Dr Anthony Fauci, the US’s chief medical adviser at the start of the pandemic, has described a book by News Corp investigative journalist Sharri Markson backing the “lab leak” theory of Covid-19’s origins as a “bunch of nonsense” in his newly released diaries. This week, Fauci, 85, was subpoenaed by the Republican senator Rand Paul to appear at a Senate hearing into Covid-19 and his handling of the pandemic. The physician and veteran former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who retired in 2022, accused Paul…
Tag: Australia news
Australia to warn China it won’t be bulled by ‘provocative‘ actions as it builds military and nuclear arsenal
Penny Wong will warn China that Australia and other neighbouring nations will not be bullied by its “provocative” actions, after its involvement in another “destabilising and dangerous” incident this week. The foreign affairs minister – who will deliver the address on Thursday in the Philippines, where the 59th Asean foreign minister’s meeting is being held – will also caution world leaders against placing a toll on the strait of Hormuz after both Iran and the US threatened to do amid the protracted conflict. The speech comes as the crisis in…
China missile test: what do we know and why are countries in the region concerned?
China’s decision to conduct a missile test in the Pacific at short-notice has prompted swift condemnation from leaders including the US, Australia and New Zealand, who have accused Beijing of “destabilising” the region. China has urged foreign nations to not “over-interpret” the test, but it has set alarm bells ringing among leaders and experts. Why has China’s missile test in the Pacific proven controversial? Countries like the US and Australia, that have traditionally held sway in the region, have become increasingly concerned about China’s push for influence in the Pacific,…
What does China’s long-range missile test in the South Pacific mean for Australia? | David Vallance
At 12.01pm on Monday, a People’s Liberation Army Navy submarine test fired a ballistic missile into the South Pacific nuclear-free zone. This is the second time China has conducted a ballistic missile test in the Pacific in two years. Coming on the day Fiji became Australia’s fourth formal treaty ally, after the US, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, this test’s timing is interesting. It reads as a provocation at best, outright coercion at worst. It is not likely this was a spur-of-the-moment test. Even for a military whose sophistication…
Chinese government tells critics not to ‘overinterpret’ missile test in Pacific as criticism grows
China’s missile test in the Pacific did not comply with international law and was conducted with “insufficient notice” to nearby countries, official in the US and Australia have said, amid growing international condemnation. But a Chinese government spokesperson claimed the test was “safe” and part of “routine” military training, telling critics to “not over-interpret it.” China’s state news agency Xinhua reported the test involved “strategic missile carrying a dummy warhead” launched from a “strategic nuclear submarine of the navy”. China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, according to a translated version…
China tests long-range missile in South Pacific in move Australia condemns as ‘destabilising to region’
China has conducted a long-range missile test in the South Pacific, in a move the Australian government condemned as “destabilising to the region” and which was also criticised by other regional leaders. A test missile topped with a dummy warhead landed in “designated waters” of the Pacific, China’s state news agency Xinhua reported on Monday. The missile test was a “routine arrangement” of China’s annual military training, with prior notification to relevant countries, Xinhua said. The exact location of the test was unknown. The New Zealand government said it was…
Australia and Fiji sign surprise defence alliance amid push to limit China’s influence in the Pacific
Australia and Fiji have signed a major new defence alliance, further advancing the federal government’s strategy to limit China’s influence across the Pacific region. In a surprise move, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and his Fijian counterpart, Sitiveni Rabuka, elevated Australia’s ties with Fiji to a formal treaty alliance. After 75 years of Australia only having formal alliances with the US and New Zealand, the Albanese government has now added two new agreements in less than 12 months, following a deal signed with Papua New Guinea in October. In Suva…
For allies and adversaries alike, America at 250 is a solid global citizen gone rogue
China: Confident rival hopes to eclipse US Amy Hawkins in Beijing On the shores of Beijing’s central lakes, elderly Beijingers relax under the shade of willow trees. Some swim, some play mahjong, and one old man plays darts: US and Chinese-flagged arrows competing for the bullseye. The adversarial view of US-China relations is typical among people like these who lived through the cold war. Wen Feng, a 60-year-old retiree, described the US as a “troublemaker” – a viewpoint fanned by years of state propaganda casting Uncle Same as a villainous,…
Australians have more negative view of Israel than of China, Guardian Essential poll finds
Australians have a more negative view of Israel than of China, the latest Guardian Essential poll has found, with women and middle-aged people exhibiting the least positive perception of Israel. The pollalso finds Australians’ perceptions of Donald Trump have tumbled since his re-election, with fewer than a third of voters having a positive response to the US president. The poll of 1,017 people last week asked respondents for their attitudes towards a number of countries including the US, China, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, the UK, Palestine and Israel. The highest favourability…
Petrol prices in Australia are now lower than before the Iran war began. Is the oil crisis over and what happens next?
Australians were warned soon after the Middle East conflict started that the country could run short on fuel, with prices rising to record levels owing to disrupted oil supplies. Now, amid an uneasy peace deal and continued supply disruptions, petrol prices are lower than they were before the conflict began and official warnings over fuel usage have largely disappeared. Why haven’t we run out of fuel? Why were we told to cut back? And what will happen now? How did refiners keep getting oil? The US-Israel war on Iran closed…