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Editor's note
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As expected, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced that Australia will lend military support to a US-led coalition protecting shipping in the Middle East. And as Natalie Klein explains, the area at the centre of rising tensions between the US and Iran is the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow body of ocean that is the main route for transporting oil from the Middle East to the world. About one-fifth of the world’s oil is shipped through this
strait. To illustrate the issue, our multimedia editor, Wes Mountain, has designed an infographic showing exactly where the Strait of Hormuz is and why it matters.
And now, Klein writes, after significant friction in the region, it remains to be seen whether this latest action will de-escalate the tension – it’s in everyone’s interests that this be the case.
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Amanda Dunn
Section Editor: Politics + Society
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Top stories
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Australia will commit a frigate, an aircraft and some headquarters staff to a US-led operation in the Strait of Hormuz.
AAP/Marc Tewksbury
Natalie Klein, UNSW
As Australia commits to joining a coalition in the Strait of Hormuz, preventing escalation of any conflict should be the primary concern of all players.
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George Pell’s appeal on child sexual abuse convictions has been dismissed.
AAP/Erik Anderson
Ben Mathews, Queensland University of Technology
By a majority of two to one, the Court of Appeal has dismissed Pell's case, because it found guilty verdicts were open to the jury.
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The recent decriminalisation debates in Australia have included a new focus on partial restrictions on abortions – a strategy that has been very successful in many US states.
Joel Carrett/AAP
Prudence Flowers, Flinders University
The Australian right-to-life movement is tiny compared to the US, but its recent adoption of US-style campaign strategies has given it an outsize voice in the debate here.
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Is it worthwhile to know you’re 25% Irish?
from www.shutterstock.com
Alexandra Hansen, The Conversation
We asked five experts if DNA testing was worthwhile. Four out of five said yes.
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Health + Medicine
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Melanie Woodfield, University of Auckland
Research shows if time out is used occasionally, briefly and the child understands the process, it can be a useful parenting tool for kids aged two to eight.
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Science + Technology
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Linda Galligan, University of Southern Queensland
The Romans were great engineers but they had a terrible number system. It didn’t even have zero.
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Cities
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Alex Baumann, Western Sydney University; Samuel Alexander, University of Melbourne
The cost of land and, in turn, housing forces people to buy into the rules of market capitalism, making it very hard to 'downshift' from consumer lifestyles. But what if we rethink public housing?
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Business + Economy
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Nicholas Borroz, University of Auckland
India's Moon shot isn't just about prestige. As launch costs fall, the space economy is poised to boom. A lengthening list of nations is eyeing the sky.
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Professor Tim Bentley, Massey University
Data from a workplace barometer study show more than a quarter of employees felt depressed often, a half said depression affected their lives and for 8% life was "very or extremely difficult".
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Politics + Society
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Camellia Webb-Gannon, University of Wollongong
Violence has returned to West Papua over the arrests of students for allegedly desecrating a flag. So much for the new push for reconciliation under Indonesia President Joko Widodo.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Scott Morrison has announced a long-expected commitment to join the US-led coalition in the Strait of Hormuz, expressing concerns over incidents in the Strait: "It is a threat to our economy”.
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Environment + Energy
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Mark Beeson, University of Western Australia
Populism focuses on charismatic individuals. Environmentalism is all about collective action on collective solutions. How do they come together?
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Featured jobs
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La Trobe University — Bundoora, Victoria
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University of Melbourne — Parkville, Victoria
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University of Western Australia — Perth, Western Australia
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Featured events
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245 Punt Road , Richmond, Victoria, 3121, Australia — Niagara Galleries
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The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia — University of Sydney
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Forum Theatre, Level 1 Arts West Building, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia — University of Melbourne
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UNSW Medicine, Kirby Institute Level 6, Wallace Wurth Building, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, New South Wales, 2052, Australia — UNSW
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