ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 20, 2026.
Here’s how using more recycled plastic could ease the pain of oil shocks
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Omid Zabihi, Research Fellow, Institute for Frontier Materials Carbon Fibre and Composites, Deakin University As the crisis in the Middle East continues, much of the public focus has been on fuel prices and the cost of living. But there’s another oil-related product that often gets overlooked: plastic.
Fiji defends its isolated UN stance supporting Israel
By Anish Chand in Suva Fiji’s Ambassador to Israel, Jesoni Vitusagavulu, has defended his country’s voting record at the United Nations, saying it is guided by principle, not pressure. In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, Vitusagavulu said Fiji carefully assessed each resolution on its merits rather than aligning with majority positions. “Fiji votes at
Preserved orchids show pollination has fallen 60% since the 1970s
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joanne Bennett, Senior Research Fellow Gulbali Institute, Charles Sturt University With their dazzling blooms, orchids are among the most famous and collected flowering plants on Earth. But orchids are not just beautiful and rare. They can also provide clues into the broader health of global ecosystems. From
One Nation’s rise turns around as Newspoll and Resolve both have Labor well ahead
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Has One Nation reached its polling peak? That’s the intriguing question from the latest batch of polls. On Friday I covered a DemosAU poll that was one
Fiji military faces questions after death of Jone Vakarisi in custody
RNZ Pacific The Fiji military has found itself at the centre of a national firestorm following the death of a wellknown drug peddler, Jone Vakarisi, in army custody last Thursday. Conflicting reports have emerged over the weekend regarding the death of Vakarisi, who was reportedly linked to major criminal networks. News of his death broke
Dying for a drink? How midlife NZ women think about alcohol – and its long-term risks
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Kersey, Research Fellow, School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau For many midlife women busily juggling work and care responsibilities, an evening glass of wine can feel like the perfect antidote. But that everyday habit comes with real risks. Beyond the familiar hangover,
LIVE@ 12:30PM: The End of the Liberal Internationalist Order and the Rise of Illiberalism – AVFA
LIVE@ 12:30PM (NZ TIME): A View from Afar podcast. Series 06, Episode 03 – In this episode, political scientist and former Pentagon Analyst… Paul Buchanan and Selwyn Manning will deep-dive into: The End of the Liberal Internationalist Order and the Rise of Illiberalism. The topics to discuss are: A Global Transition Process – What is this
How we worked out a fossilised ‘pterosaur’ was actually a fish – new research
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Unwin, Reader in Palaeobiology, School of Heritage and Culture, University of Leicester Georges Cuvier, the 19th-century French anatomist who first recognised pterodactyls as flying reptiles, wrote that “of all the beings whose ancient existence has been revealed to us, [they are] the most extraordinary”. Now known
Ancient teeth reveal clues to the environment humans’ early ancestors evolved in millions of years ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zelalem Bedaso, Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Geosciences, University of Dayton Teeth are like tiny biological time capsules. They tell stories about ancient diets and environments long after their owners have died and landscapes have changed. After bones break down, tooth enamel stays hard and unchanged,
The problem with vet bills – a dog-owning economist explains
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Rietzke, Senior Lecturer in Economics, Lancaster University When my dog Buddy ate a tub of chewing gum – around 60 pieces – we rushed him to the vet, where he stayed overnight. Thankfully he was fine. The same could not be said for our wallets. Two
Should this plant be declared one of the worst weeds in Australia?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dr Ellen Ryan-Colton, Senior Research Officer, Australian National University You might not have heard of buffel grass, a robust and invasive grass that has spread across tens of thousands of square kilometres of inland Australia. But you might know its effects. Most people remember the deadly 2023
You don’t have to be a ‘cyclist’ to ride a bike. Here’s how to start again
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Glen Fuller, Professor Communications and Media, University of Canberra As fuel prices climb and oil supply shocks multiply, you might might be thinking – perhaps for the first time in years – about dusting off the bike and riding again. Perhaps you’re kicking yourself you haven’t done
This fuel crisis could last for a while. It’s time for a new approach to fuel use – end it
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Newman, Professor of Sustainability, Curtin University Australia is in the middle of a fuel crisis, but the way the state and federal governments have chosen to respond signals a firm commitment to fossil fuels. In a matter of days, Canberra found billions of dollars to make
4 lessons on how to be a good neighbour, from Shakespeare
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Roberta Kwan, Honorary Associate, School of Art, Communication and English, University of Sydney Be a good neighbour. When Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recently urged Australians not to hoard fuel, he drew on this familiar trope. Indeed, most of us still value being thought of as good neighbours.
Robots just captured a Russian position in Ukraine – but don’t worry about real-life Terminators just yet
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jacob Parakilas, Research Leader, Defence, Security, and Justice Group, RAND Europe Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky recently announced that ground robots (also known as unmanned ground vehicles) had captured a Russian position. Zelenskyy said it was the first time in the Ukraine war that an enemy position had
Trump’s coercive tactics in Latin America evoke era of gunboat diplomacy – and the rise of anti-imperialism it helped spur
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Wood, Assistant Professor of History, Modern Latin America, University of Colorado Boulder In Latin America, as in other parts of the world, the second Trump administration has adopted an increasingly aggressive policy. From drone strikes on purported drug traffickers to increased tariffs on imports, and from
Gallipoli has 4 lessons for the Strait of Hormuz crisis
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University The Iran war reminds us small strategic moves can mushroom into expanding military commitments. The United States decided to blockade Iranian ports by controlling access to and from the vital Strait of Hormuz, as a
Are aliens real? Scientists have been hunting for extraterrestrial life since the time of Aristotle
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert William Smith, Professor of History, University of Alberta Do aliens exist? Could Earth really be the only planet hosting intelligent life? Debates over the existence of extraterrestrials date back to the earliest Indigenous and western thought. The tools generating the evidence within western science, however, have
Netflix’s ‘The Dinosaurs’ rehashes a very old story of empire and conquest
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frederick Oliver Beeby Maglaque, Exhibition Researcher, Pacific Museum of Earth and Masters student in Art History, University of British Columbia “This is the story of the dinosaurs as it has never been told before,” narrates Morgan Freeman in the opening of Neflix’s The Dinosaurs docuseries. The four-part
Built to last? History shows us the art of reform that’s both bold and enduring
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pat Leslie, Senior Lecturer, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Reform, while never an easy task, is probably more difficult now than it used to be. Not only is declining trust a problem, belief in governments’ ability and willingness to affect real change is also
