MIL Email Publisher – Foreign Submissions

Source: University of Sydney (UoS)

Researchers have created a process using liquid metals, powered by sunlight, that can produce clean hydrogen from both freshwater and seawater.

The method allows researchers to ‘harvest’ hydrogen molecules from water while also avoiding many of the limits in current hydrogen production methods. It offers a new avenue of exploration for producing green hydrogen as a sustainable energy source.

Hydrogen as a green energy fuel has long been the focus of countless scientists and industries. Researchers have been on the hunt for decades to find the most economical method to produce green hydrogen reliably to power the energy, transport, and manufacturing and agriculture industries, transforming production across multiple sectors of the global economy.

“We now have a way of extracting sustainable hydrogen, using seawater, which is easily accessible while relying solely on light for green hydrogen production,” said lead author and PhD candidate Luis Campos.

Senior researcher Professor Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh, from the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, says the study is a stunning showcase of how the natural chemistry of liquid metals can create hydrogen. His team produced hydrogen with a maximum efficiency of 12.9 percent, the team is currently working to improve the efficiency for commercialisation.

“For the first proof-of-concept, we consider the efficiency of this technology to be highly competitive. For instance, silicon based solar cells started with six percent in the 1950s and did not pass 10 percent till the1990s.”

“Hydrogen offers a clean energy solution for a sustainable future and could play a pivotal role in Australia’s international advantage in a hydrogen economy,” says project co-lead Dr. Francois Allioux.

At the technology’s heart is gallium, a metal with a low melting point, meaning it needs less energy to transition from a solid into a liquid. Professor Kalantar-Zadeh’s team has been pushing the chemical and technical boundaries of liquid metals to create new materials for years. Gallium particles’ ability to absorb light caught their attention.

The technology has particles of gallium suspended in either seawater or freshwater and activated under artificial light.

The result of this finding was a technology using a circular chemical process: particles of gallium are suspended in either seawater or freshwater and activated under sunlight or artificial light. The gallium reacts with the water to become gallium oxyhydroxide and releases hydrogen.

“After we extract hydrogen, the gallium oxyhydroxide can also be reduced back into gallium and reused for future hydrogen production – which we term a circular process,” says Professor Kalantar-Zadeh.

Gallium in liquid state is a fascinating element. At room temperature it looks like solid metal, but when heated to body temperature it transforms into liquid metallic puddles.

Mr Campos said the surface of liquid gallium is very chemically ‘non-sticky,’ and most materials will not attach to it under normal conditions. But when exposed to light in water, liquid gallium reacts at its surface, gradually oxidising and corroding. This reaction creates clean hydrogen and gallium oxyhydroxide on its surface.

“Gallium has not been explored before as a way to produce hydrogen at high rates when in contact with water – such a simple observation that was ignored previously,” says Professor Kalantar-Zadeh.

The University of Sydney led research was published in Nature Communications.

Source: deVere Group

February 9 2026 – Investors are championing Japan – and will continue to do so – following Sanae Takaichi's landslide election win in the country's snap general election, a result that has already reshaped global market sentiment and elevated Tokyo to the forefront of risk appetite across equity, currency, and debt markets.

The bullish analysis from Nigel Green, CEO of global financial giant deVere Group, comes following Takaichi's commanding victory delivered her Liberal Democratic Party a two-thirds supermajority in the Lower House, enabling her to advance her economic agenda with unprecedented political authority and clear policy direction.

Across Asia and beyond, markets have reacted with force. Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei 225 has surged to all-time highs, briefly topping 57,000, while the broader Topix index also hit new record levels.

Equities in key export and tech sectors showed particularly strong gains as global allocators re-weighted Japan into portfolios.

Nigel Green comments: “The scale of Japan's electoral outcome fundamentally alters the strategic calculus for international investors.

“Confidence has shifted from tentative to assertive as markets price in a government capable of executing large-scale economic initiatives without debilitating legislative friction.”

Ms Takaichi's platform, built around fiscal support, targeted tax relief and investment incentives in priority areas such as tech, defence, and infrastructure, has ignited renewed enthusiasm for what many are calling a revived “Japan opportunity.”

These dynamics are reinforced by fresh clarity around policy trajectory – a powerful antidote to the uncertainty that had weighed on asset allocators for much of the past year.

“With such a dominant mandate secured in an open-election environment, Japan stands as one of the few major advanced markets with clear strategic direction.

“That has prompted a redistribution of risk capital into Japanese equities and related assets. Now that policy risk is more knowable, investors are allocating with conviction,” says the deVere CEO.

The rally hasn't been confined to stocks alone. Shorter-dated Japanese government bond yields have lifted as expectations firm that fiscal initiatives will be accompanied by central bank adjustments; meanwhile, the yen has shown bouts of volatility as currency markets weigh both fiscal expansion and potential official intervention.

“What we're observing is a realignment of markets around a government with the authority to drive structural economic choices. Equities, yields, and the currency are all reflecting nuanced expectations for growth, inflation, and capital flows.”

International responses have been broad. Global indices opened strongly alongside Japan's advance, and cross-border capital flows into Asian equities have gained momentum.

Heightened interest in sectors tied to future growth themes – advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, and digital tech – aligns with Japan's announced priorities.

“The strength of the electorate's mandate has elevated Japan into a strategic role in global portfolios. Institutional investors are now assessing how this influences their broader Asia and global equity allocations,” notes Nigel Green.

Critically, the market's reaction has been immediate and substantial because the political backdrop is now a known quantity rather than a source of risk. This contrasts with several major democracies where political fragmentation and policy uncertainty continue to cloud investment horizons.

In contrast, Japan's electorate has delivered a clear result that enables decisive policy deployment.

“When the governing authority has both political legitimacy and control of legislative instruments, investors can construct risk assessments that factor in probability and timing with far greater precision.

“This underpins the breadth and depth of the capital inflows we are seeing into Japanese assets.”

Market data post-election illustrates the scale of the reaction. Japanese benchmarks have not merely climbed – they have reset valuation benchmarks, triggering what some analysts describe as a fresh structural leg in Japan's equity ascent. This performance is resonating with global allocators seeking growth exposures backed by economic policy conviction.

The deVere CEO concludes: “Japan's decisive electoral result changes its investment narrative. It gives markets a reference point around which to model growth, investment incentives, and fiscal policy impacts.

“This alignment of political capital and market expectations is rare among advanced economies today.

“As investors continue to assess the unfolding policy landscape, the strength of Japan's initial market reaction underscores their confidence in what lies ahead.”

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.

Source: deVere Group

February 9 2026 – UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is making the pound vulnerable, with political risk now being firmly embedded in sterling pricing, warns Nigel Green, CEO of financial advisory giant deVere Group.

Sterling weakness is no longer abstract. In recent sessions, the pound has slipped to multi-week lows against both major counterparts, trading around $1.35–$1.36 versus the dollar and €1.14–€1.15 against the euro, after earlier strength faded. Against the euro, sterling has fallen more than 0.5% in a single session.

The immediate trigger was monetary. The Bank of England's decision last week to hold interest rates at 3.75% was decided by a 5–4 vote, prompting traders to bring forward expectations for rate cuts later this year. UK front-end yields fell sharply, removing one of the pound's remaining supports.

Political developments then intensified the sell-off. The government's decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington reignited scrutiny of his past association with Jeffrey Epstein, an issue that quickly became a flashpoint inside Westminster.

The controversy escalated when Morgan McSweeney, the prime minister's chief of staff and a central figure in Labour's election campaign, resigned on Sunday amid growing internal backlash.

His departure exposed strains at the centre of government and sharpened questions over judgement and control.

Nigel Green says markets have responded to events rather than speculation.

“Currency markets are reacting directly to Keir Starmer's leadership being tested,” he notes.

“The Prime Minister has lost a Chief of Staff in the middle of a political crisis tied to a controversial appointment, investors are reassessing risk in real-time. Sterling reflects that reassessment.”

On the days surrounding the Bank of England vote and McSweeney's resignation, sterling underperformed both the euro and the dollar, even as broader global risk sentiment remained relatively stable.

The euro-sterling rate moved back toward £0.87, signalling pound weakness rather than euro strength.

Options markets reinforce the message. Hedge funds have increased demand for downside protection on sterling, a sign that investors are preparing for continued volatility rather than a rapid recovery.

“When funds pay for protection against further falls, they're responding to what they see in front of them,” Nigel Green says. “Keir Starmer's political difficulties have become a live variable in how the pound is traded.”

The narrow Bank of England vote also matters because it undermines confidence in the UK's rate outlook.

“A one-vote margin tells markets policy direction is finely balanced,” Nigel Green says.

“When that happens at the same time as political authority weakens under Keir Starmer, sterling loses support from both sides.”

Politics has therefore compounded the monetary shift. The Mandelson appointment and McSweeney's resignation have moved the focus onto leadership discipline and decision-making at the top of government.

“Currency markets price credibility,” Nigel Green says. “When investors question Keir Starmer's control over his own administration, they reduce exposure. The pound absorbs that loss of confidence quickly.”

The result is a pound trading increasingly as a political currency. Positive economic data has struggled to sustain rallies, while negative domestic headlines have triggered sharp selling.

This matters acutely for the UK because it depends on foreign capital inflows. Confidence in leadership plays a central role in maintaining demand for sterling-denominated assets.

“International investors are selective,” explains the deVere CEO. “As confidence in Keir Starmer weakens, they demand a higher premium or step aside. The currency is where that adjustment appears first.”

Looking ahead, the base case for the pound remains difficult while the current political situation persists.

“As long as Keir Starmer remains under sustained political leadership pressure, sterling stays exposed,” Nigel Green concludes.

“Until authority is clearly re-established, vulnerability is likely to define the pound's outlook.”

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.

Source: New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC)

The New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC) at its first Council meeting for the year, re-elected its Chairperson and appointed a new Deputy Chairperson, cementing the leadership of NSWALC to drive the strategic direction of the NSW Aboriginal Land Rights Network for 2026.

Councillor for the Sydney/Newcastle Region, Dr Raymond Kelly, has been re-elected as NSWALC’s Chairperson, with Councillor for the Wiradjuri Region, Cr Leeanne Hampton, elected as Deputy Chairperson. Both the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson were elected uncontested.

Cr Hampton will step into the role following a decision by the outgoing Deputy Chairperson, Cr Ross Hampton, to not stand for re-election. Cr Ross Hampton will continue in his role as Councillor for the Western Region, a role he has held since 2019.

Chairperson Kelly thanked Cr Ross Hampton for his significant contribution as part of the leadership team of NSWALC and his ongoing passion for the Land Rights Network during his time as Deputy Chair.

“The Aboriginal Land Rights Network is at a pivotal moment in time. In recent years, we have taken deliberate, strategic steps to strengthen our organisation and the support we provide to Local Aboriginal Land Councils across New South Wales,” said Chairperson Kelly.

“Cr Hampton played a critical role in progressing our strategic priorities, and we thank him for his leadership and dedication to ensuring we have the capacity and resources to better support our LALCs moving forward.”

Incoming Deputy Chairperson of NSWLAC, Wiradjuri/Ngiyampaa woman from West Wyalong, Cr Leeanne Hampton, is a member of the NSW Government’s Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee and has been a serving Councillor for NSWLAC since 2019. Chairperson Kelly said Cr Hampton’s expertise will help advance NSWALC’s rights-based approach to Aboriginal Land Rights and our Cultural and Heritage.

“We are proud of the work we are undertaking across the Network and what it is doing to uphold our vision for Aboriginal Land Rights in this State – land acquisition and activation, building on the strengths of our communities, protecting and promoting our Culture and Heritage, and securing our futures.”

“With our leadership, we have an opportunity to strengthen our work and the support we provide to all our Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALCs).”

“We are bringing a human rights approach back to Land Rights and are committed to working with all levels of Government and our communities to have better outcome-based programs and services.”

“There is still important work to be done in returning land to Aboriginal communities across NSW. We are deeply committed to working with all levels of government and our communities to deliver better outcomes. I look forward to working alongside Cr Hampton and all NSWALC Councillors to advocate for a system that operates efficiently and responds to our claims with urgency.”Cr Hampton is honoured to be elected as Deputy Chair.

“I’m very honoured to be elected as NSWALC Deputy Chairperson by my fellow Councillors,’’ said Cr Hampton.

“NSWALC is building on strong foundations to secure a stronger, more self-determined future for Aboriginal people across New South Wales. I am deeply committed to this work and take on the responsibility of serving as Deputy Chairperson.”

“I look forward to working alongside Chairperson Kelly to deliver meaningful and lasting outcomes for our communities, and thank Cr Hampton for all he has done in this role.”

Deputy Chairperson Hampton’s appointment reflects a broader shift across the NSW Aboriginal Land Rights Network, aligning the State peak-body to the 54 per cent of LALC Boards that currently have a women-majority Board structure in place. This momentum is echoed across NSWALC’s leadership, with Clare McHugh, the current CEO, Councillors (Cr. Anne Dennis AM, Cr Grace Toomey and Cr. Diane Randall), as well as a strong majority-female representation on NSWALC’s Youth Advisory Committee.

“I am incredibly proud to be joining the growing number of Aboriginal women in leadership positions across the Network,” said Deputy Chairperson Hampton.

“The strength and diversity in our leadership – including the role women and young people play – is shaping the future of Aboriginal Land Rights in New South Wales, and that is incredibly powerful.”

For more information on NSWALC, please visit https://alc.org.au/

About NSWALC

NSWALC is the State's peak representative body in Aboriginal Affairs and aims to protect the interests and further the aspirations of the 121 NSW Local Aboriginal Land Councils and the broader Aboriginal community. It was established in the 1970s to assist in the fight for land rights and was formally constituted as a statutory corporation under the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Rights Act in 1983. NSWALC is the largest member-based Aboriginal organisation in NSW.

Source: Amnesty International

Responding to the 20-year sentence handed to Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai for ‘national security’ offences, Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks said:

“This sentencing marks another grim milestone in Hong Kong’s transformation from a city governed by the rule of law to one ruled by fear. Imprisoning a 78-year-old man for doing nothing more than exercising his rights shows a complete disregard for human dignity. Every day he spends in behind bars is a grave injustice.  

“With this ruling we see yet again how Hong Kong’s National Security Law is being used to distort fundamental freedoms into criminal acts. Jimmy Lai’s imprisonment is a cold-blooded attack of freedom of expression that epitomizes the systematic dismantling of rights that once defined Hong Kong.

“Jimmy Lai is a prisoner of conscience who should never have spent a single day behind bars. The Hong Kong authorities must immediately and unconditionally release him.”

Background

Hong Kong’s High Court today sentenced pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit collusion with foreign forces and conspiracy to commit sedition. The sentence follows his conviction, in December 2025.

Lai was charged with “collusion with a foreign country or external elements” under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law (NSL) on 11 December 2020. He has been continuously detained since 31 December 2020. He was later charged with two more counts of “conspiracy to collude with a foreign country or external elements” under the NSL, and one more count of “conspiracy to publish seditious publications” under the Crimes Ordinance.

Hong Kong authorities said the charges related to the publication of articles in Apple Daily, a newspaper owned by Lai, that called on foreign countries to impose sanctions. Authorities also cited Lai’s meetings with US politicians and interviews with overseas media, his Twitter (now X) posts and his list of followers on the platform which included prominent foreign politicians and NGOs supportive of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.

Lai, a British national, was denied bail in February 2021 when Hong Kong’s highest court ruled that national security cases were an exception to the presumption in favour of bail. Amnesty International research published in June 2025 found that this was the case in 89% of national security cases. The Hong Kong government also prohibited Lai’s British lawyer Timothy Owen from representing him.  

Jimmy Lai founded the outspoken Apple Daily in 1995. Shortly after the National Security Law was introduced on 30 June 2020, nearly 200 police raided the newspaper’s headquarters. It was the first time the law was invoked to search a media outlet’s premises, and Lai was arrested along with his two sons and several newspaper executives.

Apple Daily closed in June 2021 following another police raid and the freezing of its assets, in what Amnesty at the time called a “brazen attack on press freedom”.

Prior to today’s sentencing, Hong Kong courts have convicted Lai in four separate cases involving “unauthorized assemblies” and fraud and handed down prison sentences totalling over seven years.

In 2024, Amnesty International recognized Lai as a prisoner of conscience alongside human rights lawyers Chow Hang-tung and Ding Jiaxi.

Report by Akio Yaita (see at bottom of article for more on this writer).

After decades of tight restrictions on defense equipment exports, Japan is now charting a new course as a “responsible state” that plays a larger role in global security.

On December 15, 2025, the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party – partners in the ruling coalition – launched talks on easing Japan’s tight restrictions on defense equipment exports. The discussions build on the policy commitments the two parties wrote into their coalition agreement in October. They agreed to recommend in February 2026 that the government scrap the current rule limiting exports to five non-combat categories – rescue, transport, alerts, surveillance, and minesweeping. In line with this, the government, led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, is aiming to abolish the rule in the first half of 2026.

Itsunori Onodera, a former defense minister who chairs the LDP’s Research Commission on Security, has long maintained that “when countries that share Japan’s values strengthen their defense capabilities, Japan’s own security is reinforced. Transferring equipment contributes to regional stability.” Seiji Maehara, who leads the JIP’s Research Commission on Security, likewise stresses the need to “resolve the contradiction of buying large quantities of lethal weapons (from the United States and others) while refusing to sell any ourselves.”

“Equipment Alliances” on the Rise

For years, Japan effectively maintained a blanket ban on defense equipment exports. In 2014, the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reversed course and introduced the Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology. The framework permits exports under three conditions: (1) transfers to parties engaged in conflict are prohibited; (2) transfers must contribute to international cooperation or Japan’s own security; and (3) prior Japanese approval is required for any use beyond the stated purpose or for re-transfer to a third country. Finished products with lethal capabilities were excluded, and exports were limited to the five non-combat categories noted above.

In 2020, the first deal under the new framework was approved: the export of air-surveillance radar systems made by Mitsubishi Electric Corp. to the Philippines, a transfer that was carried out in 2023. The Philippines is locked in a dispute with China over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea and is also geographically close to Taiwan, which China seeks to bring under its control. Japan’s Ministry of Defense hopes eventually to share intelligence derived from the exported radar systems. A four-way information-sharing framework involving Japan, the Philippines, the United States, and Australia is also under consideration.

As the global security environment continues to deteriorate — driven by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s increasingly coercive military actions — Japan is widening its defense equipment exports to strengthen cooperation with partner nations. In December 2023, the government revised the operational guidelines for the Three Principles, allowing the “reverse export” of finished licensed products back to their original licensors. The United States, which has been supplying weapons to Ukraine, was facing shortages in its own stockpiles. In Japan, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. manufactures MIM-104 Patriot missiles under license from U.S. defense contractors Lockheed Martin and RTX, and these missiles have subsequently been exported to the United States. On November 20, 2025, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara confirmed that “the transfer to the U.S. side has already been completed.”

In March 2024, the government again revised the operational guidelines, allowing the export of lethal equipment to third countries—limited to finished products developed through international joint programs. The change was made with Japan’s next-generation fighter in mind, a project it is co-developing with Britain and Italy and aiming to introduce in 2035. Eligible destinations are restricted to 16 countries that have concluded defense equipment and technology transfer agreements with Japan, including the United States, Germany, Australia, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand. Countries where active fighting is underway are excluded.

In August 2025, Australia announced plans to acquire up to 11 modified Mogami-class frigates from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for its next-generation fleet, with operations targeted to start in 2030. The two countries will also work together on developing the modifications. Australia shares Japan’s concerns over China’s growing maritime presence in the western Pacific.

Source: University of East Anglia

Research led by the University of East Anglia (UEA) sheds new light on how mountain birds adapt to changes in climate.

Scientists know that species diversity changes as you go up a mountain, but it is not clearly understood why this is the case.

One theory is that it is mostly because of long-term evolution, and the climate niches species have adapted to over millions of years. Another – the ‘energy efficiency’ hypothesis – suggests it is about how species today manage their energy budgets and compete for available resources that vary in space and time.

To test this, researchers looked at seasonal changes in the elevational distributions of birds – how high in the mountain birds go at different times of year – for nearly 11,000 avian populations across 34 mountain regions worldwide.

Publishing their findings today in the journal Science Advances, they found that many birds do not strictly follow the temperatures they are supposedly adapted to.

Instead, their movements match what would be expected if they were trying to use and acquire energy in the most efficient way based on today’s environments, with computer models simulating what birds should do to save energy corresponding with what they do in real life.

Lead author Dr Marius Somveille, of UEA’s School of Environmental Sciences, said: “A lot of mountain birds perform altitudinal migration – moving up and down the mountain with the seasons. This behaviour is common but not well-studied, and it has long been debated whether environmental conditions and biodiversity change with elevation in the same way they do with increasing latitude.

“We found that energy efficiency appears to drive both the seasonal distribution of birds across latitudes and along mountain slopes. This suggests that elevational gradients in avian distributions might be a condensed version of corresponding latitudinal gradients, and that altitudinal migration serves the same ecological purpose as long-distance migration, like flying towards the tropics for winter, saving energy and surviving in changing conditions.

“Understanding this is important as it helps us better predict how mountain birds will cope with global change.”

Dr Somveille added: “Human activity is affecting where energy and resources are available in mountain environments. Lower elevations are losing habitat due to human activity, while higher elevations stay more protected because they’re harder to reach. These shifts are likely to significantly change where birds can live and how they spread out across mountains.”

The team used publicly available participatory science data for 10,998 populations, belonging to 2684 species, to provide the most extensive quantification of seasonal distribution patterns of mountain birds to date. 

Focusing on elevational gradients as natural replicates across mountain regions worldwide, and using seasonality as a natural experiment, the observed seasonal distribution of mountain birds was compared with computer model predictions based on energy efficiency.

The researchers found more than 30 per cent of the avian populations studied that live year-round on the mountain slopes are altitudinal migrants – defined as having average seasonal altitudes separated by more than 200 metres – confirming altitudinal migration to be a “notable phenomenon globally”.

Among these, only a few populations radically shift their distribution along the elevational gradient, for example by more than 1000 metres on average, mirroring the pattern observed for latitudinal migration, where few avian species migrate very long distances.

Altitudinal migration was found to be widespread – in 339 of 1852 populations – within the equatorial tropics despite minimal seasonal temperature changes in these regions.

However, the proportion of altitudinal migrants in a mountain region nonetheless increases with latitude, for example the further north of the equator that populations are, with the tropical Southern Ghats of India having approximately 20 per cent of bird species as altitudinal migrants, while the temperate Swiss Alps have about 57 per cent.

Located in subtropical mid-latitude, eastern Taiwan has approximately 43 per cent of bird species that are altitudinal migrants, such as the Taiwan Yuhina. Overall, this latitudinal pattern supports the idea that altitudinal migration is an adaptation to seasonality.

“Overall, our results suggest that the seasonal distribution of birds in mountains is largely shaped by a complex interplay between species minimising energy costs while maximizing energy acquisition and considering what competitors are doing,” said Dr Somveille.

“Also, that altitudinal migration is a behavioural mechanism allowing birds to optimise their energy budgets in the face of seasonality and competition. This explains the many populations that appear to engage in upslope migration during the colder season, as a distributional strategy that is energetically efficient for some species given the dynamics of competition for access to food.”

Dr Somveille, who started the research while at University College London, collaborated with scientists from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Yale University in the US, and Academia Sinica in Taiwan. It was supported by funding from the Wolfson Foundation and Royal Society.

‘Climate, ecological dynamics, and the seasonal distribution of birds in mountains’, Marius Somveille, Benjamin G Freeman, Frank A La Sorte and Mao-Ning Tuanmu, is published in Science Advances on February 6.

Notes:

The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a UK Top 25 university for research quality (Times Higher Education Rankings 2026) and UK 26th in the Complete University Guide. It also ranks in the World Top 60 (QS World Rankings for Sustainability 2025) and the World Top 20 for reduced inequalities and World Top 200 (Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2025). Known for its world-leading research and good student experience, its 360-acre campus has won nine Green Flag awards in a row for its high environmental standards. The University is a leading member of Norwich Research Park, one of Europe’s biggest concentrations of researchers in the fields of environment, health and plant science. www.uea.ac.uk.   

Source: Arm Hub

BRISBANE, Feb 6th  – ARM Hub will host MassRobotics leadership for a week-long Australian visit centred around the official launch of Propel-AIR 2.0, Australia's premier AI and robotics innovation accelerator.

Joyce Sidopoulos (Co-Founder and Chief of Operations) and Marita McGinn (Director, MassRobotics Accelerator) will be based at ARM Hub in Brisbane February 16-17, 2026, before touring Sydney's leading universities and meeting with key industry players through February 20.

The visit kicks off with Propel-AIR 2.0's official launch on Tuesday, February 17 at ARM Hub, where Minister for Industry and Science Tim Ayres will open entries for this year's program. The launch event features Australia's leading robotics innovators, including demonstrations from QUT, The Fish Girl, Roo-VER, Verbotics and 2025 Propel-AIR winner Dominic Lindsay from NexoBot.

“We've been collaborating with ARM Hub for the past couple of years, and it's been exciting to support and watch Australia's robotics ecosystem mature,” said Joyce Sidopoulos, Chief of Operations at MassRobotics.

“This visit is about deepening those connections—sharing what we've learned about robotics commercialisation, learning from Australian universities and startups, and celebrating the launch of Propel-AIR 2.0. Programs like this create a powerful bridge between local innovation and global opportunity, and we're thrilled the winner will spend a month at MassRobotics building relationships and accelerating their path to market.”

February 16-17: Brisbane – ARM Hub

Closed-door industry sessions and robotics showcase presentations
Interactive workshops for startups and university robotics groups on commercialisation pathways and global market opportunities
Official Propel-AIR 2.0 launch event with Minister Ayres

February 18-20: Sydney

MassRobotics will deliver insights sessions at UNSW Sydney, University of Sydney, UTS, and Western Sydney University, alongside meetings with Amazon and other key industry stakeholders.

The sessions focus on where robotics and embodied AI are gaining real traction globally, what solutions are attracting investment, and practical customer discovery strategies for Australian ventures.

“Australia's robotics ecosystem is at a turning point,” said ARM Hub CEO and Founder Professor Cori Stewart. “Having MassRobotics here to launch Propel-AIR 2.0 connects our innovators directly to one of the world's leading robotics hubs, right when our National AI Action Plan is creating momentum for embodied AI adoption.”

Propel-AIR 2.0 offers Australian robotics startups, scaleups, and innovators a pathway to global markets. The winning team receives a one-month residency at MassRobotics in Boston, including mentorship, investor connections, and scheduled visits to companies like Boston Dynamics and MIT.

Entries open February 17, 2026.

About ARM Hub ARM Hub is one of Australia's four government-backed AI Adopt Centres. Based in Brisbane, ARM Hub partners with manufacturers, SMEs, researchers, and technology companies to drive innovation and productivity through advanced automation and AI solutions.

About MassRobotics MassRobotics is a nonprofit organization fostering robotics innovation and entrepreneurship. Located in Boston's Innovation District, MassRobotics has supported over 200 startups, which have collectively raised more than $1 billion in funding and created over 600 jobs.

Source: deVere Group

February 5 2026 – The Peter Mandelson crisis could trigger UK bond market chaos if it forces Prime Minister Keir Starmer out of office, warns the CEO of one of the world's largest independent advisory organizations.

The warning from Nigel Green of deVere Group comes as reports suggest even close allies of the Prime Minister are now questioning his judgement and authority, raising the risk that a political scandal could rapidly morph into financial volatility.

Pressure intensified after police confirmed a criminal investigation into Peter Mandelson over allegations of misconduct in public office, following claims he passed market-sensitive government information to Jeffrey Epstein while serving as business secretary in 2009.

The Prime Minister has since acknowledged that Mandelson “lied repeatedly” during the vetting process prior to his appointment as US ambassador, as the government struggles to contain the fallout from the release of vetting files.

For investors, the issue is no longer just the scandal itself, but what it reveals about leadership judgement and control.

Nigel Green says the market risk becomes acute if the crisis escalates into a leadership collapse.

“If the Mandelson affair brings down the Prime Minister, which is something a growing number of commentators are discussing, the consequences would not stop at Downing Street,” he says. “Markets would immediately focus on the UK bond – or gilt – market.”

He argues that Rachel Reeves is far more politically and economically tied to Starmer than many assume, making her position vulnerable in the event of a sudden leadership change.

“Rachel Reeves' credibility with bond markets has been built on one core thing: continuity.

“She's consistently positioned herself as a guardian of fiscal discipline, clear rules, and predictability, particularly after the gilt market turmoil of recent years, especially during the Truss mini-Budget drama.”

He notes that Reeves earned market confidence by explicitly distancing Labour from unfunded spending promises, committing to strict fiscal rules, and signalling respect for the independence of economic institutions.

Those assurances helped anchor expectations among gilt investors already sensitised by past policy shocks.

“This credibility is derived from the authority of the Prime Minister who empowered her and enforced discipline around the economic message.

“Investors see Starmer and Reeves as a single framework.”

If that framework fractures, continuity becomes fragile.

“In the event of a sudden leadership change, it would be extremely difficult for a successor to keep the Chancellor in place without appearing constrained by the previous leadership,” explains the deVere CEO.

“History teaches us that new leaders, especially those emerging from crisis, almost always want to reset the economic narrative.”

For bond markets, that prospect is destabilising.

“UK gilts are priced on confidence that fiscal policy is predictable, rules-based, and controlled,” comments Nigel Green.

“Any suggestion that the Chancellor could be replaced abruptly forces investors to reassess debt issuance plans, spending priorities, and the credibility of medium-term fiscal guidance all at once.”

He stresses that the bond market reaction would not likely wait for formal decisions.

“Gilt investors remember how quickly yields can spike when fiscal credibility is questioned,” he says. “They're conditioned to react early, not wait for clarity.”

In that context, even speculation around a leadership contest combined with uncertainty over the Treasury would raise risk premia.

“A leadership vacuum paired with doubts about who controls the purse strings is a toxic mix for bonds.

“Ambiguity is punished faster than almost anything else.”

However, he cautions that markets will not move on conjecture alone.

“This remains a conditional risk,” he says. “Momentum matters.”

What would change the calculus is visible political fragmentation.

“If discipline frays, if senior figures brief against each other, or if polling shows confidence in leadership judgement cracking, markets will likely respond rapidly,” says Nigel Green.

The broader lesson, he adds, is structural.

He concludes: “Should political authority weaken and the futures of the Prime Minister and, therefore, Chancellor come into serious doubt, bond markets will likely not wait for reassurance.”

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.

Source: ONEKEY

The CRA (Cyber Resilience Act) will enter its operational phase this year, introducing reporting requirements. Manufacturers must act quickly.

Düsseldorf, 5 February 2026 – The Cyber Resilience Act will have its first direct regulatory impact in 2026. Manufacturers of digital devices, machines and systems with an internet connection will be required to comply with new reporting and security obligations. This is highlighted by ONEKEY, a Düsseldorf-based cybersecurity company that operates a platform for analyzing device firmware for security vulnerabilities and CRA compliance.

Reporting Requirement for Manufacturers from September 11, 2026

The Cyber Resilience Act officially came into force on 10 December 2024, setting out a key timeline for affected companies. From September 11, 2026, manufacturers will be required to actively report exploited vulnerabilities as well as serious security incidents. Under the regulation, manufacturers must notify the relevant authorities of security vulnerabilities and security-related incidents as soon as they become aware of them, and within strict time limits. To support this process, the EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) is establishing a centralized CRA Single Reporting Platform (SRP), through which all reports must be submitted in future.

The CRA's comprehensive requirements, including security by design, lifecycle management and CE marking under CRA conformity assessment, will apply in full from 11 December 2027. “The operational phase of the Cyber Resilience Act will begin in 2026,” said ONEKEY Managing Director Jan Wendenburg.

Starting on June 11, 2026, the first conformity assessment bodies (CABs) will start to check product conformity. These CABs are accredited, independent testing laboratories. This enables manufacturers to obtain external CRA conformity certification. ONEKEY CEO Jan Wendenburg explained the urgency of this process: “The manufacturers concerned must have their internal processes, documentation, technical evidence, and safety requirements in place by then at the latest so that a CAB can test their products.” External conformity assessment is mandatory for products with a high safety risk (CRA classes “critical” and “highly critical”), such as critical infrastructure components, IoT devices with high damage potential, and industrial control systems.

“However, a self-declaration is sufficient for around 90 percent of all networked products,” Jan Wendenburg clarified. This is a declaration by the manufacturer that the digital product meets the CRA's requirements and is being legally placed on the market. The declaration must include a detailed conformity assessment, which can be carried out via the ONEKEY platform. From 11 December 2027 onwards, products without such a declaration may no longer be sold on the EU market.

Manufacturers Must Act Now

Jan Wendenburg explained: “It's time for manufacturers to subject their networked devices, machines, and systems to a CRA conformity assessment.” Based on his experience with relevant tests on the ONEKEY platform, he knows that “gaps often emerge, and many of them are difficult to resolve. Manufacturers should be prepared to invest the necessary time, money, and personnel to meet the legal requirements that will be imposed on them.” He cites vulnerabilities in external programs from partners outside the EU with little understanding of CRA compliance, as well as purchased components with incomplete documentation and open-source software, as examples.

ONEKEY's Managing Director added that the first step for manufacturers is to create a software bill of materials (SBOM) for each networked product, which is often challenging in practice. The purpose of an SBOM is to identify software components that may contain vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers, enabling them to be addressed quickly and systematically. To this end, the Cyber Resilience Act requires a comprehensive inventory of all software elements, including programs, libraries, frameworks, and dependencies, along with their exact version numbers. Manufacturers must also document licensing information, authorship, and any known vulnerabilities or security gaps associated with each component. According to Wendenburg, many manufacturers struggle to meet these requirements because they do not receive sufficient or reliable information from their suppliers. “Many SBOMs are incomplete, outdated, or lack the necessary context around vulnerabilities,” he said. “Such SBOMs fail to meet the mandatory documentation standards under EU regulations and offer little practical value for compliance or security purposes.”

Most of the Effort Can Be Automated

However, CRA requirements extend well beyond providing an accurate SBOM. Manufacturers must implement security measures during the design and development phases of their products. These requirements include secure software and hardware designs, clear vulnerability management guidelines, end-to-end risk management, and mandatory security updates throughout defined product lifecycles. “These measures must be implemented, evaluated, documented, and verified,” said Jan Wendenburg, outlining the effort involved.

He concluded: “The first implementation phase of the Cyber Resilience Act is undoubtedly a milestone for digital security in Europe, but it also requires considerable effort from manufacturers.”

ONEKEY is the leading European specialist in Product Cybersecurity & Compliance Management and part of the investment portfolio of PricewaterhouseCoopers Germany (PwC). The unique combination of the automated ONEKEY Product Cybersecurity & Compliance Platform (OCP) with expert knowledge and consulting services provides fast and comprehensive analysis, support, and management to improve product cybersecurity and compliance from product purchasing, design, development, production to end-of-life.

Critical vulnerabilities and compliance violations in device firmware are automatically identified in binary code by AI-based technology in minutes – without source code, device, or network access. Proactively audit software supply chains with integrated Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs) generation. “Digital Cyber Twins” enable automated 24/7 post-release cybersecurity monitoring throughout the product lifecycle.

The patent-pending, integrated ONEKEY Compliance Wizard already covers the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and requirements according to IEC 62443-4-2, ETSI EN 303 645, UNECE R 155 and many others.

The Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) is effectively supported by the integrated automatic prioritisation of vulnerabilities, significantly reducing the time to remediation.

Leading international companies in Asia, Europe and the Americas already benefit from the ONEKEY Product Cybersecurity & Compliance Platform (OCP) and ONEKEY Cybersecurity Experts.