INSANE: 20 - The Real Truth

How ‘portfolio reasoning’ explains Trump’s constant reevaluation of America’s value

In January 2026, President Donald Trump told an audience of business and political leaders in Davos, Switzerland, that the United States needed the “right, title and ownership” to Greenland “because you need the ownership to defend it. You can’t defend it on a lease.”

The Conversation · Sep 15

Iran’s threat to cut undersea cables in Strait of Hormuz poses a serious threat to Gulf states

The conflict between Iran and the US appears to have reached a stalemate. The US navy continues to prevent Iranian vessels or others transiting to or from Iranian ports. Iran, meanwhile, threatens shipping moving in or out of the Persian Gulf region via the Strait of Hormuz.

The Conversation · Sep 15

When a bet may not be gambling – the puzzle of prediction markets

Regular stock exchange observers will know all about prediction markets. Users buy and sell contracts that pay a fixed sum if a specified event occurs – a sports team wins a match, a candidate is elected.

The Conversation · Sep 15

AFP commissioner urges ‘conversation’ about link between Australians’ level of illicit drug use and organised crime

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett has called for a national “conversation” about the link between Australians’ use of illicit drugs and organised crime violence.

The Conversation · Sep 15

175 years of university architecture reflects Australian history. We shouldn’t let that history be lost

Half a decade ago, Australian universities were thrust into an international experiment in online learning and working. Suddenly, bricks and mortar campuses seemed redundant.

The Conversation · Sep 15

Hanson ‘regrets’ hurt caused by remark about ‘primitive’ First Nations people

Pauline Hanson has expressed “regret” for describing Australia’s Indigenous people as “the most primitive race on earth”, saying it “wasn’t my intention to hurt people”.

The Conversation · Sep 15

David Hockney: Portraits in Print reveals lesser-known aspects of the celebrated artist

I first fell under the spell of David Hockney’s prints as a student of printmaking and life drawing. Australia had been my home for only a few years and I found a key to my experience of movement and growth in the series A Rake’s Progress (1961–63), completed after Hockney’s…

The Conversation · Sep 15

Poorly fitting sports bras are forcing some women and girls away from sport – new research

Australian sport has a participation problem, especially when it comes to girls and women.

The Conversation · Sep 15

Was there really a female king in ancient Egypt 5,000 years ago? New study says yes

More than 5,000 years ago, a royal woman called Meretneith (also written as Merneith), lived in ancient Egypt. She was possibly the daughter of Djer, the third king of the First Dynasty, a period when the first kings ruled over a unified Egypt.

The Conversation · Sep 15

Bluster and betrayal: Paul Barry probes how steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta hoodwinked the powerful

It is difficult to read Paul Barry’s The Big Steal without a mounting sense of outrage, not just at the British businessman Sanjeev Gupta, rightly described as a silver-tongued scoundrel, but at the greedy bankers, gullible journalists, naive politicians and incompetent regulators who allowed this global scam to happen.

The Conversation · Sep 15