ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on August 13, 2025.
Will AI pull the career ladder up out of reach – or just change what it looks like?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachael Hains-Wesson, Professor of Education and Associate Dean Learning and Teaching, RMIT University Once, a university degree was widely seen as a “ticket” to securing high-paying jobs and social mobility. Now, as artificial intelligence (AI) promises to revolutionise the labour market, it’s university students and recent graduates
MEAA condemns targeted attacks on Gaza journalists as a war crime
Pacific Media Watch Australia’s Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance has condemned the continued targeted killing of media workers in Gaza and the baseless smearing of working journalists as “terrorists”, following the deaths of five Al Jazeera staff over the weekend. Al Jazeera journalists Anas Al Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed
With new weapons, cash and battleground experience from Ukraine, North Korea has become much more formidable
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Simpson, Senior Lecturer, International Studies, University of South Australia The war between Russia and Ukraine is taking place in Europe, but its security implications are increasingly being felt in Asia, too. North Korea has benefited tremendously from its decision to supply enormous quantities of ammunition and
What’s the cheapest way to charge your EV?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hussein Dia, Professor of Transport Technology and Sustainability, Swinburne University of Technology SimonSkafar/Getty You’ll pay substantially less to charge an electric vehicle (EV) than if you were refuelling a petrol car to go the same distance. But what often surprises new EV owners is how much the
Washington’s Escalating War on Venezuela: Narco-Myths and Imperial Designs
Source: Council on Hemispheric Affairs – Analysis-Reportage By William Camacaro New York Since the election of Hugo Chávez in 1998 Washington has waged a relentless war against the Bolivarian revolution. The Trump administration continues to deploy political, economic and military measures aimed at the overthrow of Venezuela’s government and the reversal of advances in regional
Vape brands bypass regulations on marketing to young people by using global social media accounts
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lucy Hardie, Research Fellow in Population Health, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Youth vaping is a major public health concern in many countries, with New Zealand’s youth vaping rates among the highest in the world, and rising. In 2017, 3% of New Zealanders aged
A cornucopia of tiny, bizarre whales used to live in Australian waters – here’s one of them
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erich Fitzgerald, Senior Curator, Vertebrate Palaeontology, Museums Victoria Research Institute Art by Ruairidh Duncan Australia is home to a unique bunch of native land mammals, such as koalas, wombats and wallabies. These furballs evolved in isolation on this island continent and have become Australian symbols. But between
As human teams get bigger, they get less efficient. But these ants have found a solution
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris R. Reid, ARC Future Fellow, Behavioural Ecology, Macquarie University Chris Reid Have you ever been part of a large group project? You might assume that with more people involved, the work gets done better and faster. However, as more team members join the group, the effectiveness
Feeding kids can be a daily battle. But you wouldn’t know it looking at Instagram
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Georgia Middleton, Research Fellow, Caring Futures Institute, Flinders University SolStock/Getty Images Many families find feeding children a constant challenge. A favourite food is suddenly refused, someone is grumpy after a long day, siblings fight at the table. But if parents and caregivers are turning to social media
The government has asked for bold proposals. Maybe it’s time to consider taxing the family home
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Siminski, Professor of Economics, University of Technology Sydney Elias Bitar/Shutterstock The Australian government has “an appetite to be bold and ambitious” in its economic reform agenda. And tax reform is on the menu at its much-publicised reform roundtable, to be held next week. Here, we serve
Japanese film noir High and Low is a remarkable example of nail-biting tension – and now it’s inspired Spike Lee
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kristian Ramsden, PhD Candidate in English, Creative Writing and Film, University of Adelaide Toho “Wake up y’all. The king is here!” So proclaims Denzel Washington in Spike Lee’s new film, Highest 2 Lowest, where Washington portrays a hip hop mogul, David King, who finds himself the centre
Paramedics are less likely to identify a stroke in women than men. Closing this gap could save lives – and money
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lei Si, Associate Professor in Health Services Management, Western Sydney University SolStock/Getty Images A stroke happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off, either because of a blockage (called an ischaemic stroke) or bleeding (a haemorrhagic stroke). Around 83% of strokes are
Dagger beaks and strong wings: new fossils rewrite the penguin story and affirm NZ as a cradle of their evolution
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vanesa De Pietri, Senior Research Fellow in Palaeontology, University of Canterbury An artistic representation of a North Canterbury beach some 62 millions years ago. Canterbury Museum and Tom Simpson, CC BY-SA Remarkable new fossil discoveries in New Zealand are driving a significant reassessment of our understanding of
AI is peeling back the layers of ‘low-value’ work – NZ may be well placed to adapt
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kenny Ching, Senior Lecturer, Business School, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Malte MuellerGetty Images As generative artificial intelligence (AI) advances at breakneck speed, it is upending assumptions about which jobs are “safe” from automation. Disruption now extends well beyond manual or routine work into white-collar roles
RSF calls for emergency UN Security Council meeting after targeted Israeli strike kills six media professionals
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based media freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned the Israeli military’s “disgraceful tactic” to cover up war crimes in the wake of the killing of six journalists in Gaza on Sunday. It has called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to stop the massacre of journalists,
Coalition declares it would revoke Australia’s Palestinian statehood recognition if it wins office
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The bipartisanship about the path to a long-term settlement in the Middle East has finally been irrevocably broken. The shadow cabinet, meeting Tuesday morning, did not just confirm the Coalition’s disagreement with the government’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state.
Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick barred from NZ Parliament for rest of week after fiery Gaza speech
By Craig McCulloch, RNZ News acting political editor New Zealand Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has been ejected from Parliament’s debating chamber and told to leave for the rest of the week after a fiery speech about the war in Gaza. The incident occured during an urgent debate this afternoon which was called after the
Safe no more: off-the-charts marine heat has severely damaged Ningaloo and other pristine coral reefs
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Paton Gilmour, Research Scientist: Coral Ecology, Australian Institute of Marine Science Until now, many of Western Australia’s most pristine coral reefs have avoided the worst bleaching brought by marine heatwaves. But their luck has now run out. The state’s longest lasting, largest and most intense underwater
The RBA has cut rates for the third time this year. More relief may be on the way
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stella Huangfu, Associate Professor, School of Economics, University of Sydney The Reserve Bank of Australia lowered the official interest rate by 25 basis points to 3.60% at its meeting today, marking the third cut this year. The move follows reductions in February and May, and comes after
High-tech drones are changing warfare – terrorists may soon follow the same playbook
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Paterson, Teaching Associate in International Relations , Monash University In June 2024, Ukraine shocked Russian forces with the surprise Operation Spiderweb, an unprecedented, coordinated drone strike deep inside Russian territory. More recently, as part of Operation Rising Lion, Israel used drones to destroy Iranian air defences
