Australia decides against canceling Chinese company's lease of strategically important port
The Australian government has decided against canceling a Chinese companyโs 99-year lease on strategically important Darwin Port despite U.S. concerns that foreign control could be used to spy on its military.
Australian Parliament censures former prime minister
Australiaโs former Prime Minister Scott Morrison has listed his achievements in government including standing up to a โbullying" China as he unsuccessfully argued against being censured by the Parliament for secretly amassing multiple ministerial powers.
Australian PM raises trade 'blockages' with China's Xi
Australiaโs Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he raised with Chinese President Xi Jinping concerns about trade โblockagesโ but did not walk away from their first face-to-face talks with any promises that the $13 billion barriers to Australian exports would be lifted.
Australia PM Morrison defends record despite election loss
Scott Morrison says his conservative government had left Australia in a robust condition even as voters punished him for his handling of issues including climate change and the pandemic that gave the center-left opposition its biggest victory for almost a decade.
Royals' comments raise race issue in Commonwealth nations
It was expected the interview would expose more rifts in the royal family. Buckingham Palace said Tuesday the allegations of racism by Harry and Meghan were โconcerningโ and would be addressed privately by the royal family. It was encapsulated by one Twitter user in South Africa who wrote: โItโs Britain and the royal family. โI wish all the members of the royal family all the best, but my focus is getting through this pandemic. Lawyer Sunaina Phul said the Commonwealth โis relevant to the royal family, of course, because it shows that they ruled so many places.
Piers Morgan quits โGood Morning Britainโ after backlash over his Meghan Markle remarks
Australian newspapers report in Sydney, Tuesday, March 9, 2021, on an interview of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex by Oprah Winfrey. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)LONDON โ British talk show host Piers Morgan has quit the show โGood Morning Britainโ after making controversial comments about the Duchess of Sussex. In her interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan spoke about how she โdidnโt want to be alive anymoreโ as she struggled to fit in with the monarchy and that her request for help was rejected. Morgan said Monday that he โdidnโt believe a wordโ the duchess said. ITV, which produces โGood Morning Britain,โ said Tuesday: โFollowing discussions with ITV, Piers Morgan has decided now is the time to leave โGood Morning Britain.โ ITV has accepted this decision and has nothing further to add.โ
Explosive Harry, Meghan interview reverberates across globe
This image provided by Harpo Productions shows Prince Harry, left, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, speaking about expecting their second child during an interview with Oprah Winfrey. "Oprah with Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special" airs March 7 as a two-hour exclusive primetime special on the CBS Television Network. Winfrey later said Harry told her the comment didnโt come from Queen Elizabeth II or Prince Philip, his grandparents. AdThe situation became so difficult that at one point, โI just didnโt want to be alive anymore,โ Meghan told Winfrey. But Harry said the royal family was completely unable to offer that support to its own members.
Vigorous preparation returns as Biden calls other leaders
FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2021 file photo, President Joe Biden speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Twelve times since he took office, President Joe Biden has dialed up a world leader after reinstituting what was a long-held White House standard mothballed by Donald Trump: vigorous preparation. Twelve times since he took office, President Joe Biden has dialed up a world leader after reinstituting what was a long-held White House standard mothballed by Donald Trump: vigorous preparation. Biden made clear his desire to return to diplomacy after Trump withdrew from the Obama-backed international nuclear deal with Iran. White House press secretary Jen Psaki underscored that the Biden administration is recalibrating the relationship with the Saudis.
A worried Asia wonders: What will Joe Biden do?
As Americans celebrate or fume over the new president-elect, many in Asia are waking up to the reality of a Joe Biden administration with decidedly mixed feelings. (AP Photo/Lintao Zhang, Pool, File)TOKYO โ As Asia comes to terms with the reality of a Joe Biden administration, relief and hopes of economic and environmental revival jostle with needling anxiety and fears of inattention. Now, as Biden looks to settle tumultuous domestic issues, thereโs widespread worry that Asia will end up as an afterthought. A Biden White House wonโt โrisk antagonizing a country that is widely viewed in Washington as Americaโs best strategic bet in South Asia,โ he said. ___Foster Klug, the AP's news director for the Koreas, Japan, Australia and the South Pacific, has covered Asia since 2005.
Huawei quits oldest sports sponsorship deal after 9 years
Huawei will end its financial backing of the Raiders at the end of the current National Rugby League season. Last year, Huawei renewed its sponsorship deal for two years until the end of the 2021 season. The sponsorship was seen as an attempt to improve Huaweis public image in the eyes of lawmakers and senior bureaucrats who barrack for the Canberra team. Raiders board member Dennis Richardson, a former head of the Defense Department and of the main domestic spy agency, Australian Security Intelligence Organization, had been a vocal supporter of Huaweis sponsorship deal. Neither Huawei nor the team has ever made public the value of the sponsorship.