By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image A vote in progress in the House of Representatives at Parliament House on January 20, 2026, in Canberra, Australia. © 2026 Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images This week, Australia passed new laws that expand government authority to ban hate groups and impose tougher penalties for hate crimes. The legislation is part of the government’s response to Sydney’s Bondi Beach mass shooting in December when two gunmen killed 15 people at celebrations for the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.States are obligated under international human rights law to protect people from racial…
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By Gemma Ware, Host, The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation
Listen to Paul Bierman, an expert on Greenland’s ice, talk to The Conversation Weekly podcast about the history of the island’s ice sheet.
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By Darryn DiFrancesco, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, Faculty of Human and Health Sciences, University of Northern British Columbia
Following the recent shooting of Renee Good by an agent for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the United States, the Donald Trump administration’s latest narrative suggests that “deluded wine moms” are to blame for the violence in ICE-related demonstrations in Minneapolis and across the country.
This mother-blaming is nothing more than an old trick with a new spin.
Organized gangs of ‘wine moms’
Earlier this…
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By Francesco Grillo, Academic Fellow, Department of Social and Political Sciences, Bocconi University
Donald Trump’s newly launched “Board of Peace” presents itself as a bold attempt to break with what its founders describe as decades of failed international diplomacy. Its charter opens with a declaration that few would openly dispute: “Durable peace requires pragmatic judgment, common-sense solutions, and the courage to depart from approaches and institutions that have too often failed.”
It is true that the world urgently needs to overcome decades of inertia to reform its international…
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By Michael Richardson, Professor of Animal Development, Leiden University
Le Yang, PhD Candidate, Biological Effects of Nanomaterials, Leiden University
Over the past few years, studies have suggested that plastic particles from bottles, food packaging and waste have been detected in human blood, lungs, placentas, arteries and even the brain. But a recent investigation by the Guardian suggests that some of these claims may be less robust than they first appeared.
The idea that tiny fragments of plastic might be accumulating in human bodies is unsettling. This concern stems largely from evidence that nanoplastics – the very smallest plastic fragments –…
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By Inderjeet Parmar, Professor in International Politics, City St George's, University of London
As Donald Trump’s second term unfolds, the contradictions at the heart of his “America First” agenda are increasingly apparent. What began as a populist revolt against elite globalism appears to have morphed into policies that alienate the very rural and small-town constituencies that backed him in 2016, 2020 and 2024.
These rust-belt and rural counties were drawn to his promises of economic revival, border security and non-interventionism. Yet, emerging signs of fracture in this Maga base suggest a potential backlash in the upcoming midterms.
The administration’s
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By Hammad Nazir, Senior Lecturer in Engingeering, University of South Wales
As plans for Moon bases gather pace across the globe, battery science may decide whether humans can live beyond Earth.
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By Noel Carroll, Associate Professor in Business Information Systems, University of Galway
The retirement of West Midlands police chief Craig Guildford is a wake-up call for those of us using artificial intelligence (AI) tools at work and in our personal lives. Guildford lost the confidence of the home secretary after it was revealed that the force used incorrect AI-generated evidence in their controversial…
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By Daniel Gover, Senior Lecturer in British Politics, Queen Mary University of London
The House of Lords has voted, by a significant margin of 261 to 150, to prevent children under 16 in the UK from using social media platforms.
There has been growing political interest in introducing a ban after a similar change came into effect in Australia in late 2025. Around 60 Labour MPs have signed a letter publicly calling for the prime…
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By Thusha Rajendran, Professor of Psychology, The National Robotarium, Heriot-Watt University
On the arm of Swiss tennis player Stan Wawrinka is tattooed a quote by Samuel Beckett: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”
This excerpt from novella Worstward Ho seems motivational and suggests that perseverance is needed for success. However, the word failure carries a weight with it, especially if used as a label, as if it were an essential part of someone.
Yet,…
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