By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has appointed the Secretary of the Defence Department, Greg Moriarty, to be Australia’s new ambassador to Washington, succeeding Kevin Rudd, who leaves the position in March.
The highly-respected senior bureaucrat is a safe choice, and his defence background gives him special qualifications for the post when the further development of AUKUS will be a major preoccupation in coming years.
Moriarty will not be surrounded by any of the controversy that came with the appointment and tenure of Rudd, who had vehemently attacked US President Donald…
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By Mathew Barlow, Professor of Climate Science, UMass Lowell
Judah Cohen, Climate scientist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
A severe winter storm sweeping across the central and eastern U.S. in late January 2026 threatened states from Texas to New England with crippling freezing rain, sleet and snow. Several governors issued states of emergency as forecasters warned of hazardous travel conditions, dangerous wind chills and power outages amid bitter cold expected to linger for days.
The sudden blast may come as…
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By Aikande Clement Kwayu, Lecturer, Tumaini University Makumira
Edwin Mtei, who passed away on 20 January 2026, was the first governor of Tanzania’s Central Bank after independence from Britain.
He filled the post until 1974.
Mtei was appointed by Julius Nyerere, who served as president from 1964 until his resignation in 1985. Nyerere once said of Mtei: “Once a governor, always a governor”, as quoted in Mtei’s autobiography, From…
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By Kevin Rennie
"For me, cultural continuity is both a responsibility and a source of strength. It reminds me of why this work matters and who it is ultimately for."
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Friday, January 23, 2026
Disturbing details continued to emerge on Friday about Iran’s State-led crackdown against mass protests, while UN rights chief Volker Türk expressed deep concern that demonstrators could be executed.
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Prime Minister of Finland, Petteri Orpo, in Brussels, Belgium, January 22, 2026. © 2026 Michael Kappeler/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Photo Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s scheduled January 25-28 visit to China, accompanied by over 20 Finnish business leaders, is the latest in a wave of trips by democratic governments seeking closer trade relations with Beijing. Recent visits by leaders from Ireland, Sweden, France, Germany, and Canada follow a familiar script: trade and investment dominate the agenda while human rights concerns receive…
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By Amnesty International
In response to the expected announcement by the Trump administration on Friday of an expansion of the Global Gag Rule blocking US international aid to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counselling or information, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research, Advocacy Policy & Campaigns, Erika Guevara-Rosas, said: “The expansion of the Global Gag Rule is an assault on human rights. By targeting organizations that support diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives […] The post USA: Expansion of Global Gag Rule will threaten lives and rights of millions worldwide…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Cambodian lawmakers attend a National Assembly session to consider a draft amendment to the nationality law, Phnom Penh, August 25, 2025. © 2025 Cambodia National Assembly via AP Photo The Cambodian government has issued formal instructions that will allow it to arbitrarily strip Cambodians of citizenship without any judicial review or appeal. The government’s longtime crackdown on peaceful dissent and the political opposition heightens concerns that these new powers will be abused.The instructions, the “Sub-Decree on Implementing the Law on Nationality,” were…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Posters advertising the magazine Jeune Afrique in Kigali, Rwanda, August 2, 2018. © 2018 Jacques Nkinzingabo/AFP via Getty Images Last week, Mali’s military junta moved to limit the ability of everyday people to get information from one of the most influential news outlets covering African affairs.On January 16, the Ministry of Territorial Administration issued a decree banning the circulation and distribution of Jeune Afrique “in all its forms,” citing “the need to preserve public order.” The ministry accused the outlet of “terrorism apology” and…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Demonstrators march in Tblisi, Georgia, on January 10,2026. © 2024 Sebastien Canaud/NurPhoto via AP Photo (Berlin) – Georgian authorities are using newly adopted restrictions on public assemblies to arbitrarily detain and harass peaceful demonstrators, effectively making the right to protest in Georgia increasingly difficult and dangerous, Human Rights Watch said today.Amendments adopted on December 12, 2025, to the Law on Assemblies and Manifestations grant police sweeping discretion to restrict protests on roadways and pedestrian areas, including sidewalks,…
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