ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on November 18, 2025.
When we see someone being touched, our brains automatically simulate how it feels
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sophie Smit, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Sydney Sebastian Dumitru / Unsplash Touch is fundamental to how we perceive our own bodies and connect with others. A gentle brush stroke on our body can feel soothing, while a pinch or cut can be painful.
How does the hair-loss drug finasteride work? Can it affect my mental health?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nial Wheate, Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University agrobacter/Getty For many men the gradual thinning of hair is about more than just their appearance. Finasteride, a drug widely prescribed for the treatment of male pattern baldness has been used effectively for many years for this deeply
Marilyn Garson: How shall we speak now since the Gaza ‘ceasefire’?
COMMENTARY: By Marilyn Garson How shall we speak and act now? For six years, Alternative Jewish Voices has spoken in an aspirational voice. This is intentional. Research shows, the voice that mobilises new political engagement is a voice of moral clarity which invites others to join the work of making a better world. We ground
Samoa Observer: The PM’s wish and our promise
EDITORIAL: By the Samoa Observer They say the march toward authoritarian rule begins with one simple act: taking control of the narrative and silencing the independent press. Yesterday, Samoa witnessed a step in that direction. Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt, elected by the people to serve them, has already moved to weaken one of democracy’s
New study finds 2 in 5 Australians experience traumatic events as children
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lucinda Grummitt, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney Tanya Gorelova/Pexels Some 42% of Australians experience a traumatic event before turning 18 – and it affects their health decades later. Our study, released today, analysed data from
Samoan PM bans nation’s only newspaper from government access
By Renate Rivers of PMN News Samoa’s Prime Minister La’aulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Schmidt has banned the country’s only daily newspaper, the Samoa Observer, from all ministerial press conferences. The move has raised serious concerns among industry stakeholders about media freedom as he faces growing political and legal pressure. La’aulialemalietoa announced the ban on Monday at
Australian businesses have actually been slow to adopt AI, survey finds
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stan Karanasios, Professor in Information Systems, The University of Queensland Burst/Unsplash Over the past few years, we have repeatedly been told artificial intelligence (AI) is coming for our jobs. In May last year, the International Monetary Fund warned the technology was hitting labour markets like a “tsunami”.
Vince Gilligan’s sci-fi series Plur1bus taps into our greatest fears about AI
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elliott Logan, Lecturer in Film, Screen, and Culture, Monash University Apple TV Viewers of Apple TV’s new science fiction series, Plur1bus, have been quick to point out eerie similarities with modern concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) – even if that’s not what it’s maker intended. Writer and
Strangers in their own land: how a new citizenship category could avoid a trap for Indigenous children born overseas
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah-Kay Coulter, Lecturer in Indigenous Studies, The University of Melbourne John Bryers Ruddock was born in Australia but is a New Zealand citizen by descent through his Māori mother. However, his children are not citizens under the current law because they were born in the United States.
Australians are markedly more worried about the US, still wary about China: new poll
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elena Collinson, Senior Project and Research Officer, Australia-China Relations Institute, University of Technology Sydney Australians remain supportive of the US alliance, but they are viewing it much more critically than before. And many are more concerned about American behaviour under the Trump administration, while softening their views
This widely used chart makes the clean energy switch seem much harder than it actually is
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Asma Aziz, Senior Lecturer in Power Engineering, Edith Cowan University Unsplash/The Conversation, CC BY-SA If you follow news about climate change, you’ve probably seen the term “primary energy”. This phrase refers to the raw energy in fuels and natural resources – the energy content of oil in
View from The Hill: The Liberals may fell Sussan Ley but she won’t make it easy for Taylor and Hastie
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In 2015, soon after he had rolled Tony Abbott to become prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull was heckled when, with a straight face, he told New South Wales Liberals, “We are not run by factions”. Once, there had been a contrast,
A cancer specialist explains why parents should not be too worried about coloured sand recalls
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Linton, Associate Professor, School of Medicine, University of Sydney Schools have been shut in the Australian Capital Territory after children’s play sand was recalled due to asbestos fears. Almost all Canberra primary schools were closed on Monday, with Education Minister Yvette Berry conceding it could take
Amyl and the Sniffers’ generosity shows what’s missing for Australia’s live music venues
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Whiting, Vice-Chancellor’s Senior Research Fellow in Music Industries and Cultural Economy, RMIT University When the Amyl and the Sniffers’ free show at Federation Square was cancelled on Friday night due to safety concerns, the band worked quickly to turn this disappointment around. Using their performance fee,
Civic squares as contested spaces: what history and urban planning can tell us about Fed Square
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Iampolski, PhD Candidate, Centre for Urban Research RMIT, RMIT University kevin laminto/Unsplash On Friday, thousands packed into Melbourne’s Federation Square for a free Amyl and the Sniffers show. Within minutes, fences buckled, the perimeter was breached, and the gig was cancelled over crowd crush fears. It
Finally, Indigenous peoples have an influential voice at COP30. They’re speaking loud and clear.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danilo Urzedo, Research fellow, The University of Western Australia Indigenous peoples are on the vanguard of climate action. Longstanding relationships with land means they endure the direct consequences of climate change. And their unique knowledge offers effective solutions to climate problems. But despite this, international climate policies
An AI lab says Chinese-backed bots are running cyber espionage attacks. Experts have questions
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Toby Murray, Professor of Cybersecurity, School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne Lone Thomasky & Bits&Bäume / Better Images of AI, CC BY Over the past weekend, the US AI lab Anthropic published a report about its discovery of the “first reported AI-orchestrated cyber
Trump’s Gaza peace plan faces a pivotal UN Security Council vote. Can it get across the line?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Burgis-Kasthala, Professor of International Law, La Trobe University The UN Security Council is set to vote on a US-proposed draft resolution in New York on Monday that sets the groundwork for the next stage of President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza to be put
Why Pope Leo is making a plea to save our cinemas
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruari Elkington, Senior Lecturer in Creative Industries & Chief Investigator at QUT Digital Media Research Centre (DMRC), Queensland University of Technology To the best of my knowledge, Pope Leo XIV has never visited the town of Yass in New South Wales. Yet efforts by the Yass community
ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for November 17, 2025
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on November 17, 2025.
