Let’s not mince words, the “death tax” campaign begun by The Australian and the rest of News Ltd stable is a pack of lies and manipulative misinformation. It is best met with facts and reassurance.

There is no death tax in the Budget. The changes to taxes on trusts only affect the very wealthiest of people. The changes to capital gains tax will not stymie innovation, send innovators offshore, or affect anyone unfairly.

Death to News Ltd’s propaganda

BY Crispin Hull

The campaign is classic propaganda designed to scare and dupe people into voting against their own interests.

Indeed, there is a solid argument that if the changes to trust income went further it would benefit the great majority of Australia’s 16 million taxpayers.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic arrived in Beijing on Sunday for his first state visit to China, a trip that is aimed at striving for more tangible outcomes in building a China-Serbia community with a shared future for the new era.

President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang will respectively meet with Vucic during the visit, which runs from Sunday to Thursday, to exchange views on bilateral relations, as well as international and regional issues of mutual interest.

Before leaving for China, Vucic described his visit as "undoubtedly the most important trip abroad" in his political career, according to Serbian news agency Tanjug.

He said that Serbia attaches great importance to building strong partnerships with friendly countries that respect its independence, development and right to choose its own path.

... There were now two of us on the bench. My neighbor was leafing through a book, from whose pages a withered flower slipped unnoticed. I picked it up to give it back to him. The stranger greeted me, raised it to his withered lips, and placed it back in the mysterious book.

"This flower," I ventured to say, "is surely the symbol of some sweet, buried love? Alas! We all have a day of happiness in the past that disenchants our future."

"Are you a poet?" he replied, smiling. The thread of the conversation had taken hold: now, on what spool would it unravel?

"A poet, if it is a poet to have sought art!"

"You sought art! And did you find it?"

"Would to heaven that art were not a chimera!"

"A chimera!... and I too have sought it!" he exclaimed with the enthusiasm of genius and the emphasis of triumph.

More than 20 years after he wrote that the Liberal Party has deserted it roots and become deeply conservative, Greg Barns argues it is well beyond time for a genuine liberal force to enter the fray.

Greg Barns

[2014] In the main this has been understood as applying to grave violations of the laws of war (especially the Hague and Geneva Conventions), crimes against humanity (recently specified to include apartheid and torture as distinct crimes), crimes against the peace (aggression, which was the core crime alleged at Nuremberg and Toyko, but has been called into question in recent years), and genocide (not formally criminalized until 1948).

Geopolitics and international state crime: an accountability black hole

There is a conspiracy of silence around victors’ justice within the United Nations and in global diplomacy, as if it is embarrassing even to call attention to such a fundamental deficiency in the implementation of international criminal law.

by RICHARD FALK

On May 26, the Donetsk People’s Republic marked the tenth anniversary of the first battle for the region’s international airport. This was a key clash in the fight between Ukraine and local citizens who opposed the nationalist-dominated government that had seized power in Kiev as a result of the US-backed coup in February 2014.

Scott Ritter: Why did it take Russia so long to realize Donbass was worth fighting for?

As its military operation enters a critical stage, the question of why it took Moscow eight years to intervene remains a sensitive topic

BY Scott Ritter

The anniversary was but one in a succession of similar commemorations of events which, together, draw attention to the fact that the war in Donbass has been ongoing for a decade.

If one adjective could describe renowned British broadcaster, naturalist and author Sir David Attenborough, it would be "indefatigable." 

Though having physically slowed down with age, the now 100-year-old presenter's passion for the natural world — and his enthusiasm in sharing it with viewers — has not waned. 

Celebrated naturalist David Attenborough turns 100

BY Brenda Haas

The still-sprightly centenarian has been knighted twice, nominated for the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, and is perhaps the world's most recognizable nature lover.

The Federal Reserve is about to welcome a new chair for the first time in eight years as Kevin Warsh takes the reins from Jerome Powell. And while what’s happening in Washington may feel far away from your everyday financial life, it’s a change worth paying attention to.

Incendios: Una crítica ecosocial del capitalismo inflamable (Verso, 2025) analyzes the nature of capitalism through the lens of flames. Through an eco-Marxist analysis of three fires that occurred in Portugal, Peru, and the United Kingdom in June 2017, writer and filmmaker Alejandro Pedregal reconstructs the eco-sociohistorical layers that underlie the present we inhabit.

Capitalism Is a Flammable System: An Interview with Alejandro Pedregal

By Alejandro Pedregal, Alejandro Coronel

This interview and the introductory note originally appeared in Spanish, in the Latin American edition of Jacobin.

The failure of Australia and Western governments to hold Israel to account enabled the abuse of Gaza flotilla detainees, Jerusalem Peace Prize recipient Stuart Rees argues.

If bullies notice that no one intervenes to stop their behaviour, they may interpret such non-intervention as permission to continue bullying.

Gaza flotilla. Reluctance to protest Israel’s cruelties enabled the abuse

by Professor Stuart Rees

For years, the same process has operated in relation to the thuggery of Israel’s Netanyahu government, and in that respect, Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s abuse of detainees from the Gaza international aid flotilla was no surprise.

We have collectively created a self-propelling destructive system that no-one is in charge of.

The 100th birthday of Sir David Attenborough reminded us of how he has championed the wondrous world of living things on this lonely little planet. For a long time the message was implicit: we need to preserve these miracles, which are also our life-support system. The message should have been obvious.

Geoff Davies

I present the account of two Democratic representatives from the United States who recently visited Havana. Interesting, of course, because of the authors' backgrounds. Published in The New York Times on May 11 (available in its entirety to subscribers only) and on May 12 in Spanish, from which I offer an automatic translation using Microsoft Word and the few available comments.

Jacques-François Bonaldi

GUSNOTE: TRANSLATION FROM FRENCH BY JULES LETAMBOUR

May 12, 2026 (original English: May 11, 2026)

By Pramila Jayapal and Jonathan L. Jackson. Jayapal, of Washington's 7th Congressional District, and Jackson, of Illinois' 1st Congressional District, are Democratic members of the House of Representatives.

US President Donald Trump has said that a peace agreement with Iran has been “largely negotiated” and is now being finalized, signaling a potential breakthrough after nearly three months of war and repeated threats of renewed US strikes.

Trump announces Iran deal ‘finalization’
The US president says a peace agreement has been “largely negotiated,” with the “final aspects” still under discussion

The Sydney Peace Foundation is honoured to announce that the 2026 Sydney Peace Prize will be awarded to Jennifer Robinson, international human rights lawyer, barrister, author and advocate. Jen is acclaimed for her work in key human rights and media freedom cases, extensive pro-bono work, and advocacy for the rights of marginalised communities.