Australia job vacancies bounce 2.9% in May quarter, ABS data shows
Is Zohran Mamdani poised to become NYC’s first Muslim and Indian American mayor? | Politics
Zohran Mamdani’s surprising win in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary over ex-Governor Andrew Cuomo has rocked city politics. But can he turn progressive momentum into victory this November — and become mayor of America’s biggest city?
Published On 26 Jun 2025
Despite Elon Musk’s promise of a “major rebound” in Tesla sales, angry Europeans are still reluctant to purchase his cars.
Europeans still aren’t buying Teslas with figures out Wednesday showing sales plunged for a fifth month in a row in May, a blow to investors who had hoped anger toward Elon Musk would have faded by now.
Tesla sales fell 28% last month in 30 European countries even as the overall market for electric vehicles expanded sharply, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. The poor showing comes after Tesla’s billionaire CEO had promised a “major rebound” was coming last month, adding to a recent buying frenzy among investors.
They were selling on Wednesday, pushing the prices down more than 4% in early afternoon trading.
Musk had said Tesla was sure to get a boost once the company was done retooling its factories to produce a new version of its biggest seller, the Model Y. But that was finished months ago, and the new models are widely available. Investors are now hoping that a cheaper Tesla expected to be out later year will help reverse the sales decline.
Overall, battery electric vehicle sales rose 25% in Europe compared to a year earlier. The market for EVs was particularly strong in Germany, where Musk has angered potential buyers by publicly supporting the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party in elections. Overall EV sales there leapt 45%.
China’s SAIC Motor was the big winner for the month with its European sales of EVs and other kinds of cars jumping 38%. That has allowed the company to leapfrog Tesla, which a year ago was selling more cars in the region.
SAIC sold 18,716 vehicles last month versus Tesla’s 8,729.
The sales drop for Tesla comes at a crucial time for the company as it launches a test run of its driverless ‘robotaxis’ service in Austin, Texas. Musk says that if goes well, he expects to introduce the service in several other cities in quick succession and have as many as a million of the automated cabs on roads by the end of the year.
Reviews so far have been mostly good, but the service is limited to a dozen or so cars and some passengers have circulated videos of problems during their rides, including one showing a robotaxi heading down a lane for opposing traffic.
Federal traffic safety regulators said Tuesday they were looking into the videos.
Introducing the 2025 Fortune 500, the definitive ranking of the biggest companies in America. Explore this year’s list.
Trump inquires about BBC Ukrainian reporter’s family
At a Nato press conference in the Netherlands, President Trump took a question from Myroslava Petsa from the BBC Ukrainian Service.
She asked whether the US would be supplying Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine.
Trump then asked where she was from and took an interest in her personal situation, asking whether her husband was a soldier in Ukraine, to which she said yes.
“I wish you a lot of luck, I can see this is very upsetting to you and say hello to your husband,” he concluded.
Ukrainian Swimmer Igor Chervynskiy, Three-Time World Championship Medalist, Sustains Injury in Conflict with Russia
World Championship medalist and two-time Ukrainian Olympian Igor Chervynskiy has been “seriously wounded” in his country’s ongoing war with Russia, the Ukrainian Swimming Federation and fellow Olympian Sergiy Fesenko report to SwimSwam.
The 43-year-old was serving a combat mission on the front lines of the ongoing war when he was injured. While the exact nature of his injury has not been described, a photo shows him in a hospital bed with bandages on both legs and a metal medical device on his left leg. Fesenko says that he was hit by munitions dropped from a Russian drone.
Courtesy: Ukrainian Swimming Federation
Chervynskiy was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, the country’s 6th largest-city with a pre-war population of 1.4 million. He was born there in 1981 when it was part of the USSR. That city near the Russian border has been a focal point of fighting in the war; as of April 2024, the Ukrainian government reported that almost a quarter of the city had been damaged or destroyed.
Chervynskiy was the 2003 World Championship silver medalist in the 1500 free and bronze medalist in the 800 free in Barcelona, part of Ukraine’s great distance swimming tradition. He was also the 1999 (SCM) and 2000 (LCM) European Champion in the 1500 free, two of five European medals in that event; a three-time World University Games Champion, the 2000 World Short Course Championship runner-up; and a three-time European Junior Champion in 1998 and 1999.
Prior to the start of the war, he was working as a swim coach at the youth sports school Spartak. Last year, at 42, and after two years of serving in the war, he won the Ukrainian Championship in the 5,000-meter swim in a 50 meter pool.
Fesenko called Chervynskiy “the hero of Ukraine” and is spearheading a fundraising effort to get him to the United States for rehabilitation (details here). Fesenko has been active in several war relief efforts, including convincing the Indian government to send war supplies to Ukraine, and finding avenues for young Ukrainian swimmers to train in other countries using relationships formed during his own elite swimming career.
Fesenko was on the 2004 Olympic Team with Chervynskiy and his father, Sergey Fesenko senior, was a 1980 Olympic gold medalist in the 200 fly for the USSR. Fesenko currently lives in the United States.
Fesenko says that he is one of three known national swimmers who are currently fighting for Ukraine in the war.
With war engulfing the nation, including estimates of around 700,000 Ukrainians currently actively fighting at the front, several athletes have been involved in the war. Earlier this month, former Ukrainian National Team hockey player Oleksandr Matviychuk was seriously injured after being shot; Eugine Obendinskiy, ex-captain of the Ukrainian National Water Polo Team, was killed in a bombing; and a Ukrainian National Swimming Team coach spent two hours trapped under rubble when a building she was sheltering under was hit by a missile.
Estimates of total fatalities from the war vary widely by source, but recent estimates by the US-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies reports that Russia has suffered approximately 250,000 deaths and 950,000 casualties in the war since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, while Ukraine has sustained an estimated 60,00-100,000 killed and up to 400,000 total casualties, including injured.
Photographs
Fesenko provided these photographs via Chervynskiy; SwimSwam could not verify the authenticity of the pictures.
Courtesy Igor Chervynski/Sergey Fesenko
Courtesy Igor Chervynski/Sergey Fesenko
Courtesy Igor Chervynski/Sergey Fesenko
Courtesy Igor Chervynski/Sergey Fesenko
Courtesy Igor Chervynski/Sergey Fesenko
Courtesy Igor Chervynski/Sergey Fesenko
Courtesy Igor Chervynski/Sergey Fesenko
DistroKid’s video service now allows indie artists to upload videos on Spotify
Indie music distribution platform DistroKid has announced that artists can now upload music videos to Spotify via its DistroVid service – but the videos can only be viewed in the markets where Spotify has rolled out its music video feature.
Spotify has made music videos available in beta to Premium users in 98 markets. The US and Canada aren’t among them, although the service is available in a number of other major markets, including the UK, Japan, Germany, France, and South Korea.
To get their videos on Spotify through DistroKid’s service, artists have to sign up for DistroVid at USD $99 per year (or the equivalent in their local currency). For that fee, artists get an unlimited number of music video uploads.
DistroVid, which launched in 2022, also offers music video uploads to Apple Music, Vevo, Tidal, and Boomplay, and – like its music distribution service – it doesn’t charge a commission and remits 100% of earnings to the artist.
“DistroVid makes it easy for independent artists to get their music videos everywhere, with unlimited uploads and zero commission. We’re excited to now include Spotify as a destination,” DistroKid President Phil Bauer said in a statement on Wednesday (June 25).
Spotify rolled out music videos initially in 11 markets in March 2024, expanding it by another 85 markets last October. The move was widely seen as an attempt to challenge YouTube, which dominates the music video market among digital service providers.
Music tracks with an accompanying video appear on Spotify with a “switch to video” toggle that allows users to jump between the audio track and the video even in mid-stream.
“I’m so impressed by how seamlessly video has been integrated – listeners can instantly switch between the music video and audio track with a single tap, making it feel like a native, fluid part of the Spotify experience.”
Phil Bauer, DistroKid
“I’m so impressed by how seamlessly video has been integrated – listeners can instantly switch between the music video and audio track with a single tap, making it feel like a native, fluid part of the Spotify experience,” Bauer said.
“As an independent artist, growing my career is all about finding authentic mediums for discovery,” New York-based hip-hop artist Marlon Craft added.
“DistroVid and the ability to add music videos to Spotify creates an opportunity – if the visuals can live where people discover and listen to the music, it can allow visual art to market the music itself in a way that is super direct and impactful.”
DistroKid bills itself as “the world’s largest distributor of independent music,” claiming to distribute 30%-40% of all new music in the world. The company says it has processed more than 60 million songs and built a roster of 4 million artists, including “hobbyists, up-and-comers, top influencers, and international stars.”
Spotify took a minority stake in DistroKid in 2018 before selling most of it in 2021.
Based on Spotify filings, MBW estimates that Spotify owned around 17% of DistroKid (aka DK Holdco LLC) before the 2021 sale, and has owned around 4% of the distribution company subsequently.Music Business Worldwide
Utilizing Technology to Protect Biodiversity
When discussing biodiversity, a powerful example often cited is the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone, which changed the course of the park’s rivers. This species was brought back to the U.S. national park in 1995, and soon after, the new predators reduced the deer population, allowing vegetation—especially aspens and willows—to recover. This, in turn, improved habitats for other species like beavers and birds, even altering river courses. This phenomenon is known as a “trophic cascade,” where the removal or addition of a species leads to unpredictable changes in an ecosystem. But how can we preserve biodiversity in the face of climate change and protect endangered species? Can technology help us in this effort?
Why is biodiversity being lost?
Before exploring the technologies that can help conserve species, it’s crucial to understand the main causes of biodiversity loss. According to UN data, one in eight species of flora and fauna worldwide is at risk of extinction due to four key factors:
- Land-use change. This mainly involves converting forests and jungles into agricultural land, which destroys habitats and reduces biological diversity. This factor accounts for 30% of the global decline in biodiversity.
- Overexploitation of resources. Overfishing, overhunting, and excessive harvesting of resources like timber deplete the planet’s renewable resources faster each year. This issue is responsible for 20% of global biodiversity loss.
- Climate change and pollution. It is estimated that these factors contribute up to 14% of biodiversity loss. Some studies suggest that they could become the leading causes in the coming decades.
- Invasive species. Species like the zebra mussel, lionfish, American crab, or Asian carp can become invasive, disrupting ecosystems and reducing biodiversity. They are estimated to be responsible for 11% of global biodiversity loss.
5 technological innovations for biodiversity conservation
In addition to transitioning to renewable energy, creating protected areas, and implementing similar conservation measures, technology offers valuable tools to support this mission. Here are five recent examples:
1. Genetic monitoring (eDNA). Environmental DNA (eDNA) technology has transformed how scientists monitor biodiversity. By detecting species through DNA traces left in the environment, such as in water or soil, it allows for the identification of rare or elusive species without invasive methods.
Example: Scientists at ETH Zurich in Switzerland are using drones equipped with adhesive to collect eDNA from tree branches.
2. Camera traps and drones. Camera traps equipped with motion and infrared sensors, along with drones carrying advanced cameras, enable the remote monitoring of wildlife and their habitats. These technologies can function in extreme conditions and transmit images in real time.
Example: The Australian Wildlife Conservancy used camera traps to capture footage of a rare Australian marsupial for the first time in history.
3. LiDaR for forest mapping. LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) uses laser pulses emitted from aircraft or drones to map vegetation in high resolution. This technology helps scientists measure changes in forest ecosystems accurately and efficiently.
Example: In Indonesia, LiDAR has been used to assess the impact of logging in tropical forests.
4. Bioacoustics. Bioacoustics uses recording devices to capture the sounds of natural ecosystems. These sounds, from birdsong to frog croaks, are analyzed by AI to assess the health and biodiversity of ecosystems.
Example: Bioacoustics has been used to monitor the coquí llanero, a frog native to Puerto Rico’s dry savannah, over a ten-year period. The ongoing use of this technology is providing researchers with insights into the area’s biodiversity trends.
5. High-tech maps and big data. Advanced mapping technologies combine satellite imagery, sensor data, and data modeling to monitor vegetation and ecosystem changes on large scales. These platforms allow ecologists to observe forest loss in real time and respond more swiftly to threats.
Example: This technology extends beyond forests, as the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) uses water quality sensors and satellite imagery to assess the health of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
To learn more about how technological advances can aid in conserving biodiversity, we recommend reading this article on the use of artificial intelligence and big data in preventing wildfires, one of the greatest environmental threats. And, of course, we encourage you to get involved in volunteer activities that contribute to the regeneration of natural ecosystems.
Fuentes:
Faith leaders oppose Texas law mandating Ten Commandments in classrooms | Education News
The complaint alleges that a law requiring the religious text violates ‘fundamental religious-freedom principles’ in the US.
A group of faith leaders in the United States have filed a lawsuit seeking to block the state of Texas from requiring the Ten Commandments, as detailed in the Old Testament of the Bible, to be displayed in public classrooms.
Their legal challenge on Tuesday comes just days after Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed the legislation, which would make Texas the largest state in the country to impose such a requirement.
In the lawsuit, the Christian and Muslim faith leaders argue that the law would subject nearly six million students across Texas’s 9,100 public schools to “religious mandates, every single school day”.
“This is wholly inconsistent with the fundamental religious-freedom principles … upon which our nation was founded,” said the lawsuit.
It further noted that children who attend public schools in Texas “follow various faiths and religions, or do not practice any religion at all”.
The US Constitution protects the right to practice — or not practice — a religion without interference from the government.
Meanwhile, the concept of the “separation of church and state” has long been seen as a bedrock principle in US law. While it is not directly referred to in the US Constitution, its roots have been traced back to the US colonial period.
Thomas Jefferson, the country’s third president, used the phrase to discuss the Constitution’s Establishment Clause, which prohibits the government from making laws “respecting an establishment of religion”. The concept has also been upheld by several Supreme Court rulings.
Still, a handful of conservative-led states have sought to pass laws mixing public education with elements from the Christian religion.
In 2024, Louisiana became the first state in the US to mandate displaying of the Ten Commandments in public schools. Last week, a federal appeals court blocked the requirement.
Arkansas also passed a similar law in April, which several groups say they plan to challenge.
Proponents of those kinds of laws argue that the Ten Commandments have historical significance beyond their religious context and are foundational to US society.
A sponsor of the Texas bill, Candy Noble, said the requirement to show the Ten Commandments concerns “what is historically important to our nation educationally and judicially”.
In Biblical narrative, the Ten Commandments were scrolled on two stone tablets and given to Moses by God on Mount Sinai. Moses was then given the instruction to spread the teaching.
The commandments include rules such as “Thou shall not kill” and “Thou shall not steal”, as well as prohibitions against other gods, taking “the Lord’s name in vain” and not honouring the Sabbath day.
The Texas law requires public schools to display a poster or framed copy of an English version of the commandments, which should be no smaller than 16 by 20 inches or 41 by 51 centimetres.
Translations and interpretations, however, vary across denominations, faiths and languages and may differ in homes and houses of worship.
Several other groups have also vowed to challenge the law. They include the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
In a statement in May, the groups said the law “is religiously coercive and interferes with families’ right to direct children’s religious education”.
Nvidia’s stock reaches all-time high due to increased optimism in AI sector
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Nvidia shares hit a record high on Wednesday, marking a turnaround for the chip company following a rocky start to the year marked by US-China tensions over critical artificial intelligence technology.
The US chip designer’s shares rose 4.3 per cent, putting Nvidia decisively ahead of Microsoft as the world’s most valuable company, with a $3.77tn market capitalisation compared with Microsoft’s $3.66tn.
The rally came as Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang gave a bullish outlook at the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday about its ability to continue its explosive growth over the next decade. He cited the “multitrillion-dollar opportunity” of AI and robotics.
“We are at the beginning of a decade-long AI infrastructure build-out: demand for sovereign AI is growing around the world,” Huang told shareholders.
Concerns that tech giants such as Microsoft and Amazon might pull back on their massive spending on the infrastructure behind AI have abated. During the most recent earnings season, tech companies reiterated their commitment to these investments.
Nvidia followed this with a solid earnings report at the end of May in which it beat Wall Street expectations.
Nvidia’s stock was dented earlier this year when a breakthrough by China’s DeepSeek led to concerns about the durability of Nvidia’s dominant position in the global AI infrastructure market. That event wiped nearly $600bn from the company’s market value.
Its stock was also knocked after US President Donald Trump introduced new restrictions on Nvidia’s China-specific H20 AI chips in his trade conflict with China.
The move has closed off Nvidia’s access to the Chinese market, which it says could reach $50bn in the coming years. Nvidia is considering a redesign to its Blackwell chips to continue to serve the China market while complying with the export controls.
Daniel Newman, chief executive of research company Futurum Group, said the rally was “about the ability of Nvidia to move as fast as it’s moving”.
“Even though cloud providers like Amazon and Microsoft want to build their own vertically integrated AI infrastructure, right now there’s no situation where the best technology stack isn’t Nvidia,” he said.
Threats from competitors such as AMD to take market share for advanced AI chips did not matter “if it’s a $400bn market in the next four years”.
Microsoft alone processed more than five times more requests to AI models such as ChatGPT last quarter compared with the year before, Huang told shareholders on Wednesday.
Other markets for Nvidia chips are also growing, including so-called neocloud AI companies, which offer access to leading AI chips. Nvidia-backed CoreWeave’s shares are up more than 300 per cent since its listing on Nasdaq in March, reflecting the return to investor optimism around the long-term growth prospects for AI.
Nvidia has committed to an annual release of AI chips and is positioning itself for the launch of Vera Rubin, which will follow its latest Blackwell systems that have seen massive demand, including from sovereign infrastructure deals with Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Huang recently toured the Gulf states and Europe, announcing large deals as he touts a new era of “accelerated computing” and promises advances in productivity across all global industries.
“Nvidia is riding a general chip wave,” said G Dan Hutcheson, vice-president at TechInsights, with markets recovering from the impact of Trump’s “liberation day” tariffs and the DeepSeek breakthrough. “Nvidia was oversold because of both.”
Rights group reports 16 deaths as thousands protest in Nairobi
At least 16 people have been killed and 400 injured in nationwide protests in Kenya against President William Ruto’s government, human rights group Amnesty Kenya has said.
Police clashed with protesters, who marched in their thousands – some chanting “Ruto must go” and waving branches as a symbol of peaceful opposition to his rule.
The government banned live TV and radio coverage of the demonstrations, but its decree was overturned by the High Court in the capital, Nairobi.
Ruto urged protesters not to threaten peace and stability, as crowds tried to reach his official residence but were pushed back by police.
“Protests should not be to destroy peace in Kenya. We do not have another country to go to when things go wrong. It is our responsibility to keep our country safe,” he said.
The president was speaking at a burial ceremony in the coastal county of Kilifi.
His absence from State House, his official residence, was notable as young protesters threatened to storm it.
Police used barricades and razor wire to seal off major roads – especially those leading to State House and parliament.
The protests were held exactly a year after demonstrators stormed parliament, setting part of the building ablaze.
At least 60 people were killed in a wave of anti-government protests last year.
The authorities have not yet given any casualty figures from Wednesday’s protests, but the Kenya Medical Association, Law Society of Kenya and the Police Reforms Working Group said in a joint statement that at least eight protesters were killed.
Of the 400 injured, 83 required “specialised treatment” and eight had suffered gunshot wounds. The injured included three police officers, the statement added.
Amina Mude told the BBC she joined the protests “to fight for the future of my kids”.
“I feel like as a country we’re not going in the right direction, especially in education and everything happening.
“I feel like it’s high time that the country and the leadership listens to us.”
Video footage showed plumes of white tear gas drifting between buildings in Narobi, sending protesters scrambling for cover, coughing, and shielding their eyes.
In the heart of the city, protesters marched pass shuttered shops and empty streets.
The fence around parliament was lined with wreaths and handwritten notes from grieving families and defiant youths – a reminder of last year’s unrest at the site.
A young woman draped in a Kenyan flag clutched a poster bearing the names of those killed a year ago by the security forces as they tried to end the protests.