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I’m a computer scientist and a bad Christmas shopper. Over the weekend, I wondered whether AI systems might be able to help me out.

The human rights group, Amnesty International, recently issued a report concluding that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute a genocide.

One in two people in the Pacific Islands is classified as overweight (with a body mass index of 25–29) or obese (a BMI 30 or above). This is a problem because obesity increases the risk of health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, strokes and some cancers.

There is no denying times have been tough for small and medium-sized businesses, and 2025 is not looking that much better.

Carbon taxes are a key tool in humanity’s efforts to avoid global warming above 2 C. The idea of a carbon tax is simple: it works by making carbon-intensive activities more expensive, thus encouraging individuals to reduce these activities.

The collapse of the Syrian government led by Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8, 2024 marked a historic moment in the Middle East. It still remains to be fully understood how the rebel coalition — a diverse assembly of political and ideological groups backed by regional powers — swiftly overpowered government…

At a press conference on Dec. 17, the Canadian federal government announced proposed new measures to expand its management of Canada’s border with the United States. These measures were intended to appease the incoming Trump administration and to avoid a threatened 25 per cent import tariff.

Around one third of Australian households live with at least one cat, yet surveys tell us the cats’ needs are not being met.

Around the world, people are being encouraged to travel by foot, bike or public transport rather than by car. The reasons are many and varied: to mitigate climate change, pollution, traffic congestion and infrastructure costs, and to improve health and wellbeing.

You might think spending $5,000 on a handbag or wallet would be prestigious and exclusive enough. What about taking things one step further – and personalising it with your own name?

Christmas films appear in many guises. There is the witty (Christmas in Connecticut, Scrooged). The comedic (It Happened on 5th Avenue, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation). The wonderfully sentimental (The Shop Around the Corner, Miracle on 34th Street).