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Antarctica

This Month

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$22b budget blowout; WFH is an ASX mess; The $3b Aussie wealth manager

Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.

The Lazareth North and Astrid emperor penguin colonies, both of which were only discovered in the past two years.

Forget cruises, the only way to see Antarctica is to go ‘deep field’

For a taste of the frozen continent made legend by names such as Scott, Amundsen, Shackleton and Mawson, you have to venture into its heart.

  • Ronald Mizen

October

Migratory wild birds returning from Alaska and Siberia are being tested for the damaging h5N1 avian flu.

‘Nothing is stopping it’: spring fears for avian flu on the move

Authorities are on red alert for any springtime outbreak of the deadly H5N1 bird flu, as an army of citizen scientists look for early signs of the virus.

  • Tom Burton

Eight experts pick the best cruises for 2025

It seems no waters are uncharted these days. We tapped eight cruise leaders for their favourite itineraries.

  • Philippa Coates

August

Hobart based lawyer, photographer and antarctic adventurer David Sinclair.

This lawyer lived a double life for 20 years. Now he’s going all in

After almost two decades of taking time out from his day job at some of Australia’s largest companies to lead adventure tours, David Sinclair is launching his own travel company.

  • Ronald Mizen
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July

Cell vaccine production at CSL Seqirus plant at Holly Springs in North Carolina.

CSL wins global avian flu vaccine contracts

Australian pharmaceutical giant CSL is to supply up to 45 million shots of its avian flu vaccine to Europe and the US as health authorities prepare for possible human infection from the dangerous H5 strain.

  • Tom Burton
In the 20 years to 2023, the national median price for farmland has risen by an average of 8.5 per cent a year.

Avian flu surveillance to be upped amid fears of spring outbreaks

A $7 million package of federal initiatives is to be rolled out to prepare for possible outbreaks of the highly dangerous H5N1 avian flu strain

  • Tom Burton

May

A cruise around Antarctica provides time to soak up the beauty – and the ethereal silence.

How my cynicism gave way to tears of relief in Antarctica

It seems the Great White Continent has the power to “break open” even the toughest corporate warrior.

  • Alana Piper

April

Andrea Ceccolini.

The incredible plan to refreeze the arctic

A new start-up is fighting climate change by thickening ice in the Arctic.

  • Peter Ker and Lap Phan

September 2023

Rishi Sunak is not alone. The pressures he has bowed to are weighing down on leaders across the Western world.

Populism could derail the green transition

Western politicians fear a backlash against climate change policies that have been sold as good for the economy.

  • Gideon Rachman

August 2023

A solar farm near Gunnedah, NSW. Most people in the Western world see climate change as a significant threat, but voters have legitimate questions about net zero policies.

Around the world, net zero is stalling

Only 10 per cent of countries with climate change targets have detailed plans in place, while wary voters seek more information about their cost.

  • The Editors
Rex wants to win a big contract flying in Antarctica.

Rex adds helicopters as it pushes to get into Antarctica

Regional Express has assembled a consortium to give its ambitions in the frozen south a boost, as it leases new planes to add domestic routes.

  • Ayesha de Kretser

July 2023

Residents stand ready to fight wildfires in Apollana, Rhodes in Greece.

‘Era of global boiling’ has arrived, scientists warn

July is set to become the world’s hottest month on record, as fossil fuel emissions drive climate change and heat waves intensify across the northern hemisphere.

  • Seth Borenstein

June 2023

Billionaire Hamish Harding is on board the missing Titan submersible.

Billionaire trapped on sub has a daredevil past

From the depths of the Mariana Trench to the rigours of space, British adventurer Hamish Harding is no stranger to traversing boundaries.

  • Sarah Knapton

May 2023

Snowshoeing towards Ponant’s Le Commandant Charcot at Hanusse Bay in Antarctica ensures you get up your exercise quota.

The best luxury winter cruises for snow and sea

From reindeer-drawn sleighs to dog-sledding, snowshoeing and ice-caving, the day excursions included in these winter sailings are all tempting.

  • Fiona Carruthers
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March 2023

Like visiting another planet: travelling around Antarctica in luxury

Taking the polar plunge for a luxurious Antarctic voyage poses some hefty questions – one being how to describe beauty that’s beyond words.

  • Matthew Drummond

January 2023

Low water levels at Baitings Reservoir reveal an ancient pack horse bridge as during last year’s drought in the UK.

The last eight years have been the warmest on record, researchers say

Extreme heat waves in Europe, Asia and the United States, stemming in part from more than a century of burning fossil fuels, helped drive 2022’s unusual warmth.

  • Brady Dennis

November 2022

Polar cruises offer an abundance of wildlife.

Expedition cruising: Why 2023 is all about ‘small-ship’ adventure

Love the view from a Zodiac, observing wildlife while you kayak, or a spot of polar diving? Then be sure to book on one of these new vessels.

  • Fiona Carruthers

October 2022

China’s summer station on Inexpressible Island in Terra Nova Bay of the Ross Sea, where it plans a year-round facility.

US rings alarm on China’s Antarctic interests

The US Assistant Secretary of State warned a meeting in Hobart this week of crumbling co-operation among countries on protecting the fragile region.

  • Matthew Cranston and Michael Smith

September 2022

Excitement mounts with the first view of Antarctica from the window of the Qantas Dreamliner.

To Antarctica and back in 13 hours, creature comforts assured

The business class cabin of a Qantas 787 is the place to be to view the icy continent in style – though there’s always a scrum for choice views.

  • James Daggar-Nickson

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/antarctica-6bm