Central bank case exposes incompetence of South Africa's public protector

By Jannie Rossouw

The South African Reserve Bank has won a critical court battle. The Pretoria High Court has set aside a ruling by the countrys Public Protector that the central banks constitutional mandate should be changed. The...

Why you should care about China's VPN crackdown

By Omair Uthmani

Internet censors have a new target. The Chinese and Russian governments recently announced plans to block the use of virtual private networks (VPNs), which are a key tool for people trying to avoid internet restrictions...

The big money Mayweather-McGregor fight pits boxing against UFC in a battle of the brands

By Robert O'Neill

Las Vegas is soon to host one of the most lucrative boxing matches of all time. Dubbed The Money Fight it features UFC (which stands for the Ultimate Fighting Championship) star Connor Mcgregor making his boxing debut...

Trump's changing view of Afghanistan: are private armies part of the plan?

By Ulrich Petersohn

Donald Trump has defied expectation by pledging to increase the number of US troops in Afghanistan. In an address from Arlington, Virginia, the president announced that, following a review of the US strategy in...

Why free university tuition doesn't make economic sense

By Clive D Fraser

Who should pay for higher education? This perennial question returned after the 2017 UK general election and Labours bold proposal to abolish student fees. To many, offering free university tuition to all will sound like a...

Ozark, drug cartels and America's changing relationship with Mexico

By Niamh Thornton

The recent violence in Charlottesville and the ever-shifting statements by Donald Trump about national identity bring to the fore the dangers of the recurrent narratives of us versus them and the threats posed to American...

Why China is cracking down on foreign investment

By He Weiping

Big Chinese companies have been on an overseas buying spree in recent years, spending more than US$1.6 trillion scooping up businesses, property and trophy assets like football clubs. But a directive from the Central...

Europe is going grey: can EU countries work together to care for their elderly?

By Milena Pavlova

European societies are ageing. In 1950, only 12% of the European population was over age 65. Today the share has already doubled, and projections show that in 2050 over 36% of Europes population will be 65-plus years...

Finkel's Law: robots won't replace us because we still need that human touch

By Alan Finkel

By now, youve probably been warned that a robot is coming for your job. But rather than repeat the warning, Ive decided to throw down a challenge: man against machine. First, Ill imagine the best possible robot version...

Trump changes his mind on Afghanistan, but will upping the ante win the war?

By Tony Walker

President Donald Trump has upped the ante in Americas longest-running war, but it is not clear whether an all-guns-blazing strategy will bring the long-running conflict any nearer to a conclusion. In a clear departure...

Will CRISPR fears fade with familiarity?

By Patricia Stapleton

The first test-tube baby made headlines around the world in 1978, setting off intense debate on the ethics of researching human embryos and reproductive technologies. Every breakthrough since then has raised the same...

Can corporate America afford to walk away from President Trump?

By Neal Hartman

After campaigning as the candidate best able to work with business, President Donald Trump has shown he is anything but. A stream of resignations from high-level business counsels hit a crescendo recently when Trump was...

For many in Puerto Rico, 'energy dominance' is just a new name for US colonialism

By Catalina M. de Onís

The Trump administration has made achieving American energy dominance a central policy goal. President Trump asserts that energy dominance requires expanding nuclear development, increasing coal and natural gas exports,...

Some nerves: How loud noise may change hearing

By Matthew Xu-Friedman

Our modern world is loud. Just sitting in a car, or an airplane, or watching movie previews, we are bombarded with sound. Even when those noises arent damaging to the sensitive microphone that is our ear, our auditory...

How the smartphone affected an entire generation of kids

By Jean Twenge

As someone who researches generational differences, I find one of the most frequent questions Im asked is What generation am I in? If you were born before 1980, thats a relatively easy question to answer: the Silent...

Why universities can't be expected to police copyright infringement

By Sara Bannerman

As the new school year approaches, Canadian universities are grappling with the Federal Court of Canadas recent copyright decision against York University. The court ruled that York could not rely on its fair dealing...

It's hard to find a humble CEO. Here's why

By Mathew Hayward Et Al

Humility is the latest badge of virtue for those in positions of influence. From politicians, to executives, to chart-topping artists. The idea of a humble CEO is a romantic departure from the greedy self-serving...

Australia's car industry needs cybersecurity rules to deal with the hacking threat

By Tanveer Zia

Its common to hear modern cars referred to as computers on wheels. They boast sensors that measure fuel and braking, along with built-in navigation and infotainment systems. These digital systems could be hacked and...

Hundreds of languages are spoken in the UK, but this isn't always reflected in the classroom

By Emma Marsden Et Al

More than 300 different languages are now spoken in British schools. And in England, over 20% of primary school children use English as an additional language. This equates to over 900,000 children for whom English is...

Warning signs of mass violence – in the US?

By Nadia Rubaii Et Al

There are those who say that comparing President Donald Trumps rhetoric to that of Adolf Hitler is alarmist, unfair and counterproductive. And yet, there has been no dearth of such comparisons since the 2016...

Islamic State’s Twitter network is decimated, but other extremists face much less disruption

By Maura Conway Et Al

Alongside the fierce battles that have been raging of late in key strongholds of so-called Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq, intense battles against Islamist extremism have also been taking place online, particularly...

Wasted votes, hyper-marginals and disillusion: reform group issues damning report on election 2017

By Ben Williams

A report by the Electoral Reform Society claims that the outcome of the 2017 UK general election adds weight to the argument that British democracy needs a dramatic overhaul. The report offers a damning analysis on the...

Health Check: can stress during pregnancy harm my baby?

By Monique Robinson

Most pregnant women are aware of the advice to quit smoking, avoid alcohol, and wholeheartedly fear soft cheese in all its forms, but we hear very little official public health advice about stress during pregnancy. Yet...

Teenage heartbreak doesn't just hurt, it can kill

By Lucia O'Sullivan

Most adults recall the breakup of a romantic relationship as the most traumatic event of their youth. Research shows that breakups are the leading cause of psychological distress and a major cause of suicide among young...

How modern technology is inspired by the natural world

By John A. Nychka

What do a kingfisher, cocklebur pods and a Namibian beetle have in common? Besides being living organisms, they have all served as inspiration for creative human technologies to solve challenging problems. The...

Being exploited and breaching your visa: the limited choices of the food delivery worker

By Caleb Goods Et Al

Some of the most vulnerable workers in the Australian labour market are squeezed between a rock and a hard place. You can never do your homework, you are so tired and you just think about how to cook the next meal and...

As Australia becomes less religious, our parliament becomes more so

By Jonathan D James D James

Even though the 2016 Census revealed that more than 30% of the Australian population identify as having no religion a label that overtook the Catholic faith figure Christianitys effect on Australian politics is far from...

How hunger affects the mental health of pregnant mothers

By Zulfa Abrahams Et Al

The mental health of pregnant women can be affected by a range of factors, including partner violence and unemployment. But one of the key drivers that adversely affects a pregnant womans mental health is food insecurity....

How religion motivates people to give and serve

By David King

Saturday, August 19 is World Humanitarian Day a time to remember the tremendous humanitarian need around the world. The stark reality is that the world is facing the greatest humanitarian crisis since 1945: Mass...

Little prospect of regime change in Russia short of a popular uprising – and that's unlikely

By Matthew Wyman

Vladimir Putins power in Russia can often look unassailable. However much Western media might champion potential opponents, the president maintains a tight grip, and its easy to see why. Any successor to Putin who was not...

Barcelona's Las Ramblas: economic powerhouse and symbolic heart of a city

By Mark McKinty

How tranquil spaces can help people feel calm and relaxed in cities

By Greg Watts

When you think about somewhere that is tranquil, what do you imagine? Whether its a wide open meadow, a deserted beach, or a river as it lazily flows along on a warm summers afternoon, research shows tranquillity is mainly...

American Horror Story: how the cult TV show hints at real-world nightmares

By Rebecca Janicker

Following months of media hype, American Horror Story (AHS) returns this September with an election theme that seems set to maintain the TV shows tradition of inspiring controversy and debate. This time around, showrunners...

The UK's plan for post-Brexit customs is more hopeful than realistic

By Peter Holmes

The UK government has just issued its official position paper on the issue of the customs union and Brexit. It emphasises a desire for the most frictionless trade possible in goods between the UK and the EU and proposes...

What could have tipped the EU referendum result in favour of Remain

By Aihua Zhang

Much of the analysis about why the UK voted to leave the European Union in June 2016 has been done by looking at individual factors in isolation, or using opinion poll data from both before and after the vote. In a new...

When artists get involved in research, science benefits

By Gabby O'Connor Et Al

When artists and scientists get together, creative sparks can fly. Collaborative sci-art projects are increasingly popular and one obvious benefit is the greater visibility of the research through the artists work. Our...

A new approach to culture

By Julian Meyrick

I cant understand why people are frightened of new ideas, the composer John Cage once remarked, Im frightened of the old ones. Last weeks announcement that the Myer, Tim Fairfax Family, and Keir Foundations are sponsoring...

How subversive artists made thrift shopping cool

By Jennifer Le Zotte

National Thrift Shop Day (August 17) exists alongside other quirky holidays like Play Your Ukulele Day (February 2) and Rice Crispy Treat Day (September 18). Though intended as a lighthearted celebration of an acceptable...

Tracing the sources of today's Russian cyberthreat

By Dorothy Denning

Beyond carrying all of our phone, text and internet communications, cyberspace is an active battleground, with cybercriminals, government agents and even military personnel probing weaknesses in corporate, national and...

Trump's threat to withdraw from NAFTA may hit a hurdle: The US Constitution

By Tim Meyer

On Aug. 16, representatives of the U.S., Canada and Mexico formally begin renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), an accord that has governed matters of trade and security on the continent for 23...

How parents can help their freshman teens cope with stress

By Chris Palmer

Entering high school can be an exciting experience, but for some teenagers it can also be scary, intimidating and confusing. According to one study, approximately half of all high school students feel a great deal of...

Does biology explain why men outnumber women in tech?

By Alice H. Eagly

Its no secret that Silicon Valley employs many more men than women in tech jobs. Whats much harder to agree on is why. The recent anti-diversity memo by a now former Google engineer has pushed this topic into the...

There may be a huge flaw in UK fracking hopes – the geology

By John Richard Underhill

Gas is hugely important to the UK. The country uses over 65 billion cubic metres to heat most of its 25m homes and generate around a quarter of its electricity each year. Despite efforts to move to renewable energy sources...

Quiet Canadian, ugly American: Does racism differ north of the border?

By Melissa J. Gismondi

In the aftermath of Charlottesville, its worth asking: Are Canadians really less racist than Americans? A recent issue of Rolling Stone magazine with a photo of a smiling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the cover -...

The hollow promise of construction-led jobs and growth

By Sally Weller

Any downturn in the construction industry could trigger job losses to a range of sectors that support the building industry, such as planning, project management, real estate and property services. This threat reveals the...

For a true war on waste, the fashion industry must spend more on research

By Mark Liu

The rise of fast fashion in Australia means 6000 kg of clothing is dumped in landfill every 10 minutes. The ABCs War On Waste visualised this statistic by piling a giant mound of clothing waste in the middle of the city....

Costly signals needed to deliver inconvenient truth

By Quentin Douglas Atkinson

A little over half the worlds population sees climate change as a serious problem (54% according to a 40-nation Pew Research survey). Coincidentally, roughly the same number identify as Christian or Muslim (55%). On the...

Why flooding in Nigeria is an increasingly serious problem

By Nelson Odume Et Al

Earlier this year heavy rains and thunderstorms caused havoc in Lagos, Nigerias economic nerve centre and one of Africas most populous cities. Residents woke up in many parts of the city to find their streets and homes...

Heroin trafficking through South Africa: why here and why now?

By Carina Bruwer

A series of large heroin seizures have been made in South Africa since 2016, but the country is just one of the pitstops on Africas heroin highway. The African continent is geographically situated between opium...

Popularity of latest 'honesty app' Sarahah shows how much we desire validation, whatever the cost

By Amy Binns

A new app called Sarahah (which is Arabic for honesty) launched its English-language version this summer, promising an anonymous way of offering supportive criticism for teams in the workplace. It has since attracted 300m...