ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on August 29, 2026.
Trump’s Lake Ontario bluster: Why treating his sovereignty threats as a joke is dangerous
When a political leader repeatedly tells us what he wants, albeit through absurdity, there is a point at which treating it as a joke becomes its own form of denial.
Trump’s ‘renaming’ of Lake Ontario is emblematic of centuries of colonial erasure
While many might view Trump’s renamings as comical or unserious, for Indigenous communities, they are reminiscent of centuries of settler-colonial erasure.
Dolly Parton took control of her career by making men the butt of the joke
Whether ad-libbing her way through a duet or joking about her glamorous image, Parton turned sexist assumptions into a source of power.
Lake Ontario to Lake America – who gets to decide what goes on maps?
A geographer explains the politics and procedures behind renaming American places.
Nepal floods: China’s strict control of Tibet makes it harder to prepare for Himalayan disasters
Early warnings and shared data will move only as fast as Beijing’s security concerns allow.
Sophie, Standing There by Meg Mason: a tale of introspection and burgeoning self-awareness Jane Austen would have relished
Sophie is a passive observer of her own life, watching it unfold like a character on the periphery.
Farewell to Dolly, a beaten poet and all kinds of aliens: what to watch, see and listen to this week
Even though we’re all sad about Dolly this week, we still have her wonderful songs to listen to.
Mouth ulcers: why have I got them and how can I get rid of them?
Mouth ulcers affect up to a quarter of us, but the causes range from stress and diet to vitamin deficiencies. Here’s what helps them heal faster.
The strange history of bigamy in England: fake tears, secret weddings and double lives
John Mase Smith probably holds the record for the briefest second marriage, heading back to his first wife at 5am the morning after his bigamous wedding in 1849.
Why innovative ‘bio-materials’ are still more sci-fi than fashion revolution
Developing a new material is only the first step. Convincing an industry built around traditional textiles to adopt it is a very different challenge.
Stockholm syndrome isn’t a diagnosis – so why do we still treat it as one?
More than 50 years on, Stockholm syndrome still isn’t a real diagnosis – and some researchers want the term retired for good.
A black fungus is thriving in the midst of Ireland’s whiskey boom – we need to know more about it
The fungus appears to feed on the airborne alcohol vapours produced during whiskey maturation.
Professional gaming is brutal on the body – inside the growing field of treating esports injuries
Gamers face eye strain, repetitive-use conditions, back problems and even blood clots. Lessons from music, dance and car racing can help prevent and treat these injuries.
Immigration enforcement is supplying a long-standing economic market for prisoners
Rural places have long built and expanded prisons to tap federal funds during hard times.
Revolutionary War battlefields often romanticize combat, but this mass grave just outside Philadelphia shows the violence soldiers actually experienced
A team of historians, archaeologists and forensic anthropologists is trying to identify 15 German soldiers who were unceremoniously dumped in a ditch after trying to help the British capture Philadelphia.
‘Must I take all my antibiotics?’ Why infectious disease experts are rethinking this longstanding rule
For some illnesses, shorter courses of antibiotics work just as well as longer ones, but researchers are still working out the ideal timescales for many infections – and it may not line up with when you feel better.
Making the Fed more accountable to Congress and the public may be just what it needs to fend off Trump’s threats to its independence
The Federal Reserve is much more powerful than it was 20 years ago, which has prompted calls for a reset in how it answers to Congress and the public.
Communicating uncertainty in research is hard, so we worked on how best to do it – here’s what you can watch out for
Uncertainty is part of the scientific process, and it’s not a bad thing – it’s where future discoveries can happen.
Alumni revolt over Israel: 450 Sydney Uni staff, graduates accuse university of ‘profound moral failure’ on Gaza
Deepcut News More than 450 University of Sydney (USyd) alumni and current staff have signed a letter calling for a mass meeting to discuss the university’s ties to Israel amid concerns of a crackdown on free speech. The letter, submitted to Chancellor David Thodey on Tuesday, accused the university of “failing to respond meaningfully to
Fly-tipping: here’s what is missing from Andy Burnham’s plan to tackle waste dumpers
Burnham’s plan to tackle criminal fly-tipping gangs needs to go further.