The fall of Park Geun-hye
On 11 March, more than 700,000 South Koreans once again took to the streets in anti-government rallies, this time celebrating the ratification of president Park Geun-hye’s impeachment. The previous day, eight Constitutional Court judges announced that they would unanimously uphold the 9 De...CONTINUE READING
We should support the Palestinians, not Israel
Arriving in Australia for a four-day diplomatic visit on Wednesday, 21 February, Benjamin Netanyahu is the first sitting Israeli prime minister to visit Australia. Netanyahu – who also held Israel’s prime ministership between 1996 and 1999 – is responsible for the ongoing illegal blockade...CONTINUE READING
Big anti-government protests continue in South Korea
A week after more than 1 million people took to the streets of Seoul on 12 November to call for the resignation of South Korean president Park Geun-hye, anti-government protests again broke out in more than 70 locations around the country. The demonstrations on 19 November brought out more...CONTINUE READING
The new Stolen Generation
Victoria’s commissioner for Aboriginal children and young people has released a two-year investigation into state removals of Aboriginal children. Always Was, Always Will Be, Koori Children reveals not only an over-representation of Aboriginal children in child protection and out-of-home c...CONTINUE READING
South Korea erupts in anti-government protests
More than 200,000 South Koreans took to the streets of Seoul on 5 November to demand the resignation of the country’s president, Park Geun-hye. The event swamped Gwanghwamun Square as protesters chanted, “The owner of this country is the Korean people!” Protests also took place in South Ko...CONTINUE READING
Israel no model for Aboriginal people
Aboriginal journalist Stan Grant told the ABC’s Recognition: Yes or No? program on 20 September: “I have been to Israel and I have seen the sense of Jewish belonging, whether you are an Ethiopian Jew or a Russian Jew or an American Jew, with a whole range of ethnicities and everything else...CONTINUE READING
The corporate giants that dwarf 180 countries
The combined revenues of the largest 10 corporations in the world, including Apple, Toyota, Walmart, Shell, BP, Exxon Mobil and Volkswagen, now exceed the combined income of 180 of the world’s 195 sovereign states. The top 10 corporations have combined annual incomes of more than US$2.8 tr...CONTINUE READING
South Korean union leader jailed
Han Sang-gyn, president of the 800,000-strong (South) Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), was sentenced to five years’ jail on 4 July for his role in organising a series of demonstrations against the Park Geun-hye government. Han was convicted on charges relating to traffic and pu...CONTINUE READING
All lives will matter when Black lives matter
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, South Africa, Germany and Australia in the wake of the police murders of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling in the US in early July. In Australia, Black Lives Matter solidarity actions drew attenti...CONTINUE READING