ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on August 6, 2025.
Is it true foods with a short ingredient list are healthier? A nutrition expert explains
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Margaret Murray, Senior Lecturer, Nutrition, Swinburne University of Technology Hryshchyshen Serhii/Shutterstock At the end of a long day, who has time to check the detailed nutrition information on every single product they toss into their shopping basket? To eat healthily, some people prefer to stick to a
Teens are increasingly turning to AI companions, and it could be harming them
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liz Spry, Research Fellow, SEED Centre for Lifespan Research, Deakin University Teenagers are increasingly turning to AI companions for friendship, support, and even romance. But these apps could be changing how young people connect to others, both online and off. New research by Common Sense Media, a
Mark Brown rejects talk of ‘strategic shift’ in Cook Islands-New Zealand relationship
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist in Rarotonga The Cook Islands has no intention of leaving its special relationship with New Zealand, says Prime Minister Mark Brown. The Cook Islands marked 60 years of self-governance in free association with New Zealand on August 4. “The value of our relationship with New Zealand cannot be overstated,”
When it comes to weapons on Australian streets, do our perceptions match reality?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Terry Goldsworthy, Associate Professor in Criminal Justice and Criminology, Bond University Ye Myo Khant/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images It seems each week we see news stories about drive-by shootings or the use of knives or other sharp implements in violent public acts in Australia. But is violent
Soaring food prices prove the Gaza famine is real – and will affect generations to come
ANALYSIS: By Ilan Noy, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington The words and pictures documenting the famine in the Gaza strip are horrifying. The coverage has led to acrimonious and often misguided debates about whether there is famine, and who is to blame for it — most recently exemplified by the controversy surrounding
Sleepy birds, quiet dawns: how noisy, bright city nights disrupt and change birdsong
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Juli Gaviraghi Mussoi, Lecturer in Ecology, University of Waikato Juli Gaviraghi Mussoi, CC BY-NC-ND We’ve all had a bad night’s sleep, with a snoring partner, a crying baby or neighbours having too much fun. Sleep disturbances are common and have unpleasant consequences the day after, including feeling
Queensland teachers are striking. It’s not just about money – they are asking for a profession worth staying in
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Glenys Oberg, PhD candidate in education and trauma, The University of Queensland Queensland’s public school teachers will walk off the job on Wednesday in their first statewide strike in 16 years. The state’s teaching union has asked parents to keep their primary and high school children home
Could we one day get vaccinated against the gastro bug norovirus? Here’s where scientists are at
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Grant Hansman, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics, Griffith University Pearl PhotoPix/Shutterstock Norovirus is the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis outbreaks worldwide. It’s responsible for roughly one in every five cases of gastro annually. Sometimes dubbed the “winter vomiting bug” or the “cruise ship virus”,
World’s biggest coral survey confirms sharp decline in Great Barrier Reef after heatwave
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniela Ceccarelli, Reef Fish Ecologist, Australian Institute of Marine Science Official analysis of 124 reefs on the Great Barrier Reef shows coral cover has dropped sharply after a record-breaking marine heatwave in 2024, prompting grave fears over the trajectory of the natural wonder. Over the past few
The digital economy could turbocharge our productivity, but we need to get the settings right
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen King, Professor of Economics, Monash University Chris WM Willemsen/Shutterstock Data and new digital technologies such as artificial intelligence present an opportunity to get Australia back on the path to productivity growth. But we can only seize this opportunity with the right policy framework. Australia can unlock
Thousands of games have been censored from major platforms, with LGBTQIA+ creators caught in the crossfire
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Phoebe Toups Dugas, Associate Professor of Human-Centred Computing, Monash University Shutterstock Online game marketplaces itch.io and Valve’s Steam have recently delisted or completely removed more than 20,000 titles from their storefronts, after not-for-profit group Collective Shout pressured payment processors to change their rules. Although Collective Shout claims
NCEA isn’t perfect but NZ shouldn’t forget why it was introduced in the first place
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Pomeroy, Senior Lecturer in Mathematics Education, University of Canterbury jittawit.21/Getty Images Education Minister Erica Stanford has called time on “credit counting”, announcing plans to scrap the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA). Under the proposed changes, from 2028 NCEA Level 1 will be replaced by foundational
The hubris arc: how visionary politicians turn into authoritarians
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Trang Chu, Associate Fellow, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford Shutterstock/Pandagolik1 What turns a democratically elected leader into an authoritarian? The process is rarely abrupt. It unfolds gradually and is often justified as a necessary reform. It is framed as what the people wanted. All this makes
Sudan’s rebel force has declared a parallel government: what this means for the war
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samir Ramzy, Researcher, Helwan University Sudan’s south-western city of Nyala in Darfur recently became the centre of a significant political development. After more than two years of fighting Sudan’s army, an alliance of armed and political groups backed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces announced the formation
Why leisure matters for a good life, according to Aristotle
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ross Channing Reed, Lecturer in Philosophy, Missouri University of Science and Technology What we do in our free time says a lot about what makes us happy. Halfpoint Images/Moment via Getty Images In his powerful book “The Burnout Society,” South Korean philosopher Byung-Chul Han argues that in
Eugene Doyle: Recognise Palestine? Then free Marwan Barghouti
COMMENTARY: By Eugene Doyle The world’s most important hostage — must be released. The powerful Western countries have signalled that in the face of the genocide they may recognise the state of Palestine. States need leaders. That’s why Marwan Barghouti – often dubbed the Palestinian Mandela — must be freed. A former head of Israel’s
View from The Hill: Can Chalmers extract a serious deregulation agenda from reform roundtable?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Treasurer Jim Chalmers has three challenges with his economic reform roundtable, which is all about how to improve Australia’s productivity, budget sustainability and economic resilience. First, he must manage what has become a tsunami of wish lists. Second, during the
After years of backsliding, the ADF is growing again. What’s behind the recruitment uptick?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Hoffmann, Professor of Economics, Tasmanian Behavioural Lab, University of Tasmania The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has been facing a recruitment crisis for years. A lack of young people wanting to join has prompted a variety of responses from the force, including opening eligibility to some foreigners.
These students cut air pollution near their schools – by taking aim at their parents’ idling cars
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aria Yangfan Huang, PhD Candidate, School of Psychology, Deakin University Aria Yangfan Huang, CC BY-NC-ND At the start and end of every school day, many Australian children head to the carpark or street to get picked up. While they’re waiting, they will be breathing in a mix
Marshall Islands president warns of threat to Pacific Islands Forum unity
By Giff Johnson, Marshall Islands Journal editor/RNZ Pacific correspondent Leaders of the three Pacific nations with diplomatic ties to Taiwan are united in a message to the Pacific Islands Forum that the premier regional body must not allow non-member countries to dictate Forum policies — a reference to the China-Taiwan geopolitical debate. Marshall Islands President
