Pakistan seeks $10b in US backstop facility

Palaeontologists have identified a new species of Late Triassic dinosaur from fossils discovered on the shores of Lake Kariba in northern Zimbabwe, offering fresh insights into prehistoric ecosystems across southern Africa. Named Musango matusadonaensis, the 4.5-metre-long creature lived approximately 210 million years ago, a pivotal era when dinosaurs were beginning to spread across the supercontinent Gondwana prior to becoming the planet’s dominant land animals. The discovery represents only the fifth dinosaur species formally named from Zimbabwe, stemming from a international research collaboration between institutions in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Lead researcher Professor Paul Barrett from London’s Natural History Museum, alongside co-authors publishing in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, detailed the anatomical characteristics of the fossilised skeleton, which included bones from the spine, arms, and feet. Musango was an early sauropodomorph, an evolutionary precursor to massive four-legged herbivores like Diplodocus, though this earlier relative was lightly built and walked primarily on two legs. Microscopic analysis of its fibula revealed eight distinct growth rings, indicating the animal was around eight years old and nearly fully grown when it died, while weighing an estimated 222 kilogrammes. The discovery challenges long-held scientific assumptions that Late Triassic dinosaur populations were uniform across the southern regions of Gondwana. Based on structural features of its skeleton and comparative ecosystem data, researchers believe Musango was an opportunistic omnivore that fed on plants, small reptiles, lungfish, and crocodile-like phytosaurs. The presence of a distinct species in the Lake Kariba region demonstrates that ancient southern Africa was divided into unique, localised environments with varied wildlife compositions, showing that regional climate and geography drove dinosaur diversification much earlier than previously understood.

Australia’s state of Victoria has a new premier after the ruling Labor Party selected Ben Carroll as its leader ahead of the closely watched state election in November. The leadership change comes as Labor attempts to improve its standing with voters after months of declining public support under former premier Jacinta Allan. Carroll, who had been serving as Victoria’s deputy Labor leader, was elected unopposed on Tuesday shortly after Allan announced her resignation. He now takes charge of Australia’s second most populous state, which includes the city of Melbourne, at a time when Labor faces a difficult electoral challenge. Allan became premier in 2023 but struggled to maintain public confidence as concerns over the economy and growing dissatisfaction with Labor’s long period in office affected her popularity. The party has governed Victoria for the past 12 years, and recent opinion polls suggested many voters were ready for a change. Several surveys conducted before Allan stepped down indicated that the opposition Liberal Party was on course to win the November election. However, some polls suggested the Liberals might need support from the right wing One Nation party to form a government if they fail to secure a clear majority. Speaking after announcing her resignation, Allan warned that the possibility of a Liberal and One Nation alliance remained the biggest concern for Labor. She argued that such a coalition would pose a significant political challenge for the state and urged voters to consider the implications before casting their ballots. One Nation was founded in 1997 and was once considered a fringe political movement. In recent years, however, the party has gained greater public support through its tough stance on immigration and other national issues. Its leader Pauline Hanson has seen her popularity rise, with some opinion polls showing stronger public approval for her than for Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The leadership transition comes just one day after an Australian court rejected Hanson’s appeal against a ruling that found she had racially discriminated against a Muslim senator by telling her to return to Pakistan. The decision kept the earlier judgment in place and added further attention to One Nation during an already important political period. Allan said she had been prepared to contest any leadership challenge within Labor but ultimately decided that stepping aside was in the party’s best interest. She explained that a leadership battle only months before the election would consume valuable time and resources that should instead be focused on the campaign. She also expressed confidence that she could have retained the leadership if challenged, but said avoiding internal divisions would give Labor a better chance of competing effectively in November. With Ben Carroll now leading the party, Labor hopes a fresh face at the top will help reconnect with voters and improve its prospects in one of Australia’s most important state elections. The outcome will be closely watched across the country as a measure of changing political trends and the growing influence of smaller parties such as One Nation.