6 Feb: The New South Wales government has proposed legislation that could make certain types of protests outside places of worship a criminal offence amid growing fears about antisemitism. The proposed laws would expand the Crimes Act to make it an offence to block access to the place of worship without reasonable excuse, or from “harassing, intimidating or threatening” people accessing places of worship. Read the full article

Opinion / Analysis

Paul Monk: Robert Harris is a gifted historical novelist, whose work spans millennia on topics from ancient Rome (Imperium, Pompeii, Dictator) to the Nazi era (Fatherland, Munich) and the present (Conclave). He is clearly interested in the workings of power, the logic of institutions, the nature of diplomacy and the role of individuals on the margins of major events. His latest book, Conclave, is about the Vatican and Papal elections. Read the full article

Armita Zarnegar: Many people think of psychology as being primarily about mental health, but its story goes far beyond that. As the science of the mind, psychology has played a pivotal role in shaping artificial intelligence, offering insights into human cognition, learning and behaviour that have profoundly influenced AI’s development. Read the full article

Julianne McShane: We always knew that Trump’s return to the White House would bring Christian nationalism to the highest levels of government. But at the National Prayer Breakfast — a decades-old, purportedly interfaith annual event — in DC on Thursday, President Trump laid out the steps he will take, now that he’s in office, to make those dreams of Christian nationalist power a reality. Read the full article

Jared Huffman and Andrew L. Seidel: Washington, D.C. is home to hundreds of churches; any would have been a more fitting location for a Christian church service like last week’s National Prayer Breakfast than the U.S. Capitol. Unfortunately, some members of Congress — oblivious or hostile to church-state separation — are determined to make this annual Christian ceremony a government-run, taxpayer-funded institution, stamped with the imprimatur of Congress and the president. Essentially, a state church. Read the full article

Laura Barrón-López: White Christian nationalism has been in the headlines quite a lot as of late. Brad Onishi is a former evangelical minister who once identified as a Christian nationalist himself. He left the church in 2005 and began studying religion and extremism. Read the full article

Nathaniel M. Tran: In 2024, state legislatures introduced an all-time record of 533 bills targeting LGBTQ+ populations. These policies create a patchwork of legal landscapes that vary widely between and within states, affecting aspects of everyday life ranging from how kids learn and play to where adults live and work. All of these policies have implications for the health of not only LGBTQ+ people but also the general public. Read the full article

Zara Kay: In recent years, tourism to Afghanistan has surged, fuelled largely by social media influencers eager to portray the country as a hidden gem. Their polished videos showcase breathtaking landscapes, bustling markets, and welcoming locals, often paired with bold claims like, ‘Afghanistan hasn’t been this safe in 20 years.’ These portrayals, however, are nothing but a façade, hiding the grim reality of systemic oppression under the Taliban regime. Read the full article

Heather D. Flowe, et al: Female genital mutilation or cutting is a deeply entrenched cultural practice that affects around 200 million women and girls. It’s practised in at least 25 African countries, as well as parts of the Middle East and Asia and among immigrant populations globally. It is a harmful traditional practice that involves removing or damaging female genital tissue. Read the full article

Yee-Fui Ng: The highly pertinent case of a little-known independent candidate in the Victorian seat of Wannon has exposed a gaping hole in Australia’s electoral laws, which allow for misleading political advertisements in the lead-up to an election campaign. It’s all entirely legal and is already being exploited to try to shape the outcome of the coming federal election. Read the full article

Lorana Bartels and Rick Sarre: Weeks after the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, announced his support for mandatory minimum jail terms for antisemitic offences, the government has legislated such laws. The minister for home affairs, Tony Burke, stated the federal parliament would now be “putting in place the toughest laws against hate speech that Australia has ever had”. Read the full article

High-level executives with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints football team and the NBA’s Pelicans basketball team had a deeper role than previously known in connection with a list of priests and deacons faced with credible allegations of child molestation while the clergymen worked with their city’s Roman Catholic archdiocese, the Guardian and reporting partner WWL Louisiana can reveal. Read the full article

Sasha Woods and Stephen Parkinson: Citizen science is a powerful tool for involving more people in research. By influencing policy, it is transforming conservation at global, national and local levels. Citizen science actively encourages non-scientists to be a part of the scientific research process. Read the full article

Lisa M. Given: Large social media companies should have to proactively remove harmful content from their platforms, undergo regular “risk assessments” and face hefty fines if they don’t comply, according to an independent review of online safety laws in Australia. The federal government has today released the final report of the review conducted by experienced public servant Delia Rickard. Read the full article