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Insights & Views

Thu, Feb 12, 2026 08:27 AM All times are UTC

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Australia’s embrace of independent political candidates shows there’s no such thing as a safe seat

| Insights & Views

At the last federal election, Australia elected the largest lower house crossbench in its post-war federal history. In addition to four Greens MPs, Rebekah Sharkie from the Centre Alliance and Bob Katter (with his own...

Why Muslims often don’t celebrate Eid on the same day – even within one country

| Insights & Views

Wikimedia Commons, CC BY Eid is a special time for Muslims. There are two major Eid celebrations each year: Eid al-Fitr is celebrated at the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting, and Eid al-Adha is connected to the dates...

Friday essay: from Watergate to Zippergate to Pussygate – how a shameless Trump has reshaped the US presidential sex scandal

| Insights & Views

In modern times, who was the first presidential candidate to have their campaign almost destroyed by a sex scandal? The answer, surprisingly, is Jimmy Carter, probably the most pious of all recent presidents. In 1976, when...

Elisapie’s Juno-nominated album: Promoting Inuktitut through music

| Insights & Views

Singer Elisapies fourth album, Inuktitut, has been nominated for album of the year at the 2025 Juno Awards being held this weekend in Vancouver. The album features covers of 10 pop and classic rock songs, including the...

Labor regains poll lead as election called for May 3

| Insights & Views

After weeks of speculation, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today called the 2025 federal election for May 3. This will be an election for all 150 House of Representatives seats and 40 of the 76 senators (a normal House...

Labor’s in with a fighting chance, but must work around an unpopular leader

| Insights & Views

The Albanese government has a fighting chance of winning the 2025 election, but will need to achieve in five weeks of campaigning what it hasnt in three years in office. That is, work out a narrative explaining what its...

Can Peter Dutton flip Labor voters to rewrite electoral history? It might just work

| Insights & Views

They are neither as leafy nor as affluent as much of the Liberal heartland, but Peter Dutton believes the outer ring-roads of Australias capitals provide the most direct route to power. He has been telling his MPs these...

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Economy

Oil Prices Edge Higher as US-Iran Tensions and Strong Payroll Data Shape Market Sentiment

Oil prices moved higher in Asian trading on Thursday as ongoing geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran kept a risk premium firmly embedded in crude markets. Investors closely monitored developments in the...

Gold and Silver Prices Slip After Strong U.S. Jobs Data, Fed Rate Cut Bets Fade

Gold and silver prices edged lower in Asian trading on Thursday after stronger-than-expected U.S. nonfarm payrolls data reduced expectations of aggressive Federal Reserve interest rate cuts. However, ongoing geopolitical...

Asian Stocks Hit Record High as Strong U.S. Jobs Data Tempers Fed Rate Cut Hopes

Asian stocks surged to fresh record highs on Thursday, supported by a rally in technology shares and renewed investor confidence across the region. South Korean and Japanese equities led gains in early trading, pushing...

RBA Signals Further Interest Rate Hikes if Inflation Persists, Says Governor Michele Bullock

Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Governor Michele Bullock has warned that additional interest rate hikes remain possible if inflation in Australia becomes entrenched, underscoring the central banks firm commitment to...

U.S. Stock Futures Steady as Strong Jobs Data Clouds Fed Rate Cut Outlook

U.S. stock futures were little changed Wednesday evening following a muted session on Wall Street, as investors weighed a stronger-than-expected jobs report that dampened expectations for near-term Federal Reserve rate...

Politics

House Votes to End Trump’s Canada Tariff Emergency, Senate Showdown Looms

The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday evening to terminate the national emergency declared by President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on Canada, marking a significant development in the ongoing debate over...

Pentagon Seeks Broader Access to AI Tools on Classified Military Networks

The Pentagon is accelerating efforts to deploy advanced artificial intelligence tools across both unclassified and classified military networks, signaling a major shift in how the U.S. Department of Defense plans to...

Trump to Host Governors at White House Amid Dispute Over Democratic Invitations

President Donald Trump plans to host a bipartisan group of U.S. governors at the White House on February 20, according to National Governors Association (NGA) Chairman Kevin Stitt. The annual NGA meeting in Washington...

U.S. Offers Payments to Afghans in Qatar as Camp As Sayliyah Closure Nears

The U.S. State Department has begun offering financial incentives to Afghans stranded in Qatar to encourage voluntary repatriation, as officials move to shut down Camp As Sayliyah (CAS) by the end of March. The facility, a...

Angus Taylor Challenges Sussan Ley as Liberal Party Leadership Tensions Escalate

Australias opposition leader Sussan Ley is facing mounting pressure within the Liberal Party after senior frontbencher Angus Taylor resigned from his role as shadow defence minister, signaling a potential leadership...

Science

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

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...

Technology

U.S. Commerce Department Reaches $252 Million Settlement With Applied Materials Over China Exports

The U.S. Department of Commerce has announced a $252 million settlement with Applied Materials, resolving allegations that the semiconductor equipment maker illegally exported U.S. chip manufacturing technology to China....

Russia Moves to Fully Block WhatsApp as Kremlin Pushes State-Backed MAX App

Russia has reportedly attempted to fully block WhatsApp, the popular messaging service owned by Meta Platforms, as part of its broader efforts to tighten control over the countrys digital space. According to a company...

Instagram CEO Defends Platform in Youth Mental Health Lawsuit Over Social Media Addiction Claims

Adam Mosseri, head of Meta Platforms Instagram, defended the companys product decisions during a high-profile trial in Los Angeles centered on allegations that social media addiction has contributed to a youth mental...

FTC Questions Apple News Over Alleged Bias Against Conservative Media

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has raised concerns about Apple News following allegations that the platform favors left-leaning media outlets while excluding conservative publications. In a letter addressed to...

ByteDance Advances AI Chip Development With Samsung Manufacturing Talks

Chinas ByteDance is accelerating its push into artificial intelligence hardware, reportedly developing its own AI chip while holding discussions with Samsung Electronics for manufacturing support. The TikTok parent company...