ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 29, 2026.
Why we still love The Devil Wears Prada, 20 years on
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By William Simon, Casual Lecturer, Education and English Departments, University of Tasmania The Devil Wears Prada’s Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) has become a mythic cinematic character. The magazine editor is icy, commanding, manipulative, cruel, oddly sympathetic and endlessly imitated. Streep’s portrayal was surprisingly inspired by the quiet authority
Trump’s US ratings are near a record low after dropping further last week
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 US President Donald Trump’s net approval is near a record low after a further dip, despite a surging US stock market. In Australia, there are federal Essential
Cities are getting hotter – and bigger. New research reveals the scale of the challenge
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hamish Lewis, Lecturer in Climate Change, University of Waikato We tend to think of climate change impacts as dramatic and destructive. Storms and floods that bring down landslides and swamp streets, or raging wildfires that tear through forests and farmland. Heatwaves, by contrast, often pass for many
Robots can run a marathon and play ping pong. But will they ever achieve true sporting greatness?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Roberts, Professor in Robotics, Queensland University of Technology A humanoid robot recently made headlines around the world for running a half-marathon and beating the human world record. Around the same time, an AI-powered robot defeated an elite human player in table tennis. What the robot lacked
Fight Club at 30: toxic masculinity handbook or clever takedown of capitalism?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Copland, Honorary Fellow in Sociology, Australian National University Chuck Palahniuk’s first novel, Fight Club, is as relevant and controversial today as when it first hit shelves 30 years ago. The story follows a depressed, insomniac unnamed narrator, who unknowingly creates an alter ego – the charismatic
Prostate cancer overdiagnosis risk sharply rises after age 70 – new research
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Brentnall, Reader in Biostatistics, Queen Mary University of London Over the past decade, millions of men without symptoms of prostate cancer have voluntarily undergone a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test in the UK to find out if they might have prostate cancer. While research has shown that
Could warming seas bring great white sharks back to the North Sea? A 5-million-year-old shark tooth may provide clues
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Stewart, Professor of Evolutionary Palaeoecology, Bournemouth University As the Earth shifts to climates not seen for several hundred thousand years, we may need to look at ancient environments for clues about what could happen next. Our new study of two whale fossils, with preserved fragments of
The Bondi Beach terror attack mobilised a team of volunteer medics. Here’s what we learned
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aidan Baron, Adjunct Senior Lecturer Paramedicine, University of Tasmania; University of Notre Dame Australia; Kingston University Warning: this article contains details of injuries sustained during a terrorist attack. The 2025 Bondi Beach terrorist attack was different to other terrorism incidents. What stands out was the response. Lifeguards,
Nest-building chimpanzees seem to anticipate future weather
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hassan Al Razi, PhD Student, School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia Every evening, as they move from place to place through the forest, chimpanzees stop to build a nest – most often in a tree – to sleep in. Using a selection of branches,
AI decides what we see online. It’s time digital platforms tell us exactly how they do it
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sora Park, Professor of Communication, News & Media Research Centre, University of Canberra If you suffer from information overload, or are unsure what to trust online, you’re not alone. Australians are increasingly disengaging from traditional news, turning instead to social media, influencers and – more recently –
A probe into ‘forever chemicals’ in activewear lays bare fashion’s greenwashing problem
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Caroline Swee Lin Tan, Associate Professor in Fashion Entrepreneurship, RMIT University Have you ever paid more for a product because a brand told you it was good for you and the planet? Many activewear shoppers do exactly this, trusting that the “healthy” image on the label matches
In his first year as pope, Leo has emphasised peace, unity and social responsibility – and shown he won’t be stared down
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Darius von Guttner Sporzynski, Professor of History, Australian Catholic University When white smoke rose above the Sistine Chapel on May 8 2025, the surprise was immediate. The Catholic Church’s leadership had elected its first pope born in the United States, a former Augustinian missionary in Peru who
‘Mum and dad investors’ are pulling back. What will that mean for NZ’s housing market?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Rehm, Associate Professor in Property, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau In New Zealand’s long and storied romance with the property market, the “mum and dad” investor has always been a central character. With equity ready to draw on, they’ve traditionally accounted for between a third
New NZ film The Weed Eaters asks: why bury a body when you can just eat it, maybe with some tomato sauce?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erin Harrington, Senior Lecturer in English and Cultural Studies, University of Canterbury In the microbudget horror comedy The Weed Eaters, a group of bumbling townies get high on someone else’s supply with grisly and ridiculous consequences. Jules (Alice May Connolly) gives up partying with her friends for
Girmitiya ancestry the inspiration behind Fiji writer’s debut novel
By Christina Persico, RNZ Pacific bulletin editor A woman whose great-grandparents — all eight of them — were Girmitiya labourers has put their stories into her debut novel. The result is Banjara, a novel partly based on what she found, which is told through the eyes of two women more than 100 years apart. Author,
The Taiwanese pop megastar spreading the hidden Chinese history of Australia’s gold rush to a global audience
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sophie Loy-Wilson, Senior Lecturer in Australian History, University of Sydney Taiwanese pop music superstar Jay Chou, known in Mandarin as Zhou Jielun (周杰倫), has put country Victoria’s Sovereign Hill on the map. Chou’s 25 albums have sold more than 30 million copies, and the music video for
Why Australia has to boost fuel supply – and electrify transport
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Wood, Senior Fellow in Energy and Climate Change, Grattan Institute As Australia’s immediate fuel crunch eases after successful efforts to diversify supply, policymakers are turning their attention to dealing with the next energy security crisis. The question is, what would actually work? The Coalition this week
Fuel now, electricity later: why Australia has to both boost fuel supply – and electrify transport
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Wood, Senior Fellow in Energy and Climate Change, Grattan Institute As Australia’s immediate fuel crunch eases after successful efforts to diversify supply, policymakers are turning their attention to dealing with the next energy security crisis. The question is, what would actually work? The Coalition this week
Meghan Quinn becomes first woman to head Defence Department
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Meghan Quinn will move from secretary of the Industry Department to head the high-profile Defence Department – the first woman to hold that post. She follows Greg Moriarty, who has become Australia’s ambassador to the United States. Quinn will oversee
Fed up with health insurance costs? 5 expert tips to negotiate a better deal
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Farrell, Professor of Economics (Health Economist), RMIT University Petrol. Groceries. Electricity. Rent. The cost-of-living crisis is squeezing household budgets from every direction, and private health insurance premiums have just joined the list. From April 1, the average premium rose by 4.41%. Consumer group Choice notes average
