We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Governor Andy Beshear announced on Saturday that four lives have been lost due to severe flooding from thunderstorms in Kentucky. In response, he has declared a state of emergency, anticipating more rainfall in the coming days.
Flash flood warnings are currently active for regions within Kentucky and Indiana as the National Weather Service reports ongoing heavy rainfall.
Late Saturday afternoon, the agency reported that southwestern Indiana had already experienced between 4 and 10 inches of rain, with additional precipitation expected. In some areas of Kentucky, forecasts suggest rainfall could reach up to 7 inches by late evening, according to Beshear’s office.
The governor shared on social media that the fatalities included three individuals in Madison County and one in Jackson County, all attributed to the flooding.
The Madison County coroner’s office reported that amongst the victims were a man and a woman, who were discovered deceased inside their residence after floodwaters engulfed a section of Richmond, Kentucky, effectively trapping residents in their homes.
Another victim was extracted from a vehicle trapped in floodwaters on Tates Creek Road near Lexington, the coroner’s office said.
Relentless rain and flash flooding have inundated parts of Kentucky over the weekend and left at least four dead, Gov. Andy Beshear said.Richmond Police Department
Carlos Coyle, the deputy Madison County coroner, said search and rescue teams were going door to door searching for victims in hard-hit areas. Some areas still were not accessible, he said.
Beshear said on social media there were “significant roads underwater” in Madison County. He also said at least 12 state roads were “out of commission” because they were flooded.
“This is a serious flooding event, where teams have already had to conduct multiple water rescues from vehicles and homes across the commonwealth,” he said in a separate statement. “As more heavy rain continues through late tonight, we need folks to remain alert and to avoid driving, especially after dark when there is limited visibility.”
In northwest Kentucky, just outside Louisville, Bullitt County emergency management officials asked residents of a rural road to evacuate as a precaution after a landslide at a dam embankment. The dam was holding, and there was no indication of imminent failure, they said.
The area saw about 3 inches of rain in the past two days, according to the National Weather Service.
Authorities have successfully found all three boys who went missing from a New Jersey train station last Friday, discovering them in Stamford, Connecticut.
Chief Andrew Caggiano of the Montville Township Police Department informed News Media that the boys—14-year-olds Brayden Morrissey and Dominic Diliberto, along with 17-year-old William Connolly—had departed an unspecified site in Montville Township, New Jersey, on Thursday night.
Following an initial comprehensive search that involved K-9 units and drones, officials transitioned the situation to a missing persons investigation when the boys’ departure from the area was confirmed.
Brayden Morrissey, age 14, was located shortly after 8 p.m. on Saturday.(Image courtesy of Montville Township Police Department via Facebook)
The group was observed at Denville Train Station around 5:30 p.m. on Friday and were then sighted by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) at a train station in Stamford the following Saturday afternoon.
When MTA officers made contact in Stamford, they took Connolly into protective custody, but the two 14-year-olds fled.
Caggiano told News Media just after 8 p.m. Saturday those two boys were located in Stamford.
Dominic Diliberto, 14, was found just after 8 p.m. Saturday.(Montville Township Police Department via Facebook)
Caggiano noted the boys appeared to have left on their own accord.
It is unclear when they will be reunited with their parents.
William Connolly, 17, was taken into custody by officers in Connecticut.(Montville Township Police Department via Facebook)
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
The United States military announced on Saturday that it executed a series of strikes in Iran under directives from Donald Trump, as the former President issued warnings about the country’s future.
In a social media update, the US Central Command detailed the targeting of Iranian military assets, including surveillance infrastructure, communication networks, air defense installations, facilities for storing drones, and minelayer operations following an incident involving a merchant ship earlier that day.
Trump reacted to the military action by expressing approval and issuing further threats to Tehran through a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday evening.
‘American aircraft have successfully hit Iranian missile and drone storage sites, along with coastal radar installations, for breaching the Cease Fire Agreement once more! It seems increasingly unlikely that they will ever learn!’ he stated.
He also warned, ‘There may be a time when we can no longer be diplomatic, and might have to fully conclude the military actions we have begun so adeptly.’
The ongoing strikes in the Persian Gulf show the danger of the Iran war again spinning out of control, even after Iran and the US reached an interim deal to try and agree on a final accord to end the conflict.
The incident follows a similar back and forth that occurred just days prior when an Iranian drone struck a merchant vessel off the coast of Oman on Thursday and the US military retaliated with strikes the next day.
US Central Command said that Iranian forces attacked the oil tanker Kiku with a one-way drone.
The US military said Saturday it had struck multiple targets in Iran at President Donald Trump’s direction, continuing a string of attacks that have shaken the war’s uneasy ceasefire
Trump celebrated the attack and continued to threaten Tehran in a post to his Truth Social account on Saturday evening
Hezbollah supporters block a road in the southern suburbs of Beirut with burning tires to protest against the trilateral agreement that was signed between the US, Israel and Lebanon
According to ship tracking websites, the Kiku left a Qatari oil field in the middle of the Persian Gulf earlier in the week and was bound for a port in the United Arab Emirates that sits on the Gulf of Aman, just on the other side of the Strait of Hormuz.
It appeared to be attempting to use a route that was established near the coast of Oman that is serving as an alternative to the route sanctioned by Iran that runs through its own waters.
A multinational maritime body overseen by the US Navy said Saturday that it would expand the Omani route to allow for both inbound and outbound traffic, likely setting up a new flashpoint with Tehran, which sees the strait as a key source of leverage in ongoing talks with the US.
The tanker was laden with more than two million barrels of crude oil and sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The US military said that ‘Iran had a chance to honor the ceasefire agreement’ but ‘elected not to’ when its forces attacked the Kiku.
Iran state TV reported explosions in an area just north of the Strait of Hormuz.
It comes just after Iran launched a drone assault targeting Bahrain while a ship in the Strait of Hormuz separately came under attack Saturday, in Tehran’s likely response to overnight airstrikes by the United States.
The attacks in the Persian Gulf show the danger of the Iran war again spinning out of control, even after Iran and the US reached an interim deal to try and agree on a final accord to end the conflict.
The tanker was laden with more than two million barrels of crude oil and sailing through the Strait of Hormuz
The US launched the overnight strikes in response to an Iranian drone attack on a container ship trying to leave the strait on Thursday, continuing a string of attacks that have shaken the war’s uneasy ceasefire.
Meanwhile, a multinational maritime body overseen by the US Navy said Saturday that it would expand a route near Oman in the strait to allow for both inbound and outbound traffic.
That likely sets up a new flashpoint with Tehran, which sees the strait as a key source of leverage in ongoing talks with the US.
Bahrain has been one of the strongest critics of Iran and is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.
A statement from Bahrain´s Foreign Ministry said a ‘number of Iranian drones’ targeted the country. It called the attack ‘a flagrant threat to the security of citizens and residents.’ There were no immediate reports of damage.
Tehran said US strikes violated the UN Charter and the war-ending memorandum between the two countries, according to a statement by its foreign ministry.
Iran did not identify the targets or say where they were located.
US Central Command, in a post to social media, said that US military aircraft targeted Iranian military ‘surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities, and minelayer capabilities’ following an attack on a merchant vessel early on Saturday morning
Iran´s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard earlier on Saturday issued a statement carried by the state-run IRNA news agency saying it had targeted several locations ‘of the U.S. terrorist army in the region.’ It did not name what areas were targeted.
The US Central Command on Friday confirmed it had struck an Iranian missile and drone storage locations as well as radar sites along the Persian Gulf.
It came after Iran launched an explosive-laden suicide drone at a Singaporean cargo ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday.
The vessel sustained significant damage to its bridge, though no injuries or deaths have been confirmed.
Before the attack, Iran issued warnings through regime media to oil tankers, cautioning that routes through the strait were restricted and that other routes were ‘completely dangerous.’
When asked by reporters moments before the attack occurred how the President would respond, Trump replied: ‘You’ll see.’
The attack comes as the US and Iran delicately negotiate a long-term peace agreement that would limit the regime’s nuclear program.
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed last week, committed Iran to using its ‘best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days.’
The incident follows a similar back and forth that occurred just days prior when an Iranian drone struck a merchant vessel off the coast of Oman on Thursday and the US military retaliated with strikes the next day
The US and Iran are still negotiating terms of the deal, including issues such as getting ships through the key strait and addressing the future of
Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Under the interim deal, the two sides have 60 days to work out the details.
US Vice President JD Vance, who has led the negotiations with Iran, said on social media Friday night that Iran should ‘pick up the phone’ if there are disagreements about the ceasefire agreement, ‘but violence will be met with violence.’
The US and Iran are negotiating terms of the deal including issues such as getting ships through the strait that’s vital to global supplies of oil and natural gas and addressing the future of Iran´s nuclear program and stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Under the interim deal, the two sides have 60 days to work out the details. Ending the fighting in Lebanon between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group is a key part of the deal.
The British military´s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said that a tanker was attacked Saturday in the strait, with the crew safe and no environmental damage reported. No one immediately claimed the strike, but suspicion fell on Iran.
Just after that report, the Joint Maritime Information Center, overseen by the US Navy, said the route near Oman´s shore is expanding to allow for inbound and outbound traffic.
Iran has insisted that ships must obey its orders and warned it will start charging fees for transit through the strait. However, ships have been increasingly trying to leave the Gulf in recent days.
Ebrahim Azizi, who heads the Iranian parliament´s national security commission, wrote Friday that ‘the Strait of Hormuz is governed by Iran, so: Respect the rules.’
The US and Gulf Arab states have rejected Iran´s demands. The strait is considered as an international waterway, despite being the territorial waters of Iran and Oman.
Seeking a solution for dealing with apron belly after 50? Discover how these five band exercises can effectively engage your entire body.
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As we age, particularly after 50, achieving a flatter apron belly requires more than temporary fixes—it demands increased activity and muscle building. Forget the misleading promises of targeted fat loss that flood social media; research indicates that spot reduction is, unfortunately, a myth. Exercising more doesn’t enable your body to choose precisely where fat is burned.
What is achievable, however, is the strengthening of muscles beneath the apron belly while enhancing daily energy output. This approach paves the way for gaining lean muscle mass and results in a healthier body composition with age. The secret weapon for this transformation? Resistance bands.
Resistance bands are a fantastic, joint-friendly alternative for strength training right at home. Various studies have highlighted their efficacy, illustrating how they improve muscular strength, physical functionality, balance, and body composition in older adults. By providing continuous tension throughout your movements, resistance bands ensure that your muscles remain engaged from start to finish.
Even better, with just a single resistance band, you can target your legs, glutes, core, chest, back, and shoulders in one cohesive workout. For the best exercises to jumpstart your regimen, we consulted with James Brady, CPT, a certified personal trainer at OriGym. He shares five key resistance exercises to address and trim the apron belly more efficiently than a sedentary lifestyle can. Read on to discover more.
(Then, when you’re finished, check out these 4 Wall Exercises That Build Glute Strength Faster Than Squats After 60.)
Banded Squats
Squats and their many variations are among the most efficient compound exercises you can perform because they engage multiple large muscle groups at the same time, including your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and core. This creates a larger metabolic demand and calorie burn than isolated core exercises.
How to do it:
Stand on the center of a resistance band with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Hold the handles or ends of the band at shoulder height.
Engage your core and keep your chest lifted.
Push your hips backward as if sitting into a chair.
Bend your knees and lower into a squat.
Keep your heels planted on the floor.
Lower as far as comfortably possible.
Pause for one to two seconds at the bottom of the movement.
Drive through your heels to stand back up.
Perform two to three sets of 10 to 15 reps. Rest for 60 to 90 seconds between sets.
Banded Rows
“Banded rows strengthen your upper back and improve posture, which can make the midsection appear flatter while also supporting functional strength as we age,” says Brady. Research shows that strengthening your upper back can help counteract the rounded shoulders and forward posture that often develop after years of sitting.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e
How to do it:
Secure a resistance band at chest height.
Hold the handles or ends with both hands.
Step backward until tension develops in the band.
Stand tall with your chest lifted.
Flex your core throughout the movement.
Pull your elbows backward toward your sides.
Squeeze your shoulder blades together.
Pause for one to two seconds at the end of the row.
Slowly return to the starting position.
Complete two to three sets of 10 to 15 reps, resting for 45 to 60 seconds between sets.
5 Bodyweight Moves That Firm Your Upper Body Better Than Gym Machines After 50
Banded Woodchops
“Banded woodchops challenge your core through rotation, helping to develop strength throughout the obliques and trunk, ” explains Brady. They also train your obliques (side abs) and deep trunk muscles more dynamically than traditional crunches.
How to do it:
Secure a resistance band near shoulder height.
Stand sideways to the anchor point.
Hold the band with both hands.
Position your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart.
Brace your core before starting.
Pull the band diagonally across your body.
Rotate through your torso while maintaining control.
Finish near your opposite hip.
Slowly return to the starting position.
Aim for two to three sets of 10 to 15 reps per side. Rest for 45 to 60 seconds between sets.
Banded Chest Press
The standing banded chest press strengthens your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core. Since the exercise is performed standing, your core muscles must remain active throughout the movement to maintain stability.
How to do it:
Anchor resistance band behind you at chest height.
Hold one handle in each hand.
Step forward slightly to create tension.
Stand tall with your core engaged.
Position your hands near your chest.
Press both arms forward until almost straight (avoid locking your elbows).
Pause for one to two seconds at full extension.
Slowly return to the starting position.
Perform two to three sets of 10 to 15 reps, resting for 45 to 60 seconds between sets.
The 8-Minute Bed Routine That Restores Leg Muscle Faster Than Weight Training After 55
Banded Deadlifts
Deadlifts strengthen many of the muscles that tend to weaken with age, including your glutes, hamstrings, lower back, and core. These muscles are essential for maintaining posture, mobility, and functional strength as you age.
How to do it:
Stand on the center of a resistance band.
Grip the handles or ends firmly in each hand.
Position your feet hip-width apart.
Maintain a slight bend in your knees.
Brace your core and keep your back straight.
Push your hips backward.
Lower your torso until you feel tension in your hamstrings.
Keep the band close to your body.
Drive your hips forward to return to a standing position.
Complete two to three sets of 10 to 12 reps. Rest for 60 to 90 seconds between sets.
The entertainment world of DWTS is mourning the loss of one of its cherished figures, prompting heartfelt tributes on social media from both past and present members of the show.
Tom Bergeron, the original host of the show, took to Instagram on June 25 to remember Harold Wheeler’s immense contribution. “In 2005, when you first heard the music of @dancingwiththestars, it was coming from Harold Wheeler and his orchestra,” he reminisced. “There was nothing I loved more than causing Harold and his orchestra to crack up during dress rehearsals. Of course, savoring their exceptional talent was a close second. #RIP my friend.”
Adding to the chorus of admiration, former professional dancer and current judge Derek Hough highlighted Wheeler’s role in creating the magic known to fans of the show.
In his own Instagram remembrance shared on June 25, Hough celebrated Wheeler’s legendary status across various iconic platforms, from the Oscars to the DWTS stage. “I’ll always treasure the early days when I sent him ideas, and the unforgettable moment when Shawn and I accidentally rolled into his band pit,” Hough recalled alongside a video of Wheeler’s orchestra playing as he danced. “Harold, thank you for the music, the kindness, and the memories. Rest in peace, my friend.”
In recent revelations, Holly Madison opened up about undergoing a lower facelift, while also detailing other cosmetic enhancements she’s experienced. Her candid discussion sheds light on personal choices in beauty treatments.
Speaking to Dr. Shelia Farhang on the “Derm Approved” podcast, the former Playboy star admitted, “I’ve had a lower facelift on my jawline,” and expressed her satisfaction, stating, “I’m really happy I got it done.”
Madison explained her decision, noting that after her pregnancies, especially her second one where she gained substantial weight, she felt it necessary. She spoke of her kids, Rainbow, 13, and Forest, 9, whom she co-parents with former spouse Pasquale Rotella.
She elaborated while motioning to her jawline, saying, “There was just nothing I could do,” citing that no amount of lasers or other treatments achieved the desired result. Ultimately, Madison found a professional whose results she admired and decided to proceed with the procedure.
At 46, Madison emphasized her intent to maintain a natural look, ensuring the procedure was minimal and did not go “too far.”
“I’d rather have it not go far enough and then I can go back and maybe do more rather than have it go too far, and I’m looking like the Joker,” she quipped.
The “Girls Next Door” alum also shared that “If you look close, you can totally see” her visible scars in front of her ears, but added that she doesn’t care.
“I’m kind of open about it,” she said, noting that she’d already discussed it on her podcast.
Madison shared that other cosmetic procedures she has include CO2 laser for underneath her eyes, IPL laser, and Botox.
Still, she said, certain procedures — including breast implants, which she’s been famously open about having — can be a “tricky thing.”
“Some people, it just doesn’t work for, for whatever reason,” she explained elsewhere in the interview.
“Their body will reject the implant or they’ll get the breast implant illness, or the surgery will be kind of botched.”
The situation can lead patients to “want to try again,” Madison said, noting that it “sadly can turn into this never ending” pursuit.
The blond bombshell revealed she’d had a hand rejuvenation procedure, which she bluntly labeled a “waste of money.”
Madison, who rose to fame while living at Hugh Hefner’s Playboy mansion beginning at age 21, has been open about cosmetic procedures in years past.
Back in 2023, she confessed she struggled with “body dysmorphia” amid the pressures of life at the famous mansion, telling People at the time that living there “created a body dysmorphia for me because I was always kind of wondering what’s wrong with me.”
She exclusively told Page Six earlier this month that she initially saw living there “as a safe harbor,” but later discovered it “to be so much more complicated than that.”
During the NHL draft’s second day on Saturday, the Rangers significantly bolstered the left side of their defensive roster.
Out of the nine draft selections this weekend, the Blueshirts focused on strengthening their defensive line by picking five left-shooting defensemen. Following the selection of Alberts Smits on the first day, the Rangers added four more players to this position throughout the second day.
The Rangers wrapped up the second round by selecting Benjamin MacBeath from the Western Hockey League at pick number 64 and followed with Charlie Morrison from the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League at the 77th overall spot.
“I am experiencing a whirlwind of emotions,” MacBeath expressed during a Zoom interview. “Leading up to the draft was quite stressful, but getting drafted by a prestigious team like the Rangers is incredibly relieving. Being able to share this moment with my family has been wonderful.”
At only 18, MacBeath is set to join the University of Denver next season, playing under the leadership of David Carle, a three-time NCAA champion coach. He committed to the Pioneers at age 15, citing the team’s outstanding coaching, successful history, and proximity to his family as key factors in his decision to pursue an NCAA path.
Benjamin MacBeath poses for a photo after being selected 64th overall by the Rangers during Day 2 of the 2026 NHL Draft at KeyBank Center on June 27, 2026 in Buffalo. NHLI via Getty Images
Describing himself as a two-way defenseman, MacBeath touted his ability to move up and down the ice and join the rush. He said he looks to create shooting lanes on the blue line and can close spaces quickly with his edges.
Rangers director of player personnel and amateur scouting John Lilley cited the department’s best-available-player philosophy for the influx of left-handed defensemen.
“Sometimes it’s just the way the list falls,” Lilley said. “This year it certainly seemed a little D-heavy anyway. And we ended up with those left-shot ‘D,’ but it was the way the list went and to deviate from it, and jump six, seven spots — because a lot of times players have been taken in between — just kind of goes against what you’ve tried to build the entire season with your list.”
The Rangers also added size to their D-pool with Andre Mondoux in the sixth round (162nd overall). Mondoux is slated to return to the OHL next season before heading to Notre Dame in the fall of 2027.
Just three picks after MacBeath, the Rangers selected goalie Danai Shaiikov at No. 67 out of the QMJHL. Amid the expected departures of netminders Hugo Ollas and Talyn Boyko, who combined for just seven games for the Wolf Pack, team president and general manager Chris Drury needed to strengthen the goalie depth.
Right now, the organization has Igor Shesterkin, Dylan Garand, Spencer Martin and Callum Tung.
“Scott Clemmensen, who is our goalie scout, really valued this young man [Shaiikov] in Gatineau,” Lilley said. “He’s athletic. He’s very competitive. He doesn’t give up on pucks, and he had a lot of work this year. … He’s a battler with a lot of skills and quickness and I know Scott really pushed and really wanted him.”
After taking Morrison at No. 77, the Rangers went with Slovakian center Tomas Chrenko.
Charlie Morrison of the Quebec Remparts skates after the puck against the Moncton Wildcats during the third period at Avenir Centre on Nov. 16, 2025 in Moncton, Canada. Getty Images
“I’m a playmaker,” Chrenko said. “I love to make plays. I love to pass to my teammates. I love to score. I’m a creative player and I have a high hockey IQ.”
The Rangers selected another forward at pick No. 102, adding left wing Spencer Bowes.
Last season with the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League, Bowes set a new career high with 23 goals and 42 points in 67 games. Quick feet and a high-end pace highlight Bowes’ skill set.
At No. 163, the Rangers took right wing Darian Anderson out of the OHL. Last season with the Flint Firebirds, Anderson played alongside Jacob Battaglia, whom the Rangers acquired from Calgary in exchange for Brennan Othmann and their 2024 fifth-round pick Nathan Aspinall.
In his first 60 OHL games, Anderson posted 20 goals and 45 points.
“I think we checked a lot of boxes and got a lot of players that our scouts are passionate about,” Lilley said. “It’s, a lot of times, a two-year process watching these young men as underagers right through this year. I’m really excited and I know the guys in the room worked extremely hard.”
In a tragic case from near Flint, Michigan, the parents of a 7-year-old boy, who passed away weighing 255 pounds, are facing murder charges on grounds of suspected neglect.
Authorities have charged Damien and Jessica O’Brien with second-degree murder, along with torture and child abuse.
In November, emergency services responded to the O’Brien residence when their son, Casper, was found not breathing, according to a report from FOX 2 Detroit.
Reports revealed that the young boy was bedridden, unable to speak, and living in squalor. He succumbed at the hospital due to a heart muscle disease, exacerbated by severe obesity.
Damien and Jessica O’Brien are facing charges that include second-degree murder, torture, and several counts of child abuse.(Genesee County Sheriff’s Office)
Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton told the outlet the conditions were so severe that police noted they could not enter the house to help paramedics because there was no room.
Both parents were employed and had health insurance, but neither Casper — who Leyton noted was nonverbal and likely on the autism spectrum — nor his younger sister received medical care, according to the report.
The parents are charged with second-degree murder, torture and child abuse, according to authorities.(iStock)
“They knew enough to call the veterinarian the very morning the child went into [cardiac arrest] because the dog was sick,” Leyton told FOX 2. “But yet they don’t take the kids to the doctor. [It] doesn’t make any sense to me.”
Casper’s 5-year-old sister, who Leyton described as “feral,” was removed from the home on the day he died by Children’s Protective Services and has been placed into temporary foster care.
As Kai Lane drifts to sleep, his final gaze is fixed on the stars—what remains visible, at least.
For this 24-year-old from the Yorta Yorta and Barapa Barapa communities, the celestial view has transformed into both a nostalgic vision and a forewarning. It serves as a constant reminder of the loss occurring as artificial lighting blots out starry vistas over numerous Australian locales.
“I never close my curtains. I just lie on my side, look through the window, and gaze at the stars until I gently fall asleep,” Lane shares with SBS News.
Throughout Australia, experts in science and ecology are raising alarms that light pollution signifies far more than a diminished night view.
It represents a sweeping cultural and environmental upheaval, impacting ecosystems and wildlife behavior, while at times cloudingFirst Nations knowledge systems that have been intertwined with the night sky for millennia.
A sky of stories
Lane was raised in Kerang, in north-central Victoria, where the clear night sky reveals dense constellations. He describes this nightscape as a “living classroom”, where stories are encoded in darkness just as much as light.
Among them is Emu in the Sky, an Indigenous constellation traced through the dark patches of the Milky Way rather than its stars.
“We are the only culture in the world that looks for dark spots in the Milky Way. Usually, the constellations are just connecting stars to stars, like lines. But the emu is just a dark spot in the sky,” Lane says.
For the Barapa Barapa people, the constellation carries practical lessons as well as cultural meaning. Lane says the emu’s position can signal when it’s appropriate to collect eggs or when breeding season has begun.
“When it’s sitting down, you can go collect the eggs, and when the emu starts to stand, you’re not allowed to crack the eggs because they’re starting to become chicks.”
Lane is also a trainee ecologist and says these stories reveal deeper lessons about connection to Country, seasons and ecological change.
But he believes this knowledge is under threat, as artificial light increasingly brightens city centres, parts of regional and rural Australia alike.
Lights outside the city
Lane now lives in the Victorian city of Geelong, where only a handful of stars are visible on a clear night.
It’s a sight familiar to many Australians who live under light pollution — the excessive or inappropriate use of artificial light at night. One form of light pollution is skyglow, in which artificial lighting brightens the night sky and reduces the visibility of celestial objects.
Recent satellite research published in the Nature journal in April suggests the problem is growing worldwide. A NASA-funded study from the University of Connecticut, which examined more than 1.1 million satellite images, found artificial light at night increased by around 16 per cent globally between 2014 and 2022.
Researchers say some regions are continuing to grow brighter while others have temporarily dimmed due to factors such as COVID-19 disruptions, changes in lighting policy and broader economic shifts.
Marnie Ogg, founder and director of the Australasian Dark Sky Alliance, a not-for-profit charity dedicated to reducing light pollution, says the scale of change to the natural light is often underestimated.
“We’ve had 3.8 billion years of natural day, night cycles that were predictable and then [around] 150 years ago we introduced the electric light, and that’s completely changed — is completely changing the nighttime environment,” she tells SBS News.
“Things like LED billboards are probably one of our biggest threats. The other thing that is a threat to our night environment is solar batteries because people now can use their battery to run their solar lights around their house all night long … there’s no cost to it.”
[Solar light is] free, so we can abuse it, basically.
Ogg and other researchers argue that disruptions also extend into behavioural and physiological systems across species.
‘We took them for granted — and we lost them’
Dr Ken Wishaw, a former medical specialist, anaesthesiologist, and Australia’s first full-time helicopter doctor, says the stars have been his companions since he was seven years old.
He recalls a post-retirement rafting trip to the Grand Canyon in 2016 that shifted his perspective on the cosmos.
“We were down [at] the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and it got out that I knew my stars. So, [the group] pleaded with me to give them a tour,” Wishaw tells SBS News.
“One of the ladies from my raft … she started crying, and I stopped and said, ‘Sorry if I offended you’. She said, ‘No, no, no. I’m 42 years old. This is the second night in my life I’ve ever see a star’.”
He says her first experience of a starry night sky was during Florida’s 2008 electricity grid collapse, which blanketed the state’s “undifferentiated orange [light] dome” in darkness.
Today, Wishaw is one of the driving forces behind the Sunshine Coast International Dark Sky Reserve. It’s Queensland’s first official designation by DarkSky International — a non-profit organisation whose mission is to preserve the night skies — spanning more than 870 square km of protected hinterland.
The reserve also represents an ongoing commitment to protect natural night skies through responsible lighting, council and community partnerships.
Initial surveys have found the community has a 95 per cent positive response to the reserve, according to Wishaw, who hopes it will drive astrotourism in the region.
“In central Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne on that same night, you would be lucky to see nine [stars]. On a clear winter night, we see 3,000,” he says.
Although she’s a dark sky advocate, Ogg believes living in a city shouldn’t mean the stars are concealed from view.
In 2018, the Northern Beaches Council adopted her suggestion to create an Urban Night Sky Place along one of Sydney’s most iconic coastlines — Palm Beach. The region has since recorded a 10 per cent reduction in light pollution over the past two years, according to Ogg.
She has approached other local councils regarding similar developments. She alleges, they “won’t invest money into it, unless it’s something that people are asking for”.
Light pollution impacts more than the night sky
Associate professor Mariana Mayer Pinto from the University of New South Wales is a leading marine ecologist and co-founder of the Network for Ecological Research on Artificial Light, who studies how artificial light affects the natural world.
From seabirds that become disoriented and can fly up to 15km the wrong direction, to changes in aquatic food chains and disruptions to human circadian rhythm — she says the impacts of light pollution are widespread.
Even species without eyes are affected.
“We’ve seen that seaweed, for example, kelp, which is one of the most important habitat formers in the Great Southern Reef … [It] underpins a lot of biodiversity. We’ve seen that light affects its growth. Combined with warming, it actually increases their mortality,” Pinto tells SBS News.
She says some species may “benefit” from increased light at night, which can help attract small prey, but believes it creates an imbalance throughout the food chain.
A 2016 study published in the journal Science Advances found Australia had the lowest proportion of light-polluted land among G20 nations. But on a per-capita basis, Australians were among the world’s biggest contributors to light pollution — a finding based on population data that has since grown considerably.
While the government has National Light Pollution Guidelines for Wildlife, Pinto says they are not legally enforceable.
That’s why Ogg took part in a campaign to establish national legislation on light pollution. Countries including Germany and Croatia have introduced similar laws, while France first issued a decree on light pollution in 2013.
The Australian petition garnered over 12,000 signatures and was submitted to the House of Representatives in September last year. In December, Environment Minister Murray Watt issued a response.
“The Australian government recognises that excessive or poorly designed lighting can affect human health, disrupt ecosystems, and contribute to energy waste and emissions,” Watt said.
“The Australian government also works closely with Standards Australia to support improved lighting management … the suggestion for further national legislation is noted.”
Ogg says the reforms were also positioned as a potential cost-saving measure.
“It’s a shame … you know, it’s using energy. I guess there’s just so many other things on the table, but what I don’t get is it’s such an easy win.”
Lane says rising light pollution is placing cultural obligations at risk by affecting Indigenous totems — in his case, the long-necked turtle and the microbat.
“When you get a totem, it’s an obligation to look after it. When I’m hearing that both my totems are getting destroyed.”
It does break your heart and there’s so many other animals [too].
He also runs cultural heritage workshops at schools, where he says light pollution rarely features in the science curriculum.
In one exercise, Lane asks students to draw constellations before a white sheet is placed over their work, simulating the way artificial light obscures the sky.
He says many children leave the lesson pledging to ask their parents to install warmer LED lights or switch off excessive outdoor lighting.
For Lane, the hope is that future generations can experience a sky full of stars, whether from their bedroom window in outback Australia or a major city.
“I do believe that one day, when I’m an Elder … I can sit on my back porch and look up at the night sky and see all the stars.”
Hopefully, I can do this in Melbourne and metro areas and be able to put a smile on my face, seeing what I advocated for.
Reports suggest that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have invited iconic artists Stevie Nicks and Tim McGraw, long-time friends of the bride, to perform at their upcoming wedding ceremony scheduled for next week.
Keeping the wedding plans under tight wraps, Swift, aged 36, has reportedly decided to personally call her guests to avoid the risk of leaving a paper trail by sending out traditional invitations.
According to the Daily Mail’s report earlier this month, the superstar singer and her NFL fiancé are set to host a wedding celebration at Madison Square Garden, slated for next Friday, July 3.
Speculation this week indicates the couple is planning a more intimate gathering for approximately 100 close friends at the venue on Thursday, July 2. This will be followed by a grander event with an estimated 1,000 guests the following night, as reported by the New York Times.
Now insiders have claimed McGraw, 59, and Nicks, 78, will play a ‘Wedding-palooza’ one source characterized as ‘bigger than the Met Gala,’ per Page Six.
Swift initially captured the public’s attention in 2006 with her evocative hit “Tim McGraw,” the leading track from her self-titled debut album.
The Daily Mail has contacted Swift’s representative for comment.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have allegedly enlisted the bride’s old friends Stevie Nicks and Tim McGraw to perform at their wedding next week; the couple are pictured in March
Swift first rose to fame in 2006 with a wistful song called Tim McGraw, which became the lead single of her self-titled debut album; McGraw pictured in Nashville this month
Meanwhile Swift is a longtime friend and admirer of Nicks, who is best known for her work as the frontwoman of the iconic rock band Fleetwood Mac; Nicks pictured in 2019
Then in 2007, while she was establishing herself as a pop idol, Swift opened on tour for McGraw and his wife and fellow country star Faith Hill.
‘Faith and I both knew that there was no stopping her,’ McGraw recalled a few years ago to Entertainment Tonight Canada. ‘She’s a special talent.’
Meanwhile Swift is a longtime friend and admirer of Nicks, who is best known for her work as the frontwoman of the iconic rock band Fleetwood Mac.
Earlier this month, Swift went viral for wearing a Stevie Nicks t-shirt to Madison Square Garden while attending Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
Reports had already surfaced that she was holding her wedding there, so her choice of top was regarded by some observers as one of the ‘Easter Eggs’ she often lays for her fans to hint at upcoming developments in her life and career.
Nicks has praised Swift as enthusiastically as vice versa, and was especially effusive about the younger singer’s 2022 song You’re on Your Own, Kid.
‘If only I had written it,’ Nicks said of the number, which she explained had helped her cope with her grief after her Fleetwood Mac bandmate Christine McVie died in 2022 at the age of 79 of a stroke she suffered in the midst of a cancer battle.
Sources claimed this week that the smaller gathering that Swift and Kelce are holding at Madison Square Garden next Thursday is in fact a rehearsal dinner, per Page Six.
Earlier this month, Swift went viral for wearing a Stevie Nicks t-shirt to Madison Square Garden while attending Game 4 of the NBA Finals
Nicks and Swift, who have both been effusive in their praise for each other, are pictured together performing at the 2010 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles
Swift opened on tour for McGraw and his wife Faith Hill in 2007, and is pictured with the couple attending that year’s Academy of Country Music Awards
The Daily Mail reported earlier this month that the pop star and the NFL player will throw a wedding function at Madison Square Garden next Friday, July 3
Swift and Kelce started dating in 2023 and pictured kissing at the 2024 Super Bowl, in which his team the Kansas City Chiefs emerged triumphant
One industry insider mused that ‘I think it’s possible’ the couple have already officially exchanged vows in advance of next week’s functions.
News broke this week that a local event planning company has filed for permits to close the streets around Madison Square Garden from July 2 to midday July 4, requesting sufficient space for trucks, canopies and tents.
New York’s City Hall confirmed the existence of the permit application and indicated the event will include between 500 and 999 attendees.
A city official purportedly briefed on the plans went as far as to disclose that ‘wedding festivities’ were being prepared at Madison Square Garden on July 3.
Players for Kelce’s NFL team, the Kansas City Chiefs, are said by a source to have booked rooms at the Marriott Marquis in Midtown Manhattan next week.
Sports merch tycoon Michael Rubin allegedly moved his star-studded Fourth of July party from its usual date of July 3 or 4 and settled for July 1 instead in order to prevent a conflict with Swift’s wedding, per an April report in Page Six.
An insider informed the Daily Mail in early June that Swift and Kelce had embraced the idea of a ‘spectacle’ wedding and selected Madison Square Garden as the venue.
At that stage, talks were purportedly already underway with the New York Police Department (NYPD) about how to ensure the arena’s safety on the appointed date.
Swift and Kelce started dating in 2023 and announced their engagement last August in a post captioned: ‘Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.’
