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• The Gatestone Institute reports on the declining status and authority of the UN Secretary-General, a role traditionally viewed as the world's highest diplomatic position. • The analysis highlights a shift away from the "unwritten rule" that the Secretary-General should remain an impartial institution above the specific interests of individual member states. • This erosion of neutrality matters because it threatens the UN's ability to mediate global conflicts and maintain international diplomatic standards.

Research identifies 808,585 viral genomes belonging to what scientists estimate to be 362,802 different virusesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMore than a decade after the human microbiome was comprehensively mapped, scientists have now identified the vast communities of microbes that make up the Great Barrier Reef.Analysing DNA from seawater samples of 48 reefs, researchers have mapped the microbiome of the Great Barrier Reef, documenting more than 360,000 distinct viruses as well as more than 500 new bacterial species not previously known to science. Continue reading...

• A multistate outbreak of cyclosporiasis has been identified across the United States, though the specific source of the contamination remains unknown. • Health officials are urging individuals to report all suspected cases of the parasitic infection to their local health departments to assist in tracking. • The situation is critical as identifying the source is necessary to prevent further infections and provide guidance on patient management.

Data shows the rightwing party faces an obstacle in the form of urban seats – and the effect of preference flows is harder to predictGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne Nation’s spectacular rise from a distant 6% of the vote in the last election to first or second in some recent polls has upended Australian politics. It has also made it a lot harder to predict what exactly will happen at the next election.Traditionally, pollsters and election experts would look at how preferences flowed in previous elections when estimating two-party preferred numbers, or translating polling into seat projections. This was fairly predictable when almost every seat would come down to a contest between Labor and the Coalition. Continue reading...

• Scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have detected an unidentified chemical signature on both Pluto and Saturn's moon Titan. • The discovery was made as part of the "Titan Climate, Composition and Clouds" proposal, led by a research team including scientist Bézard. • This finding is significant because it highlights complex organic chemistry occurring in the outer Solar System without the presence of biological life.

• Marine biologists discovered four mysterious black cocoons attached to a rock approximately 20,000 feet beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean. • Upon analysis, the spheres were found to contain a previously unrecorded species of flatworm, marking a significant discovery for deep-sea exploration. • This finding is critical as it highlights the vast, unexplored biodiversity of the deep ocean and challenges existing scientific expectations of marine life.

Fears over ‘huge, huge community transmission’ as modelling predicts thousands of cases and deaths by SeptemberThe whereabouts of almost 300 people who have tested positive for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is currently unknown, according to Africa’s top public health official.The humanitarian crisis amid the conflict in the affected areas means more than 1 million people are living in camps to which health workers have no access, Dr Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said on Thursday. Continue reading...