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Sky News AU
41 minutes ago
- Business
- Sky News AU
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to attend string of high-level summits around the world amid global uncertainty and international conflicts
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is preparing to attend more than half a dozen overseas trips or conferences by the end of 2025, Sky News Australia can reveal. Mr Albanese will attend the APEC forum in Korea, ASEAN summit in Malaysia, COP climate conference in Brazil, and the G20 summit in South Africa. He is also expected to visit China at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, speak at the UN General Assembly in New York, and attend the Pacific Islands Forum in the Solomon Islands. Mr Albanese sees the trips as essential at a time when there is so much upheaval in the world, with a war in the Middle East and another in Ukraine. The busy schedule comes after Mr Albanese earned the moniker 'Airbus Albo' in his first term of government, just as former prime minister Kevin Rudd was branded 'Kevin 747'. The Australian government originally helped set up APEC, and the G20 is a forum every Australian prime minister always attends. The COP summit in Brazil is necessary, given Australia bidding to host a future UN climate conference. That trip will likely be paired with the G20. Mr Albanese is also expected to use the UN General Assembly in New York as the best opportunity to secure a rescheduled face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump. The two leaders' planned first meeting at the G7 in Kananaskis, Canada was abruptly cancelled last week, prompting criticism of Mr Albanese's lack of engagement with President Trump. Mr Albanese considered attending the NATO summit in The Hague to revive the meeting, but it has been confirmed that Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles will attend instead. The Albanese government's view is that President Trump has agreed to a meeting, and it will take place at an appropriate time. The visit to China is also seen as an important step, given the size of the trading relationship between the two countries. On his first trip to China in the last term of parliament, the Prime Minister ensured he visited the United States beforehand where he met with then-president Joe Biden. That was another reason the highly anticipated meeting with President Trump had been so important for the Albanese government. Since being re-elected in May, Mr Albanese has already travelled to Indonesia to meet President Prabowo Subianto and to Rome for the Mass swearing in the new Pope Leo. He also visited Nadi, Fiji to meet Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka; Seattle, USA to meet Amazon Web Service CEO Matt Garman; and Kanaskis, Canada for the G7 Summit. In the absence of Mr Trump, Mr Albanese instead held two short meetings on the sidelines of the G7 with key members of the Trump administration. He also met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Cop lawyer slams art gallery over ‘highly misleading' Sheku Bayoh exhibit
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A COP lawyer has slammed an art gallery after claiming it showcased a 'biased' exhibit saying Sheku Bayoh was the victim of 'racist police brutality.' Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow unveiled the item with a sign called 'Sheku Bayoh Street' next to a painting showing white cops chasing after black locals - with one of them lying dead. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 The exhibition, titled 'Glasgow - City of Empire' features a 'Sheku Bayoh Street' sign 3 Police federation lawyer Professor Peter Watson said the exhibit was "highly misleading" Bayoh, 31, was drunk and on drugs and had been seen armed with a knife in Kirkcaldy, Fife in May 2015 when six officers were dispatched to the scene to restrain him. He died a short time later in custody and a long-running probe into the death is still ongoing to decide if race was a factor in the death. But lawyer for the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), Professor Peter Watson, complained to Kelvingrove bosses about the 'highly misleading' exhibit. He wrote: "The suggestion that Mr Bayoh's interaction with the police was primarily or solely a matter of police violence or that it was motivated by an attempt to control individuals of ethnic backgrounds is both misleading and unsupported by the evidence. "We must formally complain that both the exhibition and its explanatory materials present a one-sided and biased account of the circumstances surrounding Mr Bayoh's death. "We request a detailed explanation from the gallery as to how and why this exhibition has been curated and presented in such a biased and artificial manner, and what steps will be taken to ensure that the public is provided with a balanced and factually accurate account of the events in question." The row blew up earlier this week after the SPF were made aware of the controversial piece which is part of a bigger exhibit called 'Glasgow - City of Empire.' This exhibition examines the legacies of colonialism, slavery, and present-day issues such as racial violence and police brutality. It uses a 'Sheku Bayoh Street' sign which was put up by the Celtic ultras group the Green Brigade and a 'Black Lives Matter' placard. The narrative further references brutal policing as an integral part of the maintenance of the Empire. I was left with a fractured skull and brain damage after 'random' attack on night out… then I got a chilling message Prof Watson addressed his letter from not just the federation, which represents rank and file officers in Scotland, but also specifically their members who are witnesses to the current inquiry. He wrote: 'A female police officer was seriously assaulted by Mr Bayoh during the incident, resulting in her early retirement from the force on medical grounds and ongoing receipt of therapeutic support for her mental health. She lost her career.' The inquiry is currently in crisis after the SPF said five secret meeting between the chair Lord Bracadale and Sheku's family raised questions about his 'impartiality.' So far, the probe has cost the public purse £23.7million and counting. A spokesperson for Glasgow Life said; 'The museum scripted interpretation makes no mention of Sheku Bayoh or the circumstances surrounding his death. 'Some of the items in the Legacies of Slavery and Empire display including the sign, a placard from a Glasgow Green demonstration and newspaper headlines from the time relate directly to the Black Lives Matter Movement. 'The street sign in the exhibition was created by activists as part of the 2020 protests and was mounted in Cochrane Street by The Green Brigade. It is included in the display to reflect this act of protest.'
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Bonn Climate Change Conference begins: Everything you need to know
The annual Bonn Climate Change Conference began on Monday as more than 5,000 government delegates and stakeholders gathered in Bonn, Germany. The meeting, which will wrap up on June 26, will witness discussion on a wide range of issues including the mobilisation of finance to tackle climate change. The conference The Bonn Climate Change Conference is an annual mid-year meeting that takes place under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) — an international agreement, signed in 1992, that has provided a basis for climate negotiations. The conference is formally known as the Sessions of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SBs). Along with the annual Conference of the Parties (COP), it is the only other regular climate summit hosted by the UNFCCC. It is attended by the members of SBs — essentially committees that assist UNFCCC's governing bodies in implementing and reviewing climate change agreements. The meeting is also attended by Indigenous representatives, international organisations, scientists, and civil society representatives. The objectives The conference takes place to discuss technical and scientific aspects of climate negotiations, and set the agenda for COP, which usually takes place in November. 'The results of the negotiations in Bonn are highly influential on decisions made at the COP. Recommendations made at the SBs frequently appear in final decisions acted upon by parties at the COP,' according to a report on the website of Harvard Kennedy School. The Bonn Climate Conference is also the venue where the implementation of agreements set at the previous COP is discussed. The key players The meeting is led by the SBs of the UNFCCC. There are two permanent SBs of the UNFCCC, the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA). SBI assists UNFCCC governing bodies in the assessment and review of the implementation of their decisions. It also facilitates discussions on financial and technical support to developing countries which are party to the UNFCCC. SBSTA advises governing bodies on scientific knowledge related to climate change. 'It serves as the 'link' between scientific advisors at the IPCC and policymakers serving in party delegations at the COPs,' the Harvard Kennedy School's report said. This year's agenda One of the key topics during discussions will be the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), which is an attempt to identify a common global goal on adaptation, just like keeping temperatures below the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold is a global goal on mitigation. Although GGA was established in the Paris Agreement in 2015, no major breakthrough came till COP28 in Dubai, where parties adopted a framework for defining global goals on adaptation.
Scoop
5 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Urgent Action Needed At SB62 As Amazon, Climate Slip Closer To Tipping Points
Bonn, Germany, 16 June 2025 Worsening rates of Amazon deforestation, record temperatures exceeding 1.5°C and chronic government policy inertia around climate action and finance demand an urgent response from delegates the next two weeks at the UN climate negotiations in Bonn. A key moment on the road to COP30 in Brazil, the annual June intersessional meetings (SB62) in Bonn take place against a backdrop of climate-fuelled disasters and increasing deforestation rates in the Amazon. The ongoing forest loss is bringing the Amazon closer to a tipping point. An Lambrechts, Biodiversity Politics Expert, Greenpeace International said: 'Now more than ever, we need an action plan to end deforestation. The world is hurtling toward a climate and biodiversity catastrophe, but as COP30 moves to the Amazon under Brazil's presidency, there is a significant opportunity to accelerate protection and restoration of critical ecosystems.' 'At COP28 the world agreed to halt deforestation and forest degradation by 2030, but there is no coherent UNFCCC plan yet to implement that goal beyond the expectation that parties include it in their NDCs and act at the national level. A transformative COP30 forest outcome that addresses fragmentation and delivers a five-year Action Plan starting next year can make the difference.' Delegates in Bonn must seize the moment and work towards a radical shift in climate ambition and pave the way to address the 1.5°C ambition gap. Countries' 2035 climate action plans, due this year, must ramp up emissions cuts and deliver on the COP28 decision to 'transition away from fossil fuels'. Tracy Carty, Climate Politics Expert, Greenpeace International said: 'Climate inaction is costing lives! As emissions rise unchecked, our chances of limiting warming to the Paris goals recede and impacts escalate. We need to act faster and bolder to give ourselves the best chance possible.' 'The weak finance deal agreed at COP29 is constraining many developing countries' ability to raise ambition and the finance gap risks undermining trust and progress in this year's negotiations. Rich countries must urgently increase public finance support - and making big polluters, like the fossil fuel industry, pay for the damage and destruction is a vital part of the solution.' Anna Cárcamo, Climate Politics Specialist, Greenpeace Brazil said: 'Bonn will be a key moment to advance important agendas leading to COP30 and Brazil as the incoming COP Presidency has signalled that it will focus on moving forward with adaptation, just transitions and implementation of the COP28 decision, including the goals to eliminate deforestation and to transition away from fossil fuels.' 'While all countries must act together to implement these critical agendas and goals, Brazil should lead with coherence, by continuing to address deforestation and reconsidering the expansion of fossil fuel extraction, especially in the Amazon.'
ITV News
5 days ago
- Climate
- ITV News
Bahamas PM warns country could be condemed to a 'watery grave' if climate crisis not taken seriously
From above, The Bahamas look like a tropical paradise but the reality on the ground is that they are at risk. 80% of the islands which make up The Bahamas are less than three metres above sea level, making them very vulnerable to climate-induced sea level rise. Severe weather events like hurricanes are also becoming more frequent. In 2019, Hurricane Dorian became the most intense tropical cyclone to ever hit the islands causing 84 deaths and a record $5.1 billion dollars of damage. Faced with the effects of climate change, the Prime Minister of the Bahamas, Philip Davis says he is 'terribly concerned' for the future of his country. Parts of the island he grew up on as a child, have disappeared into the sea already and he fears for the future of his country if world leaders do not step up. 'We have produced the challenges that we face today because of our own conduct and our own action.'There are real issues to be seen if you do not just sit in your ivory tower and talk about these issues.' He is appealing for the world to take the crisis seriously and follow discussions like the annual COP meetings with meaningful action. 'If not, we will be condemned to a watery grave or become climate refugees' he warns.
