‘World’s largest’ electric ship measuring 130 metres launched by Tasmanian boatbuilder

Manufacturer Incat built Hull 096 to run between Buenos Aires and Uruguay, dubbing it the ‘most complex’ project it has ever undertaken

An Australian boatbuilder has launched what it describes as the world’s largest battery-power ship, describing it as a “a giant leap forward in sustainable shipping” and the “most important” project it has ever done.

Incat, a manufacturer based in Tasmania, constructed the ship – called Hull 096 – after being contracted by the South American ferry operator Buquebus to build a vessel to run between the Argentinian capital, Buenos Aires, and Uruguay.

Continue reading...

‘A win-win for farmers’: how flooding fields in north-west England could boost crops

A ‘wetter farming’ project explores rehydrating peatland to help grow crops in boggier conditions while cutting CO2 emissions

“I really don’t like the word ‘paludiculture’ – most people have no idea what it means,” Sarah Johnson says. “I prefer the term ‘wetter farming’.”

The word might be baffling, but the concept is simple: paludiculture is the use of wet peatlands for agriculture, a practice that goes back centuries in the UK, including growing reeds for thatching roofs.

Continue reading...

‘Blackouts can happen anywhere’: how power systems worldwide can collapse

After Europe’s biggest blackout in over 20 years, experts warn that while such incidents are rare, no grid is infallible

Europe’s biggest blackout in over 20 years on the Iberian peninsula unleashed hours of chaos for people in Spain, Portugal and parts of France earlier this week. But in the aftermath it has raised a common question for governments across the continent: could the same happen here?

Europe’s political leaders and energy system operators have given assurances that such blackouts are extraordinarily rare, and that European power grids are some of the most stable in the world.

Continue reading...

India will include caste details in its next census – NPR

  1. India will include caste details in its next census  NPR
  2. Rahul Gandhi forced PM Modi's hand on caste census, claims Congress  Times of India
  3. India to include citizens' castes in its delayed population census  Reuters
  4. "Country Going To Pay... ": When Rajiv Gandhi Opposed 1990 Reservation Move  NDTV
  5. Census may be held in 2026 to match delimitation schedule, says Union Minister Kishan Reddy  The Hindu
Posted in Uncategorized

Erin Patterson turned ‘extremely aggressive’ in dispute with estranged husband, mushroom murders trial hears

Simon Patterson tells Victorian court of ‘inflammatory messages’ his wife sent to his parents amid a financial dispute

Erin Patterson was “extremely aggressive” during a financial dispute with her estranged husband about their children, a Victorian court has heard, as more message exchanges between the former couple were revealed.

Patterson, 50, faces three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder relating to a beef wellington lunch she served at her house in Leongatha in South Gippsland in 2023.

Continue reading...

Murder charges over shooting of gangland lawyer Joseph Acquaro dropped

Victoria DPP’s move on charges against Vincenzo Crupi brings end to case that threatened to force police to reveal informer’s identity

The Victorian director of public prosecutions has dropped murder charges relating to the shooting death of gangland lawyer and police informer Joseph “Pino” Acquaro.

The explosive development brings to an end a court case that threatened to force Victoria police to reveal the identity of human sources in order to prosecute Vincenzo Crupi, who they alleged had murdered Acquaro.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter

Continue reading...

Pakistan’s Leaders May Talk Tough, but War With India Is the Last Thing Pakistanis Want – The New York Times

  1. Pakistan’s Leaders May Talk Tough, but War With India Is the Last Thing Pakistanis Want  The New York Times
  2. Fears of attack in Pakistan-administered Kashmir amid acute India tensions  Al Jazeera
  3. Pakistan and India hint at imminent military action over Kashmir. A look at the nuclear rivals  AP News
  4. Pakistan warns of an Indian attack, while quietly urging de-escalation  The Washington Post
  5. India Seems to Be Building Its Case for Striking Pakistan  The New York Times
Posted in Uncategorized

As Australia heads to the polls, big parties brace for rise of independents

The soft, undecided and swinging voters are at an all-time high in Australia, while support for the centre-left Labor and conservative-leaning Coalition is low

More than 18 million Australians will head to the polls this Saturday to choose between the incumbent centre-left Labor party and its conservative-leaning Liberal/National Coalition challenger.

But about one in three voters will brush off the major contenders – led by the current prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the opposition leader, Peter Dutton – in favour of someone else altogether, in an election marked by a cost of living crisis and the spectre of Donald Trump.

Continue reading...

Jill Sobule, I Kissed a Girl singer, dies in Minneapolis house fire aged 66

Musician whose hits also included the satirical anthem Supermodel from the Clueless soundtrack died early on Thursday

Jill Sobule, the singer-songwriter whose hits included the satirical anthem Supermodel from the Clueless movie soundtrack and the groundbreaking single I Kissed a Girl, has died in a house fire at the age of 66.

Sobule’s body was found in a home in Woodbury, Minnesota, on Thursday. Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.

Continue reading...

Missile debris falls on kindergarten in northern Israel after interception of Houthi launch – Ynetnews

  1. Missile debris falls on kindergarten in northern Israel after interception of Houthi launch  Ynetnews
  2. US strikes Yemen port again; Houthis launch missiles at Israel  Al Jazeera
  3. Iran-backed Yemeni Houthis launch two missiles towards Israel  Reuters
  4. Houthi missile launched from Yemen sets off sirens in Haifa and across north  The Times of Israel
  5. IDF to expand Gaza invasion, PA blames Hamas for aid looting  The Jerusalem Post
Posted in Uncategorized