Lists
Will Trump renew ‘maximum pressure’ against Iran – or could there be an opening for dialogue?
Iran’s leaders may seek to prioritise diplomatic solutions with a second Trump administration. It remains to be seen how Trump will approach the country.
NZ’s proposed anti-stalking law is good news – but it must be future-proofed against rapidly evolving technologies
The inclusion of cyberstalking in the proposed anti-stalking law brings New Zealand in line with other countries. But future technologies may make harm even harder to combat.
35 years after The Satanic Verses controversy, newly unearthed letters reveal some uncomfortable truths
Correspondence between Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohamad and Britain’s Margaret Thatcher showed how differently the Muslim world and the West viewed the book.
Egg-shaped galaxies may be aligned to the black holes at their hearts, astronomers find
New analysis of radio telescope data links the shape of galaxies to the supermassive black holes they host.
Government aims to pass political donation and spending caps within a fortnight after in-principle deal with opposition
The government has unveiled details of its major overhaul of political donations rules.
Grattan on Friday: Labor will ask voters ‘who will make you better or worse off in next three years?’
Albanese has plenty on his mind – Donald Trump, summit season, and a hectic end to the parliamentary year. But one issue looms bigger than all others: the narrowing window for calling the election.
There is reliable evidence social media harms young people – debates about it are a misdirection
There has been a huge public debate about whether there is sufficient direct evidence of social media harm. But there are many mechanisms that make the link clear.
Politics with Michelle Grattan: shadow communications minister David Coleman says misinformation legislation ‘one of the worst bills ever’
On the government's proposed misinformation and disinformation reforms, Coleman is trenchant in his criticism.
Elon Musk has turned X into a globally influential media platform – and there’s more to come
As well as becoming an ‘everything app’ and a place where lies continue to flourish, X is likely to see an increase what’s known as ‘cyberbalkanisation’.
A 41-million-digit prime number is the biggest ever found – but mathematicians’ search for perfection will continue
A new largest known prime number was found last month by an amateur mathematician, continuing a millennia-long quest to understand hidden patterns in the infinite tapestry of numbers.
Government to impose ‘duty of care’ on digital platforms: Communiations Minister Rowland
The Albanese government will develop and legislate a “Digital Duty of Care” to place the onus on platforms to keep people safe and better prevent online harms.
Online games should not be included in Australia’s social media ban – they are crucial for kids’ social lives
Australia is set to ban kids under 16 from social media. Depending on the definition, online games with social features could be in the firing line – which would be detrimental.
Prime time for cicadas: what a once-in-1,547-year bug population surge tells us about the nature of reality
Three groups of cicadas have emerged together this year for the first time since the fall of the Roman Empire. The reason is pure mathematics.
View from The Hill: Albanese plays ‘captain’s pick’ to maximise Labor’s election prospects in Tasmania
\Albanese is playing godfather again, hoping that in Tasmania a clever choice of candidate might help in Tasmania.
How the federal government’s misinformation bill might impede freedom of speech
Despite what some critics argue, the bill does not give the government power to censor or prosecute people for what they say. But it does have some potential problems.
Right now, the Sun is far more active than predicted – and small satellites are paying the price
The Sun’s activity is what gives us beautiful auroras – but it also has dramatic negative effects on satellites that go around Earth in a low orbit.