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In a long-overdue repudiation of international lawfare cloaked as human rights work, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has slammed sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the United Nations’s so-called “special rapporteur” for Palestinian territories, whose tenure has been the epitome of anti-Western, anti-American, and anti-Israeli provocation theatre. Albanese, an Italian academic turned ideological inquisitor, was appointed in 2022 by the United Nations Human Rights Council—a body whose moral compass spins like it was borrowed from James Comey, Crossfire Hurricane edition. Among its current members: China, Cuba, Sudan, and South Africa—a rogue’s gallery of surveillance states, strongmen, and serial rights abusers, nations...

Australia will refuse any US request to join a “hypothetical” conflict with China over Taiwan and won’t make any advance commitment, the defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, has said, amid reports Washington is seeking such promises in discussions over the Aukus submarines. The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, also pushed back on such a request, alluding to America’s own position of so-called “strategic ambiguity” on whether the US would militarily respond in a conflict over Taiwan. He said Australia wanted to see “peace and security” in the region. Following multiple reports this week that the Pentagon was seeking guarantees from Australia...

Chinese President Xi Jinping says relations with Australia have “turned around” as the two countries stress dialogue and seek to stabilise trade in the face of global tensions. Xi made the remarks as he hosted Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday. The six-day visit by Albanese – his second as prime minister – aims to boost economic cooperation with Beijing, Australia’s top trading partner. “No matter how the international landscape may evolve, we should uphold this overall direction unswervingly,” Xi said, acknowledging that China-Australia ties had “risen from the setbacks”....

U.S. President Donald Trump will attend the G7 leaders’ summit in Canada next month, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed in a briefing. Trump will be in Canada from June 15 to 17. More details of his visit will be announced shortly, Leavitt said. On May 6, during Mark Carney’s meeting with Trump at the White House, the prime minister noted that the two leaders “look forward to meeting next month at the G7 Summit in Kananaskis.” The 51st G7 summit will be held from June 15 to 17 in Kananaskis, Alta., attended by the core members of the...

Australia’s Anthony Albanese claimed a historic second term as prime minister on Saturday in a dramatic comeback against once-resurgent conservatives that was powered by voters' concerns about the influence of U.S. President Donald Trump. Peter Dutton, leader of the conservative Liberal party, conceded defeat and the loss of his own seat - echoing the fate of Canada's conservatives and their leader whose election losses days earlier were also attributed to a Trump backlash. [snip] Albanese would be the first Australian prime minister to win a consecutive term in two decades. He said Australians had voted for fairness and "the strength...

Melbourne -- Australians celebrated and protested across the country on Sunday as Australia Day drew attention to political differences over Indigenous rights months out from a federal election. Australia Day marks a British colony being established at Sydney Cove on Jan 26, 1788, which eventually led to Britain claiming the entire country without a treaty with its Indigenous inhabitants. Indigenous rights advocates call Jan 26 “Invasion Day” and protest rallies have been held in major cities. Many argue that Australia's national day should not commemorate such a divisive event. Australia Day is usually a public holiday and because it fell...

Australia’s ambassador to the US has deleted comments he had previously made online about Donald Trump, criticising him as “destructive” and a “traitor to the West”. Kevin Rudd, a former prime minister, said his remarks did not reflect the view of the government and he was “looking forward” to working with the president-elect. Dr Rudd, who scrubbed his social media days before Mr Trump’s election victory, wanted to “eliminate the possibility of such comments being misconstrued,” his office said. The ambassador became the latest in a list of high-profile figures to distance themselves from disparaging remarks made about Mr Trump...

G'day America. Choose wisely next Tuesday. There's a guy you can trust and someone else from The Left. In Australia, under a Socialist Left Prime Minister, life is hell. I am a 67 year old Australian born man at risk of homelessness because stupid bureaucrats have denied me the right to an aged care pension. After five minutes during which two different switchboard operators could not put me through to the Prime Minister's Office, A female prerecorded voice said: "Sorry. you are having trouble. Please try again later. Goodbye." To quote Bob Dylan: “Goodbye is too good a word, babe....

United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese criticized Israel for the operation in which Noa Argamani (25), Almog Meir Jan (21), Andrey Kozlov (27), and Shlomi Ziv (40), four of the hostages who were kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 7, were rescued. "Relieved that four hostages have been released," Albanese wrote on X, using the word 'released' instead of the more accurate 'rescued.' However, she claimed, "It should not have come at the expense of at least 200 Palestinians, including children, killed and over 400 injured by Israel...

Michelle Obama was photographed looking less than enthused as she accompanied her husband on a speaking tour in Australia Monday. The former first couple touched down in Sydney on a private jet Sunday night before eating lunch at an upscale harborside seafood restaurant Monday, The Daily Mail reported. As Barack Obama, 61, appeared to revel at working a crowd of adoring Aussie onlookers, shutterbugs caught Michelle, 59, crossing her arms with a sourpuss expression on full display following the couple’s private meal at the Bathers’ Pavilion, which offers a six-course tasting menu with wine pairings for $200. The Obamas also...

[Caption] It’s a tightrope walk for the grouping at a time when US-China trade war has reached a peak. After having a bitter experience with Putin, Biden may need to maintain more restraint, simply to avoid another catastrophe in the Indo-Pacific The May 24 face-to-face meeting of the Quad leaders is considered very crucial against the backdrop of the ongoing Ukraine war. All the four heads of the Governments -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US president Joe Biden, Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese -- came together on a platform to display strength and...

I support the Quad as an initiative to contain Chinese totalitarianism. But using The Quad as a place to discuss human rights in Afghanistan or to extend the scope of the war in Ukraine does not look like good strategy to me. New Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was right to make attendance at the Tokyo meeting a high priority, but when he gets home he faces serious human rights questions which he cannot ignore if he wants to truly defend freedom from all of its enemies in Australia. Likewise Joe Biden is not consistently defending freedom in America. Leftist...

Australians today ejected the rightwing coalition government that has held power for almost a decade. As counting continued after yesterday’s general election, Labor leader Anthony Albanese was expected to form a minority government. Scott Morrison, the prime minister, conceded defeat in a televised address to party supporters late on Saturday and said he would be resigning as leader of his defeated Liberal Party. He said: “I’ve always believed in Australians and their judgement, and I’ve always been prepared to accept their verdicts. And tonight they have delivered their verdict and I congratulate Anthony Albanese in the Labor Party.”

Federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese has refused to say whether Australia will adopt full body scanners at major airports, following a meeting with a high-ranking US security official in Sydney. Mr Albanese on Sunday held a one-hour meeting with Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security, Jane Holl Lute, where the pair discussed their respective countries' approaches to airline security. The US boosted its airport security in the wake of the attempted airline bombing on Christmas Day, and required stricter security procedures for all US bound flights. But despite a US push for other countries to adopt the...