By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Flag of Bahrain in Sakhir, March 2, 2023. © 2023 Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via AP Photo (Beirut) – Bahraini authorities have arrested dozens of people for exercising their right to peaceful expression, seeking the death penalty in some cases, amid the conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran, Human Rights Watch said today.“At this critical moment, Bahrain authorities should be expanding their efforts to protect people, not arresting them for peacefully demonstrating or posting on social media,” said Niku Jafarnia, Yemen and Bahrain researcher at Human Rights…
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By Amnesty International
As journalist and human rights defender Irfan Mehraj marks three years in arbitrary detention tomorrow, we the undersigned civil society organizations call for his immediate and unconditional release. We continue to stand in solidarity with Irfan and his family. Our organisations also demand an end to the Indian government’s continued repression of human rights defenders […] The post India: Kashmiri journalist and human rights defender Irfan Mehraj held for three-years in pre-trial detention appeared first on Amnesty International. ]]>
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By Jonathan W. Marshall, Associate Professor & Postgraduate Research Coordinator, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Edith Cowan University
The arts depict extremes of emotional life, overtly and with clarity. This was in much evidence at the 2026 Perth Festival.
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By Jo Case, Senior Deputy Books + Ideas Editor, The Conversation
What were you like in the 90s? This question is a social media trend right now, with achingly nostalgic slideshows of old photos, set to music.
When bookish types think about what we were like, we also remember the books that helped make us who we are. So the Books & Ideas team asked five literary experts for their picks.
Because we never just engage with the new, their answers range from stone-cold classics (one from the late…
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By Christopher Niezrecki, Director of the Center for Energy Innovation, UMass Lowell
Suspending the Jones Act will increase the supply of fuel by allowing foreign-flagged ships to transport oil between US ports, which should eventually educe gas prices.
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By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
The federal government has appointed Anthea Harris, former chief executive of the Australian Energy Regulator and of the Energy Security Board, as Coordinator of a new Fuel Supply Taskforce.
The new taskforce will be established in Anthony Albanese’s own Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Harris will be responsible for:
driving coordination between the Commonwealth and the states and territories on fuel security and supply chain resilience
providing consistent, coordinated updates to the Commonwealth and states and territories on…
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By Jennifer Stokes, Associate Professor, Teaching and Learning Innovation, Adelaide University
KPop Demon Hunters’ critical and commercial success was driven by its viral appeal – but that’s not the only reason it’s so powerful.
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By Natalie Klein, Professor, Faculty of Law, UNSW Sydney
In the law of naval warfare, the line between belligerents and neutrals is not always an easy one to draw.
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By Justine Poplin, Teaching Associate, Faculty of Education, Southern Cross University
From state-backed mega museums to privately-funded contemporary art spaces, the expansion of China’s galleries, libraries, archives and museums – or “GLAM” – sector is reshaping how the nation narrates its past and imagines its future.
China’s museum sector has expanded at an unmatched pace this century. From 2010 to 2024, a new museum has opened, on average, every 1.5 days. There…
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By Peter Edwell, Associate Professor in Ancient History, Macquarie University
Is it any wonder ancient people thought lightning came from the gods? Even today a close lightning strike feels like a terrifying brush with the supernatural.
Some ancient thinkers, however, suspected the gods had nothing to do with it.
They wondered, centuries ahead of their time, if lightning was related somehow to the movement of air and clouds.
A reminder of power and wrath
In the mythology of ancient Greece and Rome, thunder and lightning strikes were the prime weapon of Zeus (the king of the gods, known to the Romans as Jupiter). Reminders of…
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