Get all your news in one place.

100’s of premium titles.
One app.

Get all your news in one place.

100’s of premium titles. One news app.

The Latest Breaking News from The Conversation

Syria: fall of Assad a blow for Iran’s ‘Shia crescent’ – here are its foreign policy options in the new-look Middle East

When Hafez al-Assad, an Alawite minority member, seized control of the Ba'ath Party in Syria in 1970, he faced a significant backlash. The Syrian Constitution stipulated that only Muslims could hold the presidency, and the Alawites were deemed non-Muslim by many Sunni groups.

The Conversation

It’s hard to distinguish conscious from unconscious states in patients – a more precautionary approach is needed

Sometimes, following a brain injury, patients have periods of wakefulness but can’t communicate with those around them. Might they still be feeling pain, pleasure or discomfort? Could it be that they still understand when loved ones speak to them, even if they can’t respond? Doctors and families alike find themselves…

The Conversation

Syria’s self-governing democratic north-east comes under attack with country in flux

After more than a decade of brutal civil war, it took Islamist militants just 11 days to sweep through Syria and topple the regime of Bashar al-Assad. The offensive, which has been driven by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has forced many residents in…

The Conversation

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
read the most diverse news in one place.

Hippos have been neglected by scientists – that’s why we’re building Africa’s first hippo database

Compared with Africa’s other big animals, hippos have been relatively neglected in scientific research. Partly, this is because they’re hard to study and dangerous to encounter.

The Conversation

Why distrust in powerful politicians is part of a functioning democracy – podcast

Surveys suggest that in many western democracies, political trust is at rock bottom. Scandals, corruption, faltering economies, conspiracy theories and swirling disinformation are all playing their part. But is it really such a bad thing for people living in a democracy to distrust their government?

The Conversation

Grattan on Friday: Dutton’s nuclear policy would have coal-fired power stations operating for a lot longer

A Dutton government would keep coal working hard for much longer under its nuclear policy, while renewables would provide only a little over half the electricity generated in 2050.

The Conversation

Sugarcane trash can produce energy – what South Africa’s small farmers need to make this happen

Bioenergy – the renewable energy derived from plant and animal waste products – is largely ignored in South Africa. Solar energy, wind power, and green hydrogen attract most investment in renewable energy.

The Conversation

Read news from The Economist, FT, and more,
with one subscription

The African Union has a poor record of protecting democracy. 2024 was no different

The chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, has congratulated the military-led government of Gabon on a successful constitutional referendum. General Brice Oligui Nguema came to power through a coup d’etat in 2023.

The Conversation

Climate projects take ‘invisible’ care work for granted: why this needs to change

Care work forms the often invisible infrastructure of all life. It is largely carried out by women and other marginalised groups, and it holds up communities and societies. It can be work in relation to production, such as in farms or forests, as well as the work of reproduction and…

The Conversation

Historic climate change advisory: what the case before the International Court of Justice might mean

The International Court of Justice, the world’s highest court, held hearings in mid-December 2024 on the legal obligations that governments have under international law to protect the environment and limit climate change. It’s the biggest case the court has ever heard. The court is expected to hand down a legal…

The Conversation

Moira Deeming’s defamation win shows nobody can play fast and loose with language – not even politicians

It has been a busy year for defamation lawyers. There has been a mixed bag of outcomes, too.

The Conversation

News bargaining incentive: the latest move in the government’s ‘four-dimensional chess’ battle with Meta

The federal government has revealed a new bargaining chip in the gamble to bring big tech back to the table with news publishers.

The Conversation

Big tech firms like Meta forced to pay for news, under Albanese government’s ‘news bargaining incentive’ charge

Big tech companies would have to either do deals with news organisations to help fund journalism or pay a charge to the Australian government, under a new plan announced by the Albanese government on Thursday.

The Conversation

Victorian independents’ potential High Court challenge to political donations laws has merit - and there are federal implications too

A prospective constitutional challenge to Victorian campaign finance laws may have flow-on consequences for Commonwealth campaign finance reforms, which have currently stalled in the Senate.

The Conversation

Get all your
news in one place.

100’s of premium titles.
One news app.

The Conversation

Sports diplomacy: why the Australian government is spending $600 million on a new NRL team in PNG

It has been a busy time in the Australian government’s sports diplomacy locker room.

The Conversation

A Meta outage hit Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and more. Here’s what we know so far

A major outage is affecting users of popular social media and messaging services including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp around the globe. All these platforms are run by the social media giant Meta.

The Conversation

Republicans soared in the recent US elections, but Democrats have reasons for optimism for 2026

This article is based on a presentation by the author to the Electoral Regulations Forum.

The Conversation

Hypnosis won’t put you under a spell. But it can open your mind to change – and help treat pain

Thanks to films and cartoons, you probably have a lot of vague ideas about what hypnosis involves.

Get all your
news in one place.

100’s of premium titles.
One news app.

The Conversation

Politics with Michelle Grattan: For Mark Dreyfus, antisemitism is very personal

The attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne and another car torching in Sydney have dramatically heightened political tensions over antisemitism.

The Conversation

Disaster happens when soldiers don’t act ethically. We can provide better training to support them

Recently, the government responded to the Royal Commission into Veteran Suicide. It adopted most of the recommendations designed to better support defence personnel.

The Conversation

Deliberate disinformation campaigns are a public health risk – but NZ has no effective strategy to deal with it

The recently released Royal Commission of Inquiry report about New Zealand’s COVID response highlights the harmful impact of misinformation and disinformation on public health.

The Conversation

What’s next for Albertsons after calling off its $25B grocery merger with Kroger: More lawsuits

Albertsons announced on Dec. 11, 2024, that it had called off an attempted merger with Kroger and would sue Kroger for breach of contract. The US$25 billion deal, first announced in 2022, would have combined Cincinnati-based Kroger, already the largest traditional U.S. supermarket chain, with Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons, which is…

The Conversation

MAiD and the law: B.C. case shows how courts offer crucial oversight when lives are at stake

A British Columbia judge recently issued an interim injunction, blocking a B.C. physician from providing medically assisted death (MAiD) to a 53-year-old woman.

The Conversation

23andMe’s struggles are a sign that direct-to-consumer DNA testing needs stronger oversight

23andMe, a major company providing direct-to-consumer genetic testing, has been struggling financially since late 2023. In September 2024, the company’s stock hit a rock-bottom of US$0.30, down 96 per cent from its peak share price of US$17.65 in 2021.

The Conversation

How Israel’s regional war contributed to the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria

When Hamas strategist Yahya Sinwar ordered the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 Israelis, he was planning to deal a mortal blow to an Israel weakened by internal divisions.

1 … 26 27 28 29

People

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
read the most diverse news in one place.

Organisations