The global wheat trade is undergoing a transformation, shaped by geopolitical shifts, strategic investments, and historical legacies. Central to this evolution is China’s Belt and Road Initiative and its expected impact on traditional trade relationships, including those with Australia. The Australia-China wheat trade has deep roots, tracing back to the 1960s when Australia supplied grain Continue reading »
politics
FRANCE 24 reviews “The Bibi Files”, a new documentary by filmmakers Alexis Bloom and Alex Gibney, which features never-before-seen footage of Israeli police interrogating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his family and his inner circle on corruption allegations. The documentary was screened as a work-in-progress at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival on Monday, hours after a Continue reading »
“A healthy conscience can’t simply ignore the mutilated bodies of tens of thousands of dead Palestinian children,” said one human rights activist. Warning: This story includes horrific images of death and destruction in Gaza, specifically photos of Palestinian children killed or wounded by Israeli attacks. Israel’s assault on Gaza has been described as the world’s first live-streamed genocide, Continue reading »
The citizenry of past nations engaged in genocide woke up each morning focused on their challenges of everyday life, not those of the people their rulers were butchering. The victims may have been across continents or within the same population, and so awareness of the slaughter varied, but propaganda and dehumanisation were the ever-present balm Continue reading »
The most senior US officials, including President Joe Biden himself, refer to US alliances with individual or groups of countries in the Indo-Pacific as benign and defensive in nature. These references contrast with warnings about the possible “knock-on” effect of a Russian victory in Ukraine which, it is said, could encourage China to seek to Continue reading »
In today’s papers the Education Minister Jason Clare announced the decision to appoint a new National Student Ombudsman who will combat anti-Semitism at Australia Universities. He explained that Jewish students “don’t feel safe at university” and that it was obvious that antisemitism was a serious problem at tertiary institutions. Clearly these are difficult times for Continue reading »
The Reserve Bank has explicitly warned against any expectation that interest rates will start to fall soon. On the other hand, the Treasurer recently claimed that the Reserve Bank is smashing the economy, implying that interest rates should fall soon. Who is right? Interest rates have risen exceptionally rapidly over the last two years, with Continue reading »
The Opposition’s shadow minister for home and foreign affairs, Barnaby Joyce, has demanded that all airlines, but especially Qantas, bring back the mile high club. ”Flying around the country is part of the job, so why am I prevented from... Read More ›