ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 17, 2026.
‘Unconstitutional’ – NSW court strikes down Minns’ draconian anti-protest laws
By Stephanie Tran of Michael West Media The Supreme Court of New South Wales has struck down the state’s draconian anti-protest laws, ruling they impose an “impermissible burden” on political communication and are invalid. In a landmark decision yesterday, the court declared key provisions of the anti-protest laws introduced after the Bondi terrorist attack unconstitutional,
Marshall Islands government shuts down at 3pm daily amid fuel crisis
By Giff Johnson, editor, Marshall Islands Journal/RNZ Pacific correspondent Most government offices in the Marshall Islands began enforcing a new policy this week of closing by 3pm daily as a way to conserve fuel given uncertainties of fuel supply globally. The move is to save energy and reduce the strain on the Marshalls Energy Company’s
Will retatrutide help me lose weight or look ‘shredded’?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lauren Ball, Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing, The University of Queensland Injectable peptides are generating a lot of buzz online. One of these is retatrutide, a drug that’s being described as the next big thing in weight loss. Some say it may be even more powerful
The Myanmar civil war is at stalemate – but anti-junta forces may be gaining the upper hand
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Damien Kingsbury, Emeritus Professor, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Deakin University Among the cruel ironies of the Myanmar civil war, now in its sixth year, is that for an army that is struggling to conscript soldiers, the Myanmar junta has repeatedly bombed its own troops held
Nurses with higher cultural competence don’t always perform better – new study
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emmy van Esch, Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Management and International Business, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau The ability to function effectively in intercultural settings has been termed “cultural intelligence” – and it is often celebrated as a kind of modern superpower. But our latest research reveals
Trump’s clash with the pope reenacts a 1,000-year-old question: What happens when sacred and secular power collide?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joëlle Rollo-Koster, Professor of Medieval History, University of Rhode Island Alarm over the war of words between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV has escalated with remarkable speed, from The New York Times to the Daily Beast and local television. The pope has repeatedly called for
Can I get a free flu shot? And will it cover ‘super K’? Your influenza vaccine questions answered
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Allen Cheng, Professor of Infectious Diseases, Monash University For many of us, flu can mean a nasty few weeks of illness. But for the very young and old, and those with health complications, it can be extremely serious, leading to around 3,500 deaths in Australia each year.
Out of sight, but not out of trouble: groundwater contamination in NZ reveals a legacy of human pressure
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Helen Rutter, Senior Adjunct Lecturer, Waterways Centre, University of Canterbury The latest official stocktake of the state of New Zealand’s freshwater carries many of the headline messages we have come to expect. Pressures such as intensive land use and climate change are continuing to degrade our lakes,
Inside One Nation’s strategy of scandal, chaos and controversy
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ashlynne McGhee, Head of Editorial Innovation, The Conversation We’d all like deeply considered policy and informed debate to be at the heart of politics, but unfortunately controversies and scandals tend to steal the show. For most parties, scandals are disastrous: they lose seats, ministers and elections —
No‑one has been prosecuted for wage theft since it became a crime. 2 inquiries want answers
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Irene Nikoloudakis, PhD Candidate in Law, Adelaide University Another day, another Senate inquiry – this time into Australia’s federal laws dealing with “wage theft”. Wage theft became a federal crime on January 1 2025. Employers who deliberately “steal” from their workers’ pay can now be prosecuted and
Iran hasn’t survived decades of hostile sanctions, assassinations and sabotage by accident – it’s by strategy
COMMENTARY: By Prince Taofeek Ajibade US President Donald Trump probably thinks he can starve a country that feeds itself. Washington is selling the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as a chokehold. However, it is worth asking whether the hand actually reaches the throat. Iran shares land borders with seven countries — Türkiye, Iraq,
Albanese and Indonesian governments land fertiliser supply deal for farmers
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The federal government has secured access to 250,000 tonnes of extra urea from Indonesia for Australian farmers. The deal between Incitec Pivot Fertilisers and PT Pupuk Indonesia was facilitated by the governments of the two countries. It will provide about
Black hole jets ‘dance’ in the wind from a massive companion star
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steve Prabu, Adjunct Lecturer, School of Electrical Engineering, Computing and Mathematical Sciences, Curtin University; University of Oxford Black holes are among the most extreme objects in the universe. They can fling material outwards at speeds close to that of light, in powerful beams of plasma known as
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Economist Chris Richardson on next steps in fuel crisis
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The war in Iran has become the third major economic crisis in the last 20 years, with fuel prices jumping and inflation once again starting to pick up. Australians are feeling worsening economic pain. While the government has offered some
Grattan on Friday: Migration debate deserves better policy approach and less politicking from Liberals
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra An effective opposition is good at policy. Last term and so far this term, the Coalition has been very poor at policy formulation. Remember Peter Dutton’s defence policy? If you don’t, it’s probably because it was just a commitment to
Caitlin Johnstone: I hope the US loses and the empire collapses
COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone I don’t mind admitting that I hope the US and Israel suffer a crushing, devastating defeat in Iran. I hope this war collapses the entire US empire. My only loyalty is to humanity, and being on Team Human in today’s world means being against the US empire and against Israel. I
The new National Defence Strategy feels written for a bygone era – and ignores the elephant in the room
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Layton, Visiting Fellow, Strategic Studies, Griffith University Sometimes new government strategies really aren’t newsworthy. The 2026 National Defence Strategy (NDS) is like that. The biggest headline from the document is the additional defence spending of $53 billion over the next decade, which the government claims (with
A new minister in Victoria will tackle the manosphere. Here’s what they should do
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephanie Wescott, Lecturer in Humanities and Social Sciences, Monash University Victoria has its first minister for men and boys. Part of a cabinet reshuffle, the role was given to Frankston MP Paul Edbrooke. It comes with an explicit dual focus: on one hand, boys’ and men’s own
What does the Geelong refinery fire reveal about Australia’s fuel supplies?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Wood, Senior Fellow in Energy and Climate Change, Grattan Institute Late on Wednesday, Victorian firefighters were called to a large fire at Viva Energy Group’s oil refinery in Corio, a suburb of Geelong. The blaze is believed to have been an equipment failure. Thankfully, no-one was
When oil refineries burn, here’s what happens to your lungs and heart
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brian Oliver, Professor, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney The fire at a major oil refinery in the Victorian city of Geelong has now reportedly been extinguished. But with thick smoke from the blaze lingering in the air on Thursday, many residents in Geelong and
