
20 October 2025
Gaza has a ceasefire, now Palestine needs self-determination
Whether it’s the Israeli Government, an international peacekeeping force, or a post-conflict reconstruction authority for Gaza chaired (grotesquely) by Donald Trump, the fate of Palestine still rests in the hands of outsiders.

20 October 2025
Message from the editor
Readers are well aware of our special interest in calm and rational coverage of China. Often we focus on geopolitics, and the change in China’s position in a world of continual, swirling change is fascinating.

20 October 2025
As Gaza starts to rebuild, what lessons can be learned from Nagasaki in 1945?
At first, there might not seem to be any immediate similarities between a devastated Nagasaki after the US atomic bombing in 1945 and Gaza today, aside from massive destruction.

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20 October 2025
Albanese meets Trump: A fly to a wanton schoolboy
Paul Begley looks at how the Australian prime minister might manage his scheduled meeting with Donald Trump this week.

20 October 2025
Countering Trump, Pacific Islanders are leading on climate change
The leaders of the Pacific Islands are forging a united front against President Donald Trump’s climate denialism and leading the world in the battle against the climate crisis.

20 October 2025
India’s American dream in tatters
The last couple of months have exposed the humiliating realities of the subordinate alliance that India has been gradually sliding into with the US over the last three decades.

20 October 2025
An immodest proposal for an ideal source of strategic policy advice
In the various debates and arguments on Australia’s defence, one thing is at least is settled: the government has agreed to continue funding national security strategic policy work undertaken by a sector composed of think-tanks and university centres that is significantly compromised.

20 October 2025
APEC Summit opens a window for Korea – and for Australia
On 1 November, the leaders of the nations of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum will meet in the historic South Korean city of Gyeongju.

20 October 2025
Rooftop solar takes its biggest bite yet out of coal generators’ lunch, as home battery rebates hit 89,000
Rooftop solar on homes and businesses took its biggest bite yet out of the traditional “baseload” midday lunch on Wednesday, as the combined output hit a record of 15,597 megawatts (MW) at noon AEST.

20 October 2025
Proposed housing development in Ipswich raises red flags
A proposal to build about 500 apartments on flood-liable land on the banks of the Bremer River in Ipswich, west of Brisbane, raises many questions about our continuing lack of respect for the potential severity of the consequences of flooding.

19 October 2025
Was the gospel preached at Charlie Kirk's memorial service?
It is now more than a month since Charlie Kirk’s murder (10 September) and memorial service (21 September).
Latest on Palestine and Israel

20 October 2025
Gaza has a ceasefire, now Palestine needs self-determination
Whether it’s the Israeli Government, an international peacekeeping force, or a post-conflict reconstruction authority for Gaza chaired (grotesquely) by Donald Trump, the fate of Palestine still rests in the hands of outsiders.

20 October 2025
As Gaza starts to rebuild, what lessons can be learned from Nagasaki in 1945?
At first, there might not seem to be any immediate similarities between a devastated Nagasaki after the US atomic bombing in 1945 and Gaza today, aside from massive destruction.

19 October 2025
Israel returns Palestinian prisoners’ bodies with ‘signs of torture, mutilation and execution’
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.

18 October 2025
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.

17 October 2025
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.

17 October 2025
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.

17 October 2025
War without end, peace without justice
The Gaza war has become the most searing mirror of our century’s political and moral contradictions.

16 October 2025
‘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.

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 PDFLatest on China

18 October 2025
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.

14 October 2025
The West’s crucial strategic failures
The Earth is littered with the ruins of empires that once believed they were eternal. Camille Paglia.

13 October 2025
Lack of China capability can only do harm to society: Our current situation is a disgrace
In March 2023, the Australian Academy of the Humanities sounded the alarm on the decline in our understanding and knowledge of China through a report on “Australia’s China Knowledge Capability”.

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