Thursday, February 19, 2026
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for the immediate release of all children detained during the recent public unrest in Iran, expressing deep concern that minors arrested in connection with the protests remain behind bars.
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By Kelly Jones, Associate Professor of Pediatric Neuropsychology, Auckland University of Technology
At least 40,000 New Zealanders experience traumatic brain injury each year. New data challenges five persistent myths about who is affected and how it happens.
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By Priscilla Dunk-West, Professor of Social Work, Victoria University
Should we do couples counselling? Are we happy? Are we both pulling in the same direction? How can we get our spark back?
These kinds of questions are normal in a society that places such importance on coupledom, despite there being no handbook or one-size-fits all approach.
Many people seek out couples counselling when going through a rough patch, or wondering how to improve their relationship. And no doubt the hit show Couples Therapy has boosted public interest in this type of counselling.
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By Eduardo B. Sandoval, Scientia Researcher, Social Robotics, UNSW Sydney
Last year, Norwegian-US tech company 1X announced a strange new product: “the world’s first consumer-ready humanoid robot designed to transform life at home”.
Standing 168 centimetres tall and weighing in at 30 kilograms, the US$20,000 Neo bot promises to automate common household chores such as folding laundry and loading the dishwasher.
Neo has a built-in artificial intelligence (AI) system, but for tricky tasks it requires a…
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By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne
A South Australian Newspoll has given the Liberals just 14% of the primary vote, four weeks before the state election.
And in a Victoria Morgan poll, One Nation has topped both Labor and the Coalition on primary votes, with 26.5%, compared to 25.5% for Labor and 21.5% for the Coalition. Labor leads both One Nation and the Coalition after preferences in the poll.
A separate Victoria Resolve poll has One Nation at only 11%.
South Australian election polls
The SA state election is on March 21. A Newspoll,…
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By Jane Goodall, Emeritus Professor, Writing and Society Research Centre, Western Sydney University
Anyone who engages in serious dialogue with a Large Language Model (LLM) may get the impression they are interacting with an intelligence. But many experts in the field argue the impression is just that. In philosopher Daniel Dennett’s words, such systems display “competence without comprehension”.
The hype about Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) from big corporations and their celebrity spokespersons has prompted a backlash, in which scepticism turns to cynicism, often tinged with paranoia about…
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By William Partlett, Associate Professor of Public Law, The University of Melbourne
A royal commission on the CFMEU scandal would be helpful. But it would be better for the Victorian government to endorse reforms to its anti-corruption agency.
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Ukraine’s Vladyslav Heraskevych wearing a helmet honoring Ukrainian athletes killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine during skeleton training at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Italy, February 9, 2026. © 2026 Press Association via AP Photo The disqualification of the Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych from the 2026 Winter Olympics shines a critical light on Rule 50 (2) of the Olympic Charter prohibiting political, racial, or religious “propaganda” at Olympic venues. He was disqualified for wearing a helmet displaying images of Ukrainian…
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Thursday, February 19, 2026
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out ethnically targeted killings, widespread sexual violence and enforced disappearances during their late-October takeover of El Fasher in Sudan’s Darfur region — acts that a UN fact-finding mission said show “hallmarks of genocide” against the Zaghawa and Fur communities and signal an ongoing risk of further atrocities.
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Thursday, February 19, 2026
Increased Israeli attacks and the forced transfer of Palestinians have sparked concern over ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said in a report issued on Thursday.
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