The Age

US aviation authorities have halted flights at several busy East Coast airports after a fiber optic line was cut, disrupting communications needed for air traffic control. The Federal Aviation Administration paused departures while crews work to restore the connection, causing delays at major hubs. The incident has renewed discussion about the fragility of aging air traffic control infrastructure in the United States.

Reports say a growing number of countries are taking a fresh look at nuclear options amid rising global tensions. Analysts point to eroding arms control agreements, ongoing wars, and shifting security alliances as drivers of renewed interest in nuclear deterrence worldwide. Observers warn the trend could mark the start of a new and dangerous nuclear era.

Reports are circulating that professional wrestler Pac, the British high-flyer known for his time in AEW and on the independent circuit, has died. Fans and fellow wrestlers are sharing tributes and memories of his career, which included runs in Dragon Gate and prominent tag-team work. Details about his age or cause of death have not been confirmed in the initial reports.

AI companies could draw useful safety lessons from the decades-long history of managing nuclear weapons, according to a new commentary in The Conversation. The piece argues that lessons from arms control, fail-safes, and institutional oversight developed during the nuclear age offer a useful template as governments and firms grapple with how to manage powerful AI systems.

Fast Company has published a piece arguing that society has entered an era of omnipresent suspicion, where distrust of institutions, media, technology and each other has become a default posture shaping business, tech and everyday life. The article examines how constant surveillance, AI-generated content and eroding trust feed this climate.

An international conference of NGOs hosted under the Council of Europe framework is putting climate risks, violence against women and social rights at the centre of its agenda. Delegates and civil society organisations are expected to debate how these interconnected issues should shape future human rights policy, with organisers framing the event as a key forum for international NGO cooperation.

Commentary is examining how climate change is increasingly framed as a human rights issue, with warming temperatures, displacement and resource shortages threatening basic rights to housing, food and safety. The discussion reflects a growing push to hold governments accountable for protecting vulnerable populations from climate impacts and to embed human rights obligations into climate policy.

One of the killers of toddler James Bulger is to have his parole hearing held in private. Venables and Thompson were both aged 10 when they abducted and murdered two-year-old James Bulger in Merseyside in 1993. Venables has been denied parole before, partly due to concerns over his behaviour in custody. The decision to close the hearing has drawn attention because of the lasting public interest in the case.

American Cardinal Robert McElroy has set out ideas for how the Catholic Church should engage with the digital age, discussing the issue through Vatican News. His reflections address how the Church can communicate and pastorally reach people in an increasingly online world. The remarks are drawing attention among observers of Vatican affairs and Church communication.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, together with major US airlines, is pressing Congress to quickly approve roughly $30 billion in funding for aviation reforms. The money would support modernisation of the country's air traffic control system and other industry improvements. The push comes amid ongoing concerns about aging infrastructure, flight delays and safety gaps in the US aviation system.