Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has inflicted a significant blow on the Hezbollah militant group with the assassination of its leader Hassan Nasrallah over the weekend. It’s also a major personal victory for the embattled Israeli leader.

But will it change anything in the Middle East? Ian Parmeter writes that Hezbollah has no doubt been shaken, but it has the capacity to rebuild. And if Israel now launches a ground invasion, Hezbollah can still inflict serious losses due to its extensive tunnel network on the border.

Before you go I also want to draw your attention to a short editor’s note we published yesterday explaining why we have retracted an article based on research that found there was a relationship between the ceiling height of exam rooms and exam performance. The article was removed after the researchers who wrote it identified errors in their statistical workings. We are committed to providing accurate and reliable information, and to acknowledging and correcting errors in an open and transparent way when they occur.

Misha Ketchell

Editor

Benjamin Netanyahu is triumphant after Hassan Nasrallah’s assassination. But will it change anything?

Ian Parmeter, Australian National University

Hezbollah’s leadership ranks have been decimated, but it has the capacity to re-establish itself. It also reportedly has an arsenal of 150,000 rockets, missiles and drones it can use to strike back.

Attacks on health care during war are becoming more common, creating devastating ripple effects

Esperanza Martinez, Australian National University

Medical services are protected under international law. When they are attacked without any consequences, it sends the message health-care workers and patients are acceptable targets.

In parts of Australia, unborn babies aren’t legally seen as people. Here’s why that needs to change

Brianna Chesser, RMIT University

Under current laws in most states and territories, the life of an unborn child is legally indistinguishable from that of the mother.

View from the Hill: Albanese and Chalmers play cat-and-mouse on negative gearing with the public – and possibly with each other

Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

Is the government about to propose changes to negative gearing? The apparent differences between a bullish treasurer and a cautious prime minister leave us none the wiser.

Rounding up: how our research used round numbers to zero in on tax evasion

Robert Breunig, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University

Three decades of tax returns show striking patterns. Numbers that end in zero are more likely than other numbers, and more likely to indicate deceit.

What’s behind the spate of arts leadership departures in Australia? Perhaps a mismatch of values

Heather L. Robinson, Flinders University

The past few months has seen the sudden departure of leadership from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Ballet, Queensland Theatre, Opera Australia and the Adelaide Festival.

A new immersive cinema is helping firefighters to better prepare for megafires

Dennis Del Favero, UNSW Sydney; Michael J. Ostwald, UNSW Sydney; Yang Song, UNSW Sydney

iFire allows firefighters and emergency responders to virtually teleport into a burning landscape and train for the real thing.

Australia may be facing another La Niña summer. We’ve found a way to predict them earlier, to help us prepare

Mandy Freund, The University of Melbourne

Signs of this potential La Niña are emerging fairly late. But new research may help make predictions earlier.

‘Vegetarian’ possums eat meat when the weather’s cold

Patrick Finnerty, University of Sydney; Thomas Newsome, University of Sydney

In Australia, people tend to think carnivores lead the clean-up crew after an animal dies. But brushtail possums – thought to be plant-eaters – also eat carcasses.

Parents say ‘good girl’ and ‘good boy’ all the time. Here’s why you should try and say something else

Amanda Niland, University of Sydney

Adults use these phrases all the time to try and support children. But this type of praise may not always be helpful or healthy.

Artists, social climbers and mermaids: 10 Australian women who followed their dreams to the US in the early 20th century

Kerrie Davies, UNSW Sydney

In Travelling to Tomorrow, Yves Rees charts ten little known 20th-century Australian women who thrived in the United States rather than accept a smaller life at home.

Retraction: why we removed an article about a link between exam results and ceiling height

Misha Ketchell, The Conversation

Today we removed an article titled “Should we ditch big exam halls? Our research shows how high ceilings are associated with a lower score”, because the original research has been retracted.

Politics + Society

Health + Medicine

Science + Technology

Environment + Energy

  • Reading desert sands – Indigenous wildlife tracking skills underpin vast monitoring project

    Sarah Legge, Australian National University; Braedan Taylor, Indigenous Knowledge; Jaana Dielenberg, Charles Darwin University; Pius Gregory, Indigenous Knowledge; Rachel Paltridge, The University of Western Australia

    Footprints, droppings, diggings and other signs left behind by animals reveal a lot to a skilled observer. Indigenous knowledge feeds into one of Australia’s largest wildlife monitoring endeavours.

Education

Arts + Culture

Books + Ideas

Business + Economy
 

Featured jobs

 View all
The Conversation AU/NZ
Melbourne VIC, Australia • Full Time
University of Wollongong
Wollongong NSW, Australia • Full Time
Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists
Anywhere • Casual
List your job
 
 
 
 
 

Featured Events, Courses & Podcasts

View all
Public Sector Governance

8 - 29 November 2024 • Sydney

2024 Symposium: Climate Action in Cities

12 - 13 November 2024 • MELBOURNE

Promote your event or course
 

​Contact us here to list your job, or here to list your event, course or podcast.

For sponsorship opportunities, email us here