warmest month on record: Scientists

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University of Leipzig calculated that July 2023 will be 1.3C-1.7 degrees above the average July temperatures recorded before the widespread use of fossil fuels.

"Not only will it be the warmest July, but the warmest month ever in terms of absolute global mean temperature," the BBC quoted Haustein as saying in a statement. "We may have to go back thousands if not tens of thousands of years to find

Australian-Tamil wins top literary award for novel on Sri Lanka civil war

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Australian’, has been recognised in this way,” Chandran said in a statement.

Set in a Western Sydney suburb, the novel follows the lives of residents at an aged care facility run by a Sri Lankan native who fled the country in the eighties to escape civil war.

In the process, it explores themes of war, genocide, racism, family, love, as well as friendship.

Praising Chandran's novel, the judges said in a joint statement:

"It treads carefully on contested historical claims, reminding us that horrors forgotten are horrors bound to be repeated, and that the reclamation and retelling of history cannot be undertaken without listening to the storytellers amongst us.

"With enormous skill Chandran recounts a solemn history, largely through a cast of squabbling, endearing elders, and invites us to open our hearts and minds: ‘If you read the literature of a country…you will understand it; you will fall in love with it'.”

The 2023 judging panel comprised of author and literary critic,

Bernadette Brennan; literary scholar and translator, Mridula Nath Chakraborty; book critic, James Ley; NSW Mitchell Librarian and Chair, Richard Neville; and author and editor, Elfie Shiosaki.

Chandran’s parents, both doctors, fled Sri Lanka as the country stood on the precipice of civil war, first to the UK where the author was born, then to Australia three years later, The Guardian reported.

She grew up in suburban Canberra, in constant dialogue with herself about where she fitted in and the terms under which acceptance was granted, the report said.

Chandran has spent two decades working as a lawyer in the social justice field, on national and international program design and delivery, according to her website bio.

She continues her work in social impact for an Australian national retailer, and is based in Sydney. Her unpublished political thriller, "Unfinished Business", will be published as an Audible Original in 2024.

Defence Policy Talks: India-Australia review bilateral cooperation in Canberra

similarly warm conditions on our planet." While July is likely to be the warmest in records dating back around 150 years or so, some researchers believe the final temperature may be the warmest in tens of thousands of years.

To work out these ancient figures, scientists use records like the air trapped in polar ice cores, or sediments in the deep ocean. These capture a signal of the climate at the time.

From this evidence, while scientists cannot pinpoint specific months going that far back, they say the last time the world was similarly warm was about 120,000 years ago -- when sea levels were around 8m higher than today.

"The extreme weather which has affected many millions of people in July is unfortunately the harsh reality of climate change and a foretaste of the future," the BBC quoted World Meteorological Organization's Secretary-General Prof Petteri Taalas as saying.

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Steven Moore on July 24-25, Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Wednesday. The discussions also focused on identifying ways to strengthen partnership in co-development and co-production of defence equipment. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to fully implement the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The Indian side highlighted the potential of its defence industry with capacity and capability to cooperate with Australian Armed forces in its shipbuilding and maintenance plans.

India-Australia share a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership since June 2020 and defence is a key pillar of this partnership. India and Australia’s partnership is based on a shared vision of a free, open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.