Last week there was some hope that Russia might be coming on board with the need to do something about the steadily increasing bloodshed in Syria.
Politics
The impact of FOFA — industry claims brought undone
A new report shows how hysterical the financial planning industry has been in its opposition to reform.
Costa Concordia on the scrapheap of the daily news cycle
As Italians braced for another big freeze, the Costa Concordia cruise ship seems to have been relegated to the scrapheap of our fast-changing daily news cycle, writes Jo McKenna, a Rome-based freelance journalist.
Parkinson: no easy choices, but strong case for energy action
A new report from the Grattan Institute has underlined the failure of current policies to push Australia down the path of a clean energy future Giles Parkinson, editor of RenewEconomy, reports.
How about a Rupert tweet on Sir Rod’s surprise gong?
The fact that Rupert Murdoch has board approval to tweet away is surprising, if only because it is amazing that he still holds a leadership position at News Corp.
Beyond the carbon price, a Faustian bargain
Decarbonising the economy quickly is absolutely necessary, writes David Spratt, an author and researcher in climate change.
Mackerras: and the winner in Queensland will be …
This is a tale of two Australian states, each holding two recent general elections, writes Malcolm Mackerras.
Rundle12: Ron Paul beckons the lost boys and girls of Las Vegas
The sweet, sweet paradox of Ron Paul is that a large slice of his support comes from those who carefully and cheerfully disregard his foreign policy reviews altogether, writes Guy Rundle in Las Vegas.
Crikey Says: Misogyny isn’t why Gillard is in trouble
Is criticism of Julia Gillard’s performance as prime minister sexist, as Bob Brown suggests? Is the current bout of leadership rumbling reflective of the febrile, misogynist minds of male media commentators?
War takes their homes, the cold takes the lives
Twenty-two children living in Kabul’s refugee camps froze to death in the last month. How is it that after billions of international aid dollars, Afghanis are dying from the cold? Rod Nordland investigates.
Wielding UN veto, Putin misreads the situation in Syria
The Russian government’s PR machine went into overdrive to try and explain why president-in-wait Vladimir Putin vetoed a UN resolution against violence in Syria, which was a badly misjudged decision, writes David Hearst.
Castro, in dark trackies, launches memoir
Fidel Castro, 85, made a rare public appearance on the weekend, presenting a new two-volume memoir titled ‘Guerilla of Time’, reports Annie-Marie Garcia.
Kevin Rudd’s statement on Syria
At last Kevin Rudd – who admittedly has been fairly vocal about the need to get rid of the vile butcher Bashar Al-Assad — has issued a statement about the failure of the Security Council and Assad’s mass murder in Homs, reports Bernard Keane.
Nielsen: surprise boost for Labor and Gillard
Nielsen’s sample of 1400 respondents from its first poll of the year didn’t get the memo, writes William Bowe. The government has received its best Nielsen result since March last year and Julia Gillard has an eight-point improvement on net personal rating.
Meet Haiti’s 1%
Haiti is known as a country wrecked with poverty and struggling to survive after the disasterous earthquake of 2010. But there’s a lot of rich people — mainly families who migrated from Europe a centruy earlier — calling the island home.
Better Access program: success in whose interests?
The Better Access program, introduced by the Howard government in 2006 to improve access to treatments for common mental disorders, was controversial before it even began.
More evidence of why donation disclosure laws are hopeless
For several years now Crikey has engaged in the ritual denunciation of our Commonwealth electoral donation laws. It’s worth repeating.
Mayne v Andrews: big parties awash with pokies cash
Pokies industry donations for 2010-11 got a brief mention in yesterday’s coverage and they certainly make for interesting reading when totalled up.
Moscow protests: authorities’ gloves may come off
The protests are small enough, isolated enough, and moderate enough in their aims to fizzle out of their own accord, writes Matthew Clayfield, a freelance correspondent in Vladivostok.
Brussels is summit of a contrast, Trappist bier notwithstanding
Brussels resembles a mini-state unto itself, with demography, culture and politics a thing apart from the rest of the nation, freelance writer David Ritter reports from Brussels.
Dudgeon: constitution helps undo silence harming Aboriginal Australia
The causes for distress in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities leading to youth suicide are broad and steeped in historical, social and economic circumstances, as well as the contemporary choices of individuals, writes professor Pat Dudgeon, one of the “founding” people in indigenous psychology.
Rundle12: vigorous primaries toughen candidates like fire tidies a room
With the exception of Colorado, each contest is getting some attention.
Death, violence and protests: chaos continues in Egypt
After violent football riots killed 71 people, nearly 10,000 Egyptians took to the streets on Thursday demanding retribution, reports Al Jazeera.
The Power Index 
Julian Assange: Australia’s most powerful thinker
Townsville’s most famous former computer hacker is changing how the media and diplomats operate. Julian Assange speaks Tom Cowie about the role of WikiLeaks and its power.
