By Guest Contributor
A March 2026 study by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and the African Digital Rights Network found that 11 African governments had collectively spent more than USD 2 billion on AI-powered surveillance systems.
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By Jonathan Este, Senior International Affairs Editor, Associate Editor, The Conversation
The red carpet at Beijing Capital International Airport has had something of a workout in recent months. In addition to Donald Trump’s visit from May 13-15 and Vladimir Putin over the past couple of days, a parade of world leaders, including five out of seven G7 leaders, has made the trip to Beijing to visit the Chinese president, Xi Jinping.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, arrives on Friday and Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vučić, is scheduled to begin a four-day visit on Sunday May 24.
In terms of diplomacy, at the moment all roads appear to lead…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, Philippe Bolopion (left), and Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Judith Suminwa, in Kinshasa, May 21, 2026. © 2026 Prime Ministers Office, CELCOM & CNTIC (Kinshasa) – The Human Rights Watch executive director, Philippe Bolopion, urged senior Congolese officials to respect freedom of expression, end arbitrary arrests and detentions, and ensure accountability for abuses during his visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo from May 17 to 21, 2026, Human Rights Watch said today.The visit took place…
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By Liz Giuffre, Associate Professor in Media, University of Technology Sydney
Netflix’s three-part documentary about Kylie Minogue covers her nearly 40 year career, as Minogue sits in her archive room going through slides and mementos.
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By Helen Hodgson, Adjunct Professor, Curtin Law School and Curtin Business School, Curtin University
Do some people work ‘Monday, Tuesday, and half of Wednesday for yourself, and then Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for the government’? No, they don’t.
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By Julian Novitz, Senior Lecturer, Writing, Department of Media and Communication, Swinburne University of Technology
Advances in AI platforms have been oddly benchmarked through their engagements with the short story form. What does the latest literary AI scandal tell us?
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By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland
At about 6:30pm last night, a meteor exploded with a bright flash that was widely seen across eastern Australia.
Stunned onlookers from Sydney to Canberra, and beyond, reported seeing the explosion light up the night sky in colourful streaks ranging from blue to green to orange.
In technical terms, the fireball was a “bolide”. Bolides are meteors that are not only brighter than the planet Venus, but which can also seen to explode or break up as they enter…
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By Peter J. Crack, Professor of Neuropharmacology, The University of Melbourne
Peter J. Crouch, Professorial Fellow, Department of Anatomy and Physiology, The University of Melbourne
Rugby league player Jai Arrow’s recently announced diagnosis of motor neurone disease has again brought this devastating disease to public attention.
Motor neurone disease is relatively rare, with fewer than 1,000 Australians diagnosed each year. Arrow’s diagnosis has shocked many because the disease is often associated with older adults, not elite athletes in the prime of life.
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By David Rowe, Emeritus Professor of Cultural Research, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University
An obscure Belgian soccer player arguably made a bigger mark on the world game than stars such as Diego Maradona and Cristiano Ronaldo.
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By Adam Simpson, Senior Lecturer in International Studies in the School of Society and Culture, Adelaide University
There are long-term questions regarding support for Ukraine if far-right populists win more power in the EU’s most powerful states.
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