At a time when the world is still in such a state of shock over the tragedy in the United States, it is refreshing to have some optimistic news of hope - especially from a location that has seemed so hope-less for so long. Last weekend I was   Read more...

Enduring freedom and lasting security cannot be achieved without preventing biological weapons from being developed in the first place. Therefore, it is very important that more be done to stop the spread of biological weapons. The Geneva-bas  Read more...

Are Australian politicians concentrating too much on economic matters - and not enough on social ones? The high rate of declining services in rural and regional Australia suggests this to be true. The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (w  Read more...

Human activity has affected every part of the planet, no matter how remote. The planet faces some severe environmental pressures. The United Nations Population Fund (http://www.unfpa.org/) has just published its annual review of the state of   Read more...

Australians are now following international trends and demanding greater choice and transparency in how their money is being invested - and they to want to make sure that their investments match their values. One of the biggest economic and s  Read more...

Recent events in Afghanistan mean that some progress can now be made in rebuilding the country after two decades of the civil war. Providing employment is an important way of working for peace. The Sydney-based Conflict Resolution Network (ht  Read more...

Technology and theology, science and ethics have often been at odds. Technological change once again requires more attention by Australian churches. The National Cathedral in Washington DC is about to host an important seminar entitled "Are W  Read more...

Religion has made a comeback in world affairs - despite the predictions from some academics a few decades ago that religion was on the way out. Indeed, there is now probably more attention to religious issues in world affairs than for many decade  Read more...

The passing of George Harrison has been a major news item this past week. Here are three comments on the Beatles, not least on the pioneering role I used to talk to the Beatles in the late 1960s when they ran a shop selling their souvenirs in  Read more...

The international tourist industry is having problems both because of the global recession and the fears of foreign travel due to the September 11 attacks. The Japanese foreign travel industry is down about 43 per cent. The good news is that this  Read more...