Global Pulse

标签： Oceania

大洋洲

  • Former PM Tony Abbott elected federal Liberal Party president

    Former PM Tony Abbott elected federal Liberal Party president

    Australia’s former prime minister Tony Abbott has secured the position of president of the country’s federal Liberal Party after being nominated for the role without any challengers. In remarks delivered to party loyalists during a meeting of the Liberal Party’s federal council on Friday, Abbott framed his return to a top internal party role as a debt repayment and a responsibility he could not shirk.

    The one-time Member for Warringah, who led the center-right Coalition to a federal election victory in 2013, said he owed the party an enormous debt, and that he viewed accepting the presidency as his duty to serve during what he called a period of “existential crisis” for the party. As the last person to successfully lead the Coalition as opposition leader to an election win, Abbott argued he is uniquely positioned to help current Opposition Leader Angus Taylor replicate that success, and eventually become Australia’s 32nd prime minister.

    While Abbott reiterated that Australia remains the greatest nation on Earth, he warned that the country is sliding backward. He cited stagnant economic growth, deepening social divisions, growing threats to national security, and a widespread underlying “spiritual malaise” as core problems facing the nation. For the modern Liberal Party, he added, the central challenge is rebuilding trust with a skeptical electorate to prove it is a credible alternative to the current government — a goal he said he believes the party is fully capable of achieving.

    “We remain the best hope of better government in this country, the better government that we so desperately need right now,” Abbott said, thanking Taylor for the opportunity to return to a formal leadership role within the party.

    The former prime minister’s appointment has not been without controversy, drawing sharp criticism from old political rivals who warn the move could shift the party even further to the ideological right. Fellow former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull — whose tumultuous political history with Abbott includes Abbott ousting him as opposition leader in 2009, followed by Turnbull toppling Abbott in a 2015 leadership spill — dismissed early rumors of Abbott’s nomination by saying he was “clearly a masochist” for seeking the role, before acknowledging Abbott’s longstanding commitment to Australian politics.

    Turnbull went further to warn against a further rightward shift for the Liberal Party, noting that repeated election results have sent a clear message that a large share of the electorate already believes the party has moved too far right. “They’re basically arguing that the Liberal Party’s mistake has been not being right-wing enough, despite every election sending them the message that a significant part of the electorate feel they have gone too far to the right,” Turnbull told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

    Independent MP Zali Steggall, who defeated Abbott in his long-held Warringah seat during the 2019 federal election, echoed Turnbull’s criticism. She argued that Abbott’s appointment proves the Liberal Party has failed to learn key lessons from its poor performance in the last three consecutive national elections. Steggall emphasized that moderate, rational Australian voters are hungry for constructive policy solutions, not the ideological culture wars and partisan blame games she linked to Abbott’s leadership style. “It’s clear that the Australian public, the sensible public, wants rational policies. They don’t want culture wars. They don’t want blame game. They want something constructive,” she told the ABC.

    Abbott’s ascension comes as the Liberal Party grapples with internal ideological tensions and low poll numbers following three straight election defeats, making his new role as the top party leader a high-stakes test for the future direction of Australia’s main conservative political force.

  • ‘Robots need clothes’: humanoids hit catwalk in Seoul

    ‘Robots need clothes’: humanoids hit catwalk in Seoul

    South Korea’s capital Seoul has hosted one of the fashion world’s most innovative shows to date, merging cutting-edge robotics technology with high-end apparel design in an experimental display that explores the future of human-robot coexistence. Unlike traditional fashion presentations that center solely on human talent, this unique event paired every human model with a humanoid robot companion, both clad in matching custom-designed outfits, bringing the creative concept “Robots need clothes” to vibrant life on the runway.

    The showcased designs spanned a wide range of bold aesthetic directions. Standout pieces included a blue tasseled Texas-inspired ensemble fitted with a mini cowboy hat for the robot counterpart, a retro metallic silver puffer jacket, flowing silky gowns, and voluminous 1970s-inspired black space-age trousers echoing the iconic stage style of rock legend David Bowie. Every garment was carefully tailored to fit the unique skeletal structures of the robot models, ensuring a polished, intentional look as pairs took turns strutting down the catwalk in synchronized movement.

    The event was organized by Seoul-based entertainment firm Galaxy Corporation, which designed all of the garments featured in the show. In an interview after the presentation, Galaxy Corporation CEO Choi Yong-ho explained the core idea driving the concept: the team came to recognize that just as humans rely on clothing for expression and function, robots will also need garments as they become more integrated into daily life. “Just as every human being is unique, we believe that every single robot should also be distinct,” Choi noted. The company plans to commercially launch its robot apparel line under the brand name “MACH 33” by the end of this year.

    The humanoid models that walked the runway were produced by Unitree, a Chinese robotics startup that has grown in popularity thanks to the relatively affordable pricing of its humanoid products. This display comes as advancements in robotic engineering have unlocked new capabilities for humanoids: modern models can already perform choreographed dance routines, compete in athletic races, and even execute complex acrobatic moves like backflips.

    Industry forecasts point to explosive growth in humanoid adoption in the coming decades. Leading global financial services firm Morgan Stanley projects that the total global humanoid population could surpass one billion units by 2050, as the machines become more integrated into sectors ranging from manufacturing to service work and entertainment. Even so, fully autonomous humanoids powered by advanced embodied artificial intelligence remain rare today, with most high-profile robotic demonstrations relying on either pre-programmed movements or remote human operation.

  • Australian retailers face ‘simultaneous attacks’ from rising costs and falling demand

    Australian retailers face ‘simultaneous attacks’ from rising costs and falling demand

    Australia’s retail sector is bracing for significant financial strain as it confronts a dual threat of soaring operational costs and faltering consumer demand, a new report from Deloitte Access Economics has warned. Analysts have framed the overlapping challenges as a classic “pincer movement” that will compress profit margins and drag sales growth lower through 2026.\n\nIn the report’s baseline outlook, annual retail turnover is projected to decelerate to 1.8% growth in 2026, down from an expected 2.3% in 2025. But David Rumbens, Deloitte Access Economics partner and lead author of the analysis, warns that downside risks far outweigh potential upside surprises. Should the ongoing conflict in the Middle East escalate, the report cautions, consumer spending could see almost no expansion for the remainder of 2026.\n\nThe first wave of pressure stems from global supply shocks tied to Middle East tensions, which are pushing up the cost of critical retail inputs. The report estimates that conflict-driven price hikes for fuel, natural gas, fertilizer and plastic will directly add 2.1% to retailers’ overall operating costs. On the demand side, broader cost-of-living pressures have already dragged Australian consumer sentiment to its lowest temporary level in 50 years, leaving households far more cautious about discretionary spending.\n\nRumbens explained that the dual pressures leave retailers with little room to absorb shocks: “The Middle East conflict is pushing up costs as the prices of key inputs including fuel, energy, plastics and fertiliser rise. At the same time, the rising cost of living is once again squeezing household budgets, dampening the outlook for consumer spending.”\n\nRecent official inflation data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics underscores the complicated economic backdrop. Yearly headline inflation dipped slightly from 4.6% in March 2026 to 4.2% in April, a decline driven entirely by temporary government policy measures: a 50% cut to the national fuel excise and a GST rebate for fuel purchases. Since April 1, these policies have saved Australian drivers 26 cents per liter in direct excise cuts and an additional 5.7 cents per liter via the GST rebate. But the trimmed mean inflation rate, a key underlying measure tracked by the Reserve Bank of Australia that strips out volatile price shifts, rose to 3.4% in the 12 months to April, confirming that persistent core price pressures remain embedded in the Australian economy. The temporary fuel relief measures are set to expire on July 1, 2026, which will likely push inflation back upward in the third quarter.\n\nThe report adds that accelerating inflation over the past year has already erased all of the real wage gains Australian households achieved in 2025. Real wages fell 1.3% year-over-year as of March 2026, eroding household purchasing power and directly weakening demand for retail goods.\n\nBreaking down spending trends, Deloitte forecasts that growth in discretionary retail spending will slow sharply from 2.5% in the 12 months to December 2025 to just 0.7% in the 12 months to December 2026. Growth in spending on non-discretionary essentials is projected to tick up slightly from 2.5% to 3% over the same period, but the report notes that even essential spending could pull back later as households ramp up savings to cope with financial uncertainty.\n\n“Discretionary spending is likely to weaken further as the lagged effects of interest rate rises continue to flow through to household budgets, elevated inflation erodes consumers’ purchasing power, and uncertainty surrounding the Middle East conflict persists,” Rumbens said.

  • ‘I’m no fool’: Matt Canavan doubles down on call for early election despite One Nation threat

    ‘I’m no fool’: Matt Canavan doubles down on call for early election despite One Nation threat

    Australia’s main conservative opposition bloc, the Liberal-National Coalition, is refusing to back down from its demand that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese call an early federal election — even as independent polling projects the group faces an unprecedented electoral collapse that would see far-right party One Nation seize its position as the country’s official opposition. The demand comes in response to the ruling Labor government’s recent reversal of a pre-election pledge on key housing tax policies, a shift that has ignited fierce partisan debate across the nation’s capital.

    Last week, joint polling conducted by the Redbridge Group and Accent Research painted a grim picture for the Coalition if an election were held this May. The survey projected that One Nation could capture as many as 59 lower house seats, ousting the Coalition from most of its electorates across the country, with only the Liberals holding onto seven seats and the Nationals losing all of their lower house representation entirely. The only states and territories where the Coalition would retain a foothold, the data found, are New South Wales, Victoria and the Northern Territory.

    The projections are even more striking for two of the Coalition’s most high-profile figures: Opposition Leader Angus Taylor is given a 98% chance of losing his regional New South Wales seat of Hume to a One Nation challenger, while sitting Liberal MP Andrew Hastie of the Western Australian seat of Canning is projected to lose with 100% certainty. In the worst-case outcome laid out by the polling, One Nation would become the largest non-government party in federal parliament, taking the Coalition’s place as official opposition — an existential shift that would upend decades of two-party conservative opposition in Australian politics.

    Yet even with these dire projections hanging over the bloc, senior Coalition leaders have maintained their call for an immediate vote, framing the Labor government’s tax policy change as a breach of electoral trust that justifies putting the issue to voters. “I’m not scared of the Australian people,” Nationals leader Matt Canavan told Sky News on Friday. “I’m no fool. Blind Freddy can see we face challenging political circumstances right now, but I also have great faith and courage in the common sense of the Australian people.”

    Canavan acknowledged that the Coalition is in a period of deep political trouble, but argued the current headwinds are no more severe than the polling environment ahead of the previous 2022 federal election, when many surveys incorrectly predicted a Labor landslide win. “I think you’d go crazy if you spent your whole time citing your political strategy based on polls,” he said. “What I do is decide what I think is right for our country and fight like hell for it.”

    For his part, Taylor echoed the criticism of Labor’s policy shift in an interview with 2GB radio, accusing the prime minister of breaking an explicit promise and attacking the reforms as a de facto tax on aspirational working and middle-class Australians. “It should have gone to an election and we will make sure it does go to an election … we will take to the next election a policy to repeal it,” Taylor said. “The arrogance of this Prime Minister to do what he has done and not take it to an election in the first place, because he hasn’t got the guts. In the end, he hasn’t got the courage, and that’s because he knows, under scrutiny, these policies will pull up at odds with what Australia needs right now.”

    The policy controversy at the center of the dispute stems from a pre-election commitment Albanese made ahead of the 2022 federal vote, when he explicitly stated a re-elected Labor government would not make changes to negative gearing or the capital gains tax (CGT). But in the May 12 2024 federal budget, Treasurer Jim Chalmers confirmed the government would follow through on a full policy reversal: it will replace the current 50% CGT discount with an indexation model, and roll back negative gearing provisions for new housing construction.

    Albanese and Chalmers have openly defended the shift, acknowledging they have arrived at a new policy position since the last election, but arguing the change is necessary to address growing intergenerational inequality in Australia’s overheated housing market, which has locked millions of younger and low-income Australians out of home ownership. The Coalition has already pledged to block the reform legislation in the Senate, where Labor does not hold a majority, leaving the government dependent on support from the Australian Greens to pass the bill.

  • Convicted triple-killer Erin Patterson’s appeal hearing set to run over two days on August 19 and 20

    Convicted triple-killer Erin Patterson’s appeal hearing set to run over two days on August 19 and 20

    One of Australia’s most high-profile criminal cases, the Leongatha mushroom murders, is set to return to the legal system this year, with a two-day hearing scheduled for convicted triple killer Erin Patterson’s appeal in Victoria’s highest appellate court.

    The 50-year-old was found guilty by a jury in September 2024 of murdering three of her husband’s relatives and attempting to murder a fourth during a homemade lunch gathering at her Leongatha, Victoria home in July 2023. Following the conviction, she was handed a life sentence with a 33-year non-parole period, a penalty that prosecutors have also challenged as too lenient in a separate state-led appeal.

    The fatal lunch that sparked the national case saw Patterson serve beef wellington to Don Patterson, Gail Patterson, Heather Wilkinson and Ian Wilkinson—her in-laws and her spouse’s aunt and uncle. All four guests developed life-threatening poisoning from toxic death cap mushrooms, and only Ian Wilkinson survived after an extended stay in intensive care.

    Throughout the trial and in the period since her conviction, Patterson has consistently maintained her complete innocence, arguing she had no knowledge that the mushrooms she used in her cooking were poisonous. Her legal team’s appeal, scheduled to begin on August 19 at the Victorian Court of Appeal, rests on seven distinct legal grounds, according to filed court documents.

    Key among Patterson’s challenges to her conviction are claims that her cross-examination while testifying in her own defense was unreasonably unfair and oppressive. She also argues that multiple pieces of evidence admitted during the original trial created unfair prejudice against her and should never have been presented to the jury. This contested evidence includes data tracking her mobile phone’s connection to local cell towers, crowdsourced observations of death cap mushroom growth in the region posted to the citizen science platform iNaturalist, and content from a Facebook true crime enthusiast group that Patterson was part of.

    Patterson’s legal team is asking the appellate court to overturn her original conviction and order a full new trial. In a rare procedural twist, the separate appeal brought by Victoria’s Director of Public Prosecutions will be heard alongside the defendant’s challenge. Prosecutors argue that the 33-year minimum non-parole term handed down last year is manifestly inadequate given the severity of her crimes. Court officials have confirmed that Patterson will not appear in person for the appeal hearing, which is expected to conclude after two days of legal argument.

  • KPMG rocked as chief executive and senior partner quit over client data scandal

    KPMG rocked as chief executive and senior partner quit over client data scandal

    One of Australia’s most prominent big four accounting firms, KPMG Australia, has been thrown into turmoil after the abrupt resignations of its chief executive officer Andrew Yates and national audit and assurance leader Julian McPherson, forced by a public board admission that the firm failed catastrophically in its handling of a high-stakes whistleblower complaint. Both departures took effect immediately, with McPherson set to exit the firm entirely once a structured handover of his existing client responsibilities is completed.

    In a formal statement released through the firm, Yates took full personal accountability for the institutional failure, noting that he had long championed a transparent “speak-up” culture within the firm. “It is clear that in this case we have let ourselves down and I take accountability,” Yates said.

    The controversy centers on explosive allegations raised by a whistleblower regarding misuse of confidential client information by KPMG partners. The whistleblower claims that partners leveraged internal board documents from long-term client Lendlease to gain an unfair competitive advantage when bidding for an external audit contract with major banking group Westpac. When the claims were first raised, KPMG’s initial internal investigation, which received backing from an external legal review, dismissed the allegations out of hand. The firm later conceded that this initial inquiry lacked the required rigor to thoroughly examine the claims, prompting the whistleblower to escalate the matter directly to KPMG Australia’s board. Independent law firm Allens was brought in to revisit the case, and has continued to challenge the findings of the original flawed investigations.

    The simultaneous resignations came on the same day that the case was discussed during an Australian parliamentary inquiry held Friday. During the hearing, Labor Senator Deborah O’Neill referenced a letter received by Lendlease CEO Tony Lombardo that confirmed the KPMG team had used the confidential Lendlease materials to inform its Westpac tender bid. Senator O’Neill told the inquiry that Lendlease itself labeled the firm’s actions “not acceptable.”

    In a public statement addressing the scandal, the KPMG Australia board openly acknowledged that the firm had “fallen short” on multiple fronts: in its treatment of the whistleblower, in its management of the whistleblower’s concerns, in the execution of the initial investigations, and in the leadership response to the serious allegations. KPMG Australia Chairman Martin Sheppard issued an unreserved apology directly to the whistleblower, saying the firm was committed to systemic reform to prevent similar failures. “We commit to learning from this process to ensure we create an environment where it is safe and easy to surface concerns that will be acted upon,” Sheppard said.

    Sheppard also extended apologies to KPMG clients, whose confidential information was not handled with the level of care and respect they are entitled to expect from the firm, as well as to the firm’s broader employee base, noting that the institutional failure does not reflect the daily work and integrity of the majority of KPMG staff. KPMG confirms that a full, independent investigation into the full circumstances of the case remains ongoing, with further updates expected as the probe progresses.

  • ‘They’d like to play’: Storm stars sit out training session as Knights make big call on Kalyn Ponga

    ‘They’d like to play’: Storm stars sit out training session as Knights make big call on Kalyn Ponga

    As the latest round of the National Rugby League (NRL) approaches, two of the Queensland Maroons’ biggest stars from the opening State of Origin clash are facing last-minute fitness questions ahead of Melbourne Storm’s Saturday night showdown with the Sydney Roosters, while the Newcastle Knights have locked in their full Origin contingent, including star fullback Kalyn Ponga, for their match against the Parramatta Eels.

    Storm superstars Harry Grant and Cameron Munster, who were key contributors to Queensland’s dramatic State of Origin opener in Sydney earlier this week, skipped the team’s traditional Friday captain’s run, leaving their game status up in the air. Both players put in standout performances for the Maroons despite the side squandering a commanding 20-point first-half lead: Grant notched a match-high 46 tackles and produced a brilliant flick pass that set up a try for prop Thomas Flegler, while Munster made 14 attacking runs and created one try of his own.

    Melbourne head coach Craig Bellamy confirmed Friday that the duo remain undecided for the round 15 clash, with the club waiting to assess their recovery from the high-intensity Origin fixture before making a final call. “Whether they play or not, I’m not quite sure yet. We’ll just see how they pull up tomorrow,” Bellamy told reporters. “They won’t be doing any training today. They’d like to play, but whether it’s best for them or not, we’re not quite sure yet. They need to have a few more checks and then go from there.”

    If Grant and Munster are ruled out through fatigue or injury, youngsters Trent Toelau and Keagan Russell-Smith are in line to step into the starting lineup. One Queensland Origin forward that will be suiting up for the Storm this weekend is bench forward Trent Loiero, who only saw 15 minutes of game time in the Origin opener. “We think Trent’s going to be OK because he only played 15 minutes so he’s really keen to play, and I think he’ll train today,” Bellamy added.

    Across the draw, Newcastle Knights head coach Justin Holbrook has confirmed that all of the club’s players who featured in the opening Origin fixture will be available to back up against the Eels this Saturday. That includes star Queensland fullback Kalyn Ponga, who was sent off early in the Origin opener and issued a fine for an illegal shoulder charge. Ponga is set to lead the Knights into this weekend’s clash after coming through the Origin fixture with no lingering fitness issues.

    New South Wales Blues pair Jacob Saifiti and Dylan Lucas, who were named in the Origin squad but did not take the field, will also be available for selection, matching the squad the Knights named earlier in the week. “After Origin, Kalyn’s feeling good, so he’ll back-up,” Holbrook said. “The other boys didn’t get a run, so we’re all good to go as what we’ve named.”

    For the Storm, the potential absence of their two star Origin representatives comes at a tricky time, as the club looks to bounce back from a frustrating loss to the Canterbury Bulldogs last round. Melbourne surrendered a substantial halftime lead against the Bulldogs to fall to defeat, a second-half collapse that left Bellamy frustrated and searching for answers. The coach noted that he has already implemented small adjustments to fix the side’s troubling second-half drop-offs, but those changes will need more time to take full effect.

    “We’ve already tried to tweak a few things, but there are only so many things you can tweak. The tweaks we’ve made might take a week or two to work,” Bellamy said. “I can’t remember the last time in my coaching career that I’ve been so confused about that. We’ve tried a few different things, but we just can’t seem to get it right in the second half. If we keep talking about it and thinking about it, we’ve got to worry about the rest of the game.”

    The Roosters, who will host the Storm, could also field a vastly changed side this weekend if head coach Trent Robinson opts to rest several of his own stars coming off State of Origin duties, making a Melbourne win even more dependent on whether Grant and Munster are able to take the field.

  • ‘Dad strength’: Veteran Rooster in career-best form as his side looks to avenge horror record against the Storm

    ‘Dad strength’: Veteran Rooster in career-best form as his side looks to avenge horror record against the Storm

    As the Sydney Roosters prepare to face the Melbourne Storm at AAMI Park this Saturday, veteran Roosters enforcer Naufahu Whyte says the 15th-place ladder position of the perennial powerhouse means nothing. For Whyte, who has followed the Storm since early childhood, the Melbourne side has been a consistent benchmark of excellence in the National Rugby League (NRL) for nearly two decades.

    Calculated from when Whyte first started watching rugby league at age four, the Storm have only fallen short of a top-four finish on three occasions since the 2006 season. That long history of dominance is why Whyte admits he remains stunned by the club’s underwhelming 2026 form, even as he prepares his side for a brutal battle on the Storm’s home turf.

    “I’ve watched Storm growing up my whole life and never once did I see them outside the top four. So it’s crazy, man,” Whyte told NewsWire. “But that’s footy sometimes, and things don’t always go your way. When we go down there this week, we’re not going to expect any less from them … On the ladder or whatever doesn’t mean anything. Melbourne Storm is still Melbourne Storm, and they’re still a hard team to beat down in Melbourne.”

    Whyte knows firsthand how tough the Storm can be: he has only claimed victory once in six career appearances against them. The Roosters as a whole have also struggled against the NRL’s two modern powerhouses, Melbourne and the Penrith Panthers, notching just three wins from their last 27 combined matches against the two sides. Yet recent history gives the Roosters confidence heading into this weekend’s clash.

    Last year, the Roosters righted their wrongs against the Storm with a stunning come-from-behind thrashing in Melbourne, where they scored 40 unanswered points in the second half to lock in the win. Earlier this 2026 season, the Roosters pulled off an upset against the Panthers in a round two clash, securing victory despite being missing several key starting players.

    “I think people sleep on us a lot about going up against Penrith and Storm,” Whyte said. “I know stats-wise it hasn’t shown, but I’ll back our team to beat any pack at the end of the day. When we’re at our best, we can beat anyone that stands in front of us.”

    Whyte added that those two upset wins have reshaped the squad’s belief that they can compete with the league’s elite. “That win towards the back end of the year going into finals and everything definitely was a huge leap for us and gave us confidence going into that finals series even if it didn’t come off the way we wanted it to,” he explained. “Even at the start of the season against Panthers, we didn’t have anybody and we still managed to come away with the win. So it just goes to show we can compete with the top teams, and I believe that we are a top team in this comp. I know when we’re at our best, I know a lot of teams fear us being at our best.”

    Leading the forward pack this Saturday, Whyte will count on valuable support from impact substitute Nat Butcher, who is currently playing the best football of his 10-year NRL career. Butcher, who made his league debut in 2016, has filled multiple roles for the Roosters across his career, shifting between middle forward, edge position, and his current role off the interchange bench. This season, he is averaging a career-high 112 running metres per game, and put up a massive 182-metre performance with a try against Brisbane just weeks ago.

    Whyte credits Butcher’s new status as a father of three for his elevated form, after Butcher and his wife welcomed twin daughters in January that expanded their young family to five children. “I think he is in his career-best form right now,” Whyte said. “I kind of look at him and he’s got a little family of his own now, and you obviously just see that dad strength in him coming out. That mentality of wanting to provide for his family, that’s how I see him, and he’s playing his best footy. Big minutes, big carries, big tackles. He’s been doing that for a very long time, but I feel like it’s just this time around he’s getting his flowers, and he’s getting his recognition of what he does in the game.”

    Butcher himself says his career-best form comes after a frustrating injury-plagued 2025 season that forced him to miss extensive game time, which ultimately rekindled his appreciation for the sport. “I had a horrid year last year with the injury. That was super frustrating and I missed the game heaps, missed playing, missed being around the team, missed so many of those little things that you just don’t get to experience when you’re injured and on the sidelines,” Butcher said. “I had the amazing support of my wife, Harmony, and got to have some great time with my son, Beau, that you just wouldn’t get in the thick of the season. That was super grateful and it also put into perspective my love for the game, my love for the club, and my love for my teammates.”

    “I’m not sure if I can pinpoint anything. I think I just love what I’m doing,” he added.

  • WHO chief says Ebola ‘can be stopped’ as he lands in DR Congo

    WHO chief says Ebola ‘can be stopped’ as he lands in DR Congo

    The head of the World Health Organization touched down in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Thursday, bringing a public message of resolve that the 17th Ebola outbreak recorded in the impoverished central African nation can be contained, even as ongoing armed conflict in the epidemic’s epicenter complicates response efforts.

    Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s Director-General, landed in Kinshasa, the DRC’s capital, Thursday evening. He is scheduled to travel Friday to Ituri province in the country’s unstable northeast, where the current outbreak is centered. In comments delivered shortly after his arrival, Tedros emphasized that the outbreak can be defeated, adding that the global health body rejects the imposition of travel bans on the DRC, arguing such measures provide little public health benefit. “Together, we will overcome this outbreak,” he stated, pledging to use “everything in my power to help you” in the response effort.

    According to the latest WHO data updated through May 24, the outbreak, formally declared on May 15, has already killed 10 confirmed and 223 suspected Ebola patients, out of more than 1,000 combined confirmed and suspected cases across the country. WHO officials have warned that the actual scope of transmission is likely far larger than official counts, as the virus circulated undetected for an unknown period before it was identified.

    Decades of persistent violence in northeastern DRC have created major barriers to mounting an effective response. The mineral-rich region has been plagued by clashes between armed groups for more than 30 years, and fighting between the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group and government forces has intensified over the past 18 months, displacing thousands of people and disrupting access to affected communities. Tedros issued an urgent appeal to all warring factions in the region to lay down their arms. “Conflict and displacement make everything harder,” he said. “I am making a direct appeal to all warring parties in this region: please, declare a ceasefire. No cause, no conflict, no grievance is worth condemning innocent people to death from a preventable disease.”

    The current outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which no specifically approved vaccine or treatment currently exists. However, Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), announced Thursday that a targeted vaccine and pharmaceutical treatments should be ready for deployment by the end of 2026. “What we can tell you for sure, by the end of this year, 2026, Africa CDC will make sure that we have a vaccine and medicine against Bundibugyo,” Kaseya told reporters during an online briefing, adding that African leaders have committed the necessary investment to accelerate development of the medical tools.

    International support for the response is already flowing into the country. The WHO confirmed it has delivered 4.6 tonnes of emergency response supplies to Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, while UNICEF, the United Nations’ children’s agency, is preparing to ship an additional 100 tonnes of aid to support affected communities. The WHO has also convened its expert advisory groups, which have recommended launching clinical trials for existing vaccine and treatment candidates that may prove effective against the Bundibugyo strain, and the organization says it will collaborate closely with authorities in the DRC and neighboring Uganda to coordinate research and regulatory evaluation of these products.

    Neighboring Uganda, which has recorded one confirmed Ebola death and six additional cases linked to the outbreak, has already moved to close its entire border with the DRC effective immediately. On the international stage, the United States has announced it will bar entry to any person infected with the virus, and the Trump administration is planning to open a dedicated treatment facility for infected U.S. citizens in Kenya, rather than repatriating patients for care in the United States as it has done during past Ebola outbreaks. The plan has sparked local pushback: a Kenyan human rights group filed a court petition Thursday seeking to block the facility’s operations, and Kenyan health officials have warned that hosting the center would add additional strain to the country’s already overstretched public health system.

    Ebola has a long history of deadly outbreaks across Africa. Over the past 50 years, the virus has killed more than 15,000 people across the continent. The deadliest outbreak in the DRC’s modern history struck between 2018 and 2020, killing nearly 2,300 people out of 3,500 confirmed cases.

  • Artists back out of concerts for US 250th anniversary

    Artists back out of concerts for US 250th anniversary

    Just 24 hours after organizers unveiled the full performer lineup for Freedom 250, the multi-week concert series marking the United States’ 250th anniversary in Washington D.C., two of the nine announced headlining acts have publicly pulled out of the event, sparking widespread criticism and online mockery across social media platforms.

    Unveiled on Wednesday, the initial lineup leaned heavily on acts that reached the peak of their mainstream popularity decades ago. The roster included 1990s dance group C+C Music Factory, 1990s rap figure Vanilla Ice, and a surviving member of Milli Vanilli – the infamous lip-syncing duo, whose other founding member passed away in 1998. The announcement immediately drew backlash from online commentators, who questioned how a celebration of the nation’s 250-year history could feature a lineup full of dated, faded acts rather than contemporary, chart-topping American music stars.

    The first high-profile drop-out came from Grammy-nominated rapper Young MC, best known for his 1989 breakout hit *Bust a Move*. In an official Instagram post, the rapper confirmed he would not take the stage at the Freedom 250 event. He explained that while industry outlet SPIN had publicly labeled the celebration as a Trump-backed initiative, none of the contracted artists were ever informed of any political affiliations or ties to the former president tied to the event.

    Though Freedom 250 organizers have repeatedly emphasized that the event is officially nonpartisan, former president Donald Trump has moved ahead with a series of high-profile, politically charged plans tied to the summer 2026 anniversary celebration, seeking to tie his own political brand to the national milestone. The most prominent of these is a planned UFC fight card scheduled to be held on the White House South Lawn in June, timed to coincide with Trump’s 80th birthday.

    Shortly after Young MC’s announcement, veteran funk and R&B artist Morris Day – who rose to fame collaborating with the legendary Prince and appeared as Prince’s on-screen musical rival in the iconic 1984 film *Purple Rain* – also confirmed he was withdrawing from the celebration. In an Instagram statement, Day clarified that “Contrary to rumor, Morris Day and the Time will not be performing at the ‘Great American State Fair,’” a related component of the 250th anniversary events.

    The White House has declined to comment on the lineup changes and the growing controversy surrounding the celebration. While most remaining acts have stayed quiet on their political ties, Freedom Williams, lead vocalist for C+C Music Factory, pushed back hard against claims he supported Trump in a profanity-laced Instagram video – though he confirmed the group would still honor their booking and perform at the event.

    The lackluster lineup and unfolding drama have drawn widespread mockery from social media users, many of whom have pointed to the contrast between the historic milestone and the underwhelming celebration plans. One viral post on X from user @cturnbull1968 summed up popular frustration, writing: “We fought a Revolutionary War, a Civil War, two World Wars, defeated fascism and communism while establishing an indomitable Democracy that’s the envy of the world. And how are we going to celebrate 250 years of American exceptionalism? A UFC fight and Milli Vanilli.”

    The awkward timing of the Freedom 250 announcement only amplified the criticism, coming the same day that a high-profile progressive-leaning all-star concert was announced for Washington D.C. this fall. On Wednesday night, legendary rock singer Bruce Springsteen – a longstanding outspoken opponent of Trump – announced he would bring his tour back to the Washington area for the Power to the People Festival on October 3. He will be joined by other top-tier headliners including Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews, and iconic folk activist Joan Baez, a lineup that has been widely contrasted with the Freedom 250 roster online.