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In just three weeks, the global map of air travel has been redrawn. As conflict spreads across the Middle East, some of the world’s busiest flight paths have been severely restricted or closed.
For many people – particularly Australians trying to travel to Europe – the situation has turned the simple act of booking flights into what feels like a high-stakes calculation. Should I change travel plans, even if they’re months away? Is the higher airfare for an alternative route worth it? What about a multi-leg, DIY route to save money?
Aviation expert Steven Leib breaks down the factors airlines are grappling with, and how they’re rapidly reshaping global air travel. And if you have a trip coming up, he offers some tips to navigate the chaos.
Meanwhile, Israel this week bombed Iran's South Pars gas field, prompting an Iranian retaliatory strike on Qatar's major liquefied natural gas facility.
As Tina Soliman Hunter writes, the impact of these strikes will be felt much further afield, and their reverberations will rock global energy prices.
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Matthew Hall
Deputy Business & Economy Editor
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Steven Leib, CQUniversity Australia
Air travel faces major disruption. For those whose plans have been disrupted, there are ways to navigate the uncertainty.
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Tina Soliman Hunter, Macquarie University
Israel and Iran have both attacked critical energy infrastructure sites. So what does this mean for energy prices here in Australia, and around the world?
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Best reads this week
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David Smith, University of Sydney
With midterm elections looming and cost of living pressures biting, Americans have little patience for being involved in a foreign war they don’t understand.
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Natalie Klein, UNSW Sydney
In the law of naval warfare, the line between belligerents and neutrals is not always an easy one to draw.
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James Dwyer, University of Tasmania
Israel is reportedly running low on air defence interceptors, due in part to its war against Iran last year.
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Joshua Thorburn, Monash University; Steven Roberts, Monash University
A new study highlights the experiences of men who left toxic online spaces.
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Natalie Peng, The University of Queensland
Your super balance isn’t supposed to be a scorecard. But there are simple steps everyone can take to boost it, at any stage of life.
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TC Weekly podcast
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Ahead of the May 9 by-election, hear from candidates and locals about the early frontrunners to win Farrer – long held by former Liberal leader Sussan Ley.
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Gemma Ware, The Conversation
Arun Dawson talks to The Conversation Weekly podcast about the history of Iran’s Shahed drones and how the US cloned them.
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Our most-read article this week
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James Andrew Armitage, Deakin University; Linda Robinson, Deakin University
A small but growing number of Australians are being diagnosed with a rare tattoo-related eye condition.
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In case you missed this week's big stories
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Adrian Beaumont, The University of Melbourne
Labor is set to win the South Australian election easily. But there is much interest in how One Nation and the Liberals will fare.
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Steve Turton, CQUniversity Australia
Cyclone Narelle is expected to cross the Queensland coast on Friday morning. It has followed a predictable westward path, which is highly unusual.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
After a national cabinet meeting on Australia’s fuel supply, leaders were quick to reassure there was no current shortage.
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John Hawkins, University of Canberra
The second rate hike this year will add another $100 a month to the average mortgage, just as fuel prices are surging.
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Amin Saikal, Australian National University; The University of Western Australia; Victoria University
There are two possible ways the fighting might end.
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Mariam Farida, Macquarie University
Israel wants to avoid a repeat of its 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon, while Lebanon wants to avoid imploding.
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Uri Gal, University of Sydney
Amazon, Block and Atlassian have announced AI-driven job cuts, and Meta is reportedly planning its own – but all may not be as it seems.
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Paul Allan Elton, Australian National University; Hugh Possingham, The University of Queensland
The federal government needs to drop the spin and get on with the hard work of addressing biodiversity loss.
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Robert Finkeldey, University of Technology Sydney
A new report assessing democratic values across more than 200 countries has found 6 billion people live in autocracies. Here’s where Australia sits.
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Jeannie Marie Paterson, The University of Melbourne
More than 8 million customers could have a stake in this upcoming court case. The clock is now ticking for them to decide if they want to be involved, or opt out.
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Charging costs
"One often overlooked aspect of charging electric vehicles in apartment buildings is the increased insurance cost. Sure, if a fire occurred the loss would be greater than for a single dwelling but the probability is very low – the stats support this. In my instance, as the first to have an EV (PHEV) in the apartment, I have to bear the extra $2,000 premium. Given the low probability of fire, it’d be great for the Government to underwrite the risk and in so doing, incentivise a greater uptake of EVs"
Ian Nicklen
We can't talk to Aliens but what about our dogs?
"On the subject of languages spoken by other forms of life, I’m sure my dog (Dashimo the miniature hairy dachshund) can understand some of the conversation between my husband and I. If we talk about heading out to see the grandchild, he’s up and ready to go. He also talks to us: he says “wooooooooooooo" when we return to the house. Could we have an article on this subject?"
Jennie Brand-Miller AO, Professor Emeritus, University of Sydney 
Swimming in cold water
"My local heated pool offers swimming lessons for children. There's also a super-heated ‘therapy pool’ which hosts swimming lessons for babies and toddlers. My concern is that learning to swim in warm water for toddlers and children above the toddler age, does reduce their ‘drown proofing’. When a child falls into water that is cold, the shock of the cold water makes it difficult for the child to concentrate on moving, which could mean the difference between a child being saved from drowning after a fall into cold water and one that drowns due to not having experienced cold water shock."
Jenni Reside
We'd love to hear from you. You can email us with your thoughts on our stories and each day we'll publish an edited selection.
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