By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne
Two state governments are up for re-election in Australia, while the US midterms offer an opportunity for the Democrats to take control of Congress.
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By Michael Mintrom, Professor of Public Policy, Monash University; Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG)
The government is under significant pressure to launch a royal commission into antisemitism. Here’s how these sorts of inquiries work and what they can and can’t do.
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By Shannon Brincat, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, University of the Sunshine Coast
Juan Zahir Naranjo Cáceres, PhD Candidate, Political Science, International Relations and Constitutional Law, University of the Sunshine Coast
So far the response across the continent to both the Greenland threats and the US’ actions in Venezuela, have been feeble and confused.
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By Rebecca Hanson, Associate Professor of Latin American Studies, Sociology and Criminology, University of Florida
Verónica Zubillaga, Mellon Visiting Professor, University of Illinois Chicago
How various factions respond to the Trump administration’s threat to be the de facto ruler of the country could quickly inflame domestic tensions and lead to conflict.
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By Christopher Stevens, Associate Professor, Sport and Exercise Science, Southern Cross University
You’ve just cleaned your teeth, you’re feeling minty fresh and ready to climb into bed. You take a sip of water, but the water is icy cold, and your next breath feels cool and crisp.
What has the toothpaste done to your mouth? And could this be a hack to help you feel cooler when you really need it?
Tricking the brain
Menthol, a natural compound that comes from mint plants, is the ingredient in toothpaste that creates the feeling of cold.
Menthol activates TRPM8 receptors on nerve endings…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Protesters march in downtown Tehran, Iran, on December 29, 2025. © 2025 Fars News Agency/AP Photo Iranian authorities are brutally cracking down on nationwide protests with lethal force, killing at least 27 protesters and bystanders, including children, and injuring many more in just over a week, while carrying out mass detentions of protesters. Human Rights Watch is investigating the government’s violent repression of the protests and related human rights violations.Protests began on December 28 in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar and rapidly spread to at least 27 provinces…
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By Jorge H. Sanchez-Perez, Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Alberta
Successful American action in Venezuela and threats against Greenland suggest the rules-based international order that emerged following the Second World War is now on life support.
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By Andrew Latham, Professor of Political Science, Macalester College
The U.S. mission to seize Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro has pushed the concept of regime change back into everyday conversation. “Regime Change in America’s Back Yard,” declared The New Yorker in a piece that typified the response to the Jan. 3 operation that saw Maduro exchange a compound in Caracas for a jail in Brooklyn.
Commentators
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By Mesbah Sharaf, Professor of Economics, University of Alberta
Abdelhalem Shahen, Associate professor, Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University
Digital payments are often presented as a way to bring more people into the financial system. Mobile wallets, online transfers and app-based payment systems are now central to how governments, banks and technology firms talk about expanding access to financial services.
This is particularly significant today. Around the world, governments are investing heavily in digital finance as part of broader development and sustainability strategies. In Canada,…
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By Gayani Gunasekera, Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Sessional Academic, Work and Organisational Studies, University of Sydney
As many head back to work, fresh starts can open the door to change. But maintaining lasting momentum depends on what we build after the novelty wears off.
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