Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Flinders University

29 July 2026

Around the world, hundreds of thousands of people engage in conventional protests – and sometimes more radical forms of action – in the face of environmental change, harm to animals and nature, and climate inaction.

A new study led by Flinders University suggests radical protests could become more common as civil outrage grows among activists and even regular citizens united by the common feeling of intrinsic moral obligation to protect the Earth and reduce further climate-related catastrophe.

Radical climate activism, even in the face of potential external economic consequences, has seen environmentalists throw paint at valuable works of art in Europe, break into abattoirs to ‘rescue’ animals, and stage anti-mining street demonstrations in Australia, to name a few examples.

“Seeing an environmental or animal-welfare cause as sacred or inherently worth protecting, rather than just useful to us, deepens people's sense of moral conviction,” says Flinders University postdoctoral research fellow Dr Lucy Bird, the first author of an article in Environment and Behaviour.

“And that conviction drives people towards both everyday activism and more radical action, especially when they believe others share their values too.”

Thus people’s moral conviction strengthens when opposition to climate change is validated by other collective actions around the world.

“People show their support for environmental and animal causes through a variety of actions, from sharing social media posts and signing petitions to engaging in civil disobedience and direct action,” says Dr Bird, from the Jeff Bleich Centre for Democracy and Disruptive Technologies at Flinders University.

“It’s likely that such actions will continue or increase in the absence of concerted international efforts to cut emissions and address the harms done to non-human animals and the environment.”

The researchers say activists point out that millions of people are dying or losing their homes in monsoons, floods, wildfires and severe drought, which are linked to climate change.

Flinders University social and political psychologist Professor Emma Thomas says forming a group perspective depends on a wide range of factors.

“People need to be able to protest and express their sense of moral justice without resorting to violent extremism,” says Professor Thomas, deputy director of the Jeff Bleich Centre and College of Human Sciences and Culture at Flinders University.

Behaviour associated with collective action based on a common narrative depends on an individual’s sense of social justice and identity.

“We need to understand people’s commitment to a cause or moral commitment and what turns that into radical action.”

The study evaluated responses from more than 580 Australian adults to circumstances surrounding a controversial Queensland mining operation, and separately people’s responses to an animal welfare situation.

The article, ‘Intrinsic value framing and consensus increase commitment to radical action to protect the environment’ (2026) by Lucy H Bird, Mariette Berndsen, Silas Ellery, Alison J Clark and Emma F Thomas appears in the journal Environment and Behaviour (DOI: 10.1177/00139165261442028).

Acknowledgement: The study was funded by the Australian Research Council Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) DE120101029, awarded to the second author.

July 23 2026 – Oil topping $100 amid Red Sea attacks is rattling markets, affirms the CEO of one of the world's largest independent financial advisory organisations.

Nigel Green of deVere Group's comments come as Brent crude touched $100.64 a barrel on Thursday, a jump of 7%, after Houthi rebels claimed to have struck two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea.

US crude rose to $91.83, up 5.8%. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which carries around 7% of global oil supply according to Oxford Economics, is now under direct threat alongside the Strait of Hormuz.

Wall Street felt it within minutes, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average both falling 1% at the open and the Nasdaq Composite down 1.8%.

He says: “Two of the world's busiest shipping corridors are under threat in the same month, and markets are only just beginning to work out what that means.

“The timing is awkward for the Federal Reserve, which meets on July 29. Inflation had climbed for three straight months to 4.2% in May, its highest level in years, before cooling to 3.5% in June largely because gasoline prices fell nearly 10% during the brief ceasefire between the US and Iran.

“With that ceasefire now collapsed and oil back above $100, the drop which gave the Fed room to relax may already be reversing.”

He says: “The Fed will find holding steady a harder case to make than it looked even a few weeks ago.”

Gasoline carries significant weight in the monthly inflation data, which means a sustained rise at the pump does not stay confined to household budgets. It flows straight back into the same reading the Fed will be watching on July 29.

He says: “Airlines and retailers strike me as more exposed here than their current share prices suggest.”

There is a structural question sitting underneath the day's trading as well. With both Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb compromised at the same time, the usual assumption that one disrupted route can be absorbed through another looks considerably less safe than it did a few weeks ago.”

He says: “Anyone who built a bond portfolio around the idea that rate cuts were coming soon probably needs to revisit that view. This looks less like a short-lived spike and more like a genuine reopening of the inflation question.”

Currency markets typically to react quickly to this kind of escalation, often before the underlying picture is fully clear, and safe-haven demand for the dollar has historically picked up once a crisis starts touching physical supply rather than sentiment alone.

He says: “I'd rather investors think through what happens if this doesn't stay contained to two chokepoints.

“A third disruption, or insurers stepping further back from war-risk cover, would take oil somewhere higher than today's levels, and that's worth having a view on now rather than after it happens.”

He concludes: “Single-session moves of this size are uncommon. A confirmed attack producing a 7% jump in one day is something markets have historically seen only occasionally, even during volatile stretches, which is partly why the reaction has been so immediate.”

deVere Group is one of the world's largest independent advisors of specialist global financial solutions to international, local mass affluent, and high-net-worth clients.  It has a network of offices around the world, more than 80,000 clients, and $14bn under advisement

New YouGov polling also finds more than half (56%) of Britons believe the positive contributions of British Muslims are not widely known or recognised by wider British society.

More than three quarters (77%) of Britons believe the country is more divided today than it was five years ago, according to new YouGov polling commissioned by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

The survey also found that 56% of respondents believe the positive contributions of British Muslims – such as charitable giving, volunteering and community service – are not widely known or recognised by wider British society.

The findings are released as the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community prepares to host Jalsa Salana UK, Britain's longest-running Muslim convention, now in its 60th year. The event will bring together more than 50,000 Muslims from across the UK and around the world this weekend in Alton, Hampshire. The three-day event will feature keynote addresses from His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, and welcomes people of all faiths and none to attend, encouraging dialogue, understanding and stronger community ties.

At the start of the convention, the Union Flag is raised alongside the flag of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, reflecting the Community's belief that loyalty to one's country is part of the Islamic faith.

The polling also suggests many Britons believe the everyday contributions of British Muslims are not receiving wider recognition. Inspired by the Islamic principles of serving humanity and loyalty to one's nation, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has raised tens of millions of pounds for charitable causes in the UK and around the world, while its members serve communities across Britain throughout the year. They organise charity walks, fundraising events, nationwide litter picks, New Year's Day street clean-ups, tree-planting campaigns and regular food bank collections in communities across Britain, and volunteer countless hours to strengthen the communities in which they live.

Those efforts reflect the longstanding guidance of His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, who has said:

“Serving humanity is not a fleeting objective that comes and goes like the wind. Rather, it is a lifelong challenge – one that requires consistency and unshakeable steadfastness.”

His Holiness further stated:

“Rather than erecting walls that keep us apart, we should build bridges that bring us closer together.”

Reflecting on the findings, Usama Mubarik, an imam of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community said:

“The findings of the poll are eye-opening. At a time when many people feel Britain is becoming more divided, the answer cannot be for communities to become more distant from one another. Dialogue is the antidote to division. That is why for 60 years, we have been welcoming people of all faiths and none to join us at the Jalsa Salana. Once you meet a Muslim, I'm sure you'll find we have a lot more in common than you may have previously believed.”

Jalsa Salana UK takes place from 24–26 July in Alton, Hampshire. More than 50,000 people from over 100 countries are expected to attend the three-day convention, which is organised entirely by more than 5,000 volunteers.

NOTES:

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,325 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 19–20 July 2026. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

July 23 2026 – Oil surging above $98 forces investors to reprice risk across investment portfolios, affirms the CEO of one of the world's largest independent financial advisory organisations.

Nigel Green of deVere Group's comments come as Brent crude tore through $98 a barrel, its highest level since early June, after a tanker was hit roughly 70 nautical miles southwest of Al Shuqaiq off Saudi Arabia.

Yemen's Houthis claimed responsibility, saying they had targeted two Saudi vessels with drones and missiles. US West Texas Intermediate climbed in tandem, gaining around 3% to trade near $89, extending a run that has pushed crude sharply higher over the past month alone.

The strike lands hours after President Trump warned Washington would destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant every time Tehran fires on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded through its state news agency, threatening to hit US-linked energy infrastructure across the region in kind.

The escalation arrives as the Federal Reserve is already holding rates steady near 3.50% to 3.75%, with futures markets scaling back expectations for cuts this year as core inflation readings stay stubbornly above target.

A fresh leg higher in crude threatens to undo months of progress on headline inflation as central bankers were gaining confidence that price pressures were finally cooling.

Nigel Green says: “A tanker on fire off Saudi Arabia, and Washington and Tehran trading threats over the Strait of Hormuz. Every investor should be pulling up their asset allocation today.

“Cheap energy got baked into portfolios for years. It's increasingly, and has been for a while, unwinding in front of us, and most investors haven't adjusted for it yet.”

Central banks had been edging toward the view that inflation was finally beaten. This kind of spike puts that view on ice.

“Rate cuts investors were counting on for later this year look a lot less certain today than they did even a week ago, and then they were on shaky ground.

“Growth stocks that depend on low rates are going to feel this first. Energy producers and defence contractors are sitting in a much better spot, and that gap is about to widen fast.”

Bond investors had been betting on the Fed cutting through the rest of the year. Oil at these levels makes that bet a lot shakier.

“Duration risk deserves a hard look this week, not next quarter.”

The dollar usually gains when the Gulf turns dangerous, because money runs somewhere safe.

“Currencies tied to energy importers tend to take the hit almost immediately, and anyone holding unhedged international exposure needs to check that risk today.”

The deVere CEO notes: “I've seen investors treat these flare-ups as noise before, and it's cost them.

“Hormuz, the Saudi coastline and a direct threat exchange between two governments don't add up to noise. This is a live blockade risk sitting on top of the world's most important shipping lane.

“Spreading risk across assets, regions and currencies matters more this week than it did even last month. It's how you get through periods like this with wealth intact.”

He adds: “Energy exposure, inflation protection, bond duration and currency positioning all need looking at together, and soon. Clients waiting for things to settle down before they act are taking on a risk of their own, one they haven't priced in yet.”

Nigel Green concludes: “Every escalation here, whether it's a tanker strike, a threatened blockade or a direct exchange between Washington and Tehran, feeds straight back into the same question. What does a portfolio look like if oil stays above $95 for months rather than weeks.

“Most investors haven't run that scenario yet, and they need to start this week.”

deVere Group is one of the world's largest independent advisors of specialist global financial solutions to international, local mass affluent, and high-net-worth clients.  It has a network of offices around the world, more than 80,000 clients, and $14bn under advisement.

Responding to today’s appeal decision overturning the murder conviction of a woman who had a later abortion while reducing the sentences of medical staff, Amnesty International Korea’s Executive Director HeeKyoung Cho said:

“While we welcome the court’s decision to acquit the woman who sought abortion, the court’s decision to uphold the convictions of medical staff exposes structural loopholes in access to essential healthcare in South Korea.

“The National Assembly’s failure to amend the abortion law has left pregnant people without clear legal protections and access to essential reproductive healthcare. People's ability to exercise their reproductive autonomy, control their reproductive lives and decide if, when and how to have children is essential to the full realization of human rights, dignity, and bodily integrity. Moreover, the ability to make decisions about one’s body, sexuality and reproduction is at the core of gender, economic and social justice.

“Women deserve the latest and best medical care. The government must implement measures to remove barriers to accessing safe abortion as well as to provide proper regulations on abortion service provision. The Mother and Child Health Act must immediately be amended to prioritize women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights.”

Background

On 23 July, the Seoul High Court acquitted a woman who had been charged with murder for undergoing a later abortion. While the convictions of medical staff in relation to the later abortion were upheld, their sentences were reduced. The doctor who performed the procedure was sentenced to two years and six months in prison, while the hospital director was sentenced to four years in prison, a fine of 1.5 million won (1,022 US dollars) and forfeiture of 9 million won (6,133 US dollars).

In June 2024, a 26-year-old South Korean woman terminated a pregnancy at approximately 34 to 36 weeks’ gestation at a clinic in Incheon. She documented her experience and hospitalization in a YouTube vlog, which subsequently went viral. As the video gained public attention, the Ministry of Health and Welfare commissioned the police to investigate the case and petitioned for “severe punishment”. In January 2026, prosecutors sought to charge the woman, along with the medical staff and people who facilitated arranging the abortion, with “premeditated murder”.

On 4 March 2026, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced the woman to three years in prison, suspended for five years. She was also ordered to complete 200 hours of community service. The doctor who performed the procedure was sentenced to four years in prison, while the hospital director received a six-year prison sentence, a fine of 1.5 million won (1,022 US dollars) and forfeiture of 1.15 billion won (783,709 US dollars). One of the persons involved in facilitating the abortion received a one-year prison sentence, and the other one was sentenced to ten months in prison, suspended for two years.

In 2019, the Constitutional Court ruled South Korea’s ban on abortion to be unconstitutional and ordered the National Assembly to amend the law by the end of 2020. While abortion has been decriminalized, the National Assembly has yet to enact new regulatory frameworks, thus undermining pregnant people’s access to vital healthcare.

Moonshot AI became the center of discussion on X in mid-July 2026 after unveiling Kimi K3, a 2.8 trillion-parameter open-source model that appears competitive with top closed-source systems on coding and reasoning benchmarks. 

Levels of anxiety are rising among emerging refugee and migrant communities in Australia because of increasingly divisive migration narratives, the conflict in the Middle East, and the continuing cost of living crisis, a survey of community leaders has found.

A focus group of 35 community leaders in 21 key cohort migrant and refugee groups, surveyed in April and May by migrant and refugee settlement agency AMES Australia, reported high levels of nascent stress in their communities.

Eighty-two per cent of respondents said the conflict in the Middle East was source of anxiety, 91 per cent cited negative narratives around migration and 71 per cent cited cost of living.

Finding meaningful work was cited by 42 per cent of communities and housing by 46 per cent.

All of the respondents said stress levels in their communities were higher than six months ago and more than half said stress level in their communities were higher than in the general community.

Asked, on a scale of one to ten (with ten the worst), how significantly have members of communities had been affected by the conflict in the Middle East, the average score was 7.

Asked on a scale of one to ten (with ten the worst), how significantly have members of communities had been affected by current narratives around migration, the average score was 8.

Asked on a scale of one to ten (with ten the worst), how significantly have members of communities had been affected by the cost-of-living crisis, the average score was 7.

Iranians were most worried about the conflict in the Middle East, followed by Syrians and Iraqis. Communities from Africa, China and the Middle East were the most worried about negative narratives around migration.

Communities from Africa, Myanmar, The Philippines and Sri Lanka reported the highest anxiety levels over cost-of-living increases.

Most community leaders reported higher anxiety levels than the general community except for those from China, Tibet, India, Vietnam, Nepal and Malaysia.

But a counter narrative also emerged from the survey of community members using their resilience and community connections to support each other.

And all community leaders reported that their community members were generally happy with their lives in Australia.

The survey comes in the wake of the February 2026 attack on Iran and its regional allies launched by the US and Israel. Despite promises by the US that the war would last just days, it has dragged on for more than two months creating economic fallout and geopolitical uncertainty.

In the 12 months to December 2025, the Australia Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) Living Cost Indexes (LCIs) recorded rises between 2.3 per cent and 4.2 per cent. Housing, food and non-alcoholic beverages and recreation and culture saw the highest rises.

Also, in the past few months there has been an increased in political dialogue around migrants with some right-wing parties pledging to end migration.

Iranian community leader ‘Nera’ said her community was living through the conflict in the Middle East “moment by moment”.

“We are not experiencing what is happening from a distance, we are living through it – constantly checking phones, not being able to sleep and with a constant sense of dread,” she said.

“Living outside Iran does not bring us peace of mind. It brings a different kind of torment: knowing something is happening and being powerless to reach those you love.”

South Sudanese community leader ‘Elizabeth’ said hearing negative political narratives about migrants was “scary”.

“When we hear politicians talking about migrants in negative ways, we worry that we will not be welcome here in Australia,” she said.

“The rising cost-of-living is also a big issue in my community. And the rise in fuel prices have made this worse,” she said.

Ukrainian community member ‘Yevheniia’ said the cost-of-living crisis had meant that some Ukrainians, who came to Australia as a result of the Russian invasion of their homeland, have returned home.

“We see a mixture of impacts. If people have found accommodation and a job, they are generally doing well and can cope. But we have seen some people, especially women who came with their children, leaving their husbands behind, have gone home because it’s been hard for them in many ways,” she said.

AMES CEO Melinda Collinson said the survey results were more evidence of the need to protect social cohesion and build relationships between communities.

“It’s clear there is stress building in some of our newest communities because of these factors. We all need to recognise this and do all we can to make sure everyone in Australia feels welcome and supported,” Ms Collinson said.