October 2024
Beware the unintended consequences of Middle East escalation
As tensions between Washington and Tel Aviv flare again, the broader geopolitical consequences of the crisis remain difficult to discern.
September 2024
Relief for motorists as oil price slides to its lowest point this year
But the decline has wreaked havoc on the ASX energy sector – already one of the worst-performing of the year to date – with Santos and Woodside both down.
May 2024
Political bombshell hits Israel’s leaders over Gaza war
The application by the ICC prosecutor for the arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu is loaded with symbolic and practical implications.
Penny Wong must speak up on New Caledonia
It’s time for Australia’s foreign minister to act as the honest friend and tell France that they are mishandling their Pacific territory.
January 2024
Air strikes could be first of many, Sunak warns
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the US-British air strikes on Houthi rebels were “limited, necessary and proportionate” but sent a clear message.
September 2023
EU vows crackdown on people smuggling after migrants overwhelm Italian island
Migrant numbers this week briefly surpassed the population of Lampedusa residents, who have been witness to countless tragedies.
Disastrous floods a rallying cry for divided Libya
The Derna dam tragedy has ramped up pressure on the country’s leading politicians, viewed by some as the architects of the catastrophe.
‘Hollywood horror movie’: Libya searches for survivors
The death toll in Derna could top 40,000 because the flooding catastrophe has hit a failed state fractured by war and divided by two feuding governments.
‘Biblical suffering’: 10,000 missing in Libya dam collapse
Torrential rains caused two dams to burst in the North African country, carrying entire neighbourhoods into the sea, and leaving thousands of people missing.
UK to declare Russia’s Wagner a terrorist organisation
A draft order due to be put before parliament will allow Wagner’s assets to be categorised as terrorist property and seized, the interior ministry said in a statement.
January 2023
Why there is no Facebook revolution on the way for Iran
The history of Middle East revolts shows that social media is no substitute for the emergence of a genuine civil society.
December 2022
Lockerbie bombing suspect taken into US custody
A former Libyan intelligence officer will face court 34 years after the plane attack over Scotland that killed 270 people.
March 2022
Joe Biden close to announcing another big release of US oil reserves
Since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, Mr Biden has increasingly blamed Russia’s president for high inflation, which is hurting his approval ratings.
January 2022
Oil markets run hot as traders eye $US100 a barrel
Open interest for West Texas Intermediate $US100 call options for June increased 10 per cent last week as traders bet on a near 30 per cent surge in prices.
December 2021
Gaddafi’s son free to stand in Libya election
Gaddafi, who was sentenced to death in 2015 for war crimes during a battle to save his father’s 40-year rule, has been cleared by a court to stand in elections aimed at ending decades of turmoil.
November 2021
Conflict entrepreneurs: the dollars behind war zone work
New documents reveal how Aussies planned to make plump margins in conflict zones. Not everything went smoothly, with the UN probing alleged embargo breaches.
September 2021
No more US intervention? Tell me another one
America is said to be on the verge of something called ‘isolationism’. The record, by contrast, tells us to expect another show of force in some remote trouble spot or other by mid-decade. Go with the record.
US sets up Afghan-focused foreign post to help stranded
Diplomats will work from Doha, Qatar, to help evacuate Afghans who worked with the US and around100 Americans who wanted to leave but were left behind.
June 2021
Drone attack might have been powered by AI, says UN
A drone warfare analyst says the report suggests, for the first time, that a weapons system with artificial intelligence operated on its own to find and attack humans.
May 2021
Net-zero future confronts oil-rich nations
For oil producing nations, a global shift towards cleaner fuels will pose questions about whether they can come out of the energy transition well.