By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
The 41-year-old from South Australia is the first Australian to qualify as an astronaut under the country’s national space program.
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Syrian security forces take control of al-Hol camp in the desert region of al-Hasakah Province, Syria, on January 21, 2026, following the withdrawal of Kurdish forces the previous day. © 2026 Rami Alsayed/NurPhoto via AP Photo (Beirut) – Both sides in the conflict between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in Northeast Syria need to protect civilians and respect human rights in their operations, Human Rights Watch said today. The parties should not arbitrarily block aid delivery or destroy or block access to critical infrastructure.…
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By Federico Donelli, Associate Professor of International Relations, University of Trieste
Somaliland is not internationally recognised as a sovereign state, though it declared independence from Somalia in 1991. A territory becomes a sovereign state when its independence is recognised by the United Nations. For this reason, it has no seat at the UN and is considered, under international law, part of Somalia.
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By Glen Nwaila, Director of the Mining Institute and the African Research Centre for Ore Systems Science; Associate Professor of Geometallurgy and Machine Learning, University of the Witwatersrand
Grant Bybee, Head of the School of Geosciences; Associate Professor, University of the Witwatersrand
The G20’s new critical minerals framework wants to move Africa beyond raw exports so that mineral wealth creates jobs and growth on the continent.
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By Abeeb Babatunde Omotoso, Senior Lecturer at Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igboora, Nigeria and Senior Research Associate at North West University, North-West University
Mojirayo Ayodele, Postdoctoral research fellow, Olabisi Onabanjo University
In Nigeria, agriculture contributes about 40% to national gross domestic product and supports the livelihoods of about 60% of the population. Finding ways to farm through climate change is vital for national development and poverty reduction.
Climate change remains one of the most critical challenges confronting Nigeria’s farming sector. The country’s…
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By Francois Questiaux, Researcher, Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen
Marieve Pouliot, Assistant Professor, Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen
Competition for shea trees is rising in west Africa, leaving the poorest women collectors with less access and fewer gains.
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By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has appointed the Secretary of the Defence Department, Greg Moriarty, to be Australia’s new ambassador to Washington, succeeding Kevin Rudd, who leaves the position in March.
The highly-respected senior bureaucrat is a safe choice, and his defence background gives him special qualifications for the post when the further development of AUKUS will be a major preoccupation in coming years.
Moriarty will not be surrounded by any of the controversy that came with the appointment and tenure of Rudd, who had vehemently attacked US President Donald…
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By Mathew Barlow, Professor of Climate Science, UMass Lowell
Judah Cohen, Climate scientist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
A severe winter storm sweeping across the central and eastern U.S. in late January 2026 threatened states from Texas to New England with crippling freezing rain, sleet and snow. Several governors issued states of emergency as forecasters warned of hazardous travel conditions, dangerous wind chills and power outages amid bitter cold expected to linger for days.
The sudden blast may come as…
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By Aikande Clement Kwayu, Lecturer, Tumaini University Makumira
Edwin Mtei, who passed away on 20 January 2026, was the first governor of Tanzania’s Central Bank after independence from Britain.
He filled the post until 1974.
Mtei was appointed by Julius Nyerere, who served as president from 1964 until his resignation in 1985. Nyerere once said of Mtei: “Once a governor, always a governor”, as quoted in Mtei’s autobiography, From…
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By Kevin Rennie
"For me, cultural continuity is both a responsibility and a source of strength. It reminds me of why this work matters and who it is ultimately for."
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