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Environment Don't miss out on the headlines from Environment. Followed categories will be added to My News. Victoria is set for one of its hottest days in four years, with temperatures expected to tip past 45C next week as half the country braces for another blistering heatwave and the other half battles lashings of rain and thunderstorms. Sky News meteorologist Aisone Osborne said from the start of next week “up to half of the country” would be subject to a low-intensity heatwave, with temperatures expected to reach as high as 45C in parts of Victoria and South Australia and 48C in inland NSW. Part of this heat surge is due to strong winds, fuelling “very hot weather” for South Australia, Victoria, and NSW. “It’s looking hot, dry and very windy through Victoria, southern parts of NSW and into South Australia,” Ms Osborne said. It’s going to be scorching hot for residents in Victoria on Monday. Picture: Weather Zone The stiflingly warm weather impacting the southern region of Western Australia is the state’s hottest so far, with Perth enduring 35C temperatures on Thursday and 40C on Wednesday. The Bureau of Meteorology has continued its severe-to-low-intensity heatwave warning for the southern parts of the state, with low intensity heatwave conditions in the Kimberley region and far southwestern WA. “In addition to the storms, high fire dangers are forecast for Friday across much of WA’s south, with extreme fire danger and a fire weather warning in place for the Avon fire weather district,” senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said. While previous heatwaves across Australia have been a strain on the energy load and caused widespread blackouts, a Western Power spokesman said there was no indication of an energy supply load issue on Friday. The stifling heat is expected to make a move to the southeastern region of Australia over the weekend, building and peaking in South Australia on Sunday before moving to Victoria on Monday. “This weekend, we’ll see temperatures reaching 5C to 12C above average across most of South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and NSW,” Ms Bradbury said. Monday will be particularly hot for residents in South Australia, Victoria and southern NSW Picture: Bureau of Meteorology The heatwave will cover much of Australia. Picture: Bureau of Meteorology These warm conditions are also anticipated to impact southern parts of the Northern Territory and southern Queensland. On Sunday, temperatures in South Australia may reach up to 40C. Similar conditions are expected to hit Melbourne and Victoria the following day, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C in the city and 45C in regional areas. “Were this to occur, it would be the hottest day in Melbourne since January 2023 and the warmest December day since 2019,” Ms Bradbury said. The bureau issued a warning for residents in inland NSW, as temperatures may reach into the high 40s on Monday. With a lack of rain, windy conditions and a spike in heat, it has created the perfect recipe for fires, with a high fire danger warning issued for Sunday and Monday for much of the east and southeast. While residents in the southern regions of the country swelter in the heat, it’s a different story in northern and northeast Queensland and Western Australia, which were battered by thunderstorms and huge rainfall overnight. The southern parts of Cape York Peninsula were hit hard by storms on Thursday that later spread further down the coast towards Rockhampton. Between Cairns and Townsville, heavy bouts of rainfall were recorded in a very short time, with Black River recording 182mm in 24 hours, Kungala 151mm and Pallarenda 142mm, of which 82mm of rainfall was recorded in half an hour. Storms also battered the northern region of Western Australia overnight, with the heaviest rainfall targeting the Pilbara, Gascoyne and Mid-West districts. It was a wet and stormy night for northern Queensland and WA. Picture: NewsWire / Damian Shaw In Brisbane on Friday, residents can expect a partly cloudy day with a slight chance of a shower, most likely in the late morning, and a maximum temperature of 31C. It will be a sunny and warm day for Sydney, with clouds developing later in the afternoon and a top of 30C. There is a chance of thunderstorms developing in the far west in the afternoon and evening. Melbourne will be partly cloudy with a slight chance of a shower in the Dandenongs in the morning and a top of 23C. Adelaide residents are in for a partly cloudy morning, clearing to a sunny day in the afternoon and a top of 29C. It will be a mostly sunny day in Perth, with light winds and a maximum temperature of 31C. Hobart will have a partly cloudy day, with a slight chance of a shower in the morning and a top of 19C. People in Canberra can anticipate a mostly sunny day with 30km/h winds and a maximum temperature of 32C. It’s cloudy in Darwin, with a high chance of showers and a thunderstorm in the morning and a top of 33C. Originally published as ‘Half the country’ to cop stifling heatwave over the weekend More related stories Science How to see spectacular meteor shower A giant meteor shower is set to pass over Australia this weekend, but one thing is threatening our chances of seeing the spectacular shoW. Read more Environment Intense heatwave to sweep Australia Parts of Australia are bracing for another oppressive heatwave, with temperatures expected to reach 16C above the December average. Read moreKYIV, Ukraine — NATO and Ukraine will hold emergency talks Tuesday after Russia attacked a central city with an experimental, hypersonic ballistic missile. escalating the nearly 33-month-old war. The conflict is “entering a decisive phase,” Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Friday, and “taking on very dramatic dimensions.” Ukraine’s parliament canceled a session as security was tightened following Thursday’s Russian strike on a military facility in the city of Dnipro. In a stark warning to the West, President Vladimir Putin said in a nationally televised speech the attack with the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile was in retaliation for Kyiv’s use of U.S. and British longer-range missiles capable of striking deeper into Russian territory. Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks Friday during a meeting with the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defense, representatives of the military-industrial complex and developers of missile systems at the Kremlin in Moscow. Putin said Western air defense systems would be powerless to stop the new missile. Ukrainian military officials said the missile that hit Dnipro reached a speed of Mach 11 and carried six nonnuclear warheads, each releasing six submunitions. Speaking Friday to military and weapons industries officials, Putin said Russia will launch production of the Oreshnik. “No one in the world has such weapons,” he said. “Sooner or later, other leading countries will also get them. We are aware that they are under development. “We have this system now,” he added. “And this is important.” Putin said that while it isn’t an intercontinental missile, it’s so powerful that the use of several of them fitted with conventional warheads in one attack could be as devastating as a strike with strategic — or nuclear — weapons. Gen. Sergei Karakayev, head of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces, said the Oreshnik could reach targets across Europe and be fitted with nuclear or conventional warheads, echoing Putin’s claim that even with conventional warheads, “the massive use of the weapon would be comparable in effect to the use of nuclear weapons.” In this photo taken from a video released Friday, a Russian serviceman operates at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov kept up Russia's bellicose tone on Friday, blaming “the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries” in supplying weapons to Ukraine to strike Russia. "The Russian side has clearly demonstrated its capabilities, and the contours of further retaliatory actions in the event that our concerns were not taken into account have also been quite clearly outlined," he said. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, widely seen as having the warmest relations with the Kremlin in the European Union, echoed Moscow’s talking points, suggesting the use of U.S.-supplied weapons in Ukraine likely requires direct American involvement. “These are rockets that are fired and then guided to a target via an electronic system, which requires the world’s most advanced technology and satellite communications capability,” Orbán said on state radio. “There is a strong assumption ... that these missiles cannot be guided without the assistance of American personnel.” Orbán cautioned against underestimating Russia’s responses, emphasizing that the country’s recent modifications to its nuclear deployment doctrine should not be dismissed as a “bluff.” “It’s not a trick ... there will be consequences,” he said. Czech Republic's Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky speaks to journalists Friday during a joint news conference with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriiy Sybiha in Kyiv, Ukraine. Separately in Kyiv, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský called Thursday’s missile strike an “escalatory step and an attempt of the Russian dictator to scare the population of Ukraine and to scare the population of Europe.” At a news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Lipavský also expressed his full support for delivering the necessary additional air defense systems to protect Ukrainian civilians from the “heinous attacks.” He said the Czech Republic will impose no limits on the use of its weapons and equipment given to Ukraine. Three lawmakers from Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, confirmed that Friday's previously scheduled session was called off due to the ongoing threat of Russian missiles targeting government buildings in central Kyiv. In addition, there also was a recommendation to limit the work of all commercial offices and nongovernmental organizations "in that perimeter, and local residents were warned of the increased threat,” said lawmaker Mykyta Poturaiev, who said it's not the first time such a threat has been received. Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate said the Oreshnik missile was fired from the Kapustin Yar 4th Missile Test Range in Russia’s Astrakhan region and flew 15 minutes before striking Dnipro. Test launches of a similar missile were conducted in October 2023 and June 2024, the directorate said. The Pentagon confirmed the missile was a new, experimental type of intermediate-range missile based on its RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile. Thursday's attack struck the Pivdenmash plant that built ICBMs when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. The military facility is located about 4 miles southwest of the center of Dnipro, a city of about 1 million that is Ukraine’s fourth-largest and a key hub for military supplies and humanitarian aid, and is home to one of the country’s largest hospitals for treating wounded soldiers from the front before their transfer to Kyiv or abroad. We're all going to die someday. Still, how it happens—and when—can point to a historical moment defined by the scientific advancements and public health programs available at the time to contain disease and prevent accidents. In the early 1900s, America's efforts to improve sanitation, hygiene, and routine vaccinations were still in their infancy. Maternal and infant mortality rates were high, as were contagious diseases that spread between people and animals. Combined with the devastation of two World Wars—and the Spanish Flu pandemic in between—the leading causes of death changed significantly after this period. So, too, did the way we diagnose and control the spread of disease. Starting with reforms as part of Roosevelt's New Deal in the 1930s, massive-scale, federal interventions in the U.S. eventually helped stave off disease transmission. It took comprehensive government programs and the establishment of state and local health agencies to educate the public on preventing disease transmission. Seemingly simple behavioral shifts, such as handwashing, were critical in thwarting the spread of germs, much like discoveries in medicine, such as vaccines, and increased access to deliver them across geographies. Over the course of the 20th century, life expectancy increased by 56% and is estimated to keep increasing slightly, according to an annual summary of vital statistics published by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2000. Death Records examined data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to see how the leading causes of death in America have evolved over time and to pinpoint how some major mortality trends have dropped off. According to a report published in the journal Annual Review of Public Health in 2000, pneumonia was the leading cause of death in the early 1900s, accounting for nearly 1 in 4 deaths. By the time World War I ended in 1918, during which people and animals were housed together for long periods, a new virus emerged: the Spanish Flu. Originating in a bird before spreading to humans, the virus killed 10 times as many Americans as the war. Many died of secondary pneumonia after the initial infection. Pneumonia deaths eventually plummeted throughout the century, partly prevented by increased flu vaccine uptake rates in high-risk groups, particularly older people. Per the CDC, tuberculosis was a close second leading cause of death, killing 194 of every 10,000 people in 1900, mainly concentrated in dense urban areas where the infection could more easily spread. Eventually, public health interventions led to drastic declines in mortality from the disease, such as public education, reducing crowded housing, quarantining people with active disease, improving hygiene, and using antibiotics. Once the death rates lagged, so did the public health infrastructure built to control the disease, leading to a resurgence in the mid-1980s. Diarrhea was the third leading cause of death in 1900, surging every summer among children before the impacts of the pathogen died out in 1930. Adopting water filtration, better nutrition, and improved refrigeration were all associated with its decline. In the 1940s and 1950s, polio outbreaks killed or paralyzed upward of half a million people worldwide every year. Even at its peak, polio wasn't a leading cause of death, it was a much-feared one, particularly among parents of young children, some of whom kept them from crowded public places and interacting with other children. By 1955, when Jonah Salk discovered the polio vaccine, the U.S. had ended the "golden age of medicine." During this period, the causes of mortality shifted dramatically as scientists worldwide began to collaborate on infectious disease control, surgical techniques, vaccines, and other drugs. From the 1950s onward, once quick-spreading deadly contagions weren't prematurely killing American residents en masse, scientists also began to understand better how to diagnose and treat these diseases. As a result, Americans were living longer lives and instead succumbing to noncommunicable diseases, or NCDs. The risk of chronic diseases increased with age and, in some cases, was exacerbated by unhealthy lifestyles. Cancer and heart disease shot up across the century, increasing 90-fold from 1900 to 1998, according to CDC data. Following the post-Spanish Flu years, heart disease killed more Americans than any other cause, peaking in the 1960s and contributing to 1 in 3 deaths. Cigarette smoking rates peaked at the same time, a major risk factor for heart disease. Obesity rates also rose, creating another risk factor for heart disease and many types of cancers. This coincides with the introduction of ultra-processed foods into diets, which plays a more significant role in larger waistlines than the increasing predominance of sedentary work and lifestyles. In the early 1970s, deaths from heart disease began to fall as more Americans prevented and managed their risk factors, like quitting smoking or taking blood pressure medicine. However, the disease remains the biggest killer of Americans. Cancer remains the second leading cause of death and rates still indicate an upward trajectory over time. Only a few types of cancer are detected early by screening, and some treatments for aggressive cancers like glioblastoma—the most common type of brain cancer—have also stalled, unable to improve prognosis much over time. In recent years, early-onset cancers, those diagnosed before age 50 or sometimes even earlier, have seen a drastic rise among younger Americans. While highly processed foods and sedentary lifestyles may contribute to rising rates, a spike in cancer rates among otherwise healthy young individuals has baffled some medical professionals. This follows the COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020. At its peak, high transmission rates made the virus the third leading cause of death in America. It's often compared to the Spanish Flu of 1918, though COVID-19 had a far larger global impact, spurring international collaborations among scientists who developed a vaccine in an unprecedented time. Public policy around issues of safety and access also influences causes of death, particularly—and tragically—among young Americans. Gun control measures in the U.S. are far less stringent than in peer nations; compared to other nations, however, the U.S. leads in gun violence. Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens (around 2 in 3 are homicides, and 1 in 3 are suicides), and deaths from opioids remain a leading cause of death among younger people. Globally, the leading causes of death mirror differences in social and geographic factors. NCDs are primarily associated with socio-economic status and comprise 7 out of 10 leading causes of death, 85% of those occurring in low- and middle-income countries, according to the World Health Organization. However, one of the best health measures is life expectancy at birth. People in the U.S. have been living longer lives since 2000, except for a slight dip in longevity due to COVID-19. According to the most recent CDC estimates, Americans' life expectancy is 77.5 years on average and is expected to increase slightly in the coming decades. Story editing by Alizah Salario. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick. This story originally appeared on Death Records and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. Get local news delivered to your inbox!Here's How Much You Would Have Made Owning Equinix Stock In The Last 15 Yearsslot machine diy 。

Sample ballots for the 2024 primary in Hudson County show an office-block layout for the Democratic race (top) and New Jersey's unique county-line ballot for the GOP primary. A special legislative committee focused on ballot design held what may be its last hearing Thursday before the panel votes to advance a bill codifying new ballot rules Monday, with much focus left to bracketing and a controversial provision that lawmakers said would not make it into the final version of the legislation. As written, the bill would bar candidates from using the names of major political parties in their slogans without the consent of county party organizations in their county. Advocates chaffed at that proposed restriction, calling it an effort to revive the controversial county-line system in all but name. Kate Delaney, president of South Jersey Progressive Democrats, noted the provision would bar candidates backed by her group from using its name as their slogan. “This would, in essence, do what the line has done all these years: Set up one side of Democrats as the real Democrats and the others, in some way, as a cheap knockoff version,” Delaney said. Assemblyman Al Barlas (R-Essex), the panel’s Republican co-chair, said that language was meant to preserve the slogans of existing groups — political parties and others — and would see changes before the bill came up for a vote on Monday. “The intent here is to preserve those who maintain certain names ... and also to ensure that folks that may be nefarious in intent don’t try to portray themselves as something that they are not,” Barlas said. The committee is tasked with exploring options for updated ballot designs after a federal judge ruled New Jersey’s system of county lines, which group candidates backed by party organizations on primary ballots, is likely unconstitutional and ordered the use of office-block ballots, which group candidates by the office they are seeking instead. Most witnesses who spoke Thursday urged the committee to rewrite provisions in the bill that would allow candidates in races with multiple seats — for Assembly, county commission, and certain local offices, among others — to be placed on the ballot as a group rather than individually. Henal Patel, law and policy director for the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, noted that experts in cases challenging county-line ballots presented significant evidence about the negative impact that grouping candidates has on voter choice. “Any new ballot design should not allow for any grouping or association on the ballot,” Patel said. “New Jersey’s new primary ballot design should aim to be neutral.” Patel and others said ballot draws should be conducted randomly for each candidate and election clerks should shift candidates’ ballot position in each voting precinct to ensure none enjoy a benefit from being placed at the top of their office block. The state should move to modernize its ballot draw process and replace hand draws used to determine ballot positions under current law, said Peter Chen, a senior policy analyst at New Jersey Policy Perspective. “Whether or not that randomization, rotation goes to a precinct level, I think we can say holding the box over your head and shaking it is not the most efficient way to do this,” Chen said. Jill LaZare, a former State Senate and Assembly candidate, argued against rotating ballot positions, charging it would make it more difficult for candidates to inform voters how they can find them when voting. Though lawmakers did not indicate whether they would move away from allowing bracketing, Barlas said because of procurement rules, computerized ballot draws and rotating ballot positions would not be feasible for the state’s 2025 primaries. Next year, the governor’s race and all 80 Assembly seats will be on the ballot. Advocates praised other provisions in the bill, lauding lawmakers for provisions barring incongruous ballot positions for candidates seeking the same office — a practice called ballot Siberia under the county-line system — and barring markers denoting a candidate’s incumbency. “I appreciate the effort here to do the work to get this right. There are some things that are right, and there are still some things we think should be improved on. And we appreciate the opportunity that this is for discussion so that those things can happen.,” said Maura Collinsgru, director of policy and advocacy for New Jersey Citizen Action. The Senate has not held hearings on ballot design, and party leaders in that chamber have largely remained silent on the work being done in the lower chamber. Wimberly signaled the Senate has not stayed uninvolved in the process. “I think the Senate has listened in carefully. I think they will address it,” he said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOXAP Business SummaryBrief at 2:10 p.m. ESTLeBlanc and Joly offer little details about visit with Trump's team in FloridaFormer Prime Minister of India and Congress leader Dr Manmohan Singh passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, on Thursday, 26 December. He was 92. Dr Manmohan Singh served as the prime minister of India for a decade from 2004 to 2024, and is often described as one of India's most successful fiinance ministers. In its note, AIIMS said that he lost consciousness on the evening of 26 December and resuscitative measures were started at home. He was brought to AIIMS at 8:06 pm, where he passed away at 9.50 pm, the hospital said. Earlier on Thursday, Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge arrived at AIIMS after he was hospitalised in a critical condition. Following the news of his demise, Union Health Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader JP Nadda also reached AIIMS. ADVERTISEMENT REMOVE AD Condolences Pour in Condolences poured in from across political parties after the news of his passing was confirmed by Congress leader Dr Salman Khurshid on X. "Deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Manmohan Singh, former Prime Minister of India. His contributions to the nation and his dedication to public service will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones," he posted. Talking to the media, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that he remembers Singh as "a good leader, compassionate man, and a great visionary." "The country will be grateful to you Sir. History will always be filled with your contributions. A great national worker has left us today on the final journey of his life. Words are not enough to describe his personality, contribution and service to the nation. The demise of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is a big loss. May his soul rest in peace," former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel posted on X . (At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.) Read Latest News and Breaking News at The Quint, browse for more from news and politics Topics: Manmohan Singh Dr Manmohan Singh

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A ninth U.S. telecom firm has been confirmed to have been hacked as part of a sprawling Chinese espionage campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans, a top White House official said Friday. Biden administration officials said this month that at least eight telecommunications companies , as well as dozens of nations, had been affected by the Chinese hacking blitz known as Salt Typhoon. But Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, told reporters Friday that a ninth victim had been identified after the administration released guidance to companies about how to hunt for Chinese culprits in their networks. The update from Neuberger is the latest development in a massive hacking operation that has alarmed national security officials, exposed cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the private sector and laid bare China’s hacking sophistication. The hackers compromised the networks of telecommunications companies to obtain customer call records and gain access to the private communications of “a limited number of individuals.” Though the FBI has not publicly identified any of the victims, officials believe senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures are among those whose whose communications were accessed. Neuberger said officials did not yet have a precise sense how many Americans overall were affected by Salt Typhoon, in part because the Chinese were careful about their techniques, but a “large number” were in the Washington-Virginia area. Officials believe the goal of the hackers was to identify who owned the phones and, if they were “government targets of interest,” spy on their texts and phone calls, she said. The FBI said most of the people targeted by the hackers are “primarily involved in government or political activity.” Neuberger said the episode highlighted the need for required cybersecurity practices in the telecommunications industry, something the Federal Communications Commission is to take up at a meeting next month. “We know that voluntary cyber security practices are inadequate to protect against China, Russia and Iran hacking of our critical infrastructure,” she said. The Chinese government has denied responsibility for the hacking. -- Eric Tucker, The Associated Press