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The Latest Breaking News from The Conversation Weekly

Asia’s scamming gangs target Timor-Leste as their next frontier – but they may have misjudged the small island nation

Oecusse, a rugged, remote district of Timor-Leste in south-east Asia, is usually a pretty sleepy place. It’s located on the western side of Timor island, part of Indonesia, and is isolated geographically from the rest of Timor-Leste, which has governed the eastern side of the island since 2002.

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The American fixation on white Afrikaners in South Africa stretches back nearly a century

A few days after Donald Trump boycotted a G20 summit in Johannesburg, he announced South Africa would not be invited to the next G20 meeting, taking place at his resort in Miami in March 2026.

The Conversation

Flu shots: how scientists around the world cooperate to choose the strains to vaccinate against each year

Twice a year, 40 scientists gather together for five days to decide what strains of influenza to vaccinate against for the next flu season. It takes around six months to prepare the vaccine – which usually includes protection against three different strains of flu. So in February, the group’s decision…

The Conversation

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How China cleaned up its air pollution – and what that meant for the climate

Delhi: 442. Lahore: 334. Beijing: 16. These are the levels of PM 2.5, one of the principle measures for air pollution, on November 19.

The Conversation

Early climate models got global warming right – but now US funding cuts threaten the future of climate science data

Since the 1960s, scientists have been developing and honing models to understand how the earth’s climate is changing. These models help predict the phenomena that accompany that change, such as stronger storms, rising sea levels and warming temperatures.

The Conversation

How organised crime took over areas of Rio de Janeiro – and why violent police raids won’t fix the problem

At dawn on October 28, residents of Rio de Janeiro woke to the sound of gunfire. Battles continued throughout the day in the favelas of Alemão and Penha, as police mounted a huge operation targeting the Commando Vermelho, or the Red Command, one of Brazil’s largest organised criminal gangs.

The Conversation

The Scottish king who wrote a treatise on demonology and obsessed over witches

In the 16th century, witches and demons weren’t just for Halloween. People were terrified and preoccupied with them – even kings.

The Conversation

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Companies now own more than $100 billion in bitcoin – but the shine may be wearing off crypto treasury companies

One American company called Strategy owns more than 3% of all bitcoin in existence. Its executive chairman, Michael Saylor, is the pioneer of a new business model where publicly listed companies buy cryptocurrency assets to hold on their balance sheet.

The Conversation

The hidden sources of forever chemicals leaking into rivers – and what to do about them

As one of the birthplaces of the industrial revolution, the River Mersey in northern England is no stranger to pollution flowing into its waters.

The Conversation

Nobel laureate Shimon Sakaguchi on his immune system breakthrough – and the treatments he hopes it will unlock

Back in the 1980s, when Shimon Sakaguchi was a young researcher in immunology, he found it difficult to get his research funded. Now, his pioneering work which explains how our immune system knows when and what to attack, has won him a Nobel prize.

The Conversation

How changes in autism diagnosis help explain the rise in cases – podcast

When Donald Trump gave a press conference in late September urging pregnant women to avoid taking paracetamol unless medically necessary because of a possible link to autism, the reaction from the scientific community was swift and loud.

The Conversation

The 1970s inflation crisis shaped modern central bank independence. Now it’s under populist threat – podcast

For months, Donald Trump has badgered the US Federal Reserve and its chair, Jerome Powell, to lower interest rates. When the governors of the Fed did so by 0.25 percentage points in mid-September to a target of between 4% and 4.25%, it wasn’t big or fast enough for Trump.

The Conversation

From resistance to intifada to recognition: the origins of an independent Palestinian state – podcast

France, the UK and Canada are expected to become the first G7 countries to recognise the state of Palestine at the UN General Assembly in late September, where Australia will also announce its recognition. Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, will not be present as he is banned…

The Conversation

How ‘sovereign citizens’ around the world draw on similar pseudo-law arguments – podcast

In the remote mountain high country of the Australian state of Victoria, police are continuing a huge manhunt. The fugitive is Dezi Freeman, a man alleged to have killed two police officers and injured a third in late August in the town of Porepunkah, 300km northeast of Melbourne.

The Conversation

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How China uses second world war history in its bid to reshape the global order – podcast

With Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un among 26 world leaders watching, China’s president Xi Jinping made a muscular address to 50,000 people in Tiananmen Square marking 80 years since the end of the second world war. China is “never intimidated by bullies” and would “stand by the…

The Conversation

China’s WWII anniversary parade rekindles cross-strait battle over war narrative − and fears in Taiwan of future conflict

World War II casts a very long shadow in East Asia. Eighty years after ending with Japan’s surrender to Allied forces on Sept. 2, 1945, the conflict continues to stir debate over the past, in the context of today’s geopolitical tensions.

The Conversation

From bees doing maths to fish driving cars: teaching animals irrelevant skills can help unlock the secrets of cognition – podcast

Scientists can get animals to do the strangest things. They’ve taught goldfish to drive cars, primates to perform calculations with Arabic numerals and giraffes to do statistical reasoning. But what’s the point?

The Conversation

How Rupert Murdoch helped to build brand Trump – podcast

Donald Trump’s lawyers are pushing to get Rupert Murdoch deposed, and quickly.

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Origins of Israel’s nuclear ambiguity lie in a secret deal forged between Richard Nixon and Golda Meir – podcast

Israel has never officially confirmed or denied having nuclear weapons and has never signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Instead, even as evidence has emerged about its nuclear capabilities, Israel has maintained a policy of nuclear ambiguity.

The Conversation

What will batteries of the future be made of? Four scientists discuss the options – podcast

The majority of the world’s rechargeable batteries are now made using lithium-ion. Most rely on a combination of different rare earth metals such as cobalt or nickel for their electrodes. But around the world, teams of researchers are looking for alternative – and more sustainable – materials to build the…

The Conversation

The enduring anti-fascist legacy of places that mark Italy’s wartime resistance – podcast

Across Europe, far-right movements are gaining ground. From the Netherlands, to Germany and Italy, they’re winning seats in parliaments and sometimes joining ruling coalitions. By normalising nationalist rhetoric and challenging democratic institutions, these parties raise comparisons with former periods of fascism on the continent.

The Conversation

How Europe dropped the ball on its own defence and was left fawning over Donald Trump – podcast

The language from European leaders was fawning and obsequious. At one point, the head of Nato, Mark Rutte, even called Donald Trump “daddy”. But when the US president left the Nato summit in late June, there was a sigh of relief that he had not made any more angry criticism…

The Conversation

Amid alarm over a US ‘autism registry’, people are using these tactics to avoid disability surveillance – podcast

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. caused controversy in April by promising to find the cause for autism by September. Claims by the new US secretary for health and human services that autism is a “preventable disease” with an environmental cause, contradict a body of research that suggests autism is caused by…

The Conversation

What makes some people self-censor while others speak out? Podcast

Faced with the choice in their daily lives, their work or their politics, why do some people decide to keep quiet, to censor themselves in anticipatory obedience, even if they’re not ordered to do so?

The Conversation

Cash for sharks: the unintended consequences of paying fishermen to release sharks caught in their nets – podcast

As Jaws marks its 50th anniversary this year, sharks continue to get a bad rap. Film after film portrays them as terrifying hunters, the bane of surfers and swimmers.

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