By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image The Georgian Interior Ministry headquarters in Tbilisi, February 2, 2010. © 2010 David Mdzinarishvili/Reuters (Berlin, September 18, 2026) – Georgian authorities are using vague administrative offenses to jail or heavily fine people for online speech, deepening the government’s crackdown on freedom of expression, Human Rights Watch said today.Since June 2026, a new Ministry of Internal Affairs unit has monitored social media and referred hundreds of posts to courts to be tried for speech-related charges, such as insult or profanity. In July, courts sentenced…
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By Gina Yauri
Deported from the United States, Ecuador’s former “superminister” now faces grave criminal investigations and political accusations in a justice system facing questions over due process.
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By Alasdair McCallum, Sessional Tutor, Constitutional Law, Monash University
Pete Lentini, Foundation Director, Global Terrorism Research Centre, Monash University
Russia is convening its first national parliamentary elections since invading Ukraine, which offer a great deal of predictability but also some unexpected surprises.
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By Marzena Baker, Senior Lecturer and Head of Discipline - HRM & Management & OHSE, Australian Catholic University
Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the tasks people do at work and the skills they need. As work changes, being able to move between jobs, and sometimes industries, may become increasingly important.
For women, the pressure to adapt may be particularly significant. Jobs and Skills Australia has found women have greater exposure than men to automation and AI changes, largely because of the industries and occupations in which they work.
And while it doesn’t…
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By Gemma Sharp, Professor, Head of Body Image, Eating and Weight Disorders Research, Adelaide University
Spending time on skincare can be enjoyable, creative and soothing. But sometimes this self-care can be concerning. Could it be ‘cosmeticorexia’?
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By Peter McDonald, Honorary Professor of Demography, Centre for Health Policy, The University of Melbourne
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced the government’s long-awaited migration policy yesterday. It’s been a week dominated by the topic, with One Nation unveiling its policy on Monday, too.
The government’s proposed settings appear to be knee-jerk reactions to reducing net overseas…
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Thursday, September 17, 2026
The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran confirmed that civilians in the country suffered serious human rights violations and “crimes against humanity committed by their government,” while finding "reasonable grounds" to believe that the United States committed “war crimes” in the context of its ongoing conflict with the Islamic Republic.
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By Mike Annear, Senior Lecturer, Department of Tourism, Sport & Society, Lincoln University, New Zealand
Richard Keith Wright, Associate Professor in Sport Leadership & Management, Auckland University of Technology
Sara Napier, Senior Lecturer in Health Sciences, Auckland University of Technology
Most older New Zealanders live in private homes. As the population ages, making streets, transport and public spaces work for them will become crucial.
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By Seth Robinson, Senior Lecturer in Creative Practice and Public Humanities, The University of Melbourne
Emily St John Mandel’s new novel presents divergent visions of our world and future – particularly of the US as a state at a crossroads.
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By Ben Mather, ARC Early Career Industry Fellow, School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne
Maria Seton, Associate Professor, School of Geosciences, University of Sydney
Lord Howe Island sits about 600 kilometres off the New South Wales coast, a crescent of rainforest and sea cliffs that draws visitors for its spectacular beaches and its unique birdlife. Few realise they are standing on the weathered remains of a volcano.
And that volcano has family.
Lord Howe is part of a chain of islands, called “seamounts”. It is the only island above sea level – the rest are submerged in the Tasman Sea. Roughly 650 kilometres west runs a second chain, the Tasmantid seamounts, tracing almost the same path.
Two nearly identical chains side…
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