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Policing is not the answer to shoplifting, feeding people is

By Merissa Daborn

Big businesses like to tell us that, as consumers, we all pay for food theft. Weve been sold a narrative that as consumers who dont steal, we pay for the theft of food by others on our grocery receipts. Reported...

Māori atheism on the rise: the legacy of colonisation is driving a decline in traditional Christian beliefs

By Masoumeh Sara Rahmani Et Al

Religious beliefs among Māori have shifted significantly over the past two decades. The number of Māori identifying as having no religion in the census between 2006 and 2018 increased from 36.5% to 53.5%. Māori...

Spectacle, speed and savageness: Disney’s The Artful Dodger comes down under for a pop period spin

By Megan Nash

In a 1950 essay on Charles Dickens, literary critic Dorothy Van Ghent suggested the author had an unusual way of writing about the human form. She identified his habit of seeing the parts of the body as separable and...

Israel's ground offensive in Gaza City is ignoring the past lessons of urban warfare

By James Horncastle

Mediators are seeking to extend the truce between Israel and Hamas beyond Wednesday amid the exchange of hostages for prisoners. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to resume the war with full force...

Cyberbullying girls with pornographic deepfakes is a form of misogyny

By Amanda Margaret Narvali Et Al

The BBC recently reported on a disturbing new form of cyberbullying that took place at a school in Almendralejo, Spain. A group of girls were harmed by male classmates who used an app powered by artificial intelligence...

Striving for transparency: Why Canada’s pesticide regulations need an overhaul

By Valérie Langlois Et Al

In 2021, Health Canada announced a freeze on changing maximum residue limits (MRLs) the maximum allowable pesticide residues acceptable under Canadian law. This decision followed substantial public outcry following...

How big UK housebuilders have remained profitable without meeting housing supply targets

By Chris Foye Et Al

We must bulldoze through the planning system to get Britain building again. So said Sir Keir Starmer at the Labour partys last annual conference. He argued its time to fight the blockers and build the 1.5 million homes...

Governments have been able to overrule the Reserve Bank for 80 years. Why stop now?

By Peter Martin1

Pay close enough attention to parliament these next few days, and youre likely to witness something truly remarkable: politicians from both sides of politics uniting to remove the power of politicians to overrule the...

Almost half the men surveyed think they could land a passenger plane. Experts disagree

By Guido Carim Junior Et Al

Picture this: youre nestled comfortably in your seat cruising towards your holiday destination when a flight attendants voice breaks through the silence: Ladies and gentlemen, both pilots are incapacitated. Are there...

At a time when journalism needs to be at its strongest, an open letter on the Israel/Hamas war has left the profession diminished

By Denis Muller

The journalists who signed an open letter to Australian media organisations last week calling for ethical reporting on the war in Gaza have succeeded in intensifying the dispute over whether the coverage has been fair. At...

'Father of Reconciliation' Pat Dodson to quit parliament

By Michelle Grattan

Labor senator Pat Dodson, often dubbed the father of reconciliation, is quitting parliament due to ill health. Dodson, 75, told the Labor caucus on Tuesday he would resign as a senator for Western Australia, effective...

How does Australia's health system stack up internationally? Not bad, if you're willing to wait for it

By Stephen Duckett

When things are going bad in the health system, we are reassured weve got one of the best health systems in the world. But were rarely told where we actually stand relative to others. A new report from the Organisation...

Let's turn down the dial on conflict and focus on solutions

By Misha Ketchell

Is Australias political system doing a good job of serving its citizens? If not, how can we help it work better? These questions have become even more pressing in recent months. The war in Gaza has spilled over to...

Alleged assassination plot against Sikh separatist could hamper India-U.S. relations

By Saira Bano

The United States government recently stated it had thwarted a plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader in the U.S. and issued a warning to the Indian government. According to media reports, U.S. authorities say they...

Pollution from coal power plants contributes to far more deaths than scientists realized, study shows

By Lucas Henneman

Air pollution particles from coal-fired power plants are more harmful to human health than many experts realized, and its more than twice as likely to contribute to premature deaths as air pollution particles from other...

Drug resistance may make common infections like thrush untreatable

By Christine Carson

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the biggest global threats to health, food security and development. This month, The Conversations experts explore how we got here and the potential solutions. Weve all heard about...

WeWork approached physical space as if it were virtual, which led to the company's downfall

By Joseph L. Clarke

On Nov. 6, the co-working firm WeWork filed for bankruptcy. WeWork, founded by Adam Neumann and Miguel McKelvey in 2010, had a simple business model: it signed long-term leases on urban buildings, fitting them out with...

Fallen autumn leaves are a valuable resource – here's how to make the most of them

By Muhammad Ali Et Al

Towards the end of autumn the days get colder and shorter. This triggers the reduction of the plant hormone auxin in most deciduous trees, which start to shed their leaves. In natural woodlands, this isnt an issue....

Why the man-hating feminist is a myth – according to science

By Aífe Hopkins-Doyle Et Al

As part of the Women Against Feminism campaign that launched in 2014, social media posts have featured young women holding placards with the message I dont need feminism because… listing various reasons ranging from...

The potential of psychedelics to heal our racial traumas

By Vinita Srivastava

Clinical psychologist and professor Monnica Williams is on a mission to bring psychedelics to therapists offices to help people heal from their racial traumas. To do this, shes jumping over some big hurdles. Judging...

What the UK government's back to work plan covers – and why it is unlikely to boost people's job prospects

By Paul Sissons

Ahead of the UK governments latest economic statement, the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, and the secretary of state for work and pensions, Mel Stride, unveiled a new employment support package dubbed the back to work...

South Africa’s immigration proposals are based on false claims and poor logic – experts

By Loren B Landau Et Al

The South African government recently issued a long-awaited policy statement called a White Paper outlining proposed changes to the countrys asylum and immigration system. More than 20 years after its first...

Airlines are frustrating travelers by changing frequent flyer program rules – here's why they keep doing it

By Jay L. Zagorsky Et Al

As the U.S. holiday travel season picks up, many people are noticing that their frequent flyer benefits arent going as far as they used to. In September 2023, Delta Air Lines revamped its frequent flyer program to make...

Antibiotic resistance causes more deaths than malaria and HIV/Aids combined. What Africa is doing to fight this silent epidemic

By Tom Nyirenda

Each year antimicrobial resistance the ability of microbes to survive agents designed to kill them claims more lives than malaria and HIV/Aids combined. Africa bears the brunt of this development, which thrives on...

Immune health is all about balance – an immunologist explains why both too strong and too weak an immune response can lead to illness

By Aimee Pugh Bernard

For immune health, some influencers seem to think the Goldilocks philosophy of just right is overrated. Why settle for less immunity when you can have more? Many social media posts push supplements and other life hacks...

Good profits from bad news: How the Kennedy assassination helped make network TV news wealthy

By Michael J. Socolow

In journalism, bad news sells. If it bleeds, it leads is a famous industry catchphrase, which explains why violent crime, war and terrorism, and natural disasters are ubiquitous on TV news. The fact that journalists and...

Thanksgiving stories gloss over the history of US settlement on Native lands

By Lisa Michelle King

Too often, K-12 social studies classes in the U.S. teach a mostly glossed-over story of U.S. settlement. Textbooks tell the stories of adventurous European explorers founding colonies in the New World, and stories of the...

Education linked to better employment prospects upon release from prison

By Ben Stickle Et Al

Better job prospects. Higher wages. A greater chance of staying out of jail. Those are the key outcomes that we discovered for incarcerated people who get an education while serving their time. Our findings were...

Being homeless means not being free − as Americans are supposed to be

By Paul Schofield

Homelessness is a state of deprivation. Those who are homeless need shelter to be safe; they dont have it. They need a toilet for basic bodily functions; they dont have one. They need a shower to keep clean; they dont have...

Every state is about to dole out federal funding for broadband internet – not every state is ready for the task

By Brian Whitacre

When the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was signed in late 2021, it included US$42.5 billion for broadband internet access as part of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program. The program aims to ensure...

How do crystals form?

By Natalie Bursztyn

How do crystals form? Alyssa Marie, age 5, New Mexico Scientifically speaking, the term crystal refers to any solid that has an ordered chemical structure. This means that its parts are arranged in a precisely...

Myths about plastic pollution are leading to public confusion: here's why

By Lesley Henderson

Does the prediction that there could be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050 concern you? How about reports that we eat a credit cards worth of plastic per week? These are some of the facts about plastic that are...

Westworld at 50: Michael Crichton's AI dystopia was ahead of its time

By Keith McDonald

Westworld turns 50 on November 21. Director Michael Crichtons cautionary tale showed that high-concept feature films could act as a vehicle for social commentary. Westworld blended cinematic genres, taking into account the...

Tax cuts rumoured but the UK's autumn statement will offer little economic comfort

By Nick O'Donovan

The UK chancellors autumn statement is likely to be relatively uneventful yet extremely significant. Although some headline-seeking tax cuts are rumoured, sluggish economic growth and persistent inflation leave little...

What is a sonar pulse and how can it injure humans under water?

By Christine Erbe

Over the weekend, the Australian government revealed that last Tuesday its navy divers had sustained minor injuries, likely due to sonar pulses from a Chinese navy vessel. The divers had been clearing fishing nets from...

Who is Sam Altman, OpenAI's wunderkind ex-CEO – and why does it matter that he got sacked?

By Toby Walsh

On Friday, OpenAIs high-flying chief executive Sam Altman was unexpectedly fired by the companys board. Co-founder and chief technology officer Greg Brockman was also removed as the board president, after which he promptly...

The Optus chief was right to quit but real change is unlikely at the telco until bigger issues are fixed

By Helen Bird

Optus chief executive Kelly Bayer Rosmarin bowed to the inevitable on Monday and resigned as chief executive of Australias second largest telecommunications company. Why inevitable? Poor communication and a lacklustre...

With COVID surging, should I wear a mask?

By C Raina MacIntyre

COVID is on the rise again, with a peak likely over the holiday season. Given this, health authorities in a number of Australian states have recommended people start wearing masks again. In Western Australia, masks have...

ABC chief is right: impartiality is paramount when reporting the Israel-Gaza war

By Denis Muller

On November 17, the ABCs editor-in-chief and managing director, David Anderson, was interviewed on Radio 774, the ABCs local station in Melbourne, about criticisms of the national broadcasters coverage of the Israel-Gaza...

The rule of law is fundamental to a free society – so why don’t NZ courts always uphold it?

By Allan Beever

Ever since the 17th century, the rule of law has been regarded as one of the fundamental values of a free society. It means you cannot be forced to do something unless there is a law requiring you to do it. It also...

How can you define a 'drug'? Nobody really knows

By Sam Baron

Whats a medical drug? Ask someone on the street and theyre likely to tell you its the kind of thing you take when youre unwell. This understanding is wrong, as we will see. But after a thorough investigation, my...

TikTok has a startling amount of sexual content – and it's way too easy for children to access

By Sonja Petrovic Et Al

Explicit content has long been a feature of the internet and social media, and young peoples exposure to it has been a persistent concern. This issue has taken centre stage again with the meteoric rise of TikTok....

AI is now accessible to everyone: 3 things parents should teach their kids

By Kathy Mills Et Al

It is almost a year since ChatGPT burst onto the scene, fuelling great excitement as well as concern about what it might mean for education. The changes keep coming. Earlier in the year, MyAI was embedded into social...

Why are we obsessed with renovation? Amanda Lohrey explores the promise and limits of transforming our environment

By Monique Rooney

The cover of The Conversion is an image of two yellow-tailed black cockatoos ascending against a pale sky, their horizontal outstretched wings crossed by the vertical lines that run from their beaks to their tail...

South African university students use AI to help them understand – not to avoid work

By Tanja Bosch Et Al

When ChatGPT was released in November 2022, it sparked many conversations and moral panics. These centre on the impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) on the information environment. People worry that AI...

Gaza: should global brands join the protests?

By Aisha Ijaz

US doughnut chain Krispy Kreme has been involved in a humanitarian fundraiser for Palestinians in Gaza, putting itself on the same side as millions of protesters around the world. This might sound unsurprising in an era...

Biden's low approval ratings don't mean he is bound to lose the 2024 US election -- here's why

By Paul Whiteley

US Democrats have been spooked by some recent polling which suggests that voters intend to pick Donald Trump ahead of Joe Biden in some key states in the 2024 presidential election. A CNN poll reported on the website...

What Xi got out of his meeting with Biden

By Tom Harper

Chinas leader Xi Jinping flew into San Francisco to meet US president Joe Biden on November 15 for his first visit to the US since 2017. The meeting, at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) conference, was...

What is LockBit, the cybercrime gang hacking some of the world's largest organisations?

By Jennifer Medbury

While ransomware incidents have been occurring for more than 30 years, only in the last decade has the term ransomware appeared regularly in popular media. Ransomware is a type of malicious software that blocks access to...

Let coastlines be coastlines: How nature-based approaches can protect Canada's coasts

By Keahna Margeson

Along Canadian coasts, storm surges and flooding have gone from breaking news to seasonal norms. Phenomena Canadians have historically thought of as freak natural disasters are becoming regular predictable...

The four challenges faced by Spain's new government

Pedro Sánchez investiture marks the beginning of the third consecutive parliamentary term led by the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE). After a fraught period of negotiations, Sánchez now leads a broad...

Uber Unveils Taxi Service Collaboration with London’s Black Cabs

09:24 AM| Business

Uber Technologies Inc. further expanded its ride-hailing services to British commuters after striking a deal with the popular London Black Cab taxis. The agreement will allow drivers to put their black cabs on Ubers app so...

Amazon Unveils New AI Chip for Cloud Computing as Rivalry with Microsoft, Google Intensifies

08:58 AM| Business Technology

Amazon.com revealed a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence chip for its cloud computing service. This move intensifies the fierce competition with Microsoft as both tech giants aim to dominate the rapidly expanding...

Chanel, Hermes, and Nike Address Unfair Business Practices in S. Korea

09:49 AM| Business

Chanel, Hermes, and Nike have made changes to rectify what were cited as unfair business practices concerning customers. The changes were In response to a review by the Fair Trade Commission (FTC), the nations antitrust...

Apple to Terminate Goldman Sachs Credit Card Alliance

07:44 AM| Business

Apple Inc. reportedly plans to dissolve its credit card partnership with Goldman Sachs Investment banking company. The news emerged on Tuesday, Nov. 28, after the iPhone and MacBook manufacturer reportedly sent a proposal...

Toyota Group Eyes $4.7 Billion Sale of Denso Stake

07:21 AM| Business

Toyota Group companies are reportedly considering a significant move in the automotive industry. According to reliable sources, these companies plan to sell their stake in Denso Corporation, a leading automotive technology...

Google, Symphony Team Up for Generative AI for Voice Analytics

07:20 AM| Business Technology

Google Cloud, the cloud computing service arm of Google LLC, has joined forces with Symphony for voice analytics services for banks, investment groups, and other organizations in the financial market. The companies...

Top Stories

Potato growers can use AI to monitor and predict potato nutrition in real time

By Reem Abukmeil Et Al - 07:37 AM| Technology

Potatoes are the premier vegetable crop in Canada, with $1.5 billion nationwide in potato receipts in 2021. The agricultural significance of potatoes is particularly prominent in provinces like New Brunswick, the home of...

Global Geopolitics Series

Ukraine recap: naval success raises hopes of advantage against Russia this winter

By Rachael Jolley - 07:35 AM| Insights & Views

War in wintertime is especially challenging militarily. Troops have to deal with the risk of frostbite while vehicles cant always move over muddy or frozen terrain. Its no wonder then that wars tend to move much more...

How 'digital twins' will enable the next generation of precision agriculture

By Istvan David - 07:35 AM| Technology

Drastic climate change and overpopulation have rendered traditional agricultural practices unsustainable. Even more economically affluent countries suffer from constantly increasing household food insecurity. In Canada,...

After 8 years in power, what is Justin Trudeau’s legacy — and how will he cement it?

By Thomas Klassen - 07:36 AM| Politics

Justin Trudeau led the Liberals to electoral victory in 2015, when the party began the federal election campaign with just three dozen MPs in the House of Commons. Trudeaus campaign platform promised Canadians...

Gaza: what aid agencies can hope to achieve under the strict limits of the four-day humanitarian pause

By Sarah Schiffling Et Al - 07:38 AM| Insights & Views

The four-day humanitarian pause in Israels assault on the Gaza Strip will be vital to allow humanitarian agencies into the stricken Palestinian enclave with much-needed supplies of food, water, fuel and medicine. But four...

Financial crises damage people’s mental health – our global review shows who is worst affected

By Ben Gibson Et Al - 07:35 AM| Life

Financial crises are periods characterised for some by devastating losses of income, work, a certain future, and a stable family life. The effect on mental health can be catastrophic. But what does the evidence tell us...

Matching state pension to the national living wage would help pensioners maintain their dignity

By Chris Parry - 07:40 AM| Economy

A question that is perennially asked by financial experts is: can the government (in other words, the taxpayer) afford to keep increasing pensions? But in my view, the real question should be: what is the purpose of the...

Econotimes Series

Economy

Western Pharma Shifts Focus from China to India Amid Rising Geopolitical Tensions

Western drugmakers are increasingly turning to alternative sources for drug production and clinical trials, shifting their attention away from Chinese contractors. According to industry experts and executives, this...

Stellantis and Italian Government Discuss Measures to Increase Car Production

Stellantis has initiated in-depth discussions with the Italian government with the primary objective of bolstering car production within the country. This collaborative effort aims to boost economic growth and streamline...

How governments use IMF bailouts to hurt political opponents – new research

Sri Lanka received a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in March amid soaring inflation, debt and a sovereign default. In exchange for US$3 billion (2.4 billion), the government committed to spending...

The government just killed 50 infrastructure projects – what matters is whether it will fund them on merit from now on

The federal government has just announced a list of projects to be abandoned as a result of an independent strategic review of its infrastructure investment program. The review found the cost of the A$120 billion,...

Interim housing isn't just a roof and four walls. Good design is key to getting people out of homelessness

State governments across the country have plans to increase social and affordable housing to address ballooning waitlists. While necessary, this wont be enough to clear the backlog of people waiting for public...

Politics

What Joe Biden's meeting with Xi Jinping means for geopolitical tensions

U.S. President Joe Biden has engaged in a crucial face-to-face meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco. This high-stakes diplomatic encounter was...

How a new identity-focused ideology has trapped the left and undermined social justice

Yasha Mounks new book, The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time, explores a radical progressive ideology that has been taking the world by storm. From its unlikely beginnings in esoteric scholarly theories...

Rwanda plan: Rishi Sunak has insisted on pushing ahead – here's where he could take it next

The UK supreme court has ruled against the governments plan to deport some asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing. But this isnt the end of the story a version of the plan is likely to resurface in some form. The initial...

Myanmar’s military junta appears to be in terminal decline

Myint Swe, the acting president of Mynamars military government, has warned that the country will be split into various parts after his armed forces suffered huge territorial losses to resistance fighters recently. His...

China: why there has been a sudden 'surge' of antisemitism in the People's Republic

During the conflict between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, many nations have tried to maintain a neutral stance by not explicitly supporting either side. But despite attempts at balanced commentaries at the top of business and...

Science

NASA's first successful recovery of asteroid samples may reveal information about the origins of the universe

The OSIRIS-REx mission is NASAs first mission to collect samples from an asteroid in this case 101955 Bennu and return to Earth. OSIRIS-REx is an acronym for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification,...

Did this chemical reaction create the building blocks of life on Earth?

How did life begin? How did chemical reactions on the early Earth create complex, self-replicating structures that developed into living things as we know them? According to one school of thought, before the current era...

Will Saturn's rings really 'disappear' by 2025? An astronomer explains

If you can get your hands on a telescope, there are few sights more spectacular than the magnificent ringed planet Saturn. Currently, Saturn is clearly visible in the evening sky, at its highest just after sunset. Its...

Specialized training programs using sensory augmentation devices could prevent astronauts from getting disoriented in space

When landing on the surface of the Moon, astronauts can become spatially disoriented, which is when they lose sense of their orientation they might not be able to tell which way is up. This disorientation can lead to...

Is some of the body that collided with Earth to form the Moon still recognisable inside our planet?

Scientists have dated the birth of the Solar System to about 4.57 billion years ago. About 60 million years later a giant impact collision between the infant Earth and a Mars-sized body called Theia created the...

Technology

Software Issue Disrupts Didi Rides, Upsetting Commuters Across China

Didi Global Inc., Chinas equivalent of Uber Technologies Inc., faced a significant setback due to a software malfunction. This technical hiccup led to widespread service outages, impacting numerous commuters. Many...

Shanghai Investment Firm 5Y Capital Nears $700 Million Funding Goal Amidst Tech Sector Challenges

Shanghais 5Y Capital, a significant player in venture funding, is nearing its ambitious goal of securing $700 million for a new venture fund. This achievement signals a resurgence of investor interest in the global...

European Tech Sector Faces Challenges and Shows Resilience Amid Global Economic Shifts

The European technology sector is navigating a challenging economic environment, as evidenced by recent data from venture capital firm Atomico. This year, European startups are expected to raise around $42 billion, a...

Hexa, Paris's Quiet Powerhouse in the Startup World

Tucked away in Paris, Hexa, a startup studio, has quietly made waves in the business-to-business (B2B) software realm. Though Hexa may not be a household name, its the force behind several successful unicorns like Front,...

Amazon Launches New Serverless Solutions to Simplify Database Management

Amazon recently unveiled its latest advancements in serverless technology during the AWS re:Invent conference in Las Vegas. These innovations aim to simplify the management of Aurora, Elastic Cache, and Redshift serverless...
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