Author: Emmanuel

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, widely seen as the front-runner in a presidential by-election triggered by the removal of Yoon Suk Yeol last week, announced his presidential bid Thursday, vowing to heal a starkly divided nation through economic growth.Lee, who narrowly lost the 2022 election to Yoon, led the liberal Democratic Party’s campaign to oust the former president over his December declaration of martial law.Lee recently stepped down as the party’s chairman to focus on campaigning for the June 3 election. He is considered the clear front-runner in party’s primary. Kim Dong-yeon, the Democratic governor of Gyeonggi province and a longtime financial policymaker, also told reporters Wednesday that he intends to run for president.Yoon’s downfall has left the conservative People Power Party in disarray, with roughly 10 politicians expected to seek the nomination, reflecting a split between Yoon loyalists, who still control the party’s leadership, and reformists calling for a fresh start.In a video message, Lee said that Yoon’s martial law saga exposed the country’s deep divisions and social conflicts, and argued that the root cause was a widening rich-poor gap. He promised aggressive government spending to jolt economic growth and ease income polarization.“We have more than we did in the past, but wealth is too concentrated in certain areas,” Lee said. “With economic growth rates declining worldwide, it has become difficult to maintain and develop an economy solely on the strength of the private sector. However, with government-led talent development and extensive investments in technological research and development, we can revive the economy.”Lee said it was crucial to maintain a robust alliance with the United States and to pursue three-way cooperation with Japan, but he stressed that South Korea’s national interest should come first in “every decision.”Lee, who has served as a lawmaker, provincial governor and city mayor, is adored by supporters for his outspoken style and has long positioned himself as an anti-elitist. His critics view him as a populist who stokes division and demonizes conservative opponents while failing to offer realistic funding plans to achieve his ambitious goals.Kweon Seong-dong, PPP floor leader and a staunch Yoon loyalist, said that if Lee becomes president, he will “ruthlessly wield the sword of dogmatism and retribution” and further deepen the country’s divisions. Lee also has his own set of legal troubles, facing five different trials for corruption and other criminal charges.Earlier this month, the Constitutional Court upheld Yoon’s impeachment by the legislature and formally removed him from office over the martial law decree, triggering a presidential by-election within 60 days. The next president will serve a full 5-year term.Former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon, head of the party’s anti-Yoon faction, announced his presidential bid Thursday, positioning himself as a conservative who opposed martial law and appealing to centrist voters to stop the inauguration of a populist “monster government” led by Lee. Among the conservatives’ presidential hopefuls, former Labor Minister Kim Moon Soo is considered to be the most pro-Yoon.Kim, Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo and senior PPP lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo — a former computer software entrepreneur who finished third in the 2017 presidential vote — have declared their intentions to run for president. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is expected to enter the race later.

ROME — ROME (AP) — Pope Francis met privately with King Charles III and Queen Camilla on Wednesday at the Vatican during the royal couple’s four-day state visit to Italy and on the occasion of their 20th wedding anniversary, the Vatican announced.It was the first known meeting since the pope’s return to the Vatican after five weeks in the hospital for life-threatening double pneumonia. Francis had planned to have an audience with Charles, but the official state visit to the Vatican was postponed due to the pope’s health.The pope issued a new invitation for a private audience, but it was subject to his health and only confirmed Wednesday morning. The mid-afternoon visit lasted about 20 minutes and included a private exchange of gifts. Discussions continue about a future visit by the monarch to the Vatican.The Vatican statement said the pope wished Charles and Camilla a happy anniversary, and the king and queen in return wished the pope a speedy recovery. Buckingham Palace said “their majesties were delighted the pope was well enough to host them, and to have had the opportunity to share their best wishes in person.”In a photo released by the Vatican on Thursday, Camilla is seen shaking the pope’s hand as a smiling Charles holds a red gift box. The pope, seated as he greets the royal couple, is not wearing nasal tubes. The Vatican has said that his reliance on supplemental oxygen is decreasing, and that he can spend short periods of time without the tubes. The royal couple previously saw Francis during an April 2017 visit to the Vatican. King Charles, then Prince of Wales, also met Pope Francis during the 2019 canonization of St. John Henry Newman. The pope has been convalescing at the Vatican since March 23 and made an appearance to the faithful in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday. He was pushed in a wheelchair, wearing nasal tubes for supplemental oxygen, and wished the crowd a good Sunday from the front of the altar before being greeted by participants in the Mass, some of whom leaned to kiss his hands. Earlier on Wednesday, Charles stressed the need for close ties between Italy and the UK in a historic speech in the Italian parliament, calling for unity in defense of common values at a time of war in Europe.Charles, the first British monarch and fourth foreign leader to address a joint session of the Italian parliament, highlighted the long history between the U.K. and Italy and their shared culture, going back to the ancient Romans.“Our younger generations can see in the news every day on their smartphones and tablets that peace is never to be taken for granted,” Charles said.The British king was on the third day of his visit to Italy, seen as part of an ongoing effort by London to strengthen ties with its European allies amid global turbulence and rising instability.“Our countries have both stood by Ukraine in her hour of need and welcomed many thousands of Ukrainians requiring shelter,” he said in his speech, warning that images of wars were now reverberating again across the continent.Charles added that Italian and British armed forces “stand side by side” as part of the NATO alliance, noting the two countries’ joint plans to develop with Japan a new fighter jet.“It will generate thousands of jobs in our countries and speaks volumes about the trust we place in each other,” he said.During the Italian trip, King Charles and Queen Camilla also marked their 20th wedding anniversary, which was to include a state dinner later Wednesday hosted by President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinale palace.The queen marked her anniversary by wearing her wedding dress, which had been modified by its designer Anne Valentine, with additional embroidery by King’s Foundation artisan Beth Somerville. The garment was originally worn for the civil ceremony, when Camilla paired the outfit with a hat made of natural straw, overlaid with ivory French lace designed by Philip Treacy.On her wedding day, Camilla later wore a separate chiffon dress embroidered pale blue and gold coat for the wedding blessing at St George’s Chapel, Windsor.Earlier on Wednesday, Charles met Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni at Rome’s Villa Doria Pamphili, enjoying a walk in the 17th Century palace’s gardens.In a few weeks, he will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe together with Mattarella.Charles also spoke passionately in his address about threats facing the planet, recalling another speech he gave in Italy 16 years ago and how the “warnings” he made at the time about the urgency of the climate challenge were “depressingly being borne out by events.”He noted extreme storms “normally seen once in a generation” are now an issue every year, and “countless precious plant and animal species face extinction in our lifetimes”.Sections of the speech were delivered in Italian, with the King prompting the applause of Italian lawmakers when he noted: “And by the way, I hope I’m not ruining Dante’s language so much that I’m no never invited to Italy again.”Charles was on his first trip abroad this year after being taken to hospital over side effects related to his ongoing cancer treatment.___Kirka reported from London.

ROME — The Ukrainian soldiers clambered from the ruined house at gunpoint — one with arms raised in surrender to the Russian troops — and lay face-down in the early spring grass.Two drones — one Ukrainian and one Russian — recorded the scene from high above the southern Ukrainian village of Piatykhatky. The Associated Press managed to get both videos. They offer very different versions of what happened next.The Ukrainian drone video, which AP obtained from European military officials, shows soldiers with Russian uniform markings raising their weapons and shooting each of the four Ukrainians in the back with such ferocity that one man was left without a head.“Out of all the executions that we’ve seen since late 2023, it’s one of the clearest cases,” said Rollo Collins of the Center for Information Resilience, a London group that specializes in visual investigations and reviewed the video at AP’s request. “This is not a typical combat killing. This is an illegal action.”The Russian drone video, which AP located on pro-Kremlin social media, cuts off abruptly with the men lying on the ground — alive. “As a result of the work done by our guys, the enemy decided not to be killed and came out with their hands up,” wrote a Russian military blogger who posted the video.Two videos. Two stories. In one, the prisoners appear to live. In the other, they die.As evidence of potential war crimes continues to mount, many in Ukraine worry that the Trump administration’s about-face on the war will make it more difficult to establish a firm historical narrative about what has happened since Russia’s 2022 invasion and whether those most responsible for atrocities will ever be held accountable.On March 13, the day European officials say the incident in Piatykhatky took place, U.S. representatives landed in Russia for ceasefire talks with President Vladimir Putin.President Donald Trump, who has signaled that a prospective deal could see Ukraine surrender some territory and echoed Moscow’s talking points, called for a quick peace deal. His administration has pulled back support for Ukraine, including war crimes investigations, and is rebuilding relations with Putin — the very man many victims and prosecutors want to see in court.“Whatever a peace agreement would be, Ukraine is not ready to forgive everything which happened in our territory,” Yurii Bielousov, head of the war crimes department for Ukraine’s prosecutor general, told AP. “In which form there will be accountability, that we don’t know at the moment.”The killing of surrendering POWs in the Ukrainian video — a crime under international law — was not unique, according to Ukrainian prosecutors, international human rights officials and open-source analysts.At least 245 Ukrainian POWs have been killed by Russian forces since the full-scale invasion, according to Ukrainian prosecutors. They allege it’s part of a deliberate strategy encouraged by Russian officials.“It’s definitely part of the policy, which is fully supported by the top leaders of the Russian Federation,” Bielousov told AP. “This isn’t the action of specific commanders. It is supported on the top level.”Asked about Russia’s treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia treats surrendering Ukrainian troops in accordance with international law and does not encourage the killing of POWs.“This is not a policy of the Russian side,” he told AP, and repeated Moscow’s claims that atrocities committed by its troops in the Ukrainian town of Bucha were faked.In the occupation of that town outside Kyiv early in the war, hundreds of Ukrainians were killed. Overwhelming evidence, including witness testimony, photos, CCTV videos, phone intercepts and corpses of civilians, substantiated those deaths.The drone video in Piatykhatky was taken by Ukraine’s 128th Mountain Brigade, according to military officials with a European country that Ukrainian authorities shared the video with. The AP obtained it on condition of anonymity because the officials were not authorized to release it.Intense fighting has devastated this crossroads in the Zaporizhzhia region. Fresh scorch marks stain the grass and what houses remain are missing roofs and windows. The battle has been part of a scramble to seize territory ahead of peace talks, with Russia seeking a strategic foothold to force Ukraine to restructure its logistics lines, according to military analysts.Russian soldiers planted their flag amid the ruins of Piatykhatky last month, according to a drone video posted March 11 by pro-Kremlin bloggers.Two days later, the Russian and Ukrainian drones recorded the surrender of the four Ukrainian soldiers about 100 meters (yards) away.The Russian video shows an explosive drone flying in the window of the house where Ukrainians took cover, detonating with a flash.Both countries’ drones recorded one of the Ukrainians, arms raised and seemingly unarmed, leaving the shattered house. With a Russian soldier pointing his gun at him, the man plants himself spread-eagled next to his comrades on the ground.European military officials who analyzed the video said the Russians are identifiable by red or white markings on their uniforms.The Ukrainian video shows the Russians briefly searching their prisoners. Two more Russians arrive and consult with comrades. One pauses to use his radio. What happens next was cut from the Russian video. One Russian walks to the prisoners, raises his gun with one hand and starts firing. Another soldier shoots, too. While he reloads, a third Russian joins in, firing at least two shots at close range that take off the helmet — and head — of one man. Then the soldier who’d been reloading finishes off the four Ukrainians, methodically shooting each, one by one.Neither video shows how the first Ukrainian soldier got out of the house.Ukraine’s 128th Mountain Brigade declined comment because the deaths are being investigated as a suspected war crime. Ukraine’s internal security agency confirmed to AP it has opened an investigation.Russian military bloggers who posted the edited video said it shows the work of an assault unit from Russia’s 247th Airborne Regiment.Russia’s Ministry of Defense did not respond to requests for comment on the incident.Analysts at the Center for Information Resilience confirmed the videos were recorded by different drones, as well the location and identifying marks of the soldiers.“For us, this is very much a quite clinical, methodical process of execution,” said Collins, the CIR analyst. “It follows on from a very consistent sort of trend that we’ve seen since at least December 2023.”Russia also claims to have documented “systematic killings” of Russian POWs by Ukrainian troops but didn’t give overall numbers. In March, the Russian Foreign Ministry released testimony from Russian POWs exchanged by Ukraine who described beatings and torture in custody. Some reported “a practice of finishing off wounded Russian fighters, as well as executing combatants who have laid down their arms.”The Investigative Committee, Russia’s top state criminal investigation agency, said in December it had opened over 5,700 criminal cases into alleged Ukrainian crimes since the start of the conflict.The U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has documented 91 extrajudicial killings of Ukrainian POWs since August 2024. During the same period, it found a single case of Ukrainian soldiers killing a Russian POW.Bielousov, the Ukrainian war crimes prosecutor, said all such allegations against Ukrainian troops are being investigated.Danielle Bell, head of the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, said the increase in POW killings by Russian forces hasn’t happened in a vacuum. Russia enacted laws shielding soldiers from prosecution, she said, and officials have called for the killing or torture of Ukrainian POWs and endorsed reported extrajudicial killings. Multiple videos of POW killings have appeared online, some posted by Russian soldiers themselves, she noted, suggesting an environment of broad impunity.“Calls on social media by public officials, amnesty laws, dehumanizing language within the context of impunity for these acts — it’s contributing to an environment that allows such acts or these crimes to take place,” she said.Extrajudicial killings are among over 157,000 potential war crimes Ukrainian prosecutors are investigating. Ukraine has relied on international support to help process that flood of information and structure complex cases for both international and domestic courts.That work is suffering since the Trump administration’s cuts to foreign aid.Among those hit was the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, which lost $5 million from cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development. It had been using the money to collect evidence of offenses ranging from property damage to sexual assaults. The nongovernmental organization has cut staff, reduced operations and moved out of its Kyiv offices, executive director Oleksandr Pavlichenko told AP.U.S. funding to groups investigating atrocities in Cambodia and Syria helped build war crimes cases years later. It took over two decades to bring top leaders of the Khmer Rouge before a U.N.-backed court on war crimes charges stemming from their brutal rule in the 1970s that led to 1.7 million deaths. Prosecutors relied on archives of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, established with U.S. government funding.If not for that center, “there would have been no Khmer Rouge Tribunal. Period,” said Christopher “Kip” Hale, a criminal law expert who worked at the tribunal and has worked in Ukraine.“To have durable peace, we have to have accountability. We have to invest now,” he said. “Without it, we see that ceasefires and armistices are just waiting periods for the next conflict to start.”___Leicester reported from Paris and Dupuy reported from New York. Volodymyr Yurchuk in Kyiv, Ukraine; Molly Quell in The Hague, Netherlands; Yuras Karmanau in Tallinn, Estonia; and Emma Burrows in London contributed.

ISTANBUL — Two of Turkey’s leading journalists were detained Thursday on what their newspapers said were false charges stemming from their work.Writers Timur Soykan of BirGun and Cumhuriyet’s Murat Agirel were arrested at their homes on charges of making threats and blackmail in an investigation by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.Both papers have criticized the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. They have extensively covered events surrounding the March 19 arrest and subsequent imprisonment of Istanbul’s mayor, which led to the largest protests in Turkey in more than a decade.More than a dozen journalists have been detained at their homes after covering the protests, which were banned by the authorities. Seven face charges of participating in illegal protests after police determined they were not carrying out “journalistic activities” at the demonstrations. Prosecutors have previously called for jail terms of up to three years for the offense.In a search of the journalists’ homes in Istanbul, computers and other digital materials were examined, Cumhuriyet reported.Enes Ermaner, the lawyer for both men, protested the early-morning arrests and said arrangements had previously been made with the prosecutor for them to voluntarily make statements Thursday.“The detention of people who have made an appointment to testify and who are known to come to testify is not only unlawful, but also clearly shows that Enemy Criminal Law is being applied,” Ermaner wrote on X.Soykan and Agirel were taken to Istanbul’s police headquarters after checks at a hospital. Police can hold them up to four days. No court dates were immediately set.Citing the decision of the prosecutor’s office, Cumhuriyet said they were detained “due to the possibility of the suspects escaping, destroying, altering or concealing evidence.”The prosecutor’s office said the arrests were related to the sale of a television news channel called Flash Haber. The channel’s owner, who is himself currently in jail pending trial on charges of money laundering and illegal sports betting, complained that he was threatened and blackmailed by Soykan and Agirel “regarding the transfer and purchase of the channel,” the office added.In a statement, BirGun said: “No matter what excuses the official authorities use, we know that the main reason for the detention of our friends is that they have revealed one by one the unlawful acts in all the judicial processes carried out since March 19 and have resolutely pursued the system of lies and plunder into which they are trying to drag the country.”The newspaper added that its writer Soykan had been due to receive an award for his journalism Thursday evening, which demonstrated that “the government’s main target is not crime and criminals, but journalism and the truth.”As he was being transferred from the hospital to police headquarters, Soykan shouted: “The gangs will lose, the people will win. All of this will end.”Responding to the arrests, Burhanettin Bulut, the deputy chairperson of the opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, said the “sole purpose of those who made Turkey experience these ugly images and used the judiciary as a cudgel is to intimidate journalists who criticize the government and the free media.”The Contemporary Journalists’ Association, which had been due to present Soykan with an award for the story of the year, posted on X: “Even if the news about the illegalities in the recent operations and the news they wrote against gangs and sects disturb some people, we will continue to say: Journalism is not a crime! Our colleagues must be released as soon as possible.”

Many thanks for joining us on the blog for another jam-packed day on the campaign trail. That’s where we’ll leave things for now – here are all the main takeaways from today:

Anthony Albanese began the day in Cairns, announcing $10m for the Great Barrier Reef, focusing on education and tourism, as well as $27.5m for a health and engineering wing at CQUniversity’s Cairns campus.

The Coalition, meanwhile, announced it would establish two future funds – one to pay down national debt, and the other to invest in regional infrastructure. You can read more details on these here.

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, and finance minister, Katy Gallagher, lashed the Coalition’s plan as “a recipe for bigger deficits.”

The shadow finance minister, Jane Hume, rejected suggestions that any windfalls from their future funds would lead to pork barrelling.

The energy minister, Chris Bowen, and shadow energy minister, Ted O’Brien, went head-to-head at a debate in Canberra – and were briefly interrupted by a climate protester.

Bowen said there were “many” problems with the Coalition’s energy policy, while O’Brien took aim at Labor for having no modelling and basing decisions on their “gut”.

O’Brien said the Coalition wouldn’t abandon its nuclear policy if it doesn’t win the election. He also refused to commit to staying in the Paris agreement.

After the debate, three shadow ministers came out saying the Coalition was committed to the Paris agreement. Labor minister Anne Aly lashed the mixed messaging.

At a press conference, Peter Dutton defended the Liberal party’s vetting process.

Dutton also visited his sixth petrol station in seven days to spruik the Coalition’s pledge to slash the fuel excise.

The government has ruled out “holding China’s hand” amid the US tariffs after China’s ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, called for Canberra and Beijing to “join hands” in response to Donald Trump.
Krishani Dhanji will be with you bright and early in the morning, and I’ll be back on the blog tomorrow afternoon. In the meantime, take care and enjoy your evening.New Zealand PM and deputy at odds over response to US tariffsNow for some news from across the ditch, via AAP:As the New Zealand prime minister, Chris Luxon, rallies regional leaders to discuss a united front to US tariffs, his deputy isn’t quite sure it is needed.Luxon spent today delivering a speech on the risks to global trade from the US actions, suggesting a collective approach between trading blocs was needed:
You’ve got 15% of world trade tied up in the [Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership], there’s a real opportunity for us to coordinate and to work together. One possibility is that members of the CPTPP and the European Union work together to champion rules-based trade and make specific commitments on how that support plays out in practice.
My vision is that includes action to prevent restrictions on exports and efforts to ensure any retaliation is consistent with existing rules. Collective action, and a collective commitment, by a large portion of the global economy would be a significant step towards preserving free trade flows and protecting supply chains.
The CPTPP is a 12-nation trade region including Australia, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Peru, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and several Asian nations. Luxon said he would spend this afternoon talking to Indo-Pacific leaders and in the evening make calls to Europe, to gauge support for the idea.But in an odd twist, his deputy PM and foreign minister, Winston Peters, said such action would be “very premature,” and in this case, NZ should “wait until we see what emerges with the tariff war that’s going on”.
It’ll come to a resolution much quicker than people think, and as in the last 24 hours we’ve already seen the beginnings of that, so let’s not panic here.
Boa constrictor on the loose in southern Sydney found and capturedMoving away from politics for a moment: A boa constrictor that had been on the loose in southern Sydney, triggering biosecurity warnings and concern for pets, has been found and captured.Tyler Gibbons, the owner of Shire Snake Wranglers, told Guardian Australia he had caught the snake at about lunchtime after a news reporter spotted the snake emerging from rocks close to where it had last been seen.Gibbons had alerted the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development about the exotic creature, which is native to South America, on Monday after seeing video footage of the snake on a boat ramp beside the Georges River in Sylvania on Sunday.
I got there quickly, put it straight in my snake bag and contacted the DPI.
The juvenile male measured about 5-foot and was in “good health,” he said.
They are from Brazil, it’s hot and humid there, it would have struggled to survive the Sydney winter. It would have gone into brumation, when they lower their metabolic rate, slow down and pop out during warm days.
Despite being illegal to keep as pets in Australia, boa constrictors have been found across the country and are typically escaped or deliberately released illegal pets, according to Agriculture Victoria.The DPI said it was continuing its investigation to determine the owner of the snake.Bennelong Liberal candidate declines to say whether Chinese celebrity endorsements complied with guidelinesLiberal candidate Scott Yung and party officials have declined to answer detailed questions about whether his use of Chinese celebrities and a public relations firm in the 2019 state election complied with official guidelines, as the Liberal party confirms an audit of campaign disclosures.A private dinner at a “luxurious venue” in Sydney to raise campaign funds for Yung, featuring the former Liberal prime minister Tony Abbott, has also been cancelled without explanation.You can read the full story on this below:Greenpeace calls on Dutton to commit to Paris agreement ‘in no uncertain terms’The CEO of Greenpeace Australia Pacific, David Ritter, says abandoning the Paris agreement would be a “terrible idea” that is “straight out of Donald Trump’s playbook,” following Ted O’Brien’s comments at today’s debate.In a statement, Ritter said withdrawing from the agreement would harm the Australian economy, our global standing and “our relationship with our Pacific neighbours.”
Shrinking our climate targets and walking away from international cooperation on reducing emissions and climate finance will harm our economy as the world moves to decarbonise and alienate our Pacific neighbours on the frontlines of climate change. It would not be in our national interest to leave the Paris agreement.
It is shocking that the Coalition is even entertaining the possibility of abandoning this important global climate accord, which is our best chance at averting catastrophic climate change. Peter Dutton should distance his party from this Trumpian tactic and commit to keeping Australia in the Paris agreement in no uncertain terms.
Let’s take a look at everything the Coalition has said about the Paris climate agreement today.At today’s energy debate, the shadow energy and climate change minister Ted O’Brien was asked to clarify the Coalition’s stance on the Paris agreement a number of times.O’Brien initially said the Coalition would commission “analysis” on the Paris agreement targets, and would “not be setting targets from opposition”.Our own Dan Jervis-Bardy then asked O’Brien if the Coalition would walk away from the Paris agreement – and O’Brien left the door open to this:
Once we have done that analysis, then we will be making decisions along the lines of that you pose, though I won’t be pre-empting that hypothetical today with all due respect … I can commit [that] we will always act in the national interest.
Three shadow ministers have since reiterated the Coalition’s commitment to Paris, following O’Brien’s comments at the debate. This has included:Cash provides further details on the Coalition’s proposed future fundsMichaelia Cash was also asked to explain the Coalition’s two proposed future funds announced today (you can read more detail earlier in the blog).The host noted that successive governments have already been taking windfall revenue to pay off debt, so how is this different?Cash argued the “Labor party have been reckless with the Australian people’s money” and that debt in Australia is heading towards $1.2tn.Asked if the Coalition will be retiring debt with this money, or putting it in a fund and using the interest to retire debt, she said:
80% of that windfall gain will be placed into those funds … 80% of those windfall gains will be placed in to, under legislation – so no one can ever get out of this again – into these future funds.
How will debt be retired? Cash said there would be “parameters for this fund, one of those parameters will be that you can use it to retire debt.”
It may well be that you have a region that cannot even afford a swimming pool, something that we here in the cities take for granted. That is something that you could look at the fund actually investing in.
A future fund that pays for swimming pools? Cash answered:
When was the last time that you went to rural and regional Australia and talked to them about the type of facilities they need to be invested in? That makes huge differences.
Dutton’s petrol pit stop, in photosHere are some of the pictures from Peter Dutton’s petrol pit stop and photo op:Cash asked if she stands by previous comments Dutton is ‘man of action’ like TrumpJumping back to Michaelia Cash on Sky News, who was asked if she stood my remarks she has made over Donald Trump in the past, when she said:
The American people, they expect action, and that is what they’re getting. And they’ll get the exact same attitude under a Peter Dutton government.
Asked if she stands by the statement, Cash said Dutton is “someone who will always act in Australia’s best interests.”Is Trump hurting the Coalitions campaign, though? Cash repeated:
Peter Dutton will always act in Australia’s best interests, and he has made that clear.
So he’s not a man of action like Donald Trump? Cash responded:
Now you just want to play games with words, and that’s fine. Peter Dutton is a man who is decisive. He is a man who will make decisions in the best interests of the Australian people.
Join Matilda Boseley and Josh Butler on the ‘Tell me more’ livestream!Guardian Australia’s Tell Me More live streams are your chance to ask your burning election news questions to the people who wrote that news in the first place.This evening host Matilda Boseley is joined by political reporter Josh Butler to untangle the chock-a-block second week of the federal election campaign. From flip-flops to photo ops, what have the party leaders been up to, and who’s come out on top?If you have a question you want answered, simply pop it in the comments on YouTube or TikTok or email australia.tellmemore@theguardian.com.Cash faces questions on Paris agreementThe shadow attorney general, Michaelia Cash, was up on Sky News earlier to weigh in on today’s energy debate between Chris Bowen and Ted O’Brien.She was asked if the Coalition is considering pulling out of the Paris agreement if elected, “because Ted O’Brien left a bit of room for that?”Cash didn’t answer the question directly and said:
I think Ted O’Brien set out a very clear and consistent plan for cleaner, cheaper and consistent energy in Australia. He also showed the Australian people exactly what our plan was going to do by way of price reductions for them going forward.
Brought back to the original question, Cash answered that there are “no plans to pull out of the Paris agreement, and I don’t think that is what Ted O’Brien said.”Peter Dutton dropped into a petrol station in Caulfield for another of the opposition campaign’s media stunts.Sitting shotgun while Goldstein candidate, Tim Wilson, drove in his extremely blue Liberal-branded van, Dutton exited to put 35 litres in the tank.Dutton was joined by Wilson, the Victorian opposition leader, Brad Battin, and Macnamara candidate, Benson Saulo.The four men stood at the bowser – a completely unnatural petrol tank fill-up – talking about how the opposition’s proposal to slash the fuel excise by 25.4 cents a litre for 12 months would help drivers save money on petrol bills.It was a swift stop, as most stunts for the TV cameras are, but it was delayed ever so slightly by a 12-year-old kid who walked up to ask the alternative prime minister a few questions.Then Dutton was off and the press pack left behind waiting for the next stop.Labor minister lashes Coalition’s mixed messaging over Paris agreementLabor MP Anne Aly, also speaking on Afternoon Briefing, took aim at the Coalition’s mixed messaging over the Paris agreement. Here was what she had to say, in full:
I just want to get everything right here, because you’ve got Ted O’Brien leaving the door open to Paris, Jane Hume just came on recently and said no we’ll stick with it, [Jonathon Duniam] is saying something different now. This pretty much sums up what the Coalition has been for the nine years they were in government, which sums up why they did not land a single energy policy for those whole nine years.
With all due respect, we are not going to be lectured by a party, a Coalition, that could not come up with an energy plan for nine years while they argued and quibbled over whether or not climate change even existed. We’re not going to then be lectured by then about Paris or environmental targets or anything else.
What we have is a clear path to renewable energy, shored up by gas, shored up by hydro, that will deliver to the grid the electricity needs for now, and the future, that Australians need – and at a cost Australians need.
All the Coalition is offering is a nuclear fantasy to build nuclear plants somewhere in the never-never that our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren and great great-grandchildren will be paying for, that will not deliver the energy needs we need, at a higher cost.
Second shadow minister says Coalition committed to Paris agreement following O’Brien’s earlier commentsThe shadow environment minister, Jonathon Duniam, has also claimed a Coalition government would remain committed to the Paris agreement.To recap: at today’s debate, the Coalition’s energy spokesperson Ted O’Brien refused to commit to staying in the Paris agreement.The finance minister, Jane Hume, told Afternoon Briefing there was “no doubt” the Coalition was committed to the Paris agreement.And now, also speaking on Afternoon Briefing, Duniam said “there is no intention to leave it”.
We have signed up, we now have a legislated target here, which is frankly unnecessary, we were going to be working toward the target anyway.
We’ve got to do what we can to minimise our impact on the planet and I think there are a range of measures that can be put in place. We differ from the government about how best to achieve the target.

Donald Trump’s decision to pause steep tariffs against most nations has ignited a share market rally that erased some of the heavy losses suffered over the past week, even as Australia eyes an escalating trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.Wall Street soared overnight after Trump unveiled a 90-day pause on tariffs above 10% on dozens of countries, with the notable exception of China.Australia’s position, along with those of the UK and New Zealand, are unchanged given they remain subject to the US’ “baseline” 10% tariff.The S&P/ASX 200 closed up 4.5% on Thursday, at 7,709 points, after giving away some of its early gains.The lift added $100bn in value to Australian shares, although the benchmark is still lower than levels recorded one week ago, shortly after the new tariff regime was unveiled.Major miners BHP and Rio Tinto, which had been weighed down over concerns demand would drop for commodities if the global economy entered into a recession, helped lead the rally, with both stocks up more than 5%.

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The surge represented the strongest trading day since 2020, although investment groups were quick to advise caution.ANZ downgraded its price targets for energy and metal markets, which are two important components of the ASX.“The unpredictability of US trade policy is likely to have ongoing impacts on investment and trade, as companies and consumers wait for clarity,” ANZ said in a research note.“Importantly, the escalation of trade tension between the US and China shows no sign of abating.”Australia’s close resources ties to China also make it susceptible to any economic slowdown sparked by the escalating tariff wars between Washington and Beijing.The chief economist at Betashares, David Bassanese, warned investors that the global economy “faces enormous risk in the weeks and months ahead” and that the bounce may be a “cruel bear market” rally.skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotion“We’re not out of the woods just yet,” Bassanese said.A bear market rally refers to a temporary increase in share prices in an otherwise falling market.Trump’s stunning tariff reversal came shortly after clear signs of market ruptures appeared, with investors selling off US government bonds, which have historically been one of the world’s safest financial assets.Asked why he had ordered the pause, the US president told reporters: “People were jumping a little bit out of line. They were getting yippy.”While traders cheered the tariff reversal, the effect on some market sectors was unchanged. The 25% levy on steel and aluminium imports to the US is still in place, and Trump has said he will introduce a “major” tariff on all pharmaceutical imports.The Australian dollar recovered significant ground on Thursday, rising to US61.8c late in the day, after threatening to plunge below the 59c barrier earlier this week.

Liberal candidate Scott Yung and party officials have declined to answer detailed questions about whether his use of Chinese celebrities and a public relations firm in the 2019 state election complied with official guidelines, as the Liberal party confirms an audit of campaign disclosures.A private dinner at a “luxurious venue” in Sydney to raise campaign funds for Yung, featuring the former Liberal prime minister Tony Abbott, has also been cancelled without explanation.While campaigning for the state seat of Kogarah in 2019, Yung secured endorsements from two famous Chinese actors who described him as “a young talent”. Guardian Australia has confirmed these actors separately charge thousands of dollars for similar endorsements.Yung has also confirmed that the public relations agency Covert provided his campaign with free work, which included the production of favourable Chinese-language social media ads during the 2019 state election. The ads referenced his links for former Liberal prime minister, John Howard.

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In general, New South Wales rules require all electoral expenditure, including money spent on marketing and advertising during campaigns, to be publicly disclosed. Yung has previously said there was no need to disclose the unpaid work and endorsements as they were voluntarily provided without charge.But general advice issued by the NSW Electoral Commission states candidates do need to disclose voluntary work provided to them in certain circumstances. Yung has not answered questions about whether these circumstances apply to him.“Political donations need to be disclosed by the party agent in the case of donations to a party or their endorsed candidates for a state election,” an electoral commission spokesperson said.The spokesperson said campaigns can accept contributions – “such as the waiver of a fee for advertising” – provided the value of work is less than $3,800 for a candidate.“Voluntary labour might be a political donation – and need to be disclosed – where the person providing the labour ordinarily provides similar services for remuneration.”“A person will not be a volunteer if they ordinarily charge for the services they provided for free to a campaign,” the spokesperson said.On Wednesday morning, Guardian Australia asked Yung whether he was still confident there was still nothing to declare in response to the additional advice provided by the electoral commission. He and his campaign team did not respond.A NSW Liberal spokesperson said the party “is continually assessing its compliance obligations in relation to disclosures”.The federal Coalition’s campaign also declined to comment on the details provided by the state electoral commission.Shortly after the 2019 state election, in a YouTube video with a marketing expert, Yung confirmed his campaign team had “got celebrities in China to give us endorsements”.skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionOne 14-second video recorded by the Chinese-British actor and film director Zhang Tielin said: “Wishing the talented young Chinese Mr Rong Sicheng [Scott Yung] has great success ahead and a boundless future! All the best! I’m Zhang Tielin from Beijing, China.”Beijing-based media company Star Wind Culture Media collaborates with Zhang to provide personalised videos including endorsements. Its website states this fee can be up to $15,000. It’s not known how much Zhang would have charged in 2019.The actor Hu Jun recorded a similar endorsement video for Yung. Guangzhou-based media company Xingdian Entertainment Partners, which partners with Hu to produce personalised endorsement videos, has confirmed Hu also charges people for tailored videos.The public relations agency Covert’s website states it “produced articles that were written in Chinese and distributed across WeChat media outlets as a way to build awareness for what Scott Yung stood for in the community” during the state election.On Wednesday, Liberal senator Andrew Bragg told the ABC that it was “very important that politicians apply themselves very carefully to all the electoral laws”.“I imagine that the Liberal party and Yung have complied with the laws,” Bragg told the ABC.Almost one-third of residents in Bennelong have Chinese ancestry. The Labor member, Jerome Laxale, holds the seat with a margin of just 0.1%.The Coalition campaign and Yung did not respond to questions about why the 24 April fundraiser with Abbott had been cancelled. Abbot was also contacted for comment.

The US defence secretary has floated the idea of the country’s troops returning to Panama to “secure” its strategically vital canal, a suggestion quickly shot down by the Central American country’s government.Pete Hegseth suggested during a visit to Panama that “by invitation” the US could “revive” military bases or naval air stations and rotate deployments of its troops to an isthmus the US invaded 35 years ago.He also said his country was seeking free passage through the canal for its navy ships – which Donald Trump had said were “severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way, shape or form”.Trump, since coming to power in January, has repeatedly claimed that China has too much influence over the canal, which handles about 40% of US container traffic and 5% of world trade.His administration has vowed to “take back” control of the strategic waterway that the US funded, built and controlled until 1999.Hegseth suggested on Wednesday the former US military bases that dot Panama could be used again to host American troops.He said a deal signed with Panama this week was an “opportunity to revive, whether it’s the military base, naval air station, locations where US troops can work with Panamanian troops to enhance capabilities and cooperate in a rotational way”.While Hegseth cited the possibility of joint exercises, the mention of a rotational force was likely to raise the hackles of Panamanians, for whom sole ownership of the canal is a source of national pride.The US has long participated in military exercises in Panama. However, a longer-term rotational force – such as the force the USmaintains in Darwin, Australia – is politically toxic for Panama’s centre-right leader, José Raúl Mulino.His government quickly slapped down the idea. “Panama made clear, through President Mulino, that we cannot accept military bases or defence sites,” said Panama’s security minister, Frank Abrego, in a joint public appearance with Hegseth.Hegseth also said the US was seeking an agreement under which its warships could pass through the canal “first, and free”.Jose Ramón Icaza, Panama’s minister for canal affairs, said: “We will seek a mechanism by which warships and auxiliary ships can have a compensation system for services, that is, a way to make them cost-neutral but not free.”The independent Panama Canal Authority (PCA) that manages the waterway said on Wednesday that it was seeking a “cost-neutral scheme” to compensate services rendered in security matters for warship tolls.Under current treaties, the canal is open to all countries and vessels must pay the same rates according to their capacity and cargo, regardless of their country of origin or destination.The PCA said the US recognised Panamanian sovereignty over the waterway, although Hegseth did not mention it in the news conference.The Pentagon chief’s two-day visit has been peppered with comments about China and its influence in Latin America. He said the US was not looking for war with China but would counter Beijing’s “threats” to the region.“We do not seek war with China. And war with China is certainly not inevitable. We do not seek it in any form,” Hegseth said. “But together, we must prevent war by robustly and vigorously deterring China’s threats in this hemisphere,” the former Fox News anchor said.China hit back after Hegseth’s comments, saying Washington officials “maliciously attacked China … exposing the US’s bullying nature”.Trump has zeroed in on the role of a Hong Kong company that has operated ports at either end of the canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans for decades.Hegseth asserted that China-based companies were also capturing Latin American land and infrastructure in strategic sectors, such as energy and telecommunications, and that China had too large a military presence in the hemisphere.“Make no mistake, Beijing is investing and operating in this region for military advantage and unfair economic gain,” he said.Under pressure from the White House, Panama has accused the Hong Kong-backed Panama Ports Company of failing to meet its contractual obligations and pushed for it to pull out of the country.The company rejected an audit on Wednesday that suggested it had failed to pay $1.2bn due under its concession.The ports’ parent company, CK Hutchison, announced last month a deal to offload 43 ports in 23 countries – including its two on the Panama canal – to a consortium led by the US asset manager BlackRock for $19bn in cash. A furious Beijing has since announced an antitrust review of the deal.The US invaded Panama in 1989 to oust the dictator Manuel Noriega, killing more than 500 Panamanians and razing parts of the capital.

Drug lord Ernesto “Don Neto” Fonseca Carrillo, who was convicted in the 1985 killing of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent, has been freed from prison after completing his 40-year sentenceMEXICO CITY — Drug lord Ernesto “Don Neto” Fonseca Carrillo, who was convicted in the 1985 killing of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent, was freed from prison after completing his 40-year sentence, a federal agent confirmed late Wednesday.Fonseca, 94, had been serving the remainder of his sentence under home confinement outside Mexico City since being moved from prison in 2016. The federal agent, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the case, said he was released last weekend.The co-founder of the Guadalajara Cartel along with Rafael Caro Quintero, Fonseca was convicted in the kidnapping, torture and murder of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena.Caro Quintero, who was also convicted in the murder, was one of 29 cartel figures Mexico sent to the United States in February.It was not immediately clear if the United States would also seek Fonseca.Fonseca was arrested in Puerto Vallarta in 1985.

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