Blogotariat

The future of international relations is being defined by these routes [Ports Not Missiles]. As shipyards and energy nodes slip from Anglo-Saxon hands, the balance shifts. Sanctions turn into paper threats, the dollar loses its status as the world’s club, and new routes—from Chabahar to the Arctic—dictate the rules of trade. 

From Henderson to Chabahar the Future Flows Through Ports Not Missiles

From Pearls and Irritations

The culmination of Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK was a press conference at which both American and British leaders waved pieces of paper, containing an agreement that US firms would invest billions of dollars in Britain.

The symbolism was appropriate, since a central element of the proposed investment bonanza was the construction of large numbers of nuclear reactors, of a kind which can appropriately be described as “paper reactors”.

What would Christopher Hitchens say about Donald Trump’s disastrous performance at the United Nations General Assembly? In this satirical reimagining, Hitchens unleashes a scathing critique of a speech so absurd it left world leaders in stunned silence.

While a treaty prohibits nuclear weapons stationed in Australia, the Government tries to circumvent it. Rex Patrick and Philip Dorling on Labor’s duplicitous nuclear word games.

From 2032, nuclear-armed cruise missiles will be loaded into US Navy Virginia-class subs. The Treaty of Rarotonga prohibits nuclear weapons from being ‘stationed’ at HMAS Stirling, but maybe it’s OK for them to be ‘rotated’ through the base.

My latest in The Guardian

Ukraine is planning a possible false-flag operation in Romania or Poland that could escalate into a third world war, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

In a Telegram post on Friday, she pointed to reports in Hungarian media alleging that Kiev intends to stage acts of sabotage in neighboring NATO countries and place responsibility on Moscow.

No Chinese city appears on the annual lists of the most liveable cities in the world. Is this due to ignorance or to a pervasive anti-China bias?

What does one look for in a liveable city? According to three main annual global city surveys, factors include stability, culture and the environment, infrastructure, education standards and healthcare.

Australian house prices are already at their highest level in history and are beginning to surge higher. According to Cotality, last week’s combined final auction clearance rate rose to 71.6%, which was the capital cities’ highest result since early June 2023 (73.1%). It was also the third time in five weeks that the final clearance

The post Australian house prices ascend into the bubble realm appeared first on MacroBusiness.

The Pentagon issued an urgent, highly unusual directive calling hundreds of generals and admirals (1–4 star officers and their senior enlisted advisers) to assemble in Virginia; many senior officers reportedly don’t know the reason for the meeting.

Commentators describe the order as extraordinary because such large in-person gatherings of top commanders are rare and could signal something significant beyond routine video conferences.

Anna Skarbek from Climateworks Centre on Australia's emissions mission, and the new China targets, while AGL's Jane Butler talks vehicle to grid. Plus: Wind and battery deals.

Recently, AMP Chief Economist Shane Oliver posted the chart below on Twitter (also known as X) detailing the path of rental vacancy rates and asking rents since the early 1980s. As I have somewhat crudely illustrated in the chart below, with the three blue circles, there have been three major surges in asking rents over

The post Surging rents and immigration, the history appeared first on MacroBusiness.

Consumer groups are not convinced that new rules requiring energy retailers to make "better offers" more visible will make bills any less confusing.

Australia’s draconian social media ban for under-16s has won praise from European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at the United Nations, who labelled it “plain common sense”. Australia held an overnight event on the fringes of the UN General Assembly in New York to explain the rationale for the ban and build global support

The post Commissar Albo takes eKaren global appeared first on MacroBusiness.