, and to avoid ads for users under 18 or around sensitive topics such as health and politics.

Still, the move has raised concerns among some users. The key question is whether OpenAI’s voluntary safeguards will hold once advertising becomes central to its business.

Why ads in AI were always likely

We’ve seen this before. Fifteen years ago, social media platforms struggled to turn vast audiences into profit.

The breakthrough came with targeted advertising: tailoring ads to what users search for, click on, and pay attention to. This model became the dominant revenue source for Google and Facebook, reshaping their services so they maximised user engagement.

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Read more:
Why is the internet overflowing with rubbish ads – and what can we do about it?

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Large-scale artificial intelligence (AI) is extremely expensive. Training and running advanced models requires vast data centres, specialised chips, and constant engineering. Despite rapid user growth, many AI firms still operate at a loss. OpenAI alone expects to burn US$115 billion over the next five years.

Only a few companies can absorb these costs. For most AI providers, a scalable revenue model is urgent and targeted advertising is the obvious answer. It remains the most reliable way to profit from large audiences.

What history teaches us about OpenAI’s promises

OpenAI says it will keep ads separate from answers and protect user privacy. These assurances may sound comforting, but, for now, they rest on vague and easily reinterpreted commitments.

The company proposes not to show ads “near sensitive or regulated topics like health, mental health or politics”, yet offers little clarity about what counts as “sensitive,” how broadly “health” will be defined, or who decides where the boundaries lie.

Most real-world conversations with AI will sit outside these narrow categories. So far OpenAI has not provided any details on which advertising categories will be included or excluded. However, if no restrictions were placed on the content of the ads, it’s easy to picture that a user asking “how to wind down after a stressful day” might be shown alcohol delivery ads. A query about “fun weekend ideas” could surface gambling promotions.

These products are linked to recognised health and social harms. Placed beside personalised guidance at the moment of decision-making, such ads can steer behaviour in subtle but powerful ways, even when no explicit health issue is discussed.

Similar promises about guardrails marked the early years of social media. History shows how self-regulation weakens under commercial pressure, ultimately benefiting companies while leaving users exposed to harm.

Advertising incentives have a long record of undermining the public interest. The Cambridge Analytica scandal exposed how personal data collected for ads could be repurposed for political influence. The “Facebook files” revealed that Meta knew its platforms were causing serious harms, including to teenage mental health, but resisted changes that threatened advertising revenue.

More recent investigations show Meta continues to generate revenue from scam and fraudulent ads even after being warned about their harms.

Why chatbots raise the stakes

Chatbots are not merely another social media feed. People use them in intimate, personal ways for advice, emotional support and private reflection. These interactions feel discreet and non-judgmental, and often prompt disclosures people would not make publicly.

That trust amplifies persuasion in ways social media does not. People seek help and make decisions when they consult chatbots. Even with formal separation from responses, ads appear in a private, conversational setting rather than a public feed.

Messages placed beside personalised guidance – about products, lifestyle choices, finances or politics – are likely to be more influential than the same ads seen while browsing.

As OpenAI positions ChatGPT as a “super assistant” for everything from finances to health, the line between advice and persuasion blurs.

For scammers and autocrats, the appeal of a more powerful propaganda tool is clear. For AI providers, the financial incentives to accommodate them will be hard to resist.

The root problem is a structural conflict of interest. Advertising models reward platforms for maximising engagement, yet the content that best sustains attention is often misleading, emotionally charged or harmful to health.

This is why voluntary restraint by online platforms has repeatedly failed.

Is there a better way forward?

One option is to treat AI as digital public infrastructure: these are essential systems designed to serve the public rather than maximise advertising revenue.

This need not exclude private firms. It requires at least one high-quality public option, democratically overseen – akin to public broadcasters alongside commercial media.

Elements of this model already exist. Switzerland developed the publicly funded AI system Apertus through its universities and national supercomputing centre. It is open source, compliant with European AI law, and free from advertising.

Australia could go further. Alongside building our own AI tools, regulators could impose clear rules on commercial providers: mandating transparency, banning health-harming or political advertising, and enforcing penalties – including shutdowns – for serious breaches.

Advertising did not corrupt social media overnight. It slowly changed incentives until public harm became the collateral damage of private profit. Bringing it into conversational AI risks repeating the mistake, this time in systems people trust far more deeply.

The key question is not technical but political: should AI serve the public, or advertisers and investors?

Raffaele F Ciriello is a voluntary, temporary member of the eSafety Commissioner’s Parent Advisory Group, advising on caregiver and youth responses to Australia’s Social Media Minimum Age laws. This article draws on his independent research.

Kathryn Backholer is Vice President (Policy) at the Public Health Association of Australia. She receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Australian Research Council, UNICEF, The Ian Potter Foundation, The National Heart Foundation, VicHealth, the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education, QUIT, the .auDA Foundation and the Victorian Department of Justice and Community Safety for work related to the health-harms of online advertising.

– ref. OpenAI will put ads in ChatGPT. This opens a new door for dangerous influence – https://theconversation.com/openai-will-put-ads-in-chatgpt-this-opens-a-new-door-for-dangerous-influence-273806

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/23/openai-will-put-ads-in-chatgpt-this-opens-a-new-door-for-dangerous-influence-273806/

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/23/tokelau-airport-project-scrapped-despite-multi-million-dollar-design/

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/23/er-report-a-roundup-of-significant-articles-on-eveningreport-nz-for-january-23-2026/

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/23/trumps-greenland-grab-is-part-of-a-new-space-race-and-the-stakes-are-getting-higher-274111/

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/23/scott-morrison-and-dan-andrews-got-it-wrong-here-are-7-ways-to-get-crisis-leadership-right-274017/