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The Latest Breaking News from The Conversation

South Africa’s sewage crisis: official reports don’t include millions of litres of leaking wastewater

Wastewater is the water we flush down our toilets, send down the drain from our showers and sinks or discharge from factories. It’s supposed to travel through intact pipes to be cleaned at wastewater works. If it gets into rivers and streams, it pollutes and contaminates these with nutrients, antibiotics,…

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Orwell’s opposition to totalitarianism was rooted in his support for freeing workers from poverty and exploitation

George Orwell’s dystopian novels “Animal Farm” and “1984” have remained popular in the U.S. ever since their initial publication in the 1940s.

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Why is the object of golf to play as little golf as possible?

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.

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Rural women are at a higher risk of violence − and less likely to get help

I have been teaching a course on rural criminology since 2014, and most of my students are surprised by the information on violence against women presented to them.

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From public confession to private penance: How Catholic confession has evolved over centuries

The 1953 Alfred Hitchcock film “I Confess,” based on an earlier play, features a priest suspected of murder. He’s innocent, and has even heard the murderer’s confession – but cannot clear his own name.

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Forget the warm fuzzies of finding common ground – to beat polarization, try changing your expectations

More than 70% of voters in Colorado’s Douglas County, conservative and progressive alike, voted “no” on home rule in June 2025. The ballot measure would have granted the county increased control over certain local matters such as building zoning, parking rules and sewer maintenance.

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Monsoon flooding has killed hundreds in Pakistan – climate change is pushing the rainy season from blessing to looming catastrophe

Farmers in South Asia rely on the summer monsoon’s rainfall, but extreme monsoon rains in recent years have been destructive and deadly.

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How federal officials talk about health is shifting in troubling ways – and that change makes me worried for my autistic child

The Make America Healthy Again movement has generated a lot of discussion about public health. But the language MAHA proponents use to describe health and disease has also raised concerns among the disability and chronic illness communities.

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Namibia celebrates independence heroes, but glosses over a painful history

Namibia celebrates 26 August as Heroes’ Day. It recalls the first military encounter between the South African army and members of the South West Africa People’s Organisation (Swapo), Namibia’s liberation movement, in 1966. Initially a German colony (1884-1915), the country was then administered by South Africa, which refused to give…

The Conversation

No room for the timid: setting Australia’s 2035 emissions target is a daring tightrope act

Any week now, Australia will set its 2035 emissions target. It must signal the nation’s strong ambition on climate action, to drive policy and investment. And it must avoid being seen as either unrealistic or too costly. The decision is not an easy one for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and…

The Conversation

Kids with ‘developmental delay’ will be diverted from the NDIS. But how do you know if your child is delayed?

From mid-2027, the government will divert children with mild and moderate developmental delay and autism away from the NDIS and onto a program called Thriving Kids.

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W.G. Sebald’s early critical essays mine his great literary themes – exile, trauma, memory and war

“Author as well as professor,” was how Winfried Georg (“Max”) Sebald styled himself in the note attached to an article he contributed to a 1990 issue of the experimental Austrian journal, Trans-Garde. Sebald had long harboured a desire to be an author and had a clear plan for becoming one.…

The Conversation

5 million small business employees now have a right to disconnect from work unless it’s ‘unreasonable’. What does that mean?

From August 26, 5.4 million Australians working for small businesses will have the “right to disconnect”. This means they can refuse contact about work – such as emails, texts or calls – outside work hours, unless that refusal could be considered “unreasonable”.

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Impressive performances and production values – but Joanna Murray-Smith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley doesn’t quite land

Playwright Joanna Murray-Smith has a long held fascination with the brilliance of Patricia Highsmith, who published the classic novel The Talented Mr. Ripley in 1955.

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Destiny is a fierce new stage show exploring love, loss and rebellion under the shadow of apartheid South Africa

Award-winning playwright and actor Kristy Marillier’s new work, Destiny, is an ensemble drama set in 1976 South Africa, against a backdrop of rising resistance to the apartheid regime.

The Conversation

Buckling rails and lines underwater: how Australia’s ageing train networks are crumbling as the climate changes

Last week’s torrential rain disrupted several Sydney train lines, in what is becoming a familiar story for commuters. Almost one in five trains in New South Wales ran late over the past year, and floods in May also saw a temporary closure of the North Coast line.

The Conversation

Australia has banned 3 ‘forever chemicals’ – but Europe wants to ban all 14,000 as a precaution

Last month, Australia’s ban on the import, use and manufacture of three types of “forever chemical” came into effect. These chemicals – PFOA, PFOS and PFHxS – have long lifespans and resist breaking down. They’re considered harmful due to their ability to build up inside living organisms and their toxicity.…

The Conversation

A ‘scathing’ report on RNZ’s performance obscures the good news – and the challenge of serving many audiences

The recent internal report on RNZ’s performance, variously described as “scathing” and “blunt” in news coverage, caused considerable debate about the state broadcaster’s performance and priorities – not all of it fair or well informed.

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The Liberals used to be the party for women – then John Howard came along

It’s no secret the Liberal Party of Australia has a problem with women. The party has made headlines over the years for its toxic blokey “Big Swinging Dick” culture, underrepresentation of women in the party, and dwindling support from women voters.

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Your say: week beginning August 25

Every day, we publish a selection of your emails in our newsletter. We’d love to hear from you, you can email us at yoursay@theconversation.edu.au

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‘We’re all triers’: Toni Jordan meditates on a childhood with greyhounds and gamblers

“Childhood,” writes Toni Jordan in her eighth novel, Tenderfoot, “is as much a place as it is a time.” The place? Suburban Brisbane – specifically Morningside – and the city’s greyhound tracks, which throb with punters on race days. The time? Joh Bjelke-Petersen’s febrile 1970s, a memorable era of political…

The Conversation

Yes, vets sometimes prescribe human drugs to pets. But don’t try it at home

When your dog starts limping or your cat comes down with a sniffle, it’s natural to worry. For many families, pets are more than just animals – and we want them to have a standard of medical care similar to our own.

The Conversation

AI systems are great at tests. But how do they perform in real life?

Earlier this month, when OpenAI released its latest flagship artificial intelligence (AI) system, GPT-5, the company said it was “much smarter across the board” than earlier models. Backing up the claim were high scores on a range of benchmark tests assessing domains such as software coding, mathematics and healthcare.

The Conversation

Long COVID is more than fatigue. Our new study suggests its impact is similar to a stroke or Parkinson’s

When most people think of COVID now, they picture a short illness like a cold – a few days of fever, sore throat or cough before getting better.

The Conversation

Israel’s attacks on Gaza are putting people with disabilities at extreme risk

Recent images of an emaciated Gazan child, Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq, provoked global outrage. Some sought to minimise this harm, attributing it instead to pre-existing conditions or disability.

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