Pope Francis dies at 88 after final appeal for Gaza ceasefire
Common Dreams

Pope Francis dies at 88 after final appeal for Gaza ceasefire

israel-palestine politics religion

Will the millions who will mourn his death these coming days respect this wish of his? Will they care for Gazans and Palestinians the way he did?

If I were the minister assisting the PM on the public service …
Andrew Podger

If I were the minister assisting the PM on the public service …

Before any new ministry is announced, the current minister, Katy Gallagher, or the shadow minister, Jane Hume, should provide early advice to the prime minister-elect on the structure of his ministry and the machinery of government.

Jeffrey Sachs – the source of the Syrian tragedy
Jeffrey D. Sachs,  Antalya Diplomacy Forum

Jeffrey Sachs – the source of the Syrian tragedy

Jeffrey Sachs on the role of the US and the CIA in the tragic events in Syria, direct from the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Türkiye earlier this month.


John Menadue's book on Israel's war against Gaza

Israel's war against Gaza

Media coverage of the war in Gaza since October 2023 has spread a series of lies propagated by Israel and the United States. This publication presents information, analysis, clarification, views and perspectives largely unavailable in mainstream media in Australia and elsewhere.

Download the PDF

Crossbench pressure will lift and improve Albo’s game
Jack Waterford

Crossbench pressure will lift and improve Albo’s game

Now that the danger of a Dutton Government has receded, a good many left-of-centre people would rather that Labor had less than an outright victory.

Explainer | What happens after Pope Francis’ death?
SCMP Editorial

Explainer | What happens after Pope Francis’ death?

Following Pope Francis’ death, key rituals commence, including sealing his flat, destroying the ring, and funeral arrangements.

Surreptitious Victorian native forest logging
Reese Halter

Surreptitious Victorian native forest logging

The Victorian Government claims that it exited native forest logging in 2024. However, it has not legislated this exit. And, notably, logging is continuing through other nefarious and highly cynical means.

Health and the election: Band-aids when surgery is needed
Tim Woodruff

Health and the election: Band-aids when surgery is needed

Health policies are out and there is little difference between the two major parties. The policies definitely help patients afford to see GPs and get medication.

Trump: the canker that cures?
Howard Debenham

Trump: the canker that cures?

A strong dose of home-grown fascism, of a uniquely American kind that no one else can be blamed for, may be just what the world needs to bump the US off the destructive path down which it has so often steered so many of its ever so sycophantic friends since World WarII.

Trajectory of a murderous regime: Fifty years since the Khmer Rouge
Peg LeVine

Trajectory of a murderous regime: Fifty years since the Khmer Rouge

It is 50 years since the savagery of the Khmer Rouge sent millions of Cambodians to early graves. Mines still remain to be cleared, but the US will not be clearing up the mess it left behind, having withdrawn from the Mine Ban Treaty.

If I were minister for school education…
Lyndsay Connors

If I were minister for school education…

There will be no quick or easy way to redesign the existing school system.

Latest on Palestine and Israel

Pope Francis dies at 88 after final appeal for Gaza ceasefire
Common Dreams

Pope Francis dies at 88 after final appeal for Gaza ceasefire

Will the millions who will mourn his death these coming days respect this wish of his? Will they care for Gazans and Palestinians the way he did?

Silence is no response to slaughter, so at least recognise Palestine
Stuart Rees,  Shamikh Badra

Silence is no response to slaughter, so at least recognise Palestine

Death, destruction and ethnic cleansing in Gaza and on the West Bank continues. Israeli savagery, lying, and disdain for international law display the depths of inhumanity, but when challenged to show courage by supporting life for Palestinians, the Australian Government remains silent.

Israel is about to empty Gaza
Chris Hedges

Israel is about to empty Gaza

As Israel prepares to ethnically cleanse the whole of Gaza, it is also setting the stage for a regional crisis.

Gaza's trees now bear a strange fruit
Jepke Goudsmit

Gaza's trees now bear a strange fruit

Nobody following the real news, and aware of the long history of colonial occupation, ever believed that Zionist Israel would proceed into the second phase of the ceasefire as agreed.

Zionist Federation lodges Federal Court complaint against journalist Mary Kostakidis
Paul Gregoire

Zionist Federation lodges Federal Court complaint against journalist Mary Kostakidis

The Zionist Federation of Australia has filed a legal action with the Federal Court of Australia against renowned Australian journalist Mary Kostakidis relating to a complaint it first raised with the Australian Human Rights Commission in July 2024, claiming posts she made on social media platform X were antisemitic in nature.

Federal election: Time to hold MPs accountable for stance on genocide
Greg Barns

Federal election: Time to hold MPs accountable for stance on genocide

Israel’s slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza, and now its seizing of their land is the worst example of genocide since the horrors of the genocides of Darfur in Sudan in 2003 and Rwanda in the 1990s.

An arresting American Gaza challenge
Richard Cullen

An arresting American Gaza challenge

Recent US commentary backing President Trump’s extraordinary American Gaza takeover project has regularly stressed how critics should come up with a better plan.


John Menadue

Support our independent media with your donation

Pearls and Irritations leads the way in raising and analysing vital issues often neglected in mainstream media. Your contribution supports our independence and quality commentary on matters importance to Australia and our region.

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Latest on China

Xi pushes for fair trade after Trump tariffs land
BA Hamzah

Xi pushes for fair trade after Trump tariffs land

china economy politics topfive usa

After President Donald Trump’s decision to exempt selected electronic goods from tariffs, the gloves are temporarily off between Washington and Beijing. However, though some sanity has returned to the White House, the damage has already been done.

When elephants clash: The strategic logic behind Trump’s tariffs and China’s response
Christine Loh

When elephants clash: The strategic logic behind Trump’s tariffs and China’s response

The world is mesmerised — and unsettled — by US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Looking for a fair wind: Reflections on Australia’s maritime security
Jocelyn Chey

Looking for a fair wind: Reflections on Australia’s maritime security

Australians may miss out on opportunities to reinforce our regional security if they are over-concerned about Chinese aggression in the South Pacific and do not take the opportunity of engaging in regional dialogue to resolve common problems.


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Latest letters to the editor

The map says it all

Bob Pearce — Adelaide SA

Before even reading this article, I found the map said it all. The Union Jack trumped the Southern Cross. If a third/fourth-generation Australian like myself finds it offensive, think how the non-Anglos in our multicultural country feel, Understand why, after leaders like Howard, Abbott etc, we still have that flag and the LNP selects Dutton for their next PM. Now read the article. Vote as you see the flag. It’s a democracy.
Remember J-tariff?

Bob Pearce — Adelaide SA

J-tariff was am off-peak circuit which charged a cheaper rate to encourage the use of electricity during low demand, largely at night. When coal-powered alternators were unable to shut down, they were run during uneconomical periods of low demand. Mostly at night. Now the uneconomical times are during the day and the power providers want to charge the solar providers (householders) to add to the grid. I doubt if they are charging corporate solar providers. Providers have never had more flexibility in the electronic and telecommunications control of equiptment eg J-tariff had mechanical/electrical time clocks. In the...
Election sleight of hand

Bob Pearce — Adelaide SA

Describing Kim Beazley as “well meaning“ pretty much describes the way he has fooled his way through his public life, second only to Anthony Albanese who, if he pulls off a win, will surely be the great Australian “nice guy but...” (not that I’m any fan of Peter Dutton). Everything about this election, from the constant guessing when it would be held to the sad passing of the pope has been about keeping the voters in the dark. We have seen publicly-funded electioneering by the major parties for 12+ months before the election was announced with all the talk...
Make a profit. Trust me, I’m from the private sector

Bob Pearce — Adelaide SA

The wall between the public sector and the private sector has been well and truly broken . The crossing of that line is at the core of every crisis Australia/the world is now facing. Everything from the health crisis to the climate crisis is a result of the blurring of this line. Failing to understand this most basic principal of society is at the core of every issue we now face. Put simply, the job of the private sector is to make a profit and the job of government is to govern for the good of all society....



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