ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 6, 2026.
Richard David Hames: When will we make war untenable for the power elites?
COMMENTARY: By Richard David Hames An Easter message. There’s no mystery about why wars start. They happen because someone, somewhere, decides that negotiation is more dangerous to them than to the people being bombed. Look at what was happening this “Good” Friday. Iran. Gaza. The West Bank. Lebanon. Thirty-six days of missiles and a Strait
The unseen challenges of life on the Moon
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Damian Bailey, Professor of Physiology and Biochemistry, University of South Wales For the first time since the Apollo era, humans are preparing not just to visit the Moon, but to live and work there for weeks, months – and eventually years. But what would it really be
Silence: a brief literary history
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate McLoughlin, Professor of English Literature, University of Oxford Literature expresses complex and nuanced ideas – the powerful feelings that define us as human beings and the detailed observations that illuminate all aspects of our lives. It does so with words put together with consummate skill. So,
How medieval chess created a space in which players – regardless of race – could engage as equals
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Krisztina Ilko, Junior Research Fellow, Queens’ College and Affiliated Lecturer at the Faculty of History, University of Cambridge In the medieval European imagination, racial difference was often highly polarised. Black people were perceived either as exotic status symbols – including saints and wealthy rulers such as the
Despairing at the state of the world? The ancient Greeks and Romans knew the feeling
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Konstantine Panegyres, Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History, The University of Western Australia If you’re feeling fed up with the way things are in the world, then, no matter your politics, you are experiencing an emotion people have felt for millennia. Perhaps you feel helpless. Maybe you
Lebanon’s political elites are using displacement and humanitarian crisis to delay elections again
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jasmin Lilian Diab, Assistant Professor of Migration Studies; Director of the Institute for Migration Studies, Lebanese American University Lebanon was meant to be preparing for key parliamentary elections in May 2026. Then came the return of war. Two days after the U.S. and Israel launched their military
Israel isn’t just responding to threats – it’s reshaping the Middle East
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Spyros A. Sofos, Assistant Professor in Global Humanities, Simon Fraser University Discussions about Israel’s role in the Middle East still revolve around threats and responses. Yet recent developments suggest that Israel isn’t only reacting to events, but is increasingly shaping the conditions in which they occur. This
Humans’ closest invertebrate ancestors date back much further than thought – how we discovered the fossils that show this
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Parry, Associate Professor of Palaeobiology, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford Animal life is extraordinarily diverse and complex, having colonised almost all environments on Earth – from hostile hydrothermal vents in the deep sea to the skies across our continents. But the planet was not
Bypass the Strait of Hormuz with nuclear explosives? The US studied that in Panama and Colombia in the 1960s
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christine Keiner, Chair of the Department of Science, Technology, and Society, Rochester Institute of Technology With the world struggling to get oil supplies moving from the Middle East, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich raised eyebrows with a social media post highlighting a radical idea: Use nuclear bombs
When is the best time to get your flu shot? 2 infectious diseases experts explain
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meru Sheel, Professor of Infectious Diseases and Global Health, University of Sydney We usually have to wait until winter approaches before we see an increase in cases of influenza, or the flu. But we have already seen a lot of flu this year, with 25,000 cases reported
Trump welcomes Columbus to the White House – and reignites America’s history wars
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Garritt C. Van Dyk, Senior Lecturer in History, University of Waikato Christopher Columbus is back. At least, a statue of him is back, reinstalled by US President Donald Trump on the White House grounds in late March – part of the president’s stated mission to cancel “cancel
How will the Iran war change the Middle East? We asked 5 experts
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Scott Lucas, Professor of International Politics, Clinton Institute, University College Dublin On February 28, the US and Israel launched a war against Iran following weeks of US military build-up in the region and threats from US President Donald Trump. In the ensuing weeks, Iran has retaliated by
The sound of our cities: why the Australian pedestrian button belongs in our archives
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Miles Park, Honorary Senior Lecturer, Industrial Design, UNSW Sydney The PB/5 pedestrian crossing button is an immediately identifiable product in our physical and aural urban landscape. Now inducted into the National Film Sound Archive of Australia’s 2026 Sounds of Australia, it is one of very few physical
Want a dog-friendly workplace? Here’s what you’ll need to get right
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giuseppe Carabetta, Associate Professor of Workplace and Business Law, UTS Business School, University of Technology Sydney Dogs are increasingly appearing in Australian workplaces. From “take your dog to work” days to permanent pet-friendly offices, the trend is often framed as an easy win for staff morale. Evidence
How one local council helped 1,200 low-income residents finance solar and home energy upgrades
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paris Hadfield, Research Fellow, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University Most of Australia’s existing homes are old, uncomfortable, and expensive to run. Too many are energy inefficient, and rising electricity and gas prices are making things worse. Mainstream programs are supporting home energy upgrades. But the transition
Farmers are boosting their profits and production – with nature’s help
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jim Radford, Associate Professor, Ecology and Environment, La Trobe University Farming is a vital industry, contributing an estimated A$100 billion to the Australian economy this year alone. Nearly 60% of Australia is used for agriculture. The lion’s share of that land is used to graze livestock, such
Choosing a school holiday program can be tricky. Here’s how to identify a good one
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alyssa Milton, Associate Professor, Principal Research Fellow, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney When the bell rings at the end of each term, there is a happy buzz as kids leave school for the break. But for many parents, the start of the holidays brings
Pope’s message for peace: ‘The Church cannot remain silent when power is used without moral responsibility’
Asia Pacific Report As tensions rose ahead of Easter, US President Donald Trump publicly criticised Pope Leo XIV, accusing the pontiff of “interfering in political matters he does not fully understand”. During a rally, Trump reportedly said: “The Vatican should focus on religion, not tell strong nations how they should defend themselves. America will always
Eugene Doyle: Who will pay billions in reparations to Iran? We will
COMMENTARY: By Eugene Doyle In the coming years, if Iran survives as a sovereign state and retains control over the Strait of Hormuz, countries like Australia, New Zealand, the UK, South Korea and Japan will be made to pay hundreds of billions of dollars in reparations for the US-Israeli war on Iran. For this to
