US unilateralism has wrecked the chances of peace in the Middle East, Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, told a crisis Brics meeting on Gaza as he attempted to woo leaders of the global south. The virtual meeting of 11 nations, convened by South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, came as Arab foreign ministers toured capitals to drum up support for a fresh UN security council resolution mandating Israel to introduce a full ceasefire and end what they say are breaches of international humanitarian law. The moves are the latest sign of…
Tag: Israel-Hamas war
Defining sexual consent is crucial | Observer letters
Barbara Ellen said that “consent should happen before sex, not during or after” (“How to Have Sex broke my heart: it shows that consent is still a hazy concept”, Comment). Yes, consent absolutely should be ascertained between all participating parties before engaging in sex, but consent does not end there. Consent is an ongoing process, it is not a box to be ticked, or, as Ellen puts it, “banked” as a get-out clause that enables anyone to do anything that they subsequently wish, because “hey, you said ‘yes’, remember?” It…
London gallery delays Ai Weiwei show over Israel-Hamas tweet
The artist Ai Weiwei has defended the importance of free speech after a London gallery put his show on hold over a tweet about the Israel-Hamas war. The exhibition of new works by the Chinese dissident, which was due to open at the Lisson gallery this week, was indefinitely put on hold after a tweet posted in response to a follower’s question on X which has since been deleted. It read: “The sense of guilt around the persecution of the Jewish people has been, at times, transferred to offset the…
Albanese has threaded a needle between the US and China. Now he needs to do the same on Israel-Hamas at home | Katharine Murphy
It’s been a high octane few weeks for the Albanese government when it comes to managing complexity on the global stage. We’ll get to keeping the US engaged in the region, rapprochement in China, and managing climate change and security in the Pacific, shortly. But we need to start our story in Sydney, just over a month ago, at an event that felt like a high-water mark in the relationship between Australia’s federal government and the Islamic community. On 6 October, Anthony Albanese visited the Lakemba Mosque. The prime minister,…
China has a history of being pro-Palestinian, but now faces diplomatic conundrum
China was an early proponent of a ceasefire in Gaza and has called for wider talks on resolving the Palestinian question. But analysts say the situation is complicated, and it’s not clear what Beijing expects to achieve, and how it can get there. Beijing has been a supporter of the Palestinians since the Mao era and long called for a two-state solution, but it is increasingly close to Israel, and is presenting itself as a neutral party that holds steadfast to a noninterference principle. Beijing is also trying to build…
Australia news live: Shorten labels Greens’ Senate walkout ‘political grandstanding’; Birmingham says Gaza child deaths a ‘terrible function of war’
From 39m ago Shorten labels Greens’ Senate walkout ‘political grandstanding’ Government services minister Bill Shorten has labelled the Greens decision to walk out of Senate question time yesterday as “political grandstanding”. Yesterday, the Greens stormed out of Senate question time to protest what they say is Albanese government inaction over the conflict in Gaza. You can read more from my colleague Paul Karp here: Speaking to the ABC just earlier, Shorten argued the Greens’ walk out doesn’t help “a single soul anywhere”: I think that is just political grand standing.…
Aukus will ‘get done’ despite jitters in Congress, Biden tells Albanese at White House meeting
Joe Biden has played down congressional jitters over the Aukus nuclear-powered submarine deal and has revealed he assured Xi Jinping that the countries involved are not aiming to “surround China”. The US president welcomed the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, to the White House and insisted he was “confident that we’re going to be able to get the money for Aukus because it’s overwhelmingly in our interest”. “So the question is not if, but when,” Biden said during a joint press conference with Albanese in the rose garden on Wednesday…
Xi says China willing to cooperate with US as hopes rise for talks with Biden
The Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, has said China is willing to cooperate with the US as both sides manage their differences and work together to respond to global challenges, raising hopes of a meeting between Xi and the US president, Joe Biden, this year. In a letter delivered at an annual dinner of the National Committee on US-China Relations in New York, Xi said whether or not the US and China could establish the “right” way of getting along would be crucial to the world, according to state media. Xi’s…
China and Russia harden positions on Gaza as war stirs geopolitical tensions
China and Russia have hardened their positions towards the conflict in Gaza in recent days, as the war between Israel and Hamas aggravates existing geopolitical tensions and underscores the growing gulf between the cold war allies and western powers such as the US, UK and France. The Chinese foreign minister said over the weekend that Israel’s bombing campaign had gone “beyond the scope of self-defence” and that it “should stop collective punishment of the people of Gaza”. On Friday, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, raised the possibility that an intensified…
‘A dangerous game’: Republican chaos and indecision as crises shake the world
The US’s closest ally in the Middle East is reeling from what many call its “9/11” and now a humanitarian disaster looms in Gaza. Winter is approaching in Ukraine, which needs urgent supplies to maintain its counteroffensive against Russia. From China’s expansive ambitions, to coups in Africa, to the climate crisis, the world is crying out for leadership. But on Capitol Hill in Washington, Republicans can’t find one. Friday marked the 10th day of paralysis as the party struggles to elect a speaker of the House of Representatives to replace…