In South Asia, a region facing rapid economic growth, immense population pressure, and high climate vulnerability, the circular economy (CE) has become a critical imperative for sustainable development. This study provides a comparative overview of the CE landscape across eight South Asian countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The analysis reveals the CE transition is nascent region-wide, though India has advanced its policy landscape through a comprehensive suite of rules and missions and Pakistan is developing a national policy. The primary focus remains on waste management, evidenced by programs like Bhutan’s ‘Zero Waste by 2030’ vision, the Maldives’ Single-Use Plastic Phase-Out Plan, and Sri Lanka’s Clean Sri Lanka Programme. While Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is emerging for plastics and e-waste in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan, a significant “policy-practice gap” persists, undermined by weak enforcement and governance fragmented across priority sectors like plastics, food systems, and textiles. Most major CE initiatives are catalyzed by international development partners, with regional programs playing a key role in funding innovation. Finally, while the informal sector is the backbone of material recovery, ensuring a just transition that improves working conditions and secures livelihoods remains a critical challenge. The absence of a cohesive regional framework limits collaboration. Scaling the circular economy in South Asia requires integrated national strategies, prioritizing a just transition for the informal sector, and establishing a regional platform for policy harmonization to create self-sustaining system through multi-sectoral involvement, including the business sector.

Expressions of interest are now open for the National Ocean Advisory Group. The Advisory Group is one of 2 bodies established to support implementation of Australia’s Sustainable Ocean Plan. The other is the National Ocean Steering Committee, which brings together Australia’s governments across jurisdictions and portfolios. The Advisory Group will: be an independent, non-statutory group provide non-government expertise and input into the National Ocean Steering Committee strengthen national collaboration and action across all ocean interests. It will bring together: First Nations peoples marine sectors, such as fishing, aquaculture, shipping, ports, tourism, recreation, defence, restoration and energy non-government organisations researchers and scientists young people. Objectives The Advisory Group will provide practical and strategic input to the National Ocean Steering Committee. This input will help shape government approaches to: implementing the Sustainable Ocean Plan addressing key ocean issues. It will also: be a regular forum for cross-sectoral conversations help identify emerging risks, opportunities and priorities for sustainable ocean management. We're looking for people with experience and expertise in the Sustainable Ocean Plan’s focus areas. These are: climate action protection, restoration and resilience ocean industries First Nations collaboration equity and inclusion knowledge finance. Express your interest Expressions of interest close on at 5.30pm (AEDT), Thursday 19 November 2026. To view the full role description and submit an expression of interest, visit e-Recruit. Read more Sustainable Ocean Plan Ocean.gov.au

As a record-breaking El Niño continues to strengthen in the Pacific Ocean, the world is entering uncharted territory. The weather phenomenon, marked by warming of surface temperatures across the tropical Pacific, is very likely to become the strongest El Niño in recorded history. Typically, a half-degree Celsius (0.9°F) increase in ocean temperature is enough to qualify as an El Niño. But scientists predict that, as this one peaks around November, the ocean could warm by as much as 3.5°C (6.3°F) above the average of the past three decades. That would make this El Niño 40% stronger than the previous record set during the winter of 2023–24. As El Niño changes atmospheric circulation, officials around the world, from Britain to Sri Lanka, are bracing for potential severe weather and encouraging people to stock up on supplies. “El Niño has a ripple effect on weather all around the globe,” said climate scientist Kris Karnauskas, associate professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and a fellow at the Cooperative Institute for Research and Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at CU Boulder. “That ripple effect is like a wave that travels through the atmosphere away from the eastern Pacific Ocean and impacts many places far and wide.” As this El Niño peaks in the coming weeks, Karnauskas busts five common myths about the “Godzilla” climate phenomenon and explains what Coloradans can expect. Myth No. 1: El Niño is a storm. El Niño is not a storm. It’s a warming of the eastern Pacific Ocean, which can lead to more intense storms developing in some regions, but it by itself is not a storm. Myth No. 2: El Niño will bring Colorado lots of snow this winter. Colorado could have a great snow season this year—or another poor one like last year. Either way, El Niño is likely to play only a minor role in Colorado’s winter weather. The impact of El Niño is like skipping a rock on a lake. The rock hits certain areas and skips over others, and Colorado is located in a region that typically gets skipped over. Across the United States, El Niño typically brings warmer conditions to the Pacific Northwest and more precipitation to the South. Colorado sits between these two regions, where the influence of El Niño is much weaker. A map of the U.S., Canada, and Central and part of South America showing the effects of El Niño during winter in the Northern Hemisphere. (Credit: NOAA) Historical precipitation data from previous strong El Niño events also show no clear causal relationship between El Niño and Colorado’s winter precipitation. During the 2023–24 strong El Niño, Colorado’s snowpack reached 31% above average. But during the previous strong El Niño, in the winter of 2015–16, snowpack was below average. Both winters saw precipitation fluctuations, and the differences show that Colorado’s snowpack is not consistently correlated with El Niño. Myth No. 3: El Niño will cause more wildfires in Colorado. Because El Niño will likely have minimal impact on temperature and precipitation in Colorado, it won’t affect our wildfire activity much. Across the country, El Niño can bring more rainfall to the Southwest, including Southern California, which could help reduce wildfire risk. In the Pacific Northwest, meanwhile, warmer and drier conditions could contribute to more wildfires. Myth No. 4: El Niño will cause more hurricanes. During an El Niño event, we typically have far fewer Atlantic hurricanes. There has been only one hurricane formed in the Atlantic so far this year, Hurricane Isaias, since the beginning of the hurricane season in June, which is pretty unusual. By mid-October of a normal year, we’d have about six hurricanes. El Niño strengthens wind shear, the change in wind speed or direction with height in the atmosphere, in the Atlantic, making it harder for storms to organize into hurricanes. On the flip side, the Pacific Ocean usually sees more hurricanes during an El Niño. In September, for example, Hurricane Polo strengthened from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in less than 24 hours and made landfall in Mexico’s Baja California. Such rapid intensification requires an abundance of warm ocean water beneath the surface, the kind of conditions that can develop in the Pacific during a strong El Niño. Myth No. 5: El Niño is caused by climate change. El Niño is part of a natural cycle in the tropical Pacific Ocean that has been going on for at least millions of years. The cycle switches between a warm phase, El Niño, and a cool phase known as La Niña, typically every two to seven years. But scientists are still studying whether climate change is altering El Niño, including whether a warming planet could make El Niño events more intense or frequent. Beyond the myths: What you should know Strong El Niño in 2016 contributed to Ethiopia's worst drought in 50 years. (Credit: EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid) While Colorado may experience little direct influence from El Niño, people in other parts of the world could face significant impacts, Karnauskas said. Southern African countries, for example, could experience severe drought, potentially disrupting food supplies across the region. Indonesia is expected to become particularly warm and dry, conditions that could increase dengue infections. Globally, El Niño is also pushing sea levels higher. Along the Pacific coast from Mexico to Peru, sea levels are currently about 8 inches higher than normal. El Niño is also adding heat to an already warming planet. During the last strong El Niño in 2023-24, global temperatures broke records for 12 months in a row. This El Niño could push global temperatures to record levels again in the months ahead. “We’re here in 2026 already experiencing the effects of long-term warming, declining marine ecosystems and sea level rises, and now El Niño is adding another layer on top,” Karnauskassaid. “Global warming certainly gives the impacts of El Niño a running start.”

CLEVELAND, Ohio (October 20, 2026) – Neurokinin receptor (NKR) antagonists are already widely used for treating menopausal hot flashes, representing a highly effective nonhormone treatment. A new study suggests they may also help breast cancer patients by limiting the spread of cancer cells and helping to prevent a recurring cancer diagnosis. Results of the study will be presented at the 2026 Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society in San Diego October 20-24, 2026. During menopause, declining estrogen levels disrupt the brain’s thermostat located in the hypothalamus. This estrogen drop causes a specific group of brain cells, known as KNDy neurons, to become hyperactive and overproduce a peptide called neurokinin B (NKB). Overactive NKB signaling tricks the body into feeling overheated, triggering sudden sweating and flushing. Neurokinin receptor antagonists work by blocking these receptors, calming the overstimulated pathway and stabilizing body temperature regulation without using hormones. Researchers recently asked where else, other than the hypothalamus, are NKB receptors expressed and this question led to an exploration of a plausible role of NKB receptor signaling in the breast and if NKR antagonists may also have a role in modulating breast cancer risk. What they discovered through in-silico analyses is that downregulation of NKR signaling (as occurs with the use of NKR antagonists) suppresses molecular pathways that promote invasiveness and metastatic spread. These data suggest that NKR antagonists may hold a potential of modifying breast cancer cell behavior towards reducing invasiveness and spread. The investigators next examined expression of NKB receptors in human breast tissue. Immunohistochemical analyses showed a linear increase in the tissue expression of NKRs from normal to hyperplastic to cancerous breast tissue. They found that these receptors are over-expressed in cancerous breast tissue, and these findings suggest a relevance of NKR signaling in cancer progression. In vitro treatment of various human breast cancer cells with NKR antagonists resulted in reduced cancer cell viability and downregulated oncogenic pathways that are relevant to cancer progression and resistance to therapeutics. Based on the findings, the researchers are hypothesizing that the benefits of NKR antagonists may extend well beyond the recognized effectiveness of this class of drugs against issues of hot flashes and sleep. “These findings are indeed intriguing and suggest that long-term use of NKR antagonist drugs may hold a therapeutic potential for harnessing breast cancer progression, and even for preventing breast cancer recurrence. But, of course, these hypothesized effects must first be substantiated in appropriately designed studies. We are working towards gaining this clarity, so do stay tuned,” says Dr. Lubna Pal, lead author from Yale University in Connecticut. Details of the study will be discussed as part of the presentation titled “Exploring the promise of NKR antagonists – beyond the flashes, the sweats, and sleep.” “Neurokinin receptor antagonists have already transformed the treatment landscape for women seeking nonhormone therapy for vasomotor symptoms,” says Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director for The Menopause Society. “These early findings raise intriguing questions about whether this class of medications may have biologic effects beyond symptom management. Although the results are preliminary and derived from laboratory and tissue-based studies, they provide a foundation for future research exploring the potential role of neurokinin signaling in breast health and breast cancer.” For more information about menopause and healthy aging, visit www.menopause.org. The Menopause Society is dedicated to empowering healthcare professionals and providing them with the tools and resources to improve the health of women during the menopause transition and beyond. As the leading authority on menopause since 1989, the nonprofit, multidisciplinary organization serves as the independent, evidence-based resource for healthcare professionals, researchers, the media, and the public and leads the conversation about improving women’s health and healthcare experiences. To learn more, visit menopause.org. Method of Research Observational study Subject of Research People COI Statement None reported.

Estimating embedded greenhouse gas emissions using the GTAP database: a case study for agrifood This report estimates the greenhouse gas emissions ‘embedded’ in agriculture and food (agrifood) global value chains. The results show how embedded emissions are spread throughout the global economy and highlight how the reporting of embedded emissions for climate-related policies may impact the agriculture and food sectors. The results are also compared to other emission datasets that are used in international modelling. Download PDF 1.05 MB Download Word 1.08 MB If you have difficulty accessing these files, contact us for help. Overview Reducing the climate impact of agrifood systems requires understanding both the direct emissions released in production as well as the emissions embedded in the inputs used by global agricultural and food supply chains. This report develops a method for estimating embedded emissions in agriculture and food production using a global database. Key findings The results show that direct global agricultural (including fisheries and forestry) emissions were 6.9 Gt CO₂‑equivalent in 2023, representing 14% of global economy-wide emissions. In contrast, direct emissions from food production are very small – less than 1% of global emissions. But when embedded emissions are included (primarily from agricultural inputs), food emissions increase to 10% of global economy-wide emissions. Australia's livestock and cropping industries are shown to be less emission intensive than most other agricultural exporters. While Australia’s livestock emission intensity appears high in the results, this reflects Australia’s comparative advantage (and relative efficiency) in cattle production. Disaggregated results for cattle and sheep place Australia’s total emission intensity below the average of other red meat exporters. The results suggest that recognising embedded emissions will increase the estimated emissions intensity of agriculture, but will not significantly shift the relative competitiveness of different countries.

October 20, 2026 | German-French rover set to become the first to drive on a Martian moon and explore its surface MMX mission successfully launches – Idefix® rover on its way to Martian moon Phobos Go MMX! On 19 October 2026 at 21:41 CEST, the Japanese MMX (Martian Moons eXploration) spacecraft lifted off on schedule on board an H3 launch vehicle from the Tanegashima Space Center. Image: 1/8, Credit: DLR (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)DownloadDownload MMX mission during rollout to the launch pad The final stretch – the Japanese H3 launch vehicle, with the MMX spacecraft at the top, on its way to the launch pad at the Tanegashima Space Center. Image: 2/8, Credit: DLR (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)DownloadDownload The MMX probe MMX is a mission of the Japanese space agency, JAXA, with contributions from NASA, ESA, CNES and DLR. Launch is expected in September 2024. The mission is tasked with characterising the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos, and clarifying how and where the two satellites formed. Image: 8/8, Credit: JAXADownloadDownload The Japanese MMX spacecraft has lifted off on board a H3 launch vehicle from the Tanegashima Space Center. The Idefix® rover, developed jointly by DLR and CNES, is scheduled to land on Mars' moon Phobos around the turn of the year 2028/2029 and explore it for approximately 100 days. MMX aims to determine the origin of Mars' moons and, in 2031, bring soil samples from Phobos back to Earth for the first time. Focus: Space, robotics, exploration, Mars The exploration of the Martian system is entering a new phase. On 19 October 2026 at 21:41 CEST, the Japanese MMX (Martian Moons eXploration) spacecraft was successfully launched from the Tanegashima Space Center on board a H3 launch vehicle. Travelling with it is the German-French Idefix® rover, which was jointly developed and built by the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) and the French space agency CNES (Centre national d’études spatiales). Around the turn of the year 2028/2029, Idefix® is set to become the first lander to touch down on the Martian moon Phobos, where it will explore the surface for 100 days. The MMX mothercraft will then land on the larger of the two Martian moons itself, in order to bring samples from the Martian system back to Earth for the first time. MMX is the largest mission into the Solar System that the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has undertaken to date. DLR mission trailer 2026: Off to the Martian moons – Phobos, here we come! Your consent to the storage of data ('cookies') is required for the playback of this video on Youtube.com. You can view and change your current data storage settings at any time under privacy.Agree and show video DLR mission trailer 2026: Off to the Martian moons – Phobos, here we come! Credit: © DLR. All rights reserved "With the Idefix® rover, Germany and France are sending a piece of European robotics expertise on an extraordinary research journey", says Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla, Chair of the DLR Executive Board. "Idefix® will move across a celestial body whose low gravity is barely comparable to that of Earth. The mission combines pioneering technological work with fundamental questions about the formation of our Solar System and demonstrates the strength of international cooperation." Dorothee Bär, Federal Minister of Research, Technology and Space, adds: "I am delighted by the successful launch of the MMX mission, including the Idefix® rover. Germany's space sector is impressively demonstrating what it is capable of: high-precision technology that must continue to function perfectly in the vastness of space on Mars' moon Phobos. I am particularly proud that DLR, together with the French space agency CNES, is making a significant contribution to this mission. Japan, Germany and France – JAXA, DLR and CNES – are jointly driving forward the exploration of our Solar System. At the same time, with Idefix®, we are also breaking new technological ground – that is high-tech working hand in hand." A leap into the unknown – landing and driving in extreme microgravity For the team, the most exciting moment of the mission will come around the turn of the year 2028/2029, when MMX releases Idefix® from a height of approximately 40 to 100 metres above the surface of Phobos. After an unbraked impact, a rebound and the resulting bounces across the surface, the rover will autonomously right itself from its resting position, deploy its solar panels and begin its 100 days of exploration. The environmental conditions place extreme demands on the technology. The gravity on Phobos is less than one thousandth of that on Earth, and temperatures fluctuate by more than 200 degrees Celsius over a seven-hour day-night cycle. "Landing and driving on Phobos is uncharted territory for robotics", explains Markus Grebenstein, DLR project manager for Idefix®. "In terms of design, this requires extremely lightweight construction combined with robustness. In addition, the long signal travel times to Earth call for entirely new approaches to controlling the rover. Our first real test will be getting the rover to right itself from any position in this unknown environment." Idefix® will investigate different areas of Phobos and gather insights into the mechanical, thermal and mineralogical properties of its surface. Two DLR instruments are on board for this purpose – the RAX Raman spectrometer and the miniRAD radiometer. The rover's measurements will also provide information for selecting a suitable landing site and for the later sampling by the MMX mothercraft. Mission preparation and rover operations at DLR in Cologne At the control centre in DLR's Microgravity User Support Center (MUSC) in Cologne, preparations for operating Idefix® are in full swing. Following launch, the initial focus will be on the cruise phase to Mars, during which time the rover will remain docked to the MMX spacecraft. Taking turns with the control centre in Toulouse and working together with the German-French rover team, MUSC is planning and preparing the command sequences for regular health checks, instrument calibrations and maintenance tasks, such as charging the battery. A software update is also scheduled during the flight. While the MMX spacecraft is travelling to Mars, the research and operations teams are preparing for the exploration of Phobos by developing and rehearsing operational procedures and carrying out tests. These preparations will be stepped up once the spacecraft arrives at Mars. MMX aims to solve the mystery of Mars' moons The MMX mission aims to answer a key question in planetary science: how did the two Martian moons, Phobos and Deimos, form? Are they asteroids that were captured by Mars’ gravity, or did they form from the debris of massive impacts on the planet? Both moons are irregular in shape and, with diameters of up to 27 kilometres (Phobos) and 15 kilometres (Deimos), are comparatively small. Their formation history could provide important insights into the evolution of the Martian system and more general processes of planetary formation. Following its arrival in summer 2027, the MMX probe will initially study the moons of Mars from orbit using eight scientific instruments. After deploying Idefix®, the probe is also set to land on Phobos itself, collect at least ten grams of soil samples and send them back to Earth in a return capsule in 2031. This would mark the first time that samples from a Martian moon could be analysed in laboratories on Earth. Yasuhiro Kawakatsu, MMX project manager at JAXA: "As I watched the rocket H3 F10 soar into the sky, my thoughts went back to the very beginning of this project more than a decade ago. Inside the fairing was a spacecraft conceived, designed and built by an international team united by a shared vision. Together, we have created a world-class mission and assembled an unparalleled suite of scientific instruments to explore the Martian moons. The Idefix® rover, jointly developed by DLR and CNES, is a vital part of that mission. As the first vehicle to attempt operations on the surface of a Martian moon, it will provide unique insights into Phobos and help prepare for one of the mission's most challenging undertakings: collecting a sample from its surface. Reaching this moment has required perseverance, innovation and, above all, close cooperation between partners around the world. We have overcome many challenges together, and I look forward to the discoveries that await us as we continue this journey to Phobos." Related links DLR news: Off to the moons of Mars – MMX mission and Idefix® rover ready for launch DLR MMX mission Animation: MMX mission – The journey to the Martian moon Phobos Video: Testing, assembly and preparation of the German-French rover Idefix® for the MMX mission The German rover control centre DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics DLR Institute of Space Systems in Bremen DLR Institute of Space Research DLR Institute of System Architectures in Aeronautics DLR Institute of Software Technology DLR Space Operations and Astronaut Training JAXA MMX mission CNES – MMX mission Download MMX Idefix® launchkit 7.7 MB | PDF From Hayabusa2 to MMX – international collaboration MMX sees JAXA, CNES and DLR continue their successful collaboration in the exploration of small celestial bodies. Back in 2018, the German-French lander MASCOT touched down on the asteroid Ryugu as part of the Japanese Hayabusa2 mission. The probe returned samples from the asteroid to Earth in 2020. Idefix® builds on this experience and adds a new capability – while MASCOT moved by hopping, Idefix® will be the first lander to roll across the surface of a celestial body with extremely low gravity to explore it. About the MMX mission and the Idefix® rover MMX (Martian Moons eXploration) is a mission by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to investigate the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos and to return soil samples from Phobos. The German-French Idefix® rover was developed under the joint responsibility of DLR and CNES. It is designed to explore the surface of Phobos and provide scientific data for the mission. Following the launch of the MMX mission, the rover will be operated from control centres at CNES in Toulouse, France, and DLR in Cologne. Contact Falk Dambowsky Head of Media Relations, Editor German Aerospace Center (DLR) Corporate Communications Linder Höhe, 51147 Cologne Tel: +49 2203 601-3959Contact