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Insights & Views

Mon, Dec 22, 2025 01:35 AM All times are UTC

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‘You can’t hear a smile’: how video visits help dads in prison stay connected with their kids

| Insights & Views

Many Australians know December 21 as Gravy Day. This is a reference to Paul Kellys song and new film How to Make Gravy, where a prisoner named Joe writes a letter to his family four days before Christmas. In it Joe,...

Climate anger can lead to action – or curdle into despair. We found out why

| Insights & Views

Strong emotional responses to environmental problems are remarkably common. We know people are angry about climate change but how many? Our new research surveyed 5,000 Australians and found almost half (49%) are angry...

Heatwaves and bushfires can be a dangerous mix for the electricity grid. Here’s how to shore up your supplies this summer

| Insights & Views

The Australian summer has started to unleash its power. On Monday, the Victorian town of Walpeup reached 47.1C, and towns in Queensland, western New South Wales, South Australia and the Northern Territory all hit...

Almost 1 million Australians are LGBTQIA+ – and for the first time, there’s a new national health plan for them

| Insights & Views

New data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) this week shows one in 20 (4.5%) Australians over 16 are LGBTQIA+. For perspective: at around 900,000 people, thats similar to the population of Tasmania and...

Friday essay: A man out of time – E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India at 100 and the legacies of colonialism

| Insights & Views

I was aware of David Leans cinematic adaptation of A Passage to India (1984) before I encountered E.M. Forsters original novel, which celebrated its centenary in 2024. While the film was being shot on location, I had a...

In the Bible, angels can be deadly. So why do we place them at the top of our Christmas trees?

| Insights & Views

Those beautiful white and gold angels you see on Christmas trees were originally monsters. At least, that is the claim made by scholar Esther Hamori in her book Gods Monsters. Hamori writes that angels have acquired the...

Yuletide cheer – but not too much: cinema’s best ‘Christmas adjacent’ films (yes, including Die Hard)

| Insights & Views

Christmas films appear in many guises. There is the witty (Christmas in Connecticut, Scrooged). The comedic (It Happened on 5th Avenue, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation). The wonderfully sentimental (The Shop Around...

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Economy

China Keeps Benchmark Lending Rates Steady as Economic Outlook Remains Cautious

China has once again kept its benchmark lending rates unchanged, extending the pause in monetary policy adjustments to a seventh consecutive month in December, in line with broad market expectations. The Peoples Bank of...

Asian Stocks Rise as Wall Street Tech Rally Lifts Markets, Yen Slumps Despite BOJ Rate Hike

Asian share markets moved higher at the start of the week, following strong tech-led gains on Wall Street, while the Japanese yen continued to weaken sharply against major currencies despite a significant interest rate...

China’s Power Market Revamp Fuels Global Boom in Energy Storage Batteries

Chinas sweeping reforms to its electricity market are rapidly transforming the economics of energy storage, driving a surge in both domestic deployment and global exports of battery technology. As international demand for...

Global Demand for Yuan Loans and Bonds Surges as China Pushes Currency Internationalization

Global investors and borrowers are increasingly turning to the Chinese yuan as lending and financing activity accelerates, driven by attractive pricing and Chinas long-term push to internationalize its currency....

Silver Prices Hit Record High as Geopolitical Tensions Fuel Safe-Haven Demand

Silver prices surged to a record high during early Asian trading on Monday, driven by escalating geopolitical tensions that boosted demand for safe-haven assets across global markets. Concerns over renewed hostilities...

Politics

Niigata Set to Approve Restart of Japan’s Largest Nuclear Power Plant in Major Energy Shift

Japan is approaching a pivotal moment in its post-Fukushima energy policy as the Niigata regional assembly is expected to endorse the restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear facility in...

Justice Department Restores Trump Photo in Epstein Files After Review Clears Image

The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed on Sunday that a photo involving President Donald Trump, which had briefly been removed from the cache of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents, was restored after an internal review...

U.S., Europe, Ukraine Hold Productive Florida Talks on Ending Russia-Ukraine War

Senior officials from the United States, Europe, and Ukraine concluded three days of high-level talks in Florida aimed at advancing efforts to end Russias war in Ukraine, with discussions centered on aligning positions and...

Najib Razak Awaits Court Rulings in 1MDB Case as Malaysia’s Anti-Graft Drive Faces Test

Malaysias former prime minister Najib Razak is set to learn on Monday whether he can serve the remainder of his jail sentence under house arrest, a decision that could have major political and legal implications for the...

Putin Aide Says European, Ukrainian Changes Fail to Improve Ukraine Peace Prospects

A senior aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that proposed changes by European countries and Ukraine to U.S.-drafted plans for ending the war in Ukraine have not improved the chances of achieving...

Science

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Blue Origin’s New Glenn Achieves Breakthrough Success With First NASA Mission

Blue Origins massive New Glenn rocket marked a major milestone as it completed its first mission for paying customers, sending two NASA satellites toward Mars and successfully landing its reusable booster at sea. The...

Cogent Biosciences Soars 120% on Breakthrough Phase 3 Results for Bezuclastinib in GIST Treatment

Cogent Biosciences (NASDAQ: COGT) shares skyrocketed over 120% after the biotech company announced groundbreaking results from its Phase 3 PEAK trial evaluating bezuclastinib in combination with sunitinib for patients with...

Technology

U.S. Lawmakers Urge Pentagon to Blacklist More Chinese Tech Firms Over Military Ties

A group of nine Republican U.S. lawmakers has formally urged the Pentagon to expand its list of Chinese companies accused of supporting Chinas military, intensifying scrutiny of Beijing-linked technology firms amid rising...

Dina Powell McCormick Resigns From Meta Board After Eight Months, May Take Advisory Role

Dina Powell McCormick has resigned from Meta Platforms board of directors effective immediately, just eight months after joining the social media company, Meta confirmed on Friday. The unexpected departure comes at a time...

TikTok U.S. Deal Advances as ByteDance Signs Binding Joint Venture Agreement

TikTok has taken a major step toward securing its future in the United States after its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, announced it has signed binding agreements with three major investors to form a new joint venture...

Trump Administration Reviews Nvidia H200 Chip Sales to China, Marking Major Shift in U.S. AI Export Policy

The U.S. government under President Donald Trump has launched a formal review that could pave the way for the first-ever shipments of Nvidias H200 artificial intelligence chips to China, according to multiple sources...

Oracle Stock Surges After Hours on TikTok Deal Optimism and OpenAI Fundraising Buzz

Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL) shares surged sharply in extended trading on Thursday, reflecting renewed investor optimism fueled by reports of a potential U.S. TikTok transaction and fresh fundraising discussions...