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Former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull reacts as he speaks during an interview in Sydney Thursday. Australia ditching the British monarchy is “more important than ever” and voters would likely back a head of state elected by its parliament, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull told AFP Thursday.Turnbull — who served as prime minister from 2015 to 2018 — led the country’s Republic Movement’s unsuccessful 1999 referendum bid to replace the British monarchy with an Australian head of state.Almost three decades on from that poll and as the British monarchy reels from the arrest of ex-prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — the first of a royal in the modern era — Turnbull told AFP an elected head of state could heal Australia’s “tribal” politics.”I think a republic is more important than ever,” he said. “The monarchy remains this anachronism.”Australia was a British colony for more than 100 years and gained de facto independence in 1901, but has never become a fully fledged republic.Current Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has issued a full-throated call for Andrew to be removed from the royal line of succession.Albanese is an avowed republican but has ruled out another referendum on the issue during his tenure.But Turnbull told AFP he believed Australians would “absolutely” back a system in which the head of state was instead elected by the parliament in Canberra.”The virtue of having a republic in Australia is that it emphasises the thing we have in common as Australians.”In addition to being one of Australia’s most prominent republicans, Turnbull is also an outspoken opponent of the AUKUS, a multi-decade defence pact with Britain and the US.The pact aims to arm Australia with a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines and would provide for co-operation in developing an array of warfare technologies.But Turnbull told AFP that Australia will “almost certainly” get no nuclear submarines (SSNs) out of the deal.”It’s this vast expenditure and this vast investment which will very likely result in us having no submarines at all,” he said.”The US has made it very clear — it’s set out in their legislation — that no submarines can be sold to us unless the president certifies essentially that their navy doesn’t require them,” he said.”At the moment, they are producing about half as many SSNs as the American Navy needs, let alone to cater for the American and Australian needs.”He described it as a “terrible deal” and echoed French ex-defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian’s claim that Australia “has sacrificed sovereignty for the sake of security, but will end up losing both”.Turnbull argued that Australia must ditch AUKUS and place its own interests front and centre as Canberra increasingly navigates a world order defined by American “bullying”.He described American threats to annex Denmark’s autonomous territory of Greenland “mind-boggling”. “That’s the stuff of a dystopian novel, frankly,” he said. “This is wild stuff. And I think we’re in a disrupted age.” But he places little faith in the political party he once led as being able to guide Australia through troubled times.”The Liberal Party is failing Australia,” he said.That party has endured an existential crisis since their second consecutive defeat by Albanese’s Labor last year, torn between centrists and right-wingers sceptical of climate change and urging a tougher line on immigration.Opinion polling has shown the Liberals falling behind the far-right and populist One Nation party led by Pauline Hanson, a longtime senator notorious for racist outbursts.This month, the Liberals dumped leader Sussan Ley in favour of the more right-wing Angus Taylor.Turnbull — who has described Taylor as the “best-qualified idiot” around — warned the party faced disaster if it continued down that path.He told AFP its decision last year to ditch a commitment to net zero emissions was “culture war lunacy”.”The more you go off to the populist right, the more you elevate all of these culture war issues, and, you know, divisive, often racist issues, the more you elevate Hanson — you can’t out-Hanson Hanson.””Australian politics is decided — and contested — in the centre.” Related Story Source link
A US judge Thursday declined to block President Donald Trump from proceeding with construction of a $400mn White House ballroom to replace the demolished East Wing, finding that a challenge from preservationists did not meet the high bar for a preliminary injunction that would halt the project for now. US District Judge Richard Leon's ruling came in a lawsuit by the National Trust for Historic Preservation aiming to stop construction until the White House complies with federal law and rules including congressional authorisation. The National Trust had sought a preliminary injunction to freeze the work on the ballroom, planned to be 90,000sq ft (8,360sq m), while the private nonprofit group's lawsuit proceeds.The Trump administration has argued that the project is consistent with established presidential renovation practices and serves the public interest.Leon, in his ruling, said he could not issue an injunction based on the specific arguments the National Trust made, but he said the group could amend its complaint to reassert its claims that Trump is acting beyond his authority.’Unfortunately, because both sides initially focused on the President's constitutional authority to destruct and construct the East Wing of the White House, Plaintiff didn't bring the necessary cause of action to test the statutory authority the President claims is the basis to do this construction project without the blessing of Congress and with private funds,’ Leon wrote in his ruling.Trump in a post on his Truth Social platform called the decision ‘Great news for America, and our wonderful White House!’ He said the ballroom ‘will stand long into the future as a symbol to the Greatness of America!’The National Trust did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The National Trust sued Trump and several federal agencies in December, arguing that the project moved ahead unlawfully without required approvals, environmental review or authorisation by Congress.Trump's demolition of the East Wing building, a part of the White House complex originally built in 1902 during Theodore Roosevelt's presidency and greatly expanded in 1942 during Franklin Roosevelt's presidency, was carried out in October. Construction equipment tore down the structure, which had housed the first lady's offices, a theatre and a visitors' entrance that welcomed foreign dignitaries.The ballroom project is one of several major changes Trump has made to the White House since returning to office in January 2025. Trump has added gold accents throughout the Oval Office and converted the Rose Garden lawn into a paved patio resembling one at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.The National Trust argued that federal law bars construction on federal parkland in Washington without the express authority of Congress. It also argued the National Park Service violated federal law by issuing an environmental assessment instead of a full impact statement, and by releasing it after demolition had begun. ‘No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever — not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else,’ the lawsuit said.The administration has defended the legality of the project, arguing it follows in a long line of presidential renovations. It said in a court filing that the ballroom is needed for state functions, its design is still evolving and above-ground construction is not planned until April, making an injunction unnecessary. Last week, the US Commission of Fine Arts approved Trump’s ballroom proposal. The panel, whose commissioners were appointed by Trump in January, advanced the project on a unanimous 6-0 vote.Trump's swift demolition of the East Wing drew scorn from preservationists and other critics, who saw the project as an extension of the Republican president's claims of expansive presidential powers. Trump has defended the project, asserting in a post on his Truth Social platform that his use of private donations for the project means ‘ZERO taxpayer funding.’ Trump called the planned ballroom a ‘desperately needed space.’No firm completion date has been given but the White House said it will be ‘long before the end’ of Trump's term. Source link
US Vice-President J D Vance speaks at Pointe Precision in Plover, Wisconsin Thursday. (Reuters) US Vice-President J D Vance took aim at Democrats in a partisan speech Thursday in a competitive Wisconsin district, as the White House tries to protect a narrow Republican majority in the House of Representatives ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. Vance visited Plover, part of Wisconsin’s third congressional district, which lies at the heart of the region that first lifted Donald Trump to the White House in 2016.Democrats are targeting this district in their quest to regain control of the lower house of Congress, leaning on voters’ dissatisfaction with the state of the economy. The district’s incumbent congressman, Derrick Van Orden, won re-election in 2024 by less than three points.Van Orden sits in one of two Republican-held seats in Wisconsin that Democrats are targeting in the midterms. The former Navy SEAL senior chief is closely aligned with the president, whose polling on the economy has worsened since he retook office last January.Vance argued Democrats deserve blame for higher prices that started rising during the Biden administration.”Hearing the Democrats talk about affordability is like hearing an arsonist complain about fire,” said Vance, speaking at a machining plant.Voters in the third district, located in the southwestern part of the state, delivered victories for a string of Democratic presidential candidates for decades, including Barack Obama, until Donald Trump carried the district in 2016. He also won the district by seven points in 2024, part of a sweep of battleground states that propelled him to victory over Democrat Kamala Harris.In Wisconsin, the vice-president visited a factory, Pointe Precision, and underscored the Republican president’s economic message from Tuesday’s State of the Union address. During that speech, Trump promoted his efforts on a sweep of kitchen-table economic issues from housing to healthcare and utility bills. But he stopped short of acknowledging that many Americans are still struggling with the high cost of food and housing. Just 36% of voters approve of how Trump is handling the economy, according to the most recent Reuters/Ipsos poll. Some Republican Party strategists have warned that without a more emphatic message on inflation, Republicans are at risk of losing control of Congress in November.”J D Vance has a tough job today,” said Mandela Barnes, a Democratic candidate in the state’s competitive gubernatorial election, also set for November. “He’s got to look Wisconsin families in the eye and tell them this economy is working for them.”The White House is set to showcase the president and top administration officials in competitive political areas to highlight Trump’s economic agenda. He is expected to visit Texas on Friday for an event focused on energy and the economy.Vance’s trip was his second in office to Wisconsin’s third congressional district after a trip to La Crosse in August.National Democrats said this week they are ramping up spending in the district, where Van Orden won re-election in 2024 by fewer than three percentage points.Trump endorsed Van Orden in the 2026 race 10 months ago. The primary election to pick his Democratic opponent will be held on August 11. Related Story Source link
A woman walks through Nuseirat Refugee Camp, north of Dier Al-Balah in the Gaza Strip, Thursday. (AFP) Israel’s actions in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip seem aimed at creating “permanent demographic change”, UN rights chief Volker Turk said Thursday.”Taken together, Israel’s actions appear aimed at making a permanent demographic change in Gaza and the West Bank, raising concerns about ethnic cleansing”, Turk said in a speech before the UN’s Human Rights Council in Geneva.Turk pointed in particular to an ongoing, year-long Israeli military operation in the West Bank’s north that has caused the displacement of 32,000 Palestinians.Elsewhere in the West Bank, entire Bedouin herder communities have been displaced by increasing harassment and violence from Israeli settlers, including near Mikhmas to the east of Ramallah, and Ras Ein Al-Auja, in the Jordan Valley, since the start of the year.In addition to roughly three million Palestinians, more than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements and outposts in the West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law.Israel has approved a series of initiatives this month backed by far-right ministers, including launching a process to register land in the West Bank as “state property” and allowing Israelis to purchase land there directly, in a move condemned by several countries.Israel’s current government has accelerated settlement expansion, approving a record 54 settlements in 2025, according to Israeli settlement watchdog NGO Peace Now.Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.In the Gaza Strip, most of the territory’s 2.2mn inhabitants have been displaced at least once since the start of the Hamas-Israel war.”Intensified attacks, the methodical destruction of entire neighbourhoods and the denial of humanitarian assistance appeared to aim at a permanent demographic shift in Gaza”, the UN human rights office said in a report last week.”They want maximum land and minimum Arabs”, Fathi Nimer, a researcher with Palestinian think-tank Al-Shabaka, told AFP, referring to a commonly used phrase used to describe Israeli settlement tactics. Related Story Source link
A documentary on Sri Lanka is adding two Indian film festival awards to its growing global résumé. Democracy in Debt: Sri Lanka Beyond the Headlines, backed by the Pulitzer Center, will take home both Best Social Film and Best Screenplay honours at India’s Second Jalgaon International Film Festival, says a press note.Shot on location in Sri Lanka in 2024, the film weaves together the raw, unfiltered accounts of farmers and teachers scraping by in a remote North Central province village against the polished policy-speak of economists, government officials, and the then-prime minister in Colombo. It’s a portrait of a nation caught between grassroots suffering and top-down decision-making — and audiences worldwide have clearly taken notice.The project is the brainchild of Pakistani journalist-filmmaker Beena Sarwar, who co-produced it alongside Sri Lankan historian and filmmaker Dr SinhaRaja Tammita Delgoda — who also co-wrote and co-directed — and researcher Uditha Devapriya. It marks the first production under Sarwar’s Southasia Peace Action Network and its syndicated journalism arm, Sapan News, both dedicated to easing regional tensions through storytelling.The film got its first public airing at the Barberyn Ayurveda resort in Weligama before officially premiering at a Colombo cinema in July 2024 — a star-studded affair drawing ambassadors, politicians, journalists, academics, and retired military brass. Since then, it has clocked more than 80 screenings across roughly 25 countries, landing at prestigious US institutions including Cornell University, Emerson College in Boston, Cambridge Public Library, and SUNY Buffalo, as well as major South Asian cities from Karachi and Lahore to Dhaka and Kathmandu.The Jalgaon festival is no small pond — this year it drew over 2,500 submissions from 75 countries, with just 250 films earning jury recognition from panellists spanning India, Iran, Egypt, Portugal, and The Netherlands. Winners will be feted on March 1 at an awards ceremony at the Abdul Kalam Azad Research Centre in Aurangabad, Maharashtra — a historically rich gateway city to the Unesco World Heritage sites of Ajanta and Ellora. Each honouree takes home a trophy, a certificate, and a traditional Maharashtra pagri turban. Local activist Mirza Dawood Azad will accept on the film team’s behalf. Related Story Source link
Balendra Shah, a rapper-turned-politician and the prime ministerial candidate for Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), interacts with locals ahead of Nepal’s general election, at a RSP office…
California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks with Harry Sisson to promote his book, “Young Man in a Hurry” at the Streicker Cultural Center, in New York, on…
Despair hung over two cities in southeastern Brazil Wednesday as rescuers and residents searched for 27 people missing after torrential rains unleashed flooding and landslides that killed at least 40.A violent downpour on Monday in the state of Minas Gerais turned streets into raging rivers and led to landslides that swept away houses and buried dozens of people.The worst-hit city was Juiz da Fora, where 34 people were killed, while nearby Uba saw six deaths, according to the latest official tally from rescue services.More heavy rain was forecast for Juiz de Fora this week, and firefighters told AFP it was unlikely any more victims would be found alive.”Our family is desperate,” said Josiane Aparecida, a 43-year-old cook in Juiz de Fora.Her aunt died in a landslide and her cousin was found alive but died at a hospital.Aparecida was still looking for her cousin’s two children, ages six and nine, and boyfriend.”We have hope, and yet we don’t, because it’s so difficult (to find them), and we’ve already lost two,” she said.A few blocks away, rescuers recovered the body of a man who, before he was killed, managed to pull his wife from their house which was engulfed by a landslide, firefighters said.In the city of Uba, a two-hour drive away, residents were covered in mud as they cleared sludge from a river that had burst its banks.Felippe Souza Lima, 30, owner of a hardware store now surrounded by muddy water and debris, told AFP the gravity of the situation sank in when he saw two people floating past on a canoe on Monday night.”Our door was blown open, so it was chaos. We lost a lot of things, the water must have reached a meter and a half. But what matters is that everyone is okay, everyone is alive.”He said the flooding of the Uba River was unprecedented in his lifetime.”We’ve seen other similar floods, and the vast majority of them stopped at the riverbank.”Elsewhere in the city, brand-new vehicles at a car dealership were stuck in mud as owner Mauro Pinto de Moraes Filho, 63, looked on in despair.He told AFP he had suffered up to 5mn reais (almost $1mn) in losses from water that reached two metres high.”Everything is ruined. I am going to close the branch temporarily. After this disaster, it’s crazy to spend a huge amount of money to rebuild.”The tragedy is the latest in a series of extreme weather disasters in Brazil, from floods to fires and drought, many of which scientists have linked to the effects of global warming.The mayor of Juiz de Fora, Margarida Salomao, said the municipality had experienced its wettest February on record.In 2024, more than 200 people died and two mn were impacted by unprecedented flooding in southern Brazil, one of the worst natural disasters in its history.Two years earlier, a deluge in the city of Petropolis outside Rio de Janeiro left 241 people dead. Related Story Source link
A woman holds a banner saying “Jail the Corrupt” as she joins an anti-corruption rally that coincides with the 40th anniversary of the EDSA People Power…
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 24, 2026.…