Niki Savva’s Earthquake is a damning account of the election that shook Australia
Mark Kenny

Niki Savva’s Earthquake is a damning account of the election that shook Australia

In 'Earthquake: The Election that Shook Australia', Niki Savva dissects a federal election result that all but erased the Liberal Party from metropolitan Australia and exposed a deep crisis of purpose, leadership and relevance.

Cutting the Internet in Afghanistan is gender-based violence
Bree Benbow,  A Mira Gunawansa,  Isabelle Zhu-Maguire

Cutting the Internet in Afghanistan is gender-based violence

The Taliban’s September Internet blackouts were not a technical disruption but a deliberate act of control. By cutting digital access, Afghan women were stripped of education, income, connection and voice – extending gender apartheid into the online realm.

AI policy is stuck on productivity – and democracy is paying the price
John H Howard

AI policy is stuck on productivity – and democracy is paying the price

Artificial intelligence is increasingly framed in terms of efficiency and growth. But that framing sidelines harder questions about power, choice and democratic governance.



2025 in Review: What this year taught us about life, loss and shared humanity
Stephanie Dowrick

A year in review

2025 in Review: What this year taught us about life, loss and shared humanity

Amid violence, war and deepening polarisation, 2025 has shown that despair and passivity are choices too – and that human survival depends on rejecting dehumanisation in all its forms.

A beautiful mosaic: celebrating multicultural Australia
Jocelyn Chey

A beautiful mosaic: celebrating multicultural Australia

Multicultural Australia has enriched the nation’s cultural life, creativity and global standing. These achievements deserve recognition and defence at a time of growing hostility to migration.

How gun ownership works in Australia – and what may change
Suzanna Fay

How gun ownership works in Australia – and what may change

In the wake of the Bondi shootings, attention has turned to how firearms are licensed and regulated in Australia, and whether proposed reforms would address the risks they are meant to prevent.

Conflicts of interest: defending the indefensible
Kerry Breen

Conflicts of interest: defending the indefensible

Evidence to a parliamentary inquiry has raised serious questions about conflicts of interest and how they are being managed.

The long consequences of forgetting
Robert Macklin

The long consequences of forgetting

As climate breakdown, war and institutional failure converge, the comforts of forgetting no longer shield us from the consequences of our own history.

Can AI help save local journalism without hollowing it out?
Kristy Hess,  Angela Ross

Can AI help save local journalism without hollowing it out?

As local news outlets shrink and news deserts grow, artificial intelligence could deepen the crisis or, if used carefully, help sustain public-interest journalism at the community level.

Prabowo’s first year: all power, no accountability
Duncan Graham

Prabowo’s first year: all power, no accountability

A year after Prabowo Subianto’s election, Indonesia’s democracy is under strain as power centralises, dissent is curtailed and the military’s influence grows.

AUKUS meets reality – UK ‘all in’ a mess (Part 2)
Peter Briggs

AUKUS meets reality – UK ‘all in’ a mess (Part 2)

Australia is betting on a British program plagued by delays, underinvestment and workforce shortages – a gamble that risks leaving the country without any sovereign submarine capability.



Latest on Palestine and Israel

Blame, grief and responsibility after Bondi
George Browning

Blame, grief and responsibility after Bondi

In the aftermath of a devastating attack on Sydney’s Jewish community, political leaders must resist the urge to weaponise grief or assign blame.

Book Review: Selling Israel: propaganda, history and contested narratives
Eleanor J Bader

Book Review: Selling Israel: propaganda, history and contested narratives

Harriet Malinowitz’s Selling Israel examines how Zionist ideology has been promoted through propaganda, history and selective memory, and why separating Judaism from Zionism matters in confronting antisemitism.

Global campaign amplifies call for the release of jailed Palestinian leader Barghouti
Nagham Zbeedat

Global campaign amplifies call for the release of jailed Palestinian leader Barghouti

An international campaign is calling for the release of Palestinian political figure Marwan Barghouti, arguing his freedom could reshape Palestinian politics and revive peace efforts.

What charges does Benjamin Netanyahu face, and what’s at stake if he is granted a pardon?
Michelle Burgis-Kasthala

What charges does Benjamin Netanyahu face, and what’s at stake if he is granted a pardon?

Benjamin Netanyahu has requested a pardon while still on trial for corruption. The move raises serious questions about legal accountability, judicial independence and political survival.

‘Genocide is not over,’ Amnesty leader says as Israel keeps bombing Gaza
Jessica Corbett

‘Genocide is not over,’ Amnesty leader says as Israel keeps bombing Gaza

“So far, there is no indication that Israel is taking serious measures to reverse the deadly impact of its crimes and no evidence that its intent has changed.”

Gaza’s true death toll could be 126,000 or even higher
Brad Reed

Gaza’s true death toll could be 126,000 or even higher

New research suggests Gaza’s death toll may be far higher than widely reported, with devastating implications for life expectancy, poverty and accountability.

The ceasefire that isn’t: 400 violations in 40 days
Refaat Ibrahim

The ceasefire that isn’t: 400 violations in 40 days

Israel has violated the ceasefire in Gaza hundreds of times since October, using vague or unverified justifications to carry out strike in a recurring pattern of escalation and impunity.

The UN embraces colonialism: the Security Council and the US Gaza plan
Craig Mokhiber

The UN embraces colonialism: the Security Council and the US Gaza plan

The Security Council's backing of the Trump plan for Gaza ignores international law, punishes the Palestinians, and rewards those responsible for genocide.


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

Latest on China

Book extract: Understanding China: governance, socio-economics, global influence
Chandran Nair

Book extract: Understanding China: governance, socio-economics, global influence

China’s rise has reshaped global economics, lifted millions out of poverty, and challenged Western assumptions about governance. This extract from 'Understanding China, Governance, Socio-Economics Global Influence' argues that engagement, not confrontation, offers the only viable path forward.

Ceding the future to China
Chas Freeman

Ceding the future to China

china usa

Delivered as remarks to Brown University’s Watson School during its “China Chat” series, Chas Freeman reflects on China’s return to global prominence and the United States’ accelerating retreat from the international order it once led – and asks what coexistence looks like as power shifts in the 21st century.

China’s challenge is explaining why it succeeded
John Hopkins

China’s challenge is explaining why it succeeded

china politics usa world

Western commentary often dwells on China’s problems while overlooking the cultural and historical foundations of its extraordinary achievements. Understanding both is essential to informed judgement.


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.

Donate

More from Pearls and Irritations


Latest letters to the editor

The people and the common good

Chris Young — Surrey Hills, Vic

Today’s capitalism may have a more benign face than in past centuries, but there remain global corporations of great power and rapacious attitudes; major fossil fuel corporations exemplify this. For them ecocide – whether from environmental destruction, or from the poisonous prevalence of plastics – seems a necessary, if unfortunate, by-product if they are to continue powering the world with their gas, oil and coal. These corporations must know that they will not survive at scale without radically changing their outputs to fit a world centred on sustainability but, rather than urgently redirecting their substantial reserves to embrace the...
Can we discuss degrowth without the ideology?

Jenny Goldie — Cooma NSW

It may well be that imperialism, colonialism, racism and ecocide are the four horsemen of capitalism's apocalypse, but all this ideology is clouding the issue. What we need is degrowth, both of the economy (certainly in industrialised countries) and of population. If you degrow the economy but the population continues to grow, then people get poorer. We need degrowth because the world is in overshoot. We have consumed too many resources and produced too many wastes. This is reflected in climate change and plummeting biodiversity. We have to restore balance, though that might not be possible until the population...
Getting submarines, or funding the US to get them

Les Macdonald — Balmain NSW 2041

US nuclear submarines are phenomenally complex machines. Their advanced technology (reactor plants, sonar arrays, combat systems) requires intensive and meticulous maintenance. The public shipyards responsible for major overhauls and refuelling (Norfolk, Portsmouth, Puget Sound, Pearl Harbor) have been plagued by ageing infrastructure and equipment, critical skilled labor shortages and a massive backlog of deferred maintenance. This has dramatically extended maintenance periods. It's not uncommon for planned availabilities to run years over schedule, drastically lowering the operational availability rate. In the last decade, this rate has been devastatingly low for attack submarines. Add to that new construction delays (Virginia...
Vast educational inequality

Les Macdonald — Balmain NSW 2041

As the parent of a teacher in an underprivileged public school I could not agree more with Allan. One of the fundamental characteristics that distinguishes a civilised and vibrant society is the extent to which it prioritises the education of its children. On that metric Australia is one of the biggest dunces on the planet. We not only deliberately entrench a vast educational inequality by massive funding to private schools, but guarantee a low standard of educational achievement for the bulk of our population by vast under-funding of our most needy public schools. This has, and continues to create,...



Latest from Al Jazeera

Yale report unveils RSF attempt to cover up Sudan atrocities, mass burials
Yale research lab finds evidence that Sudanese group buried, burned, and removed human remains after el-Fasher massacre.
Israel denies entry to Canadian MPs trying to reach occupied West Bank
Advocacy group urges sanctions on Israel after Canadian delegation, including six lawmakers, turned back to Jordan.
Top Trump aide suggests boat strikes aim to topple Venezuela’s Maduro
White House's Susie wiles appears to contradict the official narrative portraying the attacks as an antidrug campaign.
UK announces independent probe into foreign interference in politics
Minister says probe in response to case of ex-Reform UK lawmaker Nathan Gill, jailed for taking pro-Russia bribes.
Thousands of glaciers to melt each year by midcentury, study finds
Scientists say up to 4,000 glaciers could melt annually if global warming is not curbed.
Russia-Ukraine war: Is a ceasefire deal on the horizon?
Experts say a ceasefire deal is unlikely to be close, as many sticking points remain.