ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on August 1, 2026.
58 years of attacks on the media by powerful leaders trying to deflect criticism, from Nixon to Trump
American faith in news is at an all-time low, aided by a president hostile to the press. But presidents have long attacked journalists as biased. What does objectivity really mean?
Why Arbaeen – the Shiite Muslim pilgrimage of mourning – has a deep significance that brings millions to Iraq each year
Each year, millions of Shiite Muslims walk to Karbala to honor Husayn, the prophet’s grandson, whose death continues to shape their faith.
Clickgate: what cricket cheating scandal reveals about the nebulous ‘spirit’ of the game
Cricket prides itself on being a model of fair play and sportsmanship, but is it really that different from other sports?
Can you get stronger without pushing yourself to the limit?
Pushing every set until you cannot do another rep may not improve strength or muscle growth, and can make recovery harder.
An AI system ‘escaped’ during a test and hacked a company. How worried should we be?
The AI model built by OpenAI attacked the website Hugging Face.
How your conscious and unconscious mind interact
The modern scientific consensus is that your unconscious mind does the heavy lifting.
How grief tech is reimagining Victorian spiritualism
The 19th-century spiritualist movement promised contact with the dead. Today’s AI grief tech is reviving that promise in unsettling new ways.
Wildfires: why disposable BBQs are being banned from some parks and beaches
Disposable BBQs are a major, yet preventable, fire risk. Other picnics are a better bet.
We investigated Russia’s military indoctrination of Ukrainian children in occupied territories – what we found was more shocking than we could have imagined
International law forbids the indoctination and militarisation of children in occupied territories.
Britain’s quarter century: wealth and widening inequality
How finances and the economy have changed over 25 years.
‘Was this heatwave caused by climate change?’ – we’re asking the wrong question
Instead of asking whether climate change caused a heatwave, we should ask how much hotter it became because of fossil fuel emissions.
Students are anxious – and it’s no surprise, since we are teaching them to be that way
Whether students feel pressure to get good grades or keep up with classmates, the anxiety this effort produces can have long-term effects on their brains.
Getting outside despite your 9-to-5 job can improve your mental health – here’s how to spend time in nature during and around working hours
Sometimes the best escape isn’t a weekend away. It’s the park just down the road.
Foldable synthetic molecules could infiltrate and bust apart the toxic protein clumps causing Parkinson’s
Researchers are finding ways to target the toxic proteins involved in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s that were once considered ‘undruggable.’
How an 1876 massacre of Black men in South Carolina turned racial terror into political power
The men responsible for the bloodshed 150 years ago were never prosecuted; instead, they rose to South Carolina’s highest offices.
Why Andy Burnham is right to put the workforce at the heart of social care reform
Social care is not just a funding challenge – it’s a workforce challenge, too.
Leaving vehicle engines idling is unhealthy, expensive – and often illegal
Idling vehicles are easy targets for enforcement – they’re often left running for no good reason.
What this western Pennsylvania ’90s Pizza Hut reveals about nostalgia
A CMU marketing researcher explains why the love of a retro Pizza Hut has more to do with the relationships attached to it than pizza.
The Catholic principle guiding popes through tech upheavals, from the Industrial Revolution to AI
Pope Leo is one of many popes to respond to technological change by drawing on a Catholic principle called ‘subsidiarity.’
Uefa could boycott the World Cup if Fifa plan goes ahead – what happens next?
The threat is a response to FIfa’s proposal to sell stakes in its football competitions.