Bird flu in Canada may have mutated to become more transmissible to humans

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Scientists are racing to understand what a hospitalized teen’s case of bird flu may mean for future outbreaks

The teenager hospitalized with bird flu in British Columbia, Canada, may have a variation of the virus that has a mutation making it more transmissible among people, early data shows – a warning of what the virus can do that is especially worrisome in countries such as the US where some H5N1 cases are not being detected.

The US “absolutely” is not testing and monitoring bird flu cases enough, which means scientists could miss mutated cases like these, said Richard Webby, a virologist at St Jude children’s research hospital’s department of infectious diseases.

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Paris agreement is working, Australian minister tells Cop29, but much deeper cuts needed by 2035

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Chris Bowen also pledges A$50m to a fund to help the world’s most vulnerable people to repair the damage from climate breakdown

The Australian climate change minister, Chris Bowen, has declared the landmark Paris agreement “is working” as it had brought the world back from “the brink of catastrophic 4C warming”, but argued countries must set the most ambitious emissions targets possible for 2035 to limit worsening global heating.

Giving Australia’s national statement on the conference floor at the Cop29 summit in Azerbaijan, he also pledged A$50m (US$32.5m) towards a global loss and damage fund to help the world’s most vulnerable people to repair the damage from climate breakdown. The funding was welcomed by climate campaigners, who said it was “the right thing to do”.

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Thousands complain over way super funds handle and pay out death and disability claims

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Data from the financial watchdog strongly supports Asic’s claim ‘there is a systemic issue’ across the superannuation sector, advocate says

More than 5,000 people have lodged complaints with a financial watchdog about how the 10 largest superannuation funds have handled death and group insurance claims over four years.

Complaints to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (Afca) about the entitlements – a lump sum provided to a member’s family when they die – have increased each year since 2020/21. They rose from 921 to 1,048, then 1,459 and 1,611.

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‘Quishing’, ‘vishing’ and AI scams – the new cybercriminal techniques duping Australians

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Australian Signals Directorate sounds alarm on ‘shifting tactics’ by state-sponsored hackers and cybercriminals, and targeting of critical infrastructure

Cybercriminals are using fake QR codes or sophisticated artificial intelligence scams to trick Australians into giving up their private details or downloading dangerous files, the nation’s signals intelligence agency has warned, as fraudsters take advantage of the technology’s popularity.

The Australian Signals Directorate also sounded the alarm on the “shifting tactics” of state-sponsored hackers and cybercriminals, who they said are burrowing into computer systems of businesses and other organisations and then sitting quietly to avoid detection until they choose to strike.

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Gender pay gap data reveals Australia’s female CEOs paid $170,000 less than men on average

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But new data shows 3% increase in men taking primary carer parental leave – the largest annual increase since records began

Female CEOs in Australia are paid an average of $170,000 less than their male counterparts – a gender pay gap of 25% – according to government figures.

The pay gap among CEOs was published as part of the national pay gap scorecard for the first time this year, after legislative changes introduced last year.

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1,000 days since Russia invaded Ukraine. And, Trump’s proposed plan for your money – NPR

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  1. 1,000 days since Russia invaded Ukraine. And, Trump's proposed plan for your money  NPR
  2. Satellite images show how war in Ukraine has altered the landscape  CNN
  3. Video. No comment: Ukrainians in Maidan Square commemorate fallen and missing soldiers  Euronews
  4. Ukraine: Russian invasion hits 1,000-day milestone  DW (English)
  5. How one Ukrainian soldier and his wife survived 1,000 days of war with Russia  NPR
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IDF kills Hezbollah medium range rocket array chief Ali Tawfiq Dweiq in Lebanon – The Jerusalem Post

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  1. IDF kills Hezbollah medium range rocket array chief Ali Tawfiq Dweiq in Lebanon  The Jerusalem Post
  2. Israeli attack kills 3 more Lebanese soldiers as death toll passes 40  Al Jazeera English
  3. IDF reservist killed in Hezbollah drone attack in southern Lebanon  The Times of Israel
  4. Israeli Army Reservist Killed in Southern Lebanon Combat  Haaretz
  5. Israel at war: What happened on day 410?  The Jerusalem Post
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NATO holds large Arctic exercises in Russia’s backyard – FRANCE 24 English

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  1. NATO holds large Arctic exercises in Russia's backyard  FRANCE 24 English
  2. British Army fires Archer artillery system for first time close to Russia’s border  Yahoo! Voices
  3. Nato forces deploy ‘game-changing’ new firepower in Finland drill  The Times
  4. Moment British Army fires new tanks near Russian border in message to Putin  Express
  5. U.S. Soldier shares training expertise with their Georgian counterpart during Exercise Dynamic Front 25  DVIDS
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South African officials weigh up rescue mission for illegal miners underground

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Police say 350-400 people have stayed in Stilfontein mine to avoid arrest after minister vowed to ‘smoke them out’

South African authorities are assessing whether it is safe to rescue potentially thousands of illegal miners who may be trapped underground, after police stopped food, water and medicine being delivered to them about two weeks ago to try to force the miners to the surface.

A police spokesperson, Athlenda Mathe, insisted to reporters on Tuesday that the miners were not trapped in the abandoned goldmine in Stilfontein, a town about 100 miles south-west of Johannesburg, but rather staying underground to avoid being arrested.

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A surge in mass attacks has killed dozens in China in recent months – The Associated Press

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  1. A surge in mass attacks has killed dozens in China in recent months  The Associated Press
  2. Mass Attacks in China Prompt Censorship, Clampdown on Mourning  The Wall Street Journal
  3. A Mass Killing Tests China’s Crime Narrative  Bloomberg
  4. Mass Attacks in China Spark Concern, Censorship  Foreign Policy
  5. Zhuhai attack: List of previous mass killings in China  Reuters
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Flatulence tax: Denmark agrees deal to tax farmers for livestock emissions – BBC.com

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  1. Flatulence tax: Denmark agrees deal to tax farmers for livestock emissions  BBC.com
  2. Denmark will plant 1 billion trees and convert 10% of farmland into forest  The Washington Post
  3. Danish government strikes major green deal  The Copenhagen Post - Danish news in english
  4. Political Deal reached on Denmark’s Green Tripartite – What’s in it and what’s not?  ARC2020
  5. Denmark: CO2 tax for agriculture  Eurotopics
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