Uncategorised and other

Bring women to the table to talk ocean sustainability
Bring women to the table to talk ocean sustainability
Oceans are essential to global food supplies. And collectively, the G20 nations constitute 45 per cent of the world’s coastlines and 21 per cent of its exclusive economic zones…
Shakespeare as life coach
Shakespeare as life coach
Surely every serious reader agrees with Hamlet, that Shakespeare’s plays hold “a mirror up to nature”, thus revealing “the very age and body” of us and our times. Although Fintan…
Rising tensions over outer space – a new diplomatic hot zone
Rising tensions over outer space – a new diplomatic hot zone
At the NATO Summit in Washington last week, leaders noted the rising threats in space. The technology orbiting the Earth is critical to the digital world and underpins both…
Eyes on India
Eyes on India
The Shortest History of India, by John Zubrzycki. (Black Inc, 2022)Australia’s Pivot to India, by Andrew Charlton (Black Inc, 2023)With their compact coverage of broad subjects,…
South Africa: Strange noises in the cabinet
South Africa: Strange noises in the cabinet
President Cyril Ramaphosa and the African National Congress lost ground badly in South Africa’s June elections, declining to 40 per cent of the vote. The result has forced the ANC…
China’s mission to Moon rocks geopolitics
China’s mission to Moon rocks geopolitics
China has successfully returned samples from the dark side of the Moon to Earth, a world first.China’s mission demonstrates that it is out ahead with its technologies, but it’s…
Aid discrepancies: Australia’s modest help to the Horn of Africa
Aid discrepancies: Australia’s modest help to the Horn of Africa
In a recent press release, Australia announced an aid package of $23 million to address the critical needs of the Horn of Africa region. While the gesture is commendable, it falls…
How to broaden the political gene pool
How to broaden the political gene pool
Book review: But What Can I Do? By Alastair Campbell (Penguin, 2024)Alastair Campbell’s new book is a bestseller across Britain not just because he writes well but also because…
The forgotten weapon of mass destruction
The forgotten weapon of mass destruction
Book Review: Death Dust: The Rise, Decline, and Future of Radiological Weapons Programs, By William C Potter, Sarah Bidgood, Samuel Meyer, and Hanna Notte (Stanford University…
Fibs, squibs, and trading digs
Fibs, squibs, and trading digs
Book review: Why Politicians Lie About Trade … and What You Need to Know About It, by Dmitry Grozoubinski (Canbury Press, 2024)Trade policy tends to fly under the radar most of…