Australian Parliament censures former prime minister
Australia’s former Prime Minister Scott Morrison has listed his achievements in government including standing up to a “bullying" China as he unsuccessfully argued against being censured by the Parliament for secretly amassing multiple ministerial powers.
Australian PM raises trade 'blockages' with China's Xi
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he raised with Chinese President Xi Jinping concerns about trade “blockages” but did not walk away from their first face-to-face talks with any promises that the $13 billion barriers to Australian exports would be lifted.
Australia PM Morrison defends record despite election loss
Scott Morrison says his conservative government had left Australia in a robust condition even as voters punished him for his handling of issues including climate change and the pandemic that gave the center-left opposition its biggest victory for almost a decade.
Climate Showdown Looms as Australian Disasters Mount
Australia, the driest inhabited continent, is repeatedly ravaged by bushfires and floods -- costly, life-claiming disasters that scientists warn have been exacerbated by a warming planet. It’s also one of the world’s biggest fossil fuel exporters and emitters per capita of greenhouse gases. Yet while most Australians insist they want more action to combat climate change, the country’s conservative government -- in power since 2013 -- has resisted moves that might undermine key industries. As thi
washingtonpost.comClimate Showdown Looms as Australian Disasters Mount
Australia, the driest inhabited continent, is repeatedly ravaged by bushfires and floods -- costly, life-claiming disasters that scientists warn have been exacerbated by a warming planet. It’s also one of the world’s biggest fossil fuel exporters and emitters per capita of greenhouse gases. Yet while most Australians insist they want more action to combat climate change, the country’s conservative government -- in power since 2013 -- has resisted moves that might undermine key industries. As thi
washingtonpost.comCoronavirus latest news: Pandemic behind us by October, says Sage member
Over half of Covid hospitalisations tested positive after admission Scientists considering 77 countries for green list Covid cases fall for sixth day in a row Sherelle Jacobs: Tory biosurveillance fantasy is chilling The delta variant can reinfect you – but it's unlikely The worst of the pandemic could be behind us by late September, an expert has said, as the number of Covid-19 cases in the UK continued to fall. Professor Neil Ferguson - whose modelling led to the first lockdown in March 2020 -
news.yahoo.comAustralia's most elite men's club overwhelmingly votes to prevent women joining
An elite Australian men’s club whose roster includes former prime ministers on Tuesday overwhelmingly voted to maintain its 183-year ban on women members. Nearly 700 votes were cast at the Australian Club’s special general meeting, with only 37 per cent in favour of allowing women to join – well short of the three quarters vote required to pass the change. The Sydney club, founded in 1838, has counted prime ministers John Howard and Malcolm Turnbull, Cardinal George Pell and the billionaire Jame
news.yahoo.comFormer Australian Prime Minister Urges Scott Morrison To Back Climate Action
SYDNEY — Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has labeled opposition to carbon tariffs as naive as Scott Morrison prepares to warn powerful world leaders against the measure. Morrison will head to the G7 conference in the United Kingdom later this week as opposed to trading measures designed to punish countries without ambitious emissions reduction targets. All G7 members including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States have a goal of net-zero by 2050. Independent Member of Parliament Zali Steggall tweeted “UK urges Australia to scale up climate ambition before G7 summit. United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson has raised taxing products from countries with weaker climate action as a mechanism for reducing global emissions.
thewestsidegazette.comAustralia To Stay In China Freezer: Malcolm Turnbull
SYDNEY — Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says there’s little Australia can do to exit the Chinese “freezer” of punitive trade measures, and should instead continue to prioritize the protection of its sovereignty. But he also warned “gratuitous belligerence” towards Beijing was unhelpful, saying quiet diplomacy should win the day over slogans and media headlines. Turnbull appeared at the Lowy Institute in Sydney on May 31 to launch a book on China by journalist Peter Hartcher, the same day that Australia and New Zealand sought in bilateral talks to project unity on China. China also remains angry with Australia over foreign interference and investment laws and the decision to ban Huawei from the country’s 5G rollout. Turnbull also said Australians should stop “blaming themselves when they encounter anger from Beijing”, arguing Chinese aggression was the issue.
thewestsidegazette.comTurnbull Flips Position On Biloela Family In Australia
BILOELA, Australia — Malcolm Turnbull has flipped his position on releasing a family of Tamil asylum-seekers being detained on Christmas Island. Turnbull was prime minister of Australia when Priya, Nades, and their two young daughters were taken from Biloela in central Queensland and put into detention. Turnbull acknowledged the importance of tough border security policies to stop asylum seekers from making risky journeys to Australia by boat. Andrews received a high-level briefing on the Tamil family when she became minister last month. “What I’ve done is exactly what I promised that I would do, which is look at the facts of the case,” Andrews said.
thewestsidegazette.comFormer Aussie PM Malcolm Turnbull To Front Media Diversity Inquiry
SYDNEY — Former Australian Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull is expected to share his insights about the power of Australian media moguls to make and break prime ministers when he fronts a media diversity inquiry. He blamed the News Corp, one of Australia’s largest media conglomerates, and radio jockeys for helping fuel his departure. One of Turnbull’s predecessors, Kevin Rudd, has already called out the “Fox News-isation” of the Australian media that he says is encouraging far-right political extremism. The University of Sydney’s report co-author Benedetta Brevini said unmatched media concentration levels have allowed a powerful few to accumulate excessive political power and set the public agenda. GetUp is calling for more spending as part of an effort to reshape Australian media.
thewestsidegazette.comRoyals' comments raise race issue in Commonwealth nations
It was expected the interview would expose more rifts in the royal family. Buckingham Palace said Tuesday the allegations of racism by Harry and Meghan were “concerning” and would be addressed privately by the royal family. It was encapsulated by one Twitter user in South Africa who wrote: “It’s Britain and the royal family. “I wish all the members of the royal family all the best, but my focus is getting through this pandemic. Lawyer Sunaina Phul said the Commonwealth “is relevant to the royal family, of course, because it shows that they ruled so many places.
Ex-Australian leader says Meghan and Harry's interview bolsters case to cut ties with U.K. monarchy
Sydney, Australia — Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the television interview with Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, bolstered his argument for Australia severing its constitutional ties to the British monarchy. Turnbull met the couple in April 2018, four months before he was replaced by current Prime Minister Scott Morrison in an internal power struggle. Do we really want to have whoever happens to be the head of state of — the king or queen of the U.K., automatically our head of state?" Then-Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaks as Australia's Minister for Justice Michael Keenan listens during a news conference in Sydney, Australia, July 30, 2017. Queen Elizabeth ll smiles amongst Australian flags being waved by the crowd after the Commonwealth Day Service, March 13, 2006, in Sydney, Australia.
cbsnews.comThe Latest: UK talk show host quits show over Meghan remarks
“I wish all the members of the royal family all the best, but my focus is getting through this pandemic. After Oprah Winfrey’s explosive interview with Prince Harry and Meghan, some people said the racism that the couple alleged was was something they expected. Markle also said he has “great respect” for Britain’s royal family and he didn’t think they were racist. “When Meghan joined the royal family, every person of color in the U.K. was worried,” she said. Ad___LOS ANGELES — Prince Harry says he was “trapped” in the royal family before Meghan helped free him.
Explosive Harry, Meghan interview reverberates across globe
This image provided by Harpo Productions shows Prince Harry, left, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, speaking about expecting their second child during an interview with Oprah Winfrey. "Oprah with Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special" airs March 7 as a two-hour exclusive primetime special on the CBS Television Network. Winfrey later said Harry told her the comment didn’t come from Queen Elizabeth II or Prince Philip, his grandparents. AdThe situation became so difficult that at one point, “I just didn’t want to be alive anymore,” Meghan told Winfrey. But Harry said the royal family was completely unable to offer that support to its own members.
Vigorous preparation returns as Biden calls other leaders
FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2021 file photo, President Joe Biden speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Twelve times since he took office, President Joe Biden has dialed up a world leader after reinstituting what was a long-held White House standard mothballed by Donald Trump: vigorous preparation. Twelve times since he took office, President Joe Biden has dialed up a world leader after reinstituting what was a long-held White House standard mothballed by Donald Trump: vigorous preparation. Biden made clear his desire to return to diplomacy after Trump withdrew from the Obama-backed international nuclear deal with Iran. White House press secretary Jen Psaki underscored that the Biden administration is recalibrating the relationship with the Saudis.
A worried Asia wonders: What will Joe Biden do?
As Americans celebrate or fume over the new president-elect, many in Asia are waking up to the reality of a Joe Biden administration with decidedly mixed feelings. (AP Photo/Lintao Zhang, Pool, File)TOKYO – As Asia comes to terms with the reality of a Joe Biden administration, relief and hopes of economic and environmental revival jostle with needling anxiety and fears of inattention. Now, as Biden looks to settle tumultuous domestic issues, there’s widespread worry that Asia will end up as an afterthought. A Biden White House won’t “risk antagonizing a country that is widely viewed in Washington as America’s best strategic bet in South Asia,” he said. ___Foster Klug, the AP's news director for the Koreas, Japan, Australia and the South Pacific, has covered Asia since 2005.
Huawei quits oldest sports sponsorship deal after 9 years
Huawei will end its financial backing of the Raiders at the end of the current National Rugby League season. Last year, Huawei renewed its sponsorship deal for two years until the end of the 2021 season. The sponsorship was seen as an attempt to improve Huaweis public image in the eyes of lawmakers and senior bureaucrats who barrack for the Canberra team. Raiders board member Dennis Richardson, a former head of the Defense Department and of the main domestic spy agency, Australian Security Intelligence Organization, had been a vocal supporter of Huaweis sponsorship deal. Neither Huawei nor the team has ever made public the value of the sponsorship.
Australia's bushfires show drastic effects of climate change
Scientists say climate change is transforming Australia's environment, making it hotter and drier, and exposing it to longer, more intense fire seasons. "I think this is really redefining what it means to actually be living through a period of rapid climate change." Everyone has been aware of this except for those who, well, the climate change deniers are aware of it, but they choose to deny reality." And members of the current government argue it's not Australia's responsibility to act on climate change since the country only produces about one percent of global emissions. We've been told by senior public servants in Canberra that because we uttered two horrible words: climate change.
cbsnews.comFormer Australian PM calls party colleagues' conduct over climate change "idiotic"
When Williams reminded Turnbull he was calling conduct by members of his own party dangerous and idiotic, Turnbull did not waver. "Well, of course, it is dangerous and idiotic not to be taking the strongest action to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions," Turnbull said. Everyone has been aware of this except for those who, well, the climate change deniers are aware of it, but they choose to deny reality." He was replaced by Scott Morrison, who has minimized climate change and been criticized for his response to the fires. "Well, if we don't act, if we don't act, a wealthy advanced economy facing the harsh reality of climate change, if we don't act and show leadership, why would anyone else act?"
cbsnews.comUS vows 100% tariffs on French Champagne, cheese, handbags over digital tax
The U.S. government on Monday said it may slap punitive duties of up to 100% on $2.4 billion in imports from France of Champagne, handbags, cheese and other products, after concluding that France's new digital services tax would harm U.S. tech companies. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said the government was exploring whether to open similar investigations into the digital services taxes of Austria, Italy and Turkey. "The USTR is focused on countering the growing protectionism of EU member states, which unfairly targets U.S. companies," Lighthizer said. His statement made no mention of proposed digital taxes in Canada or Britain. It did not specify an effective date for the proposed 100% duties.
cnbc.com