Global Pulse

标签： Oceania

大洋洲

  • Australia’s preparation for Iran war a “trainwreck”: Joyce

    Australia’s preparation for Iran war a “trainwreck”: Joyce

    Fresh escalatory rhetoric from former US President Donald Trump targeting Iran’s civilian infrastructure has sparked quiet reaction from Australian political leaders, with a senior One Nation MP refusing to deliver a direct character assessment of the former US leader’s inflammatory comments.

    In a post to his Truth Social platform, Trump doubled down on threats against Iran, promising that if Tehran does not agree to a proposed peace deal, the US will destroy every power plant and bridge across the country. In his uncompromising statement, he wrote: ‘NO MORE MR. NICE GUY! They’ll come down fast, they’ll come down easy and, if they don’t take the DEAL, it will be my Honour to do what has to be done, which should have been done to Iran, by other presidents, for the last 47 years.’

    The threat lands at a fragile moment in Middle Eastern tensions, just two weeks after the US and Israel carried out coordinated strikes on Iranian targets, with both Washington and Tehran now trading accusations of breaking a shaky bilateral ceasefire. Australia’s official position has long aligned with international calls for an immediate end to hostilities, urging all involved parties to prioritize diplomatic negotiations to de-escalate the crisis.

    On Monday, One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce echoed Canberra’s official call for peace, telling Seven Network’s Sunrise program that all Australians ‘hoped and prayed’ the conflict would wrap up quickly. When pressed by reporters to share whether he had faith in Trump’s leadership and to judge the validity of the former president’s threats, Joyce declined to offer a clear assessment. ‘Well, it doesn’t really matter,’ he said of his personal view of Trump. ‘We’ve got to deal with the cards that have been dealt with us.’

    Joyce used the moment to reflect on the shifting global security landscape, noting that the ongoing conflict underscores the volatile nature of modern geopolitics. ‘It does show the world in a febrile nature, and we’re living in a different world now. And it shows that, as we’ve always known, there’s no such thing as a short war. They just go on, and this one’s going on,’ he added. The key takeaway for Australia, Joyce argued, is the urgent need to strengthen domestic preparedness for future global shocks. ‘We were not prepared for this. And if something like this happens again … we have got to be vastly better prepared than we were this time, because this is in some areas is a train wreck, economically,’ he said.

    Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek echoed calls for immediate peace during an appearance on the same broadcaster, acknowledging that ongoing global uncertainty surrounding the conflict benefits no side. ‘And we’ve seen real impacts on civilians in Iran and around the Middle East, which, of course, we’re concerned about,’ Plibersek said. ‘And although Australia is not formally a party to this conflict, Australians are paying a very heavy price for it. You certainly see the price at the petrol station, but you also see it flowing through to goods and services across the economy … We want to see de-escalation, and we want to see the situation resolved.’

    The current tensions carry a specific awkward context for Australian diplomacy: Canberra was not given advance notice of the February 28 US-Israeli strikes on Iran, yet it became the first nation to issue qualified public support for the operation, backing the stated goal of limiting Tehran’s nuclear program. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has since publicly called for greater transparency around Trump’s strategic objectives for the region. This story remains developing, with new details expected to emerge in coming hours.

  • Eight children dead in US domestic violence shooting

    Eight children dead in US domestic violence shooting

    A devastating early-morning shooting rooted in domestic violence has left eight children dead in the southern U.S. city of Shreveport, Louisiana, marking one of the deadliest mass shooting incidents in the country in recent years, local law enforcement confirmed Sunday.

    The violence unfolded just after 6 a.m. local time, or 1100 GMT, across three connected residential properties, leaving a sprawling crime scene that investigators have been processing systematically since the incident. All eight fatal victims were children between the ages of 1 and 14, according to Police Corporal Chris Bordelon, who spoke to reporters at an official press conference. Some of the slain children were biological descendants of the gunman, Bordelon added.

    Three additional people were hurt in the attack: two adult women suffered gunshot wounds to the head, and a young boy sustained injuries after jumping from a residential roof to escape the violence, according to local ABC affiliate KTBS. Two other adults were hit by gunfire, though their conditions were not disclosed to the public immediately after the incident.

    Following the shooting, the unidentified adult male suspect carjacked a civilian vehicle and fled the scene, triggering a high-speed pursuit by law enforcement. Officers ultimately opened fire on the suspect, killing him at the end of the chase. No law enforcement personnel were injured during the operation, Louisiana State Police confirmed. Investigators have concluded the suspect acted alone, with no other co-conspirators involved in the attack.

    Data from the Gun Violence Archive classifies the incident as the deadliest mass shooting in the United States in more than two years, a grim statistic that underscores the persistent crisis of gun violence plaguing the country. Where widespread access to firearms remains a contentious policy issue, thousands of people die from gun-related incidents across the U.S. every year.

    Local and state political leaders have expressed shock and grief over the tragedy. Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux called it a terrible day for the community, telling reporters “we all mourn with the victims.” Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said he was heartbroken by the loss of life, while U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican representing the state, described the attack as horrific violence and extended well wishes for a full recovery to all survivors.

    Law enforcement officials have said they will not release additional details about the identities of the victims and the suspect until all next of kin have been notified, a standard process following mass casualty events.

  • Kane scores as Bayern sink Stuttgart to claim Bundesliga title

    Kane scores as Bayern sink Stuttgart to claim Bundesliga title

    Bayern Munich has cemented its unparalleled legacy as the dominant force of German football, securing a record-extending 35th Bundesliga title – and 13th crown in 14 seasons – with a 4-2 home victory over VfB Stuttgart, spearheaded by Harry Kane’s 32nd league goal of the 2024/25 campaign.

    Going into Sunday’s fixture, Bayern only needed a single point to wrap up the title, a path cleared 24 hours earlier when title contender Borussia Dortmund suffered a second consecutive defeat, a 2-1 loss away to Hoffenheim, that threw the championship race firmly into the Bavarian side’s lap. In a strategic rotation to prepare for Wednesday’s German Cup semi-final against Bayer Leverkusen, head coach Vincent Kompany rested key regular starters including Kane, Manuel Neuer, Michael Olise, Dayot Upamecano and Aleksandar Pavlovic, leaving most of his first-choice squad on the bench for the decisive clash.

    The match got off to a rocky start for the hosts, as Stuttgart winger Chris Fuehrich broke the deadlock in the 21st minute to put the visitors ahead. But Bayern responded with a devastating seven-minute scoring blitz that flipped the match on its head. Jamal Musiala set up Raphael Guerreiro for the equalizer, before Luis Diaz provided assists for two quick goals, to Nicolas Cooman and Alphonso Davies, that put Bayern in full control by halftime.

    Kane, brought on after the break, extended the lead early in the second half to put the title beyond doubt, adding the crown to his growing collection of honors in his debut season in German football. With the result secured, Bayern eased off the intensity in the final stages, with staff already bringing bags of printed “2026 Champions” celebration t-shirts to the touchline ahead of the final whistle. Stuttgart’s Chema Andres grabbed a late consolation goal two minutes from time, but it did nothing to halt Bayern’s impending title party.

    This victory once again underscores the historic and contemporary dominance that Bayern holds over German top-flight football. No other club in Bundesliga history has even reached 10 top-flight titles, a staggering illustration of the club’s long-running supremacy. This season has added new layers to that legacy, with the team already hitting 109 league goals with four matches still to play – eight more than the previous all-time league record set in the 1971-72 campaign.

    Currently sitting on 79 points with a goal difference of +80, Bayern is on track to make more history: if the season ended today, it would be the first Bundesliga side ever to record a goal difference higher than its total points tally. If the side wins all four remaining fixtures, it will hit 91 points, matching the all-time record set by the club’s legendary 2012-13 treble-winning side.

    Individual performances have matched the team’s historic run. Kane, who became the first English player since 1930-31 to hit 50 goals across all competitions in a single top-flight European season earlier this week, sits just nine goals short of Robert Lewandowski’s single-season Bundesliga record of 41, with four matches left to chase the mark. Midfielder Michael Olise, meanwhile, has notched 18 assists this term, just three shy of Thomas Muller’s 2019-20 all-time record.

    In earlier Sunday action, Freiburg boosted their European hopes and pushed 1. FC Heidenheim closer to relegation with a 2-1 home win. Johan Manzambi put the Europa League semi-finalists ahead in the 24th minute, before Budu Zivzivadze equalized for Heidenheim just before the hour mark. Maximilian Eggestein scored the winning goal seven minutes from time, lifting Freiburg above Eintracht Frankfurt into seventh place, a spot that would qualify for European competition next season. The defeat leaves Heidenheim, which hosted Chelsea in the Europa Conference League last season, seven points adrift of the relegation play-off spot and 11 points from automatic safety, with four games remaining to close the gap. Later Sunday, Borussia Moenchengladbach was set to host Mainz 05 in the final Bundesliga fixture of the matchweek.

  • Haaland gives Man City edge over Arsenal in Premier League title showdown

    Haaland gives Man City edge over Arsenal in Premier League title showdown

    The 2023-24 Premier League title race has taken a dramatic turn after Manchester City claimed a crucial 2-1 home victory over long-time leaders Arsenal, putting Pep Guardiola’s defending champions on the brink of snatching yet another league crown. The result leaves Mikel Arteta’s side clinging to a fragile three-point lead at the top of the table, with City holding a game in hand and a massive surge of momentum heading into the final stretch of the campaign. For Arsenal, who have waited 22 years to lift their first top-flight title since 2002, this defeat has extended a worrying late-season slump that now threatens to see another title opportunity slip through their fingers.

    Since their loss to City in last month’s EFL League Cup final at Wembley, Arteta’s Gunners have only managed one win from six matches across all competitions, including four straight defeats in domestic play. If City can secure three points against relegation-battling Burnley this coming Wednesday, they will climb into first place for the first time in 2024, capping a stunning comeback in the title fight.

    The game itself was full of drama, near-misses, and moments that will haunt Arsenal fans if their title bid ultimately collapses. Manchester City started the match on the front foot, looking to exploit the growing anxiety in Arsenal’s camp, and it was French midfielder Rayan Cherki who broke the deadlock with a moment of individual brilliance. Cherki weaved past challenges from Gabriel Magalhaes and Declan Rice before slotting a cool finish into the bottom corner, putting the hosts ahead against a Gunners side that has boasted one of the league’s tightest defenses all season.

    It did not take long for Arsenal to get a lucky break, however, thanks to an uncharacteristic mistake from goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Italian shot-stopper, who previously tormented Arsenal during his time at Paris Saint-Germain in last season’s Champions League semi-finals, dallied on a clearance outside his box, allowing City forward Kai Havertz to charge down the kick. The ball deflected into the top corner of the net, gifting Arsenal an equalizer just minutes after falling behind.

    The soft equalizer disrupted City’s rhythm, and it was not until after Guardiola’s halftime adjustments that the hosts regained control of the match. Erling Haaland came close to retaking the lead shortly after the break, hitting the post after Arsenal failed to clear a City corner, setting off a string of woodwork shocks that would define the second half.

    In one frantic sequence, Donnarumma redeemed his earlier error with a stunning one-on-one save to deny Havertz, only for Martin Odegaard’s follow-up effort to be cleared off the line by City’s Matheus Nunes. Moments later, Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze hit the inside of the post, watching the ball roll agonizingly along the goal line without crossing into the net. That near miss proved devastating for the Gunners, as City capitalized on their lucky escape just minutes later.

    With 25 minutes left to play, Haaland outmuscled Gabriel to meet Nico O’Reilly’s cross, sweeping home his 34th goal of the season across all competitions to restore City’s lead. Haaland’s winner came between two Arsenal strikes that hit the woodwork: the Gunners went close again late on when Gabriel’s deflected header bounced off the post, and Havertz failed to convert the rebound.

    Tensions boiled over late in the match when Gabriel escaped a red card after attempting to headbutt Haaland, with the center back only receiving a yellow card from the referee. Arsenal had one final golden chance to level the score deep into stoppage time, when Havertz met Leandro Trossard’s cross perfectly, but the forward put his header over the bar. A dejected Arteta fell to the ground in disbelief after the missed opportunity, and now faces the challenge of lifting his side for their final five matches of the campaign.

    While Arsenal still hold a theoretical advantage on paper with a seemingly easier remaining fixture list, the Gunners have clearly run out of steam at the decisive moment of the season, just as they did in last year’s title race. For City, the repeat of their late-season charge over Arsenal has put them just one win away from reclaiming the top spot, putting them firmly in the driving seat to secure another Premier League trophy.

  • Fils wins on Barcelona clay with French Open looming

    Fils wins on Barcelona clay with French Open looming

    With just four weeks remaining until the opening serve of the 2025 French Open at Roland Garros, rising French tennis star Arthur Fils sent a seismic statement through the men’s game on Sunday, capturing the prestigious ATP 500 Barcelona Open title with a confident 6-2, 7-6(2) victory over top-ranked Russian competitor Andrey Rublev.

    The 21-year-old rising talent has overcome enormous odds to reach this career milestone: after an eight-month layoff sidelined by a serious injury, Fils only made his return to competitive tour play in February this year. In just three months back on court, the young Frenchman has already put together a staggering run of form. He reached the Doha final earlier this spring, falling only to world number one Carlos Alcaraz, and Sunday’s title marks the fourth ATP trophy of his still-burgeoning professional career.

    Reflecting on the winding road that led to his Barcelona victory, Fils opened up about the mental and physical toll of his extended injury break. “These eight months have been hard,” he told reporters after the win. “And now here I am winning a tournament again.”

    Fils’ run to the Barcelona crown was defined by the kind of poise and mental toughness rarely seen in a player his age, a performance that will catapult him past compatriots to become the highest-ranked French male player on the ATP tour when the new rankings are released. His road to the final included a dramatic comeback win over Spanish wildcard Rafael Jodar in the semi-finals, where he fought back from a one-set deficit to secure his spot in the title match.

    Against Rublev on Sunday, Fils got off to a rocky start, dropping the first two games of the opening set before finding his rhythm. A sharp adjustment to his serving accuracy, paired with a string of blistering baseline winners, turned the tide completely: Fils reeled off six straight games to close out the first set 6-2, putting the 28-year-old Rublev immediately on the back foot.

    The second set brought a new test of Fils’ mental fortitude: after holding a commanding position, the young Frenchman squandered four consecutive championship points, forcing the set into a deciding tiebreak. But rather than crumbling under the pressure of his first big ATP 500 title, Fils regained his composure quickly, moving Rublev from side to side across the clay to take the tiebreak comfortably 7-2 and seal the win.

    Addressing the late-match slip, Fils acknowledged the weight of the moment got to him in the closing games. “It was all in my head at the end. I played very well for a set and a half, but the pressure of the title caught up with me,” he explained. “At the end, I told myself I just had to put the ball in, and it paid off.”

    For French tennis, Fils’ breakout win comes at a historic moment: no French man has lifted the Roland Garros men’s singles trophy since Yannick Noah claimed the title in 1983, leaving a decades-long drought that has weighed on every generation of domestic players. With the 2025 tournament set to get underway on May 18, Fils will now enter the event as the clear home favorite and a legitimate contender to end that long wait.

    Notably, defending French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz was forced to withdraw from the Barcelona Open mid-tournament last week due to a lingering wrist injury, clearing a path for Fils’ title run that he fully capitalized on.

  • Pope Leo XIV calls for ‘hope’ before 100,000 faithful in Angola

    Pope Leo XIV calls for ‘hope’ before 100,000 faithful in Angola

    On a sunlit open-air plain outside Angola’s capital Luanda this Sunday, nearly 100,000 devout Catholics gathered to greet Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, who used his address to urge the resource-rich southern African nation to embrace a hopeful new future despite decades of conflict, systemic inequality, and corruption.

    The open-air Mass, held in the Kilamba district roughly 30 kilometers from central Luanda, drew pilgrims from across the country. Many attendees slept overnight on the open ground in the lead-up to the event, wearing printed T-shirts emblazoned with the pope’s image. After weaving through the dense throngs of worshippers in his popemobile, Leo centered his homily on the theme of collective renewal for Angola, a nation still grappling with the legacy of a 27-year civil war that concluded in 2002.

    “It is possible to build a country where old divisions are overcome forever, where hatred and violence disappear, where the wound of corruption is healed by a new culture of justice and sharing,” the pontiff told the crowd, encouraging Angolans to “look to the future with hope” and pursue a new national beginning.

    Leo’s arrival in Angola on Saturday marked the third stop of his ambitious 11-day, four-nation tour across Africa, a trip that has already seen the pope speak out forcefully against the systemic exploitation of the continent’s natural resources by global actors and domestic elites, while drawing international headlines for a high-profile public dispute with U.S. President Donald Trump.

    Shortly after touching down in Luanda following a leg of the tour in Cameroon, the pope joined a meeting with Angolan President Joao Lourenco and top government officials, where he renewed his criticism of the widespread suffering caused by deep poverty and unregulated resource extraction. He also pressed leaders to allow for open political disagreement, an implicit rebuke of the Lourenco administration, which has faced consistent international accusations of cracking down on human rights activists and political dissent.

    Angola’s paradox of wealth amid widespread hardship makes it a critical stop for the pontiff’s tour: the country ranks among Africa’s top oil producers and holds vast reserves of diamonds and other natural resources, yet economic inequality remains extreme. World Bank data shows that roughly one-third of Angola’s 36.6 million residents live below the poverty line, despite the nation’s abundant natural wealth. With a national median age of just 23, high youth unemployment has driven thousands of young Angolans to emigrate to Western countries in search of better opportunities.

    Patricio Musanga, a 32-year-old attendee at the Kilamba Mass, told reporters that he came seeking encouragement for Angola’s younger generation and hoped the pope’s platform would push leaders to address systemic inequity. “We are very rich in natural resources but… there is a glaring inequality between those who live well and the others,” Musanga said. “The pope must call our leaders to account… I believe that at least he will be listened to by the authorities.”

    Father Pedro Chingandu, a Catholic priest who traveled to the Mass from Angola’s eastern Moxico Province, echoed that sentiment, telling Agence France-Presse: “We need real democracy and the redistribution of wealth and justice.”

    After concluding the open-air Mass, the pope traveled south to the coastal town of Muxima, home to the 16th-century Mama Muxima shrine, one of the most revered Catholic pilgrimage sites in southern Africa. Hundreds of pilgrims camped overnight in multicolored tents ahead of Leo’s arrival, with many describing the shrine as the spiritual heart of the Angolan nation.

    Veronica Simao Teka, a 60-something pilgrim, called the site “the soul and the heart of all Angolans,” while 21-year-old nursing student Meraldo Amon Daniel said she hoped the pope’s visit would strengthen both public faith and the commitment of Angola’s leaders to reform. “It can strengthen the faith, not only of the faithful, but also of the country’s authorities,” Daniel said.

    Angola’s ruling party, the socialist MPLA, has held continuous control of the government since the nation gained independence from Portugal in 1975, and has faced growing criticism over its response to political unrest. Last July, a crackdown on three days of looting across Luanda and other urban centers left roughly 30 people dead, with analysts saying the unrest reflected widespread public dissatisfaction with the ruling party’s governance.

    Speaking to reporters on his flight to Luanda, Leo addressed the high-profile public dispute that has dominated international coverage of his tour, saying he regretted that his war of words with Donald Trump had overshadowed the trip’s focus on Africa. After Leo called for an immediate end to the ongoing Middle East war, Trump publicly labeled the pope “weak” in response. Leo, the first American to ever hold the papacy, said he had no interest in continuing the public feud: “It is not in my interest at all” to debate the U.S. leader, he said.

    Following the conclusion of his events in Angola, Leo will travel to Equatorial Guinea for the final stop of the 18,000-kilometer continental tour.

  • Liverpool snatch derby win ahead of City-Arsenal showdown

    Liverpool snatch derby win ahead of City-Arsenal showdown

    The English Premier League’s final stretch delivered a day of high drama on Sunday, as a dramatic late winner from Virgil van Dijk gave Liverpool a 2-1 Merseyside derby victory over Everton, just hours before Manchester City and Arsenal clashed in a title-deciding showdown at the Etihad Stadium. The results across the league on the weekend shifted the dynamic of both the top-four Champions League race and the relegation battle, leaving multiple clubs with everything to play for across their remaining five fixtures.

    The fixture marked Liverpool’s first ever visit to Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium, and it did not disappoint. The first half already delivered its share of controversy: just two minutes before Mohamed Salah opened the scoring for the Reds, Everton had an early effort from Iliman Ndiaye ruled out by VAR after Jake O’Brien was judged to be in an offside position. Salah, who will leave Liverpool at the end of this season, capitalized on a perfectly weighted through ball from Cody Gakpo to slot past Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, equaling Steven Gerrard’s record of nine Premier League derby goals to become the competition’s joint all-time top scorer in the historic fixture.

    Everton, managed by David Moyes, weathered the early blow and drew level 10 minutes into the second half. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall drove down the left flank and pulled a low cross across the six-yard box, where Beto got ahead of Liverpool starting goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili to poke home the equalizer. The collision left Mamardashvili injured and forced him to be stretchered off, with backup Freddie Woodman coming on to finish the match.

    With the game tied and regular time expiring, officials added 11 minutes of stoppage time to the fixture. Deep into added time, Liverpool earned a corner, and Dominik Szoboszlai delivered an out-swinging cross that found captain Van Dijk unmarked at the near post. The defender powered a header past Pickford in the 100th minute to seal all three points for Arne Slot’s side. “Today was massive in the situation that we are, in hunt for the Champions League spots,” Van Dijk told Sky Sports after the match. “That is definitely not Liverpool-worthy, in my opinion, but it is the reality and it was important we got the win. We’ve got five more games left against teams that are also fighting for the Champions League spots. Every game is a big one.”

    The result leaves Liverpool fifth in the table, seven points clear of sixth-placed Chelsea who have slumped in recent weeks, and three points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa, who pulled off their own dramatic victory earlier on Sunday. Unai Emery’s Aston Villa side squandered a two-goal lead against Sunderland but grabbed a stoppage-time winner to seal a 4-3 thriller, moving them level on 58 points with third-placed Manchester United.

    Ollie Watkins scored two first-half headers for Villa, putting the midlands club 2-1 up after an early equalizer from Sunderland’s Chris Rigg. A third goal from Morgan Rogers just after halftime looked to have put the game to bed, but Sunderland struck twice in the space of a minute through Trai Hume and Wilson Isidor to draw level, leaving Villa on the brink of dropping crucial points. But Tammy Abraham struck late to steal all three points, keeping Villa firmly in the hunt for a top-five finish that would secure Champions League football next season. “What a position we are in, semi-final of European competition (Europa League) and pole position to qualify for top five,” Villa captain John McGinn said after the match. “We can go and achieve what not many Aston Villa players have done for a long time. We’re keen to do that and we’re driven, five big games left to try and get ourselves over the line.”

    At the other end of the table, Nottingham Forest boosted their survival hopes with a stunning 4-1 comeback win over already-doomed Burnley, inspired by a second-half hat-trick from Morgan Gibbs-White. Forest fell behind early but Gibbs-White’s masterclass turned the game on its head, moving Steve Cooper’s side five points clear of 18th-placed Tottenham Hotspur, who dropped vital points in their battle to avoid relegation. Tottenham could only manage a 2-2 home draw against Brighton on Saturday, leaving them a point behind 17th-placed West Ham United, who face Crystal Palace on Monday. Wolves and Burnley are all but confirmed to drop into the Championship at the end of the season.

    As the day concluded, all attention turned to the Etihad Stadium, where reigning champions Manchester City hosted long-time table leaders Arsenal in a game that could effectively decide the 2024-25 Premier League title. A win for Pep Guardiola’s side, followed by three points against Burnley in their game in hand, would see City climb to the top of the table with just five games remaining, putting them in pole position to secure a fourth consecutive league title.

  • ACOSS, Oxfam Australia, among 50 community organisations demanding 25pc gas tax and CGT reform

    ACOSS, Oxfam Australia, among 50 community organisations demanding 25pc gas tax and CGT reform

    As Australia’s federal budget delivery approaches, a coalition of 50 leading Australian community and welfare organizations has launched a coordinated call for sweeping tax reforms, targeting gas extraction, housing tax concessions and mining industry subsidies to raise tens of billions in annual revenue that would go directly to easing widespread cost-of-living strain for low-income and vulnerable households.

    Leading the advocacy coalition are two of the nation’s most prominent welfare groups — the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) and Oxfam Australia. In an open letter to the Albanese government, the coalition outlined three targeted, practical policy changes it describes as commonsense reforms that would strengthen the national revenue base while correcting inequities across Australia’s housing, energy and tax systems.

    The first proposal is the introduction of a 25 percent levy on exported natural gas. The coalition argues this measure would secure a fairer return for Australian citizens from their nation’s natural resources, with projections indicating it could generate up to $17 billion in new annual public revenue. Beyond expanding government funding, the policy is also expected to help lower domestic gas prices for household consumers, delivering immediate relief to energy cost burdens.

    Second, the coalition calls for rolling back two longstanding housing tax policies: the capital gains tax discount and negative gearing arrangements that primarily benefit property investors. The group estimates this reform would raise $20 billion in revenue over its first four years, with larger long-term gains. Additionally, curbing these tax concessions would ease competitive pressure on the residential housing market, helping to cool sky-high property prices and improve access for first-time home buyers.

    The third proposal is the gradual phase-out of diesel fuel rebates for mining companies. This change is projected to add another $20 billion in revenue over the first four years of implementation, while delivering two broader public benefits: strengthening national energy security and cutting harmful climate pollution tied to fossil fuel extraction activities.

    All new revenue generated from these three reforms would be redirected to expanded community services and targeted income support, the coalition confirms. Key priorities include increasing the base rate of JobSeeker, Youth Allowance and other core income support payments to give vulnerable households the financial buffer they need to cope with soaring living costs. The coalition also notes the additional funding could support other critical national priorities, including First Nations self-determination initiatives, expanded social and affordable housing, improved disaster resilience, and accelerated renewable energy transition.

    ACOSS Chief Executive Cassandra Goldie emphasized that the current cost-of-living crisis has created an increasingly unsustainable situation for Australia’s most vulnerable communities. “People on the lowest incomes are skipping meals, delaying medical care and rationing energy just to get by,” Goldie said. She added that frontline support services across the country are already operating at full capacity, facing ever-growing demand and increasingly complex needs from vulnerable households. “Current policy settings are not meeting the needs of our communities – it’s clear that significant and sustained public investment is essential.”

    Goldie pointed out that Australia currently collects roughly $100 billion less in annual public revenue as a share of the economy compared to the average for other OECD member nations, arguing the country has ample capacity to raise additional fair, sustainable revenue to meet pressing community needs. “We clearly have the capacity to raise more money and invest it where it’s needed,” she said. These policy proposals have already been formally submitted to the federal government as part of ACOSS’s official pre-budget submission, which pushes for increased investment in income supports and essential public services.

    Treasurer Jim Chalmers is scheduled to deliver the 2025 federal budget to parliament on May 12, where the government will outline its revenue and spending priorities for the coming fiscal year.

  • Family left with unanswered questions after Suzanne Rees’ death on Lizard Island

    Family left with unanswered questions after Suzanne Rees’ death on Lizard Island

    A devastating cruise tragedy that claimed the life of an 81-year-old Australian grandmother has come under fresh scrutiny this week, as the victim’s family has broken their silence to demand accountability and expose critical safety failures that led to her unnecessary death.

    Suzanne Rees, a retired accountant and grandmother from New South Wales, embarked on what was meant to be the dream luxury voyage around Australia’s northern coast, a $30,000 journey departing from Cairns bound for Perth, operated by small-ship cruise provider Coral Expeditions onboard the Coral Adventurer. On October 25 last year, the cruise docked at Lizard Island, a popular tourist spot on the Great Barrier Reef, and Rees – an experienced hiker – joined the vessel’s guided shore hiking excursion.

    What began as a joyful excursion ended in unthinkable loss. Rees was separated from the group and left stranded on the island overnight, and search crews recovered her body the following morning, just 50 meters from the marked hiking path.

    Nearly a year after the tragedy, Rees’ daughter Kate Rees and son-in-law Andrew Cowie have shared their story in a Sunday evening episode of the long-running Australian current affairs program *60 Minutes*, airing the final text message Rees sent to her daughter hours before her death to highlight the senseless nature of the loss.

    “That morning she sent me a text with a photo of the ship’s deck, saying ‘Arrived at Lizard Island, going for a hike, and then afternoon swim’,” Kate Rees recalled in the program. “We had no reason to think that this wouldn’t be the most amazing experience. We had no reason to think anything bad would happen.”

    To date, the family says they have received no clear explanation for how the cruise crew failed to notice Rees was missing for hours. Based on the limited information they have received, Rees told *60 Minutes* her mother had reported feeling unwell mid-hike, and a guide instructed her to return to the ship alone – a decision that former Coral Adventurer hiking guide Fern Trent called deeply alarming and out of line with standard safety protocol.

    Trent explained that any time a guest needs to leave an excursion early, the standard practice is to radio the ship to arrange an escort, rather than leaving an unwell passenger to navigate an unfamiliar island alone. What shocked her most, she added, was that the crew missed Rees entirely during their mandatory headcount before the ship departed.

    *60 Minutes*’ investigation confirmed that the entire hiking group returned to the Coral Adventurer, and the ship set sail for its next destination at 3:35 pm. It took five full hours before the crew realized Rees was not onboard and turned the vessel around. A preliminary search party was deployed at 10:30 pm, and a rescue helicopter was dispatched from Cairns, but the search was suspended when the Coral Adventurer arrived at the island just after 3:30 am. Rees’ body was located the next morning.

    In an official statement provided to *60 Minutes*, Coral Expeditions acknowledged that catastrophic mistakes were made on the day of the tragedy. The company called Rees’ death devastating and offered a formal apology to the family for their loss and the pain the incident has caused.

    “While Coral Expeditions had comprehensive safety systems and procedures in place, we acknowledge some of these were not adequately implemented on this tragic day,” the statement read. “Ms Rees’ death has shocked our people to the core and we will continue to co-operate fully with the ongoing investigations. Coral Expeditions has introduced additional systems and procedures to further strengthen protections for our guests.”

    For Kate Rees, however, the policy changes come too late, and she argues that the excursion should never have run at all. She says extreme heat on the day should have led crew leaders to cancel the hike entirely, a decision that would have saved her mother’s life. “Somebody needed to make that decision and say, ‘too hot, we’re not doing a walk’,” she said. The family continues to push for full transparency as investigations into the tragedy move forward.

  • Pope Leo XIV calls for ‘hope’ before 100,000 faithful in Angola

    Pope Leo XIV calls for ‘hope’ before 100,000 faithful in Angola

    On a sunlit Sunday outside Angola’s capital Luanda, a crowd of nearly 100,000 worshippers gathered under the open sky for the first public Mass held by Pope Leo XIV during his visit to the southern African nation, receiving a message of hope tailored to a country blessed with abundant natural resources yet haunted by systemic poverty and deep-seated division.

    The pontiff’s arrival in Portuguese-speaking Angola on Saturday marked the third stop of an ambitious 11-day, four-nation tour across Africa, a journey that has already seen the leader of the Catholic Church speak out forcefully against systemic corruption and the ongoing foreign and domestic plunder of the continent’s rich natural endowments – and sparked a high-profile public dispute with United States President Donald Trump.

    According to Vatican figures sourced from local Angolan authorities, the gathering at Kilamba, a planned community located roughly 30 kilometers from Luanda’s city center, drew an estimated 100,000 attendees. In his address to the assembled faithful, Pope Leo urged the crowd to embrace a hopeful vision of the future, framing the moment as a potential new beginning for a nation still carrying deep social and political scars from a 27-year civil war that only concluded in 2002.

    “ It is within our power to build a nation where old divisions are laid to rest forever, where hatred and violence fade from memory, where the festering wound of corruption is healed by a new culture of justice and shared prosperity,” the pontiff told the assembled crowd.

    Fresh off his previous stop in Cameroon, Pope Leo met immediately after his Saturday arrival with Angolan President Joao Lourenco and other senior government officials, where he doubled down on the sharp rhetorical tone that has defined his African trip, calling out the widespread human suffering driven by extreme poverty and the unregulated exploitation of Angola’s natural wealth.

    As one of Africa’s leading oil producers and home to vast diamond reserves, Angola counts enormous natural wealth among its assets. Yet World Bank data reveals stark economic inequality across the country, with roughly one-third of its 36.6 million population living below the poverty line. Demographically, Angola is an overwhelmingly young nation, with an average population age of just 23 years old.

    For many young attendees, the papal visit offered a rare opportunity to draw global attention to the systemic barriers facing Angola’s youth. Patricio Musanga, a 32-year-old attendee who traveled to the Mass wearing a branded t-shirt bearing Pope Leo’s image and a white cap, explained that he came seeking encouragement for young people, who face widespread unemployment that pushes thousands to migrate to Western countries each year in search of better opportunities.

    “We are blessed with enormous natural wealth, yet we live with a shocking gap between the small fraction of the population that thrives and the majority that struggles,” Musanga told reporters. “The pope must hold our leaders accountable. I believe authorities will at least listen to what he has to say,” he added, echoing widespread calls for national reconciliation across the country.

    Father Pedro Chingandu, a Catholic priest who traveled to the Mass from the eastern Angolan province of Moxico, echoed these sentiments. “Wealth is concentrated in the hands of just a tiny elite, and the decades-long civil war only made this systemic inequality far worse,” Chingandu explained to AFP. “What this country needs is real democracy, meaningful wealth redistribution, and equal access to justice for all.”

    Following the open-air Mass in Kilamba, Pope Leo is scheduled to travel 110 kilometers by helicopter to the historic riverside town of Muxima, Angola’s most sacred Catholic pilgrimage site. The town is home to a 300-year-old church that overlooks the Kwanza River, once a primary transport route for enslaved African people trafficked to the Americas. The church houses a statue of the Virgin Mary known affectionately to local worshippers as “Mama Muxima,” and draws roughly two million pilgrims to the site each year. Originally built by Portuguese colonial settlers to baptize enslaved people before they were shipped downriver to the Atlantic and onward to the Americas, the site carries layered historical meaning for modern Angolan Catholics.

    The Angolan government has drawn criticism in recent years for launching a multi-million-euro project to construct a grand new basilica in Muxima, with critics arguing that public funds would be better directed to addressing widespread poverty and basic infrastructure needs. Those economic grievances boiled over into public unrest last July, when a three-day wave of looting across Luanda and other major urban centers left roughly 30 people dead, with critics condemning what they described as a heavy-handed response by police forces. Analysts have framed the unrest as a clear signal of widespread public dissatisfaction with President Lourenco’s ruling MPLA party, which has held continuous control of the Angolan government since the country won independence from Portugal in 1975.

    Pope Leo launched his 18,000-kilometer African journey earlier this week, with first stops in Algeria and Cameroon before traveling on to Angola. Speaking to reporters aboard his flight to Luanda, the pope, who is the first American pontiff in Catholic history, expressed regret that his public war of words with Donald Trump had overshadowed the core messages of his African trip. Trump previously labeled Pope Leo “weak” after the pontiff called for an immediate end to the ongoing war in the Middle East. “Entering into a public debate with the US president is not something that serves any of my goals,” the pope told reporters. After concluding his engagements in Angola, the pontiff will travel to Equatorial Guinea for the final stop of his continental tour.