Nationalism and piety dominate Turkey's election

By Resat Kasaba

Turkey goes to the polls to vote for president and parliament on Sunday. As a scholar of the history and politics of the Middle East, I believe the most striking feature of the campaign is the ideological uniformity...

Feeding frenzy: public accuse the media of deliberately fuelling shark fear

By Peter Simmons

Are you scared of sharks? If you never read or watched the news, would you still be? Last years Senate inquiry on shark mitigation and deterrent measures heard evidence that media coverage has contributed to...

VIDEO: Michelle Grattan on the federal government's tax package, the ABC and the 'Super Saturday' byelections

By Michelle Grattan

Michelle Grattan discusses the week in politics with University of Canberra Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President Academic Professor Nicholas Klomp, including, the governments income tax package success, the Liberals...

From World War II 'enemy' internment to Windrush: Britain quickly forgets its gratitude to economic migrants

By Rachel Pistol

The Windrush scandal of recent months, alongside revelations of the appalling conditions in immigration detention centres in the UK, have highlighted serious issues with the way migrants are treated in Britain. To...

Empire Windrush: how the BBC reported Caribbean migrants' mixed reception in 1948

By James Procter

Amid the celebrations to mark the 70th anniversary of the arrival of Empire Windrush from the Caribbean in 1948, much has been made of the warm welcome that once greeted those migrant men and women in Britains hour of...

It's not clear where Trump's 'Space Force' fits within international agreement on peaceful use of space

By Melissa de Zwart

Overnight US President Donald Trump announced the establishment of a Space Force as a separate force of the US military. Trump has indicated the reasoning behind the Space Force stems from national security concerns...

Could playing Fortnite lead to video game addiction? The World Health Organisation says yes, but others disagree

By Joanne Orlando

Could your child be addicted to playing video games? Maybe. If youre a parent looking for tips on moderating your childs gaming habits, read on. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has, for the first time, recognised...

We're laughing in an echo chamber: it's time to rethink satire

By Katrina Spadaro

In 2017 the BBC asked a timely question: are we living in a golden age of satire? The evidence suggests we might be. From the revitalisation of Americas late night comedy scene to Australian shows such as Shaun Micallefs...

Why electronic surveillance monitoring may not reduce youth crime

By Darren Palmer

Last week, the Victorian government announced a new surveillance monitoring scheme directed at young criminal offenders aged 16 and older. Under the legislation to be introduced later this year, the Youth Parole Board...

Trump-Kim summit: North Korean leader emerges a clear winner as Donald Trump reverts to type

By Virginie Grzelczyk

Virginie Grzelczyk, Senior Lecturer in International Relations, Aston University At first glance, it is easy to call the meeting between US president, Donald Trump, and his North Korean counterpart, Kim Jong-un,...

Why religions of the world condemn suicide

By Mathew Schmalz

The recent suicides of fashion designer Kate Spade and celebrity chef and writer Anthony Bourdain have reminded all of us that, even for the wealthy, life can become too painful to bear. The sad truth is that suicide...

Trump-Kim deal: why the two Koreas will probably never become one country again

By Niki J.P. Alsford

It seems ages since a lingering handshake began across the demarcation line that separates North and South Korea. Much has happened since and now, the once unthinkable has happened with a summit between North Koreas Kim...

G7 summit: Trump could be using advanced game theory negotiating techniques – or he's hopelessly adrift

By Charles Hankla

The latest G7 summit, held June 8 to 9 in Quebec, is one of the most contentious in years. Donald Trump and his counterparts from six other industrialized countries have been at loggerheads over the presidents...

'Backstop' option for Irish border after Brexit – the difference between EU and UK proposals explained

By Nikos Skoutaris

As Brexit negotiations near their end point, Theresa Mays government has been trying to find the balance between two seemingly irreconcilable goals. The UK aims to leave the single market and the customs union, without...

AI is acquiring a sense of smell that can detect illnesses in human breath

By Andrea Soltoggio

Artificial intelligence (AI) is best known for its ability to see (as in driverless cars) and listen (as in Alexa and other home assistants). From now on, it may also smell. My colleagues and I are developing an AI system...

Turkey's currency turmoil and upcoming election – what you need to know

By Gulcin Ozkan

The Turkish lira has dropped more than 15% this year against the US dollar and the government is doing all it can to stem the flow. Turkeys central bank just raised the countrys main interest rate by 1.25 percentage points...

Commonwealth Bank's $700 million fine will end up punishing its customers

By Sandeep Gopalan

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) this week agreed to pay a record penalty to settle its violations of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws. The A$700 million fine plus legal costs will become...

Revisiting metadata retention in light of the government’s push for new powers

By Rick Sarre

The Minister for Law Enforcement and Cybersecurity, Angus Taylor, foreshadowed this week that the Turnbull government will continue to pursue new law-enforcement powers that would allow authorities access to encrypted...

Most people don't benefit from vaccination, but we still need it to prevent infections

By Allen Cheng

A recent article in The Conversation questioned whether we should all get flu vaccinations, given 99 people would have to go through vaccination for one case of flu to be prevented. But this position ignores the purpose...

Is Australia's current drought caused by climate change? It's complicated

By Ben Henley Et Al

Much of southern Australia is experiencing severe drought after a very dry and warm autumn across the southern half of the continent. Australia is no stranger to drought, but this recent dry spell, and Prime Minister...

Doug Ford's challenge: Keeping the 'ordered' voter

By Peter Graefe

Elections are defined by swing voters being wooed by the parties: Soccer moms, hockey dads or even Joe the Plumber. The Conservative majority in the Ontario provincial election was about capturing the ordered...

Ford Nation rises again: What Doug Ford means for Ontario

By Brian Budd

Up until a few months ago, discussions of Doug Ford becoming premier of Ontario were relegated to amusing hypothetical conversations. However, the hypothetical what if has become reality. The man many view as a Canadian...

Government needs to slow down on changes to spying and foreign interference laws

By Tony Walker

Whats the rush? If you believe Commonwealth Attorney-General Christian Porter, unless two pieces of security legislation are in place in the remaining two weeks of parliament before the winter recess, the country will be...

A bird’s eye view of New Zealand's changing glaciers

By Brian Anderson Et Al

Every March, glacier watchers take to the skies to photograph snow and ice clinging to high peaks along the length of New Zealands Southern Alps. This flight needs to happen on cloud-free and windless days at the end of...

Turnbull government shrinks Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme register

By Michelle Grattan

Attorney-General Christian Porter has put forward compromise amendments to the governments proposed register of foreign agents that will limit its reach. The changes are designed to meet criticisms from charities,...

Multimedia resources help teachers share Indigenous knowledge in the classroom

By David Taylor

Picture a lake as smooth as polished granite parted by the keel of a narrow vessel with lines that gently curve from stem to stern. This shapely canoe, the icon of Canada, continues to be the most efficient means of...

Canadians deserve a real pipeline compromise

By Peter Dietsch

The Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion is turning into one of the most controversial and divisive issues in Canadian politics in years. On the one hand, proponents point to the economic benefits for Canada, and for...

Social Security’s future is safe

By Christian Weller

Social Security is the bedrock of Americans retirement income security. So you may have been concerned by the news that the federal government needed to dip into the Social Securitys trust fund to pay for the program this...

Bees join an elite group of species that understands the concept of zero as a number

By Scarlett Howard Et Al

When it comes to bees, it seems that nothing really does matter. As shown in a paper published today, our research demonstrates that the honeybee can understand the quantitative value of nothing, and place zero in the...

What might heaven be like?

By Philip Almond

What will Heaven be like? Perhaps not surprisingly, competing images abound. Until around the end of the 17th century, Heaven was primarily about the Beatific Vision. The perfect happiness of eternity in Heaven consisted...

Male dolphins use their individual 'names' to build a complex social network

By Stephanie King

In life it often pays to keep a close eye on competitors and rivals. Historian Doris Kearns Goodwins book, Team of Rivals, tells how US president Abraham Lincoln persuaded each of his political rivals to join his cabinet,...

Live sheep exporters get longer 'grace' period for sub-standard ships

By Michelle Grattan

The government has extended by a year the time it is giving exporters with old ships to continue with sub-standard conditions for sheep carried to the Middle East. Exporters were to be provided with a grace period for...

'Western civilisation'? History teaching has moved on, and so should those who champion it

By Rebecca Cairns

Rebecca Cairns, Lecturer in Education, Deakin UniversityThe Australian National University recently decided not to accept money from the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation to set up a Western civilisation degree. They...

What's driving the sky-high child marriage rates in South Sudan

By Katrina Lee-Koo Et Al

Last month, a Sudanese court sentenced a 19-year-old woman to death for killing her husband who had repeatedly raped her. The prosecution of Noura Hussein, forcibly married at the age of 16, has triggered global outrage...

Kate Spade, the archetypal New Yorker, sold whimsical, affordable luxury to women

By Louise Grimmer Et Al

Kate Spade, who was found dead on June 5 in New York, was a trailblazer who introduced the notion of affordable luxury for women. Starting out in the early 1990s she designed her first handbag, playfully named The Sam. The...

Paramedics need more support to deal with daily trauma

By Andrea Phelps

Among all emergency service workers, paramedics have the highest rate of PTSD, with an estimated prevalence of 14.6%. This compares to 7.3% among firefighters and 4.7% for police. While all emergency service personnel...

From Kilauea to Fuego: three things you should know about volcano risk

By Heather Handley

Recent photographs and video from the devastating eruption of Fuego volcano in Guatemala show people stood watching and filming hot, cloud-like flows of gas, ash and volcanic material (known as pyroclastic flows)...

Obese dogs could have similar 'personality' traits to overweight humans - new study

By Naomi Harvey

Were all told we need to eat healthier and exercise more to combat obesity, but did you know that theres also an obesity epidemic among pets, at least in the West? Between 39% and 59% of pet dogs in Europe, Australia and...

Video gamers may soon be paid more than top athletes like LeBron

By Laurel Walzak Et Al

Your interest in sports may have started out as a hobby when you were just a kid. You were better at it than others, and some even said you were gifted. Maybe you had a chance to develop into a professional...

How youth activism is kicking unpaid internships to the curb

By Nicole Cohen Et Al

Its job search season for students and fresh graduates, which means a bump in media interest in internships. Barely a decade ago, wed expect news articles to include tips for landing a dream internship or to quote an...

How a humanities degree will serve you in a disruptive economy

By Anna Moro

I dont know why we call them soft skills. Theyre certainly not easy to learn, although they are as valuable and necessary as the skills doctors use in surgery, bankers use to assess risk and physicists use to split...

Making a global agenda work locally for healthy, sustainable living in tropical Australia

By Silvia Tavares Et Al

Life in the tropics is often seen as living in paradise, a place where everything grows and flourishes. This picture-postcard environment is not the year-round reality. At certain times of year, intense heat, humidity and...

Fear not, shoppers: Amazon's Australian geoblock won't cramp your style

By Gary Mortimer

Online retail giant Amazons decision to block Australian shoppers from its US website has prompted an outpouring of anger from its customers. However, economic statistics indicate the actual value of online purchased...

Growing cities face challenges of keeping the masses moving up, down and across

By Donald McNeill Et Al

Cities worldwide face the problems and possibilities of volume: the stacking and moving of people and things within booming central business districts. We see this especially around mass public transport hubs. As cities...

Trolls, fanboys and lurkers: understanding online commenting culture shows us how to improve it

By Renee Barnes

Do you call that a haircut? I hope you didnt pay for it. Oh please this is rubbish, youre a disgrace to yourself and your profession. These are just two examples of comments that have followed articles I have...

Is Elon Musk a super‑hero?

By Isabelle Chaboud

On May 2, 2018, after the announcement of the results for the first quarter of 2018, Teslas stock fell by 6%, showing the limits of the super powers of Elon Musk. Is reality finally catching up? Elon Musk, human after...

Four things that should happen before Irish unity

By David Mitchell

Irish unity is on peoples minds and lips in a way it hasnt been for decades. The referendum on abortion reform in the Republic of Ireland on May 26 is the latest in a series of developments (Brexit, Stormonts collapse, the...

Why foreign investment is no easy fix for Africa's energy needs

By Philipp Trotter Et Al

Foreign investment in sub-Saharan Africas power sector has reached a record-high. Spurred on by the United Nations goal to ensure modern energy access for all by 2030, international donors have focused on increasing the...

US fertility is dropping. Here's why some experts saw it coming

By Caroline Sten Hartnett

The Centers for Disease Control reported this month that the number of births in the U.S. is down 2 percent the lowest number in 30 years. These reports were met with surprise and alarm. ScienceAlert, for example, led...

Will Amazon do to the grocery industry what it did to ecommerce?

By Richard Markoff Et Al

Amazon has been busy lately. After entering the grocery delivery market with Amazon Fresh and buying Whole Foods, it is now in the process of launching its own supermarket, Amazon Go. These moves have many wondering if...