The West’s obsession with Iran’s nuclear ambitions is playing right into Ahmadinejad’s hands, says a former UN official. If we really want to help Iranians’ struggle for democracy, we need to forget about sanctions and get creative.
December, 2009
Has Citibank been hacked?
Russian hackers have stolen tens of millions of dollars from Citibank, according to US government sources, but the bank is in heavy denial mode.
Hussein: I don’t buy Quadrant — but I still pay for it
How do you reconcile the need to know what the enemy is saying with the prohibition against tipping money -– even small change -– into their war-chest? asks Shakira Hussein.
must read 
Tora Bora: How Osama got away
Eight years since Osama bin Laden slipped through America’s fingers in the Battle for Tora Bora, The New Republic has the “definitive account” of what it describes as one of “the greatest military blunders in recent U.S. history.”
How the US killed Copenhagen
Everyone is blaming China for stonewalling climate negotiations in Copenhagen, but the real reason the summit failed can be summed up in two words, says George Monbiot: Barack Obama.
Best of frenemies: why Pakistan hates the US
Pakistan and the US have long had a complicated relationship but Pakistan’s recent actions have turned it toxic, writes Christopher Hitchens. When will the US realise that its true closest ally in the region is India?
must read 
The world’s worst wildlife dealer exposed
A National Geographic expose on Anson Wong — the world’s most notorious smuggler of endangered species. Authorities spent decades bringing him to justice, so why is he now a free man, still trading in wildlife and about to open his very own zoo?
UK climate secretary: How China hijacked Copenhagen
In an op-ed for the Guardian, the UK’s climate secretary, Ed Miliband accuses China and other developing countries of hijacking negotiations at Copenhagen, preventing any substantial deal from being reached.
Do sex addicts even exist?
‘Sex addict’ gets bandied around a lot by the media as a nice get-out-of-jail-free card for famous men who play around on their wives. But is it a disease, or just something people like doing?
Wikileaks to expose neo-Nazis online
Wikileaks is about to unleash a huge amount of private documents, correspondence and membership lists from neo-Nazi organisations into the wilds of the internet. This could get very, very nasty.
Why moving offshore isn’t just about cutting costs
Manufacturing in a Western country is hard. It’s expensive, good machinists are difficult to find and many are working illegally or have poor language skills. But moving your manufacturing to China doesn’t mean having to sell your soul.
Five big lessons from Copenhagen
For all its failings, Copenhagen provided some important lessons for how the fight against climate change will play out in the 21st century, says Bryan Walsh, including the decisive role China will now play and just how much harder it’s going to get in the future.
How 3-D movies work
With Avatar recently hitting cinemas around the country, 3-D movies are all the buzz again, and, contrary to popular belief, it takes more than just some red and blue cellophane to get them popping off the screens. Wired explains how it all happens.
VIDEO: What English sounds like to foreigners
A song written by an Italian singer in gibberish to sound like English. Apparently this is what the English language sounds like to non-English speakers.
Taking a dump on sacred land: the long-drop toilet and the NT Intervention
A construction company working as part of the NT Intervention is facing charges after digging a toilet in the middle of one of the most sacred Indigenous sites in Arnhem Land. How does a mishap of this size happen?
No regrets on the road from
Copenhagen
Copenhagen changes nothing for Australian policymakers — but that won’t stop politicians from using it as a political weapon.
Video of the Day: Obama’s Christmas message to the kids
Obama teaches kids about the true spirit of Christmas.
Political snippets: Now for the pictures, a climate change strategy, dud forecasts
The Liberals have finally got the shadow health minister talking about health, how Abbott can go green, some lessons in truth from the SMH, and more from the mind of Richard Farmer.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: A poetic view of Copenhagen
One Crikey reader pens a lovely piece of poetry on Copenhagen, Imre Salusinszky weighs in Rundle and Windschuttle, while others argue over internet censorship and government Chritsmas propaganda.
Goldman employees make hay: 500-grand-a-head kind of hay
Goldman would be crazy to not make as much hay as it can while the sun continues to shine. And by “making hay”, we mean “paying its very smart employees billions of dollars to take calculated risks with shareholder and taxpayer money”.
Why in 2010 we will see a change in the airlines
The luxury business air fare will not come back at nearly the same rate as the economy rebounds in 2010. And that’s just one change that frequent flyers have to look forward to.
EMI deal a pain in the (al)bum for private-equity big hitter
The catastrophic failure of record label EMI once again proves that many of the feted masters of the universe are mostly show and very little substance.
Keysar Trad: My victory over Alan Jones
Alan Jones and his employer 2GB have been ordered to pay $10,000 in damages and apologise on air over comments he made about Lebanese men, writes Keysar Trad. It was an expensive, time-consuming and stressful victory, but the complaint had to be made.
Media briefs: Matt Preston ditches Fairfax … NYP ditches Tiger … Twitter finally makes money
Matt Preston is ditching the SMAge for Rupert, Twitter will actually turn a profit this year, the New York Post ends its three-week run of back-to-back Tiger Woods covers, the biggest media marketing disasters of the year and more media news.
The big movies of 2010 (with a sobering thought)
What movie buffs have to look forward to in 2010: on the upper echelon is new cinematic forays from Robin Hood, Balthazar Blake, Lamuel Gulliver and Gordon Gekko; on decidedly lower terrain, Shrek, the Karate Kid, and The Wog Boy make their way back to the big screen.
