ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 16, 2026.
Australian companies to face fines and criminal action if they fail to prevent modern slavery
The changes come just weeks after the US threatened new tariffs of up to 12.5% on 60 countries – including Australia – for inaction on slave labour.
Bird flu has reached New Zealand – what this means and what comes next
The confirmation of the bird flu virus in a brown skua appears to be a single detection. Ongoing surveillance will be essential to detect any further cases.
This rare Australian wattle is on the brink of extinction: new research
Four experts explain how we can protect the rare – and increasingly at risk – spidery wattle.
How VAR is changing soccer – and its referees
If VAR catches a player offside by their toe, this is a correct decision. Whether this is what we want as fans is a philosophical debate.
It is rare to watch an Australian TV drama that feels as effortless as The F Ward
Now streaming on Stan, The F Ward is the latest Australian medical drama. And it’s a good one.
Gen Z is pushing back against AI – a reminder to all of us that the future isn’t written
Many baby boomers see AI as a revolutionary tool, while young people see it as taking away their agency.
Jeremy Rose: New Zealand joins the arms race to climate calamity
COMMENTARY: By Jeremy Rose Late last year, the British government suppressed a report that contained warnings from its intelligence agencies that climate change could drive mass migration and trigger a nuclear war in Asia. A copy of the report, obtained by The Times, warned of collapsing ecosystems potentially triggering acts of eco-terrorism, and the possibility
How to stay safe from the triple threat of wildfires, smoke and extreme heat
As climate-related hazards become more frequent and severe, protecting our health will require moving beyond warnings toward prevention.
England out World Cup, but this team may have helped redefine a nation
It could be time for a new idea of what Englishness really means – and footballers are helping to shape it.
It’s the ABC’s job to be accurate and fair, not to chase the dangerous fallacy of ‘balance’
The antisemitism envoy has criticised the ABC’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict. But presenting all sides equally can distort the truth.
Should I let my kids play footy? How to weigh the benefits with the risk of injury
The benefits of sport are undeniable for kids. But how much risk is acceptable?
Australia has brought in sweeping new laws to combat money laundering – but will they work?
Australia now requires lawyers, accountants and real estate agents to report suspicious customers, at huge cost – but will this help fight crime?
A volcano in the Philippines erupted two weeks ago. Here’s why scientists are still watching it closely
This year alone, the Philippines’ volcano monitoring agency has recorded 18 eruptive events at Taal Volcano – but they haven’t been the kind you might expect.
The Odyssey is set in a fantasy world – but the ancient Greeks mapped it onto what they knew
The Greeks didn’t locate their deep past in far-off fantasy lands. These stories happened in places all around them.
NZ’s overhaul of nature protection laws is a chance to move away from ‘fortress conservation’
New Zealand’s conservation management currently prioritises full protection of pristine landscapes. Other models are based on reciprocity between people and nature.
Ukraine war: Belarus’s highwire act teeters under Russian pressure
With Russia pressuring Belarus to play a more active role in the war, Ukraine is strengthening the hand of the exiled Belarusian opposition.
Confessions II: a euphoric return to form that reveals a more vulnerable Madonna
Confessions II might be a spiritual sequel to Confessions on a Dancefloor, but the new album is both sonically different and much more confessional.
Taxi Driver at 50: how Martin Scorsese’s film foreshadowed the manosphere
The movie chimed with the dark 1970s zeitgeist, but it also prefigured the 21st-century America of Maga.
Ann Widdecombe killing: why police have told the public – including Nigel Farage – not to speculate
A trial would not be fair if a jury’s decision about a defendant’s guilt or innocence was influenced by material they saw online.
How we are engineering bacteria to eat cancer
Researchers are working to engineer bacteria that can kill cancerous tumours while reducing harm to healthy cells and tissue.