Yesterday around 100 troops, led by former Colonel Yaura Sasa, took the commander of the Papua New Guinea armed forces, General Francis Angwi, hostage. How unstable is the country, asks Adrian Dowie?
Columns / Crikey Clarifier
Dumb questions for smart people.
Crikey clarifier: how legally binding is the Durban deal?
But how does one enforce an international agreement? It’s more than 20 years since the Kyoto Protocol was first implemented, how far have we come with implementing and policing these global agreements?
Crikey Clarifier: what is involuntary manslaughter?
After a lengthy trial, Dr Conrad Murray has been sentenced with committing the involuntary manslaughter of Michael Jackson. But what’s the difference between voluntary and involuntary, asks Harrison Polites?
What are the laws around occupying?
What are the laws around occupying and protesting in Australia? And when can police remove protesters?
Crikey Clarifier: what’s a market kill switch?
Could the Australian stock market be fitted with a “kill switch”? Reports suggest ASIC will propose that mandatory emergency brakes be fitted to high-speed, high-volume, and occasionally highly irrational High Frequency Trading (HFT) systems to prevent a United States-style “flash crash”. So what is it, and how would it work? Crikey asked Pepperstone Trading CEO Owen Kerr […]
What’s a bridging visa?
Immigration Minister Chris Bowen announced an increase in the amount of bridging visas given to asylum seekers to clear out the crowded detention centres. But how do they work?
Making sense of the dollar
The Australian dollar is the world’s fifth most traded currency and goes up and down, up and down.
Crikey Clarifier: what is a ‘superbug’ and how does penicillin destroy them?
Last week drug company CSL wrote to hospitals, advising them to start rationing an intravenous form of penicillin. But will it increase superbugs and what are they anyway? Crikey intern Greg Foyster investigates.
Clarifier: what does High Court decision mean for offshore processing?
The Gillard Government’s Malaysian Solution in tatters but what about the future of offshore processing in general?
Why the debt crisis matters
Crises pass and problems are solved, after which we forget they existed in the first place, thus creating the conditions for them to happen all over again, writes John Addis, founder of The Intelligent Investor.
Crikey Clarifier: why MPs are forced to resign over bankruptcy
Here’s a guide as to why a member of federal parliament cannot be bankrupt, and what else they must and must not be, writes Crikey intern Clare O’Meara.
Who’s the guardian of unaccompanied minors sent from Oz?
The High Court will today hear a challenge, led by QC David Manne, on the human rights implications of sending asylum seekers who have arrived by boat in Australia to Malaysia as part of the federal government’s hyped Malaysian Solution.
Crikey Clarifier: why aren’t we confident to shop?
Late yesterday department store David Jones shocked investors by announcing its second-half profits could slide by as much as 12%. So in a stable economy why aren’t we confident enough to spend?
Do we have a handle on Hendra?
Since late June eight horses have died from the Hendra virus and dozens of people who made contact with sick horses are now being tested. So do we have a handle on it? Andrew Duffy spoke to Australian Veterinary Association president Barry Smith.
What happened in the House yesterday?
So just what the hell happened in the house yesterday and were we really a bee’s you-know-what from returning to the political crisis of 1975? Crikey spoke with press gallery legend and editor of Inside Canberra Rob Chalmers, who was there in 1975.
How does the current docks dispute compare to ’98?
How does the current docks dispute stack up with the savage industrial war of 1998? To get a handle on all things waterfront, Crikey spoke with workplace relations expert Professor Andrew Stewart from the University of Adelaide.
What is an expert witness?
Just a couple of weeks ago Senator Julian McGauran called for expert witness Professor Graham Burrows to be sacked from his job. In the process he raised a series of questions about the role of expert witnesses in the courts.
Crikey Clarifier: why don’t women serve on the front line?
In the wake of the latest Australian Defence Force Academy behaviour scandal, the federal government will eliminate discrimination on the front line by allowing female combat officers. So why did it take so long, what are the reasons against it, and which other countries successfully employ female front-line troops? Crikey sought some answers… Where do […]
What’s involved in a no-fly zone?
The global response to the crisis in Libya finally came this morning: a UN-imposed no-fly zone over the disputed country. So what is it, and how will it be enforced? Crikey asked military expert Dr Garth Pratten.
Crikey Clarifier: what are the risks of radiation poisoning in Japan?
The slow and shocking meltdown of Japan’s quake-hit Fukushima nuclear power plant is raising fears of radiation poisoning in the country. Crikey asked Australia’s nuclear experts for clarification…
Crikey Clarifier: should states pay disaster insurance?
The recent devastation in Queensland and Victoria has stirred debate over government insurance policies and the complexities surrounding the issue. Should states pay for disaster insurance, asks Sophie Cousins?
Crikey Clarifier: who is Mohamed ElBaradei?
Will Mohamed ElBaradei be Egypt’s next president? The dissident has emerged as the new political face of Egypt amid anti-government protests continuing throughout major cities in Egypt.
Crikey Clarifier: what is a king tide?
Brisbane — along with three quarters of Queensland — is under water today after the swollen Brisbane River peaked this morning at 4.65m. The floods are not expected to recede for some time, it all depends on further rain and tidal conditions — and the arrival of the king tide, the biggest tide of the season.
Can Silvio Berlusconi survive as Italian PM?
Noted Italian political expert Gaetano Rando describes the lawmaking of his homeland as “fairly fluid”. So much so it almost washed the prime minister Silvio Berlusconi out of office overnight amid rising anger over the rule of the very-rich Lothario. Crikey seeks clarification.
What’s the deal with recycled water?
Recycled water. It’s used in a variety of everyday situations — irrigation, factories, toilets. As one of the driest continents on earth, we’ve become used to it. But what about drinking it? Is it as dangerous as people think? And, with large parts of Australia coming out a big drought, should we be even worrying about it?
