ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 11, 2026.
Pro-France Virginie Ruffenach elected New Caledonia Congress president
By Patrick Decloitre of RNZ Pacific Pro-France Virginie Ruffenach has been elected as the new New Caledonia Congress President (Speaker) under a “governance” coalition struck on Thursday between the pro-France bloc and “kingmakers” Eveil Océanien party. During a vote that followed New Caledonia’s provincial elections held on June 28, Ruffenach secured 28 of the 54
Former coup leader re-enters Fiji political debate with challenge to immunity and national identity
By Margot Staunton of RNZ Pacific George Speight — a former coup frontman in Fiji — is calling on the perpetrators of the country’s past political upheavals to confess. The ex-convict also described the idea of a common identity for the country’s citizens as “flawed” and said iTaukei (Indigenous) views must not be ignored. Speight
The U.S. just approved a giant space mirror to test ‘sunlight on demand.’ Low Earth orbit is getting weird
From space hotels and artificial meteor showers, to a new giant mirror that reflects sunlight to Earth — low-Earth orbit is getting weird.
The ball is round – and contrary to some keepers’ views, in this World Cup it has performed just fine
Is the Trionda ball being used at the tournament traveling too fast or flying unpredictably? We asked a physicist who tested the ball.
This is what Andy Burnham’s devolution plans need to consider – expert panel
Our experts explain how devolution in the UK has worked in practice – and what needs to change.
Brazil’s highland forest has been shaped by climate change and Indigenous people for 6,000 years
Prehistoric pollen records show that forest dynamics were driven by more than just broad-scale climatic changes.
Why an EU ruling about a traffic app could have major implications for big tech companies
Big tech platforms argue they simply store and display information created by others, so should not be seen as legally responsible for it.
Can we map The Odyssey? How ancient geographers and modern researchers have traced Odysseus’s travels
Attempts to transpose the locations of The Odyssey accurately to modern maps have proved difficult.
The US can’t win with force in the Strait of Hormuz – Iran must be offered a realistic incentive to settle
Realists in the Islamic Republic know that sanctions relief and access to global markets are what Iran needs now.
UK politicians don’t want to talk about sportswashing
Politics and sport have a complex relationship.
Why Iran broke the ceasefire in the Strait of Hormuz and what might happen next – expert Q&A
A MIddle East expert addresses some of the key questions about the renewed conflict.
Teachers are worried about students cheating with AI, but my survey suggests the deeper issue is learning
As schools consider AI guidelines, educators are also thinking about how they can adjust their assignments to accurately measure what students are actually learning.
Even in conservative North Dakota, some socialist institutions thrive
Regardless of whether Americans think socialism is bad or good, or how they define it, most of them embrace socialist policies and programs – as long as no one calls them that.
Why better-off cities and towns see more benefits from data centers than rural regions
Amid growing political pushback against data center development, more evidence is emerging of their impact on local economies.
Republicans have beef with Texas Rep. James Talarico – why does meat matter in US politics?
Two communication scholars explain how what Americans eat became shorthand for who they are.
Long COVID patients are told symptoms are in their head – here’s how to change the narrative
Long COVID shows why patients need assessment, respect and careful support that includes the brain-body connection.
David Blunkett: police leadership needs radical reform to give people the protection they deserve
A third of police forces across England and Wales are judged by the inspectorate as “inadequate” or “requiring improvement”.
Ten fathers took extended leave to care for their babies – how their family life changed
Fathers became more involved in the often invisible domestic work needed to keep family life running smoothly.
Why you are seeing bees struggling to survive this summer
Bumblebees are being affected by heat and other factors this summer.
Does it matter what children read, as long as they are reading?
Reading rarely starts with abstract arguments about its value – it often begins with subjects that already matter.