Analysis: Here is a summary of significant articles published on ForeignAffairs.co.nz on May 1, 2025.
MIL-Evening Report: Are side hustles really a way to escape the rat race, or just passion projects for a privileged few?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Farrugia, ARC Future Fellow, School of Education, Deakin University PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock Is a “side hustle” really the only thing separating you from the life you desire? Listening to some influencers on social media could certainly have you thinking so. Side hustles encompass a range […]
MIL-Evening Report: Feuding mob families, mind control and a murder at the White House: what to watch in May
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexa Scarlata, Lecturer, Digital Communication, RMIT University Disney+/Prime/Netflix/Paramount+/The Conversation It’s May! Where did the year go? It must be all the amazing TV we’re watching that’s making the time whiz by. This month’s lineup of expert picks is packed with standout shows across all genres. Whether you’re […]
MIL-Evening Report: How does consciousness work? Duelling scientists tested two big theories but found no winner
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Bayne, Professor of Philosophy, Monash University cdd20 / Unsplash “Theories are like toothbrushes,” it’s sometimes said. “Everybody has their own and nobody wants to use anybody else’s.” It’s a joke, but when it comes to the study of consciousness – the question of how we have […]
MIL-Evening Report: Australians are warming to minority governments – but they still prefer majority rule
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicholas Biddle, Professor of Economics and Public Policy, ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National University Minority governments have been part of Australia’s political history since Federation. In the country’s early decades, Prime Ministers Edmund Barton, Alfred Deakin, Chris Watson, George Reid and Andrew Fisher […]
MIL-Evening Report: Donald Trump has cast a long shadow over the Australian election. Will it prove decisive?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Shortis, Adjunct Senior Fellow, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University Donald Trump is everywhere, inescapable. His return to power in the United States was always going to have some impact on the Australian federal election. The question was how disruptive he would be. […]
MIL-Evening Report: Playing politics with AI: why NZ needs rules on the use of ‘fake’ images in election campaigns
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bronwyn Isaacs, Lecturer, Anthropology, University of Waikato Laurence Dutton/Getty Images Seeing is no longer believing in the age of images and videos generated by artificial intelligence (AI), and this is having an impact on elections in New Zealand and elsewhere. Ahead of the 2025 local body elections, […]
MIL-Evening Report: When it comes to health information, who should you trust? 4 ways to spot a dodgy ‘expert’
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hassan Vally, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Deakin University Surface/Unsplash When it comes to our health, we’re constantly being warned about being taken in by misinformation. Yet for most of us what we believe ultimately comes down to who we trust, including which “experts” we trust. The problem is […]
MIL-OSI Global: The legal limits of Trump’s crackdown on sanctuary cities like Philadelphia
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jennifer J. Lee, Associate Professor of Law, Temple University Immigrant rights advocates call on Philadelphia officials to strengthen the city’s sanctuary policies at a rally on Dec. 10, 2024. Manuel Vasquez/Juntos, CC BY-NC-SA President Donald Trump signed an executive order on April 28, 2025, that demands the U.S. […]
MIL-OSI Global: Medicine’s over-generalization problem — and how AI might make things worse
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Benjamin Chin-Yee, Hematologist/Assistant Professor, Western University In medicine, there’s a well-known maxim: never say more than your data allows. It’s one of the first lessons learned by clinicians and researchers. Journal editors expect it. Reviewers demand it. And medical researchers mostly comply. They hedge, qualify and narrow their […]
MIL-OSI Global: Medicine’s overgeneralization problem — and how AI might make things worse
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Benjamin Chin-Yee, Hematologist/Assistant Professor, Western University In medicine, there’s a well-known maxim: never say more than your data allows. It’s one of the first lessons learned by clinicians and researchers. Journal editors expect it. Reviewers demand it. And medical researchers mostly comply. They hedge, qualify and narrow their […]
MIL-OSI Global: Even mild face blindness can cause serious difficulties in daily life – new study
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Judith Lowes, Lecturer in Psychology, University of Stirling Peter JB Hancock, CC BY-ND Have you ever been ignored by someone you knew when you bumped into them in the street or at an event? If so, you probably thought they were being rude. But they might have face […]
MIL-OSI Global: Tony Blair opposes phasing out fossil fuels. These academics disagree
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jack Marley, Environment + Energy Editor, UK edition Rapidly phasing out fossil fuels and limiting energy consumption to tackle climate change is “a strategy doomed to fail” according to former UK prime minister Tony Blair. In the foreword of a new report, Blair urges governments to rethink their […]
MIL-OSI Global: Wealth, wellness and wellbeing: why healthier ageing isn’t just about personal choices
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Simon Evans, Lecturer in Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Surrey Matej Kastelic/Shutterstock We’ve all heard it before: eat your five-a-day, and try to get some exercise. It’s advice that’s simple in theory, yet in practice, not everyone is able to follow it. So what’s standing in the […]
MIL-OSI Global: China has identified how to fight back against Trump’s tariffs, and is not ready to back down
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Chee Meng Tan, Assistant Professor of Business Economics, University of Nottingham US ports are now starting to see scheduled shipments from China decline as the result of Donald Trump’s 145% tariffs on Chinese goods. The port of Los Angeles, the biggest port for Chinese goods in the US, […]
MIL-OSI Global: Hacks season four tackles late-night TV – and is as funny and perceptive as ever
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jacqueline Ristola, Lecturer in Digital Animation, University of Bristol The comedy-drama Hacks has returned for a solid fourth season that continues to be both funny and perceptive. The series, about ruthless comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and her compassionate writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), explores their developing relationship […]
MIL-OSI Global: No criminal charges over death of ice hockey player during game – what this means for sport and the law
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Victoria Silverwood, Lecturer in Criminology, Director of Swansea Centre of Research in Sport & Society (SCORSS), Swansea University The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has announced that no criminal charges will be brought against Canadian ice hockey player Matt Petgrave in relation to the death of American player Adam […]
MIL-OSI Global: People with neoliberal views are less likely to support climate-friendly policies – new research
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Felix Schulz, Research Fellow, Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies, Lund University Sambulov Yevgeniy/Shutterstock Donald Trump won the US election on a campaign that included rolling back environmental laws. In the UK, Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch has called the national net zero target “impossible”. And former prime […]
MIL-OSI Global: The ‘entourage effect’ — what we don’t know about how cannabis works
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jonathan Simone, Adjunct Professor of Biological Sciences, Brock University In the years since legalization, there has been a tremendous surge in the number of cannabis products available to Canadian consumers, many offering tailored experiences to enhance seemingly any mood or activity. Do you want something calming or uplifting? […]
MIL-OSI Global: DOGE’s AI surveillance risks silencing whistleblowers and weakening democracy
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Thomas Stuart, Lecturer in Communications, Gustavson School of Business, University of Victoria The United States Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is reportedly using artificial intelligence to surveil federal agency communications for anti-Donald Trump and anti-Elon Musk sentiment. AI tools now automate firings and assess U.S. federal employees’ sentiment […]
MIL-OSI Global: China is reshaping central Asia’s energy sector as Russian influence fades
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Lorena Lombardozzi, Senior Lecturer in Political Economy of Global Development, SOAS, University of London China has been developing closer ties with countries in central Asia over recent years. Trade between China and the central Asia region grew to US$89 billion (£69 billion) in 2023, an increase of 27% […]