New ways of measuring and tackling poverty are making crucial progress, but the scale of the problem is large, and many challenges and negative trends remain. Addressing these will be crucial to ending poverty, Sharon Bessell writes.

With the number of academic journals growing endlessly and quality control failing, a new measure for whether research is ‘valuable’ is needed. Unfortunately, a change seems far from certain, Asit Biswas and Cecilia Tortajada write.

By allowing more asylum seekers and refugees to apply for visas through complementary pathways, Australia can help discourage boat journeys and make a real difference to global needs in the process, Claire Higgins writes.

The #MeToo movement and feminism on social media have been building momentum across Pakistan. The public response to this, however, highlights that its impacts can be both negative and positive, Tahmina Rashid writes.

Despite ongoing incidents of piracy in Asia, international co-operation efforts are having genuine success at containing the issue. Various policy initiatives are showing promise for the security of the region's sea lanes, now and into the future, Sam Bateman writes.

Research and technology are laying the groundwork for a sustainable agricultural future, and Australia could be a global leader in the field. Without change, however, the country seems destined to miss its opportunity, Colin Chartres writes.