An unknown number of Palestinians abducted by Israel died or were killed while in custody; living former prisoners have described horrific and, sometimes, deadly torture. (more…)
Category: Politics
-
Tipping, tipping, tipping… the dominoes fall
Dying reefs, shrinking icesheets, withering forests and collapsing currents are the latest symptoms of an Earth system enduring dangerous trauma, according to the Global Tipping Points Report 2025. (more…)
-
Stephen Stockwell 1975: The Ballads of the Whitlam Dismissal
The 50th anniversary of the dismissal of the Whitlam Government on 11 November 1975 should prompt all Australians to ponder the strength of our democracy. (more…)
-
Savvy politicians know how to ‘perform’ authenticity – the Jacinda Ardern doco offers a masterclass
There’s a telling moment in the documentary film Prime Minister when Jacinda Ardern reflects on her rapid rise from Labour leader to prime minister, saying she had “no time to redesign myself […] I could only be myself”. (more…)
-
Mr Albanese goes to Washington
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is scheduled to meet President Donald Trump in Washington on 20 October. (more…)
-
DPP speaks out – budget crisis, blackmail or a balking of duty?
ACT director of Public Prosecutions Victoria Engel SC has upped the ante — dangerously so in the view of many in the legal profession — in a very public bid for further funds for her office. (more…)
-
After decades of struggle, women in China are rewriting their future
The quiet revolution towards upholding women’s rights in China isn’t just about slogans, but involves the hard work of families, educators and policymakers. (more…)
-
One more betrayal of the Palestinians
The history of the Palestinians is a history of betrayal. In the wake of World War I, Britain and France redrew the map of the Middle East to suit their own ends. (more…)
-
Keating pays tribute to former NZ leader Jim Bolger
It was sad for me to learn of Jim Bolger’s death. (more…)
-
Harm reduction is ubiquitous and effective so why doesn’t Australia use it for tobacco?
Harm reduction policies are widespread, and generally work, are safe and cost-effective. (more…)
-
Paper walls at Thailand’s border
Myanmar’s current emergency is not a sudden rupture but a long arc of military rule that has criminalised dissent, dismantled civil society and pushed millions into precarity. (more…)
-
South Korea has missed the alternative media train
US alternative media is awash with stories on Israel and Gaza, Ukraine and Russia, and now Iran and Venezuela. (more…)
-
From enmity to amity: Lessons from Cowra
The 24th of October 2025 is the 80th anniversary of the ratification of the UN Charter, which opens with a determination to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. (more…)
-
Counting what doesn’t count: How consultants are hollowing out the university
When Western Sydney University announced it would shed hundreds of staff, its vice-chancellor described the decision as part of a “necessary transformation”. (more…)
-
Stark contrasts in health of returning hostages
Peter Slezak has been keeping a watching brief on the both harrowing and joyous scenes as prisoners and hostages from Palestine and Israel were freed this week. He has gathered sources for P&I readers and observes the following. (more…)
-
Denial and amnesia: Is the global community ready to welcome Israel back?
Analysts express concern over the rehabilitation of Israel, even as it says it has done no wrong. (more…)
-
Blame and frame: How Chinese Australians are counted when blamed, discounted when needed
We say we want to understand China. Then we glance past a million Chinese speakers at home and start counting somewhere else. (more…)
-
Climate change causing oceans to decline at alarming rate
Climate change and human activity are causing the health of the world’s oceans to decline at an alarming rate, the UN has warned. (more…)
-
What’s constraining ‘frank and fearless’ advice?
A central argument for the government’s proposed widening of exemptions under the FOI Act is the claim that the current provisions constrain the provision of “frank and fearless advice” by the public service. (more…)
-
Family violence and migrant women – a better way
Nashita Pasha is one of six talented young Australians who will travel to the UN General Assembly in New York next week as part of the Global Voices project. (more…)
-
Inspired by Gaza, Trump offers some hope on Thai-Cambodian border
US president tells Malaysia he intends to end the conflict at the ASEAN Summit. (more…)
-
Grieving for the US
I recently viewed the 1997 movie Good Will Hunting. The final shot is a widescreen view of an old car driven through a verdant landscape, as the hero, who happens to be a mathematical genius (Matt Damon), drives into his future, having resolved his issues, seeking new opportunities in California. (more…)
-
Fortescue cuts hundreds of jobs in UK and Australia; EV motor making sent to China
Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue Metals is cutting several hundred jobs in the UK and Australia following a decision to send manufacturing activities to China, including for the motors and power trains of its planned giant electric haul trucks. (more…)
-
War without end, peace without justice
The Gaza war has become the most searing mirror of our century’s political and moral contradictions. (more…)
-
‘You cease, I fire’: Israel kills at least 9 in Gaza, says it will break truce aid terms
“Israel is working extremely hard to blow up this ceasefire,” said one observer after IDF troops shot dead Palestinians trying to return to their homes in the largely flattened strip. (more…)
-
Australia’s ‘ISIS brides’ have returned. Governments can do better at handling this situation
In 2014, the Islamic State terrorist group declared a caliphate, a form of Islamic government headed by a caliph, considered to be a successor to the Prophet Muhammad. (more…)
-
A deserved defeat for Albanese on freedom of information
Thanks to Opposition leader Sussan Ley, the government’s disgraceful attempt to squeeze the life out of the Freedom of Information Act is as dead as a herring. (more…)
-
Reuniting families: reforming Australia’s approach
Saffron Williams is one of six talented young Australians who will travel to the UN General Assembly in New York next week as part of the Global Voices project. (more…)
-
Gaza: The peace of the genocide alliance
The great war may be coming to an end, but the violence of occupation, apartheid, and territorial expansion is not. (more…)
-
Vanity, defence or just wanting to show off?
For a demagogue, what could be more stirring than to take the salute on a raised dais as thousands of armed men and women march past like robots in perfect synchronisation? (more…)