For Australian republicans, Prince Charles has often been seen as an easy target, writes freelancer David Ritter.
Politics / The World / Europe
Scottish independence: Salmond still swimming upstream
There are two important questions arising out of the possibility of a Scottish republic, writes Keshia Jacotine, who researches and writes about European and Scottish politics.
RBA could increase rates if there’s a sharp rise in inflation
Lots of mea culpas this morning from business economists and media pundits who got the Reserve Bank rate decision horribly wrong yesterday, write Glenn Dyer and Bernard Keane.
Kohler: trouble in a carry trade paradise
Keynesian purists are all clutching their foreheads, but actually it’s pretty fabulous that Australia’s politicians are competing with each other to promise budget surpluses.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Only faint hope for a deal with Iran on nukes
For a couple of months things have been looking pretty bleak on the Iranian front.
Welcome to the bizarro parallel universe that is UK politics
The government of the United Kingdom has pulled off one of the great political con jobs, writes David Ritter from London.
Croatia turn up late to EU party
Last weekend Croatia took to the polls to vote on whether the country could proceed towards accession into the European Union. With almost all votes counted, 66 percent of Croats supported membership, writes Keshia Jacotine.
The locals are adamant: cruise skipper ‘had head up his arse’
New questions are being asked about whether the blame for the disaster should be shared between captain Franco Schettino and the owner of the vessel, Costa Cruises, writes Josephine McKenna, a freelance journalist in Giglio.
Contrasting reactions to friendly fire in Afghanistan
France has suspended all operations with the Afghan army after four French troops were killed in friendly fire — a stark comparison to Julia Gillard’s reaction to three Aussies being shot last November, writes Richard Farmer.
As Capt Chicken sips espresso with mum, rescuers search for dead
As Captain Francesco Schettino kicks back with an espresso in Naples, an army is working to clean up the mess that he left behind, writes Jo McKenna from the Italian island of Giglio.
Surveilling discontent: Germany keeps a watch on the far-right
The German government has approved a plan to create a database of far-right extremists, as a response to the discovery of a neo-Nazi cell believed to be responsible for a string of murders.
Crikey Says: Doing a Schettino
The captain of the Costa Concordia’s leadership qualities are not unlike the kind we’re seeing from European leaders at the moment.
In Italy turning a blind eye has become an artform
Italy’s credit rating may be heading south and plenty of businesses are struggling to survive, but in a country where so much is hidden, there is often growth where you don’t see it, writes Jo McKenna, a Rome-based freelance journalist.
Margaret Thatcher, between myth and politics
A sympathetic film portrayal of Britain’s most divisive modern prime minister fits a broader mood of reappraisal of her years in power, David Hayes, deputy editor of openDemocracy, writes at Inside Story.
Sarkozy far from a cert for French presidency
Strong showings in recent opinion polls by the French far-right National Front suggest that Nicolas Sarkozy is far from a certainty to make the final run-off election for the French presidency, writes Richard Farmer.
Big trouble in Ital(ly) Chinatown
A Chinese shopkeeper and his nine-month-old baby Joy were brutally gunned down in a suburb of Rome in a robbery that went horribly wrong, writes Josephine McKenna, a freelance journalist in Rome.
Scots contemplate an independent future
Alex Salmond wants to be remembered as the founder of a new nation, but if he lets Cameron outmanoeuvre him on a referendum, then it could be a long time before Scotland gets another chance.
Greece debt crisis: even finding aspirin has become a headache
Strained government finances are partly to blame for a paucity of aspirin in Greece. The country’s financial crisis has spawned a frightening reduction in access to medical care, writes Naomi Kresge.
‘Economic war’: Iran responds to EU ban
In the aftermath of a preliminary agreement from the European Union to ban oil from Iran in response to its nuclear program, Iran has blasted the EU while being careful not to encourage popular unrest. Aj Jazeera reports.
Greece’s New Year dampener
Greece has put a dampener on the New Year rally, warning that the country will have to leave the eurozone unless it can reach agreement with its international creditors over its latest €130 billion ($US170 billion) bailout package.
Doubts about Italy continue
The lack of confidence in the Italian government’s ability to manage its debt has returned after the briefest of respites, reports Richard Farmer.
