What’s causing the rise in drug-resistant superbugs?
Scientists warn climate change is fuelling antimicrobial resistance. Resistance to antibiotics could cause ten million deaths a year, from 2050, according to a report from the United Nations Development Programme. Scientists say climate change is a factor driving the looming crisis. Why is there such a risk – and what’s being done about it? Presenter: Sohail Rahman Guests: Mukesh Kapila – Advisor on antimicrobial resistance for the World Health Organization Anna Farra – Infectious diseases specialist for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Alistair Farley – Scientific lead for Ineos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial Research Adblock test (Why?)
Australia appoints special envoy to combat anti-Semitism
Jillian Segal will serve a three-year term and report directly to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Australia has appointed a special envoy to combat anti-Semitism amid concerns that the war in Gaza is fuelling community tensions. Jillian Segal, a Jewish lawyer and business leader, will engage with Jewish Australians, the wider Australian public, religious discrimination experts and the government on ways to tackle anti-Jewish sentiment, the Australian government said in a statement on Tuesday. Segal will serve a three-year term and report directly to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Andrew Giles. Albanese said there is “no place” for violence or hatred in Australia. “Australians are deeply concerned about this conflict, and many are hurting. In times like this, Australians must come together, not be torn apart,” Albanese said. “We have built our nation’s social cohesion together over generations, and this is why we all must work together to uphold, defend and preserve it.” Albanese said that his government would also soon announce a special envoy for combating Islamophobia. In one of her first tasks in her new role, Segal will attend the World Jewish Congress in Argentina next week to discuss anti-Semitism with other envoys from around the world. Segal on Tuesday warned that anti-Semitism has become “normalised,” citing data from Australia’s peak Jewish body that showed a 700 percent rise in reported hate incidents in the months after Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel and the start of Israel’s war in Gaza. “The Jewish community in Australia is experiencing valid feelings of fear in the face of increasing anti-Semitism,” Segal said. “Jewish Australians want to feel free to live their day-to-day lives, and also want to feel safe to practise and express their religion without fear. They also want to be able to contribute as they have previously to the vibrant multicultural society that we value in Australia.” Like other countries, Australia has witnessed heated protests over the war in Gaza, and both the Jewish and Muslim communities have reported a sharp uptick in instances of hate. More than 38,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. More than 1,130 people were killed in Hamas’s October 7 attacks, according to Israeli authorities. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, which Segal led until last year, welcomed the appointment of the new envoy to carry out “vital work for the betterment of Australian society”. However, the Jewish Council of Australia, which has strongly criticised Israel’s actions in Gaza, expressed concern about Segal’s track record “of lobbying for Israel, opposing voices that support Palestinian human rights, and painting all Jews as supportive of Israel’s actions”. “By appointing a pro-war voice to this position the government risks breeding division, increasing Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism, and ultimately making Jews less safe,” the council said in a statement. Adblock test (Why?)
Hungary’s Orban meets China’s Xi in mission to end Russia-Ukraine war
Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged world powers to help Russia and Ukraine resume direct dialogue as he held talks with Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who was in Beijing on a visit the European leader has branded as a “peace mission”. Xi and Orban’s meeting in the Chinese capital on Tuesday came after the Hungarian leader made similar trips to Russia and Ukraine last week to discuss prospects for a peaceful settlement in the conflict, now in its third year. Hungary assumed the rotating presidency of the European Union this month and Orban has since embarked on a peace mission, which, however, lacks the endorsement of other European nations. “China is a key power in creating the conditions for peace in the Russia-Ukraine war,” Orban wrote on the social media platform X. “This is why I came to meet with President Xi in Beijing, just two months after his official visit to Budapest.” Orban is widely seen as having the warmest relations with Xi and Putin among European leaders. His visit to Moscow last week drew condemnation from Ukraine and EU officials, who insisted Orban was not acting on behalf of the whole European bloc. Their rebuke failed to deter Orban from extending a similar visit to Beijing, which he called “Peace mission 3.0” in a picture posted on X. While hosting Orban, Xi called on Russia and Ukraine to cease fire and on other major powers to create an environment conducive to talks. Only when all major powers project “positive energy rather than negative energy” can a ceasefire occur, Xi said, according to state broadcaster CCTV. “It is in the interests of all parties to seek a political solution through an early ceasefire,” he added. For his part, Orban described China as a stabilising force amid global turbulence and praised its “constructive and important” peace initiatives. These include a Chinese six-point peace plan, which it issued with Brazil in May. China says it is neutral in the conflict, though in practice, it supports Moscow through frequent state visits, growing trade and joint military drills. China-Hungary ties Russia said it appreciated Orban’s efforts to clarify positions in resolving the conflict, while Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Hungarian leader could not act as a mediator, a task he said could only be undertaken by major world powers. “Are there many such countries around the world? Not many. I believe the US and China are such countries. And the EU, not one country, but the whole EU,” Zelenskyy said during a visit to Poland. Ukraine remains open to proposals from other countries on how to shape the path to peace, but they should align with the Ukrainian vision, in particular a 10-point peace plan, Zelenskyy added. Ukraine hopes to hold a second international summit to consider its proposals for peace later this year. China, which has close ties to Moscow, did not attend the first meeting in June. The United States, meanwhile, said it was concerned by Orban’s meeting with Xi. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the trip “certainly doesn’t seem to be productive in terms of trying to get things done in Ukraine”, adding: “It’s concerning”. Hungary under Orban has built substantial political and economic ties with China. Orban hosted Xi in Hungary only two months ago as part of a three-country European tour that also included stops in France and Serbia, which, unlike the other two, is not a member of the EU or NATO. During the trip, China upgraded its ties with Hungary to an “all-weather, comprehensive strategic partnership,” one of its highest designations for foreign relations which, in addition to Hungary, only applies only to Belarus, Pakistan and Venezuela. The European nation hosts a number of Chinese electric vehicle (EV) battery facilities, and in December announced that Chinese EV manufacturing giant BYD will open its first European EV production factory in the south of the country. The Hungarian prime minister broadly opposes Western military aid to Ukraine and has blocked, delayed or watered down EU efforts to assist Kyiv and impose sanctions on Moscow over its invasion. Orban has long argued for a cessation of hostilities in Ukraine but without outlining what that might mean for the country’s territorial integrity or future security. That posture has frustrated Hungary’s EU and NATO allies who have denounced Russia’s invasion as a breach of international law and a threat to the security of Eastern Europe. “With Europe trying to increasingly speak with one voice in its relations to China and Russia, Orban’s unannounced and uncoordinated trips are not helping in signalling or creating a unified European Union with regard to EU-China relations,” said Eva Seiwert, a foreign policy and security expert with the Mercator Institute for China Studies in Berlin. Orban’s proposals for resolving the war largely correspond with Putin’s interests, Seiwert added, though the Hungarian prime minister might prove helpful in organising a peace conference in the future. Standing alongside Orban last week in Moscow, Putin declared that Russia would not accept any ceasefire or temporary break in hostilities that would allow Ukraine “to recoup losses, regroup and rearm”. Putin repeated his demand that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the four Ukrainian regions that Moscow partially occupies and claims to have annexed in 2022 as a condition for any prospective peace talks. Ukraine and its Western allies have rejected that demand as it is asking Kyiv to withdraw from its own territory. China, meanwhile, has spread its influence in Central Asia and Eastern Europe in recent years beyond its “no limits” partnership with Moscow. Over the weekend, China held “anti-terror” military drills with Belarus – a key ally of Russia – near the border with Poland. The drills came after, last week, Belarus joined a regional security organisation led by China and Russia. Orban will next head to Washington, DC, where NATO leaders are holding a summit to discuss ways to assure Ukraine of the alliance’s continued support. “Next stop: Washington,” Orban posted
Celine, a little Syrian girl who got the gift of hearing in Turkey
Reyhanli, Turkey – Celine Abu al-Zumar is nearly four years old, and as she was about to hear for the first time in her life, her mother was near tears. “In less than three months, the dream became a reality,” Fatima al-Essa exclaimed. Celine was finally approved for cochlear implant surgery like her brother Aslan had been in April. Fatima, a 26-year-old Syrian living in Idlib, Syria, recalled her sadness that her children Celine and Aslan, now five and a half, were born with a hearing impediment and had grown up feeling they were somehow different from other kids. Joy and heartbreak Earlier this year, Aslan had surgery – which normally costs $16,000, an amount his family could not afford – funded by the relief organisation Alameen in neighbouring Turkey. Fatima was overwhelmed with joy when the implant was switched on and she saw her son react to sounds. But, she told Al Jazeera at the time, her heart broke for Celine. Aslan had been prioritised for the cochlear implant programme as he was approaching the age of six after which he would no longer be eligible for the surgery. Khalid Abdel Razek Abu al-Zumar holding his son Aslan and daughter Celine in a park in Idlib in April [Ali Haj Suleiman/Al Jazeera] “Since I returned with Aslan from Turkey, all my focus was on Celine, who felt that something had changed in her brother and that he was responding more to me and his father than she was,” said Fatima. “Despite my joy at Aslan’s regained hearing, I cried every night for Celine, worrying that she might feel in the future that we favoured her brother over her.” Now it was Celine’s turn and Fatima could not wait to see Celine’s journey – with her brother by her side. Sibling love Aslan and Celine are cheerful, engaging children who enjoy interacting with others, bringing smiles to the faces of the staff in the Reyhanli hospital where they had their surgeries. “Celine is very sweet and interacts quickly with people, and with one innocent smile, she steals the hearts of those around her,” said Rama Asfari, an Alameen staff member. Rama joked that Celine and Aslan vied for attention at the hospital, the little girl turning on the charm whenever the medical staff talked to Aslan during her examination. “One minute is enough to build a friendship with Celine and to get you involved in playing with her,” added Rama. Celine was fitted with a cochlear implant, allowing her to hear [Ali Haj Suleiman/Al Jazeera] Aslan was focused on supporting his sister, understanding how serious Celine’s surgery was – his world had already changed because of it. He sat on a chair next to Fatima outside the operating room, head down and hands clasped together. He did not look at anyone, keeping his eyes fixed on the door as he waited for his sister to come out. A long, anxious three hours later, Celine came out, still groggy with anaesthesia. Aslan stayed beside her until she woke up. Aslan’s behaviour reminded Fatima how much her son had changed since his surgery. Of her five children, Aslan and Celine were always close, being close in age and sharing a hearing impediment. Before his surgery, Fatima said, Aslan would tease his sister and argue with her over toys as all siblings do – but since receiving his implant, his demeanour had changed towards Celine, becoming gentler and kinder. It was that softness that Aslan displayed as his sister lay in the operating theatre. “The tenderness I saw from Aslan towards his sister strengthened me and made the time Celine spent in the operating room easier,” said Fatima. Celine’s mother, Fatima, says she was worried her daughter would not be approved for the surgery and would grow up to think her parents favoured her brother more [Ali Haj Suleiman/Al Jazeera] Funding implants Both Aslan and Celine are beneficiaries of a programme by Alameen in cooperation with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center. “The campaign started … with cochlear implants for 60 children from northwestern Syria and, due to overwhelming response, the campaign turned into a full programme to include 1,430 children in several countries around the world,” said Yasser al-Tarraf, an Alameen official. Al-Tarraf told Al Jazeera the programme in northwestern Syria has allowed 120 children to hear so far and plans to provide cochlear implants in the future for 700 children in northwestern Syria and 240 Syrian and Turkish children in southern Turkey. “Additionally, 490 children will receive cochlear implants in Lebanon, Egypt, Djibouti, Somalia, Yemen and Iraq… [over] approximately one and a half years” said al-Tarraf. Happiest person on earth The morning after the surgery, Celine, her brother and her mother went to the room where the external hearing device would be fitted. Her hearing was to be tested for the first time in her life. A quiet came over the room as the doctor fitted the device and connected it to the computer for programming, Celine looking at her mother and brother with anticipation. Aslan and Celine always played together – but now they can hear each other too [Ali Haj Suleiman/Al Jazeera] The device was activated and Celine was able to hear for the first time in her life. Shock stole over her face, and the foreign feeling of sound seemed to make her uncomfortable at first as she looked around at the doctors, seeming to beseech them to make it stop. But they had to continue, calling out to her and slapping the table to test the device’s sensitivity to different noise levels. As Celine got more used to what was happening, emotions alternated across her face, surprise then joy then shock when a louder sound came through the device. Aslan started playing with her, clapping his hands to attract her attention and get her to understand what had changed. Looking trustingly at her brother, she brushed tears away and began to smile. “Today,
As Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital is hit, anger towards Russia rages
Kyiv, Ukraine – Earth-shattering blasts shook Oleksandra’s apartment building on Monday morning, sending dagger-like shards of glass flying around. Hours later, she is still shaking, but it is not the damage to her two-bedroom apartment that shocked her. “We can always have the windows replaced,” she told Al Jazeera, clutching a cigarette and sitting next to her elderly father on a bench near the building in central Kyiv. It was the damage done to Okhmatdyt, Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital, a sprawling complex that is just metres away from her apartment. Thousands of children, including those with cancer, undergo treatment at the hospital every year. A Ukrainian firefighter works to extinguish a fire in a residential building after a missile attack in Kyiv on July 8, 2024 [Anatolii Stepanov/AFP] A Russian hypersonic missile struck the complex on Monday morning, hitting a two-storey toxicology department where children undergo dialysis, officials said. The building’s roof collapsed, killing at least two hospital workers. One victim is understood to have been a doctor. At least 16 people were wounded, including seven children, officials said. “I am feeling so down,” Oleksandra said, pointing at the hospital as it was still surrounded by a cloud of dust as bulldozers removed the debris. “They saved my son there two years ago, and now I see this,” she said as dozens of volunteers rushed around, handing out bottled water, food and fruit to the children from pick-up trucks and buses. “They are children, just little ones. We see them every day. Some have cancer,” she said. The hospital attack was part of a Russian barrage. Moscow launched three dozen missiles on several Ukrainian cities. At the time of writing, at least 36 people were reported to have been killed and 125 wounded, but the toll is expected to rise. “There are still some children trapped under the debris,” a rescue worker told Al Jazeera four hours after the strike. But a police officer signalled him to stop talking and told this reporter: “Everyone is alive and well. Please stay away.” Russia denies responsibility Russia habitually denies targeting civilian infrastructure. It claimed the hospital was hit by a Ukrainian air defence missile. “The statements by the regime in Kyiv about Russia’s allegedly deliberate missile strike on civilian sites are absolutely unreal,” the Russian Ministry of Defence said in a statement. “Multiple photos and video footage from Kyiv undoubtedly confirm the fact of destruction due to the fall of a Ukrainian air defence missile launched within the city limits,” it said. But military analysts are adamant that the attack on Okhmatdyt was deliberate. They used the “whole spectre” of missiles backed by Iranian-made Shaheed drones and “struck during daytime to exert moral and psychological pressure”, said Lieutenant General Ihor Romanenko, former deputy head of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. “They struck Okhmatdyt to hit a nerve, so that Ukrainians, Kyivans get emotional and pressure their” leaders to agree with a Kremlin-proposed plan that would force Ukraine to recognise Moscow-occupied parts of Ukraine and Crimea as parts of Russia, he told Al Jazeera. (Al Jazeera) Ukrainians who have lived through years of bombardment agree that the assault was no mistake. “Those were hits, not midair collisions” with air defence missiles, said Serhiy, a construction engineer who witnessed hits on the Artyom military plant, which is about a kilometre away (0.6 miles) from the Okhmatdyt hospital. “The intervals between them were equal – one, two, three, four. I have seen and heard enough of them,” Serhiy told Al Jazeera. He is a native of the eastern city of Donetsk, which was taken over by separatists in 2014. Like many Ukrainians, he is used to the strikes and the war in general. “I have no feelings left,” he said. He was not able to attend his mother’s funeral in Donetsk last year because a trip to the separatist-held city would have become a “one-way ticket”, he said. The Artyom plant once produced missiles and other weaponry for Ukraine’s air forces. It has been hit multiple times since the full-scale Russian invasion began in 2022, even though most of its manufacturing has been relocated and only a handful of staffers worked in the building. “I should have run,” one of them told Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity, sitting in the shadow of an Orthodox Christian chapel across the street from the plant. “Everything was flying around – sketches, papers, things,” he said, pointing at the building where firefighters were putting out a fire that was sending up two huge plumes of black smoke that were seen all over Kyiv. He said at least one of his colleagues was killed. Russia’s missiles ‘harder to identify and destroy’ Minutes later, a second air raid alert sent rescue workers, police officers and civilians to an underground passage. Even though advanced Western air defence systems protect Kyiv from most of the Russian missiles and drones, Moscow keeps “improving” its bombardment tactics, Ukraine’s air force spokesman said. Russia’s missiles are “harder to identify and destroy,” Yuri Ihnat wrote on Facebook. People work to clear the debris and find the missing after the hospital attack on July 8, 2024 [Gleb Garanich/Reuters] He said that on Monday, the missiles were flying at “super-low altitudes” of merely 50 metres (165ft) above ground to avoid detection and interception. For many in Ukraine, the hospital bombing epitomises Russia’s ruthlessness. Civilian sites, including schools, hospitals, railway stations and bomb shelters, have been struck throughout the war, now in its third year. “We must hold Russia accountable for its acts of terror and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin for ordering the strikes,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X. “Every time there are attempts to discuss peace with [Putin], Russia responds with attacks on homes and hospitals,” he said, adding that Kyiv is initiating an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the bombing. Adblock test (Why?)
Who could potentially replace President Joe Biden?
Calls are mounting for US President Joe Biden to step aside as the Democratic Party candidate, following his poor performance in a presidential debate against Republican candidate Donald Trump. The 81-year-old president’s faltering presentation during the June 27 debate has sparked questions and doubts about his ability to lead for another four years. During the debate, Biden appeared to lose his train of thought and at times looked exhausted or confused. A damage control campaign has since followed, with the president and his backers scrambling to assure voters that he is fit and won’t be stepping aside. But some within the Democratic camp seem dissatisfied; the list of representatives calling for a Biden drop-out is now growing. Here’s what we know about how the debate has affected Biden and who a replacement candidate might be: Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden attend a debate ahead of the United States presidential election, in Atlanta, Georgia, the US on June 27, 2024 [Brian Snyder/Reuters] Why did the debate affect Biden? The most significant impact of Biden’s debate performance is that it intensified doubts about his capacity – which now threatens his ability to win the presidential elections in November, experts note. That adds to simmering dissatisfaction with how Biden’s government has handled inflation, the Gaza war and immigration on the southern border with Mexico. An Ipsos poll showed that after the presidential debate, voter confidence in Biden’s mental fitness dropped from 28 percent to 20 percent. Presidential debates have been an important part of US elections since first airing in 1960 and have proved crucial in shifting voters towards the better speaker. After the Sunday debate, voter preferences have shifted towards Trump by an average of 3.5 points, according to one analysis by the Brookings Institution, a US think-tank. Prior to the debate, Trump was ahead of Biden by an average of 1.5 points. Another opinion poll by Ipsos showed that post-debate voter support for both candidates was tied at 40 percent. Analysts say even small shifts are crucial in what’s set to be a tight election in a country deeply polarised along political ideologies. Which Democrats have called for Biden to be replaced? Within the Democratic Party, five members of the US House of Representatives have called for Biden to step aside: Representatives Seth Moulton (Massachusetts), Lloyd Doggett (Texas), Raul Grijalva (Arizona), Mike Quigley (Illinois) and Angie Craig (Minnesota). On Sunday, a separate group of Democrats at a virtual meeting convened by the House minority leader, Representative Hakeem Jeffries (New York), discussed how to pressure Biden to step aside, according to The Associated Press. What happens if Biden drops out of the race? It’s nearly unprecedented for a nominee to step down so close to the elections. If that happens, Democrats would have to field another candidate. President Biden could step down and simply nominate Vice President Kamala Harris to carry on, but her approval ratings have not been much higher than Biden’s, casting doubt on her ability to floor Trump. However, Harris would inherit Biden’s campaign funds, whereas any other nominees would be starting their campaigns from scratch, campaign finance lawyer Steve Roberts told The Hill. If Biden steps down before the August 19-22 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, one of the more likely scenarios is that the party will nominate another candidate to run in his place. Democrats last used this method in 1968, after the leading candidate, Senator Robert F Kennedy, was assassinated just weeks before the convention. The Democratic Party could also force Biden out by invoking the 25th Amendment, which provides that if the president dies, is disabled or resigns, the vice president assumes the role. The VP and a majority of Democrats in Congress could invoke the act by declaring to the speaker of the house and the Senate that the president is not fit, and should be removed. The president could contest this declaration. If the VP and a majority of lawmakers disagree, the matter would be put to a two-thirds majority vote in Congress. Could donors force Biden to quit? Donors have considerable power, but it’s unclear how they might affect a potential nomination. Some donors to the Biden campaign have joined the list of people asking Biden to step down, including former PayPal CEO William “Bill” Harris. Harris, who donated $620,000 to the Biden campaign in 2020, told reporters last week that Biden’s departure is “inevitable”. Harris is now leading a group of donors pledging $2m to fund a series of debates among Democratic candidates that would set the stage for another candidate to be selected. Some are threatening to withhold donations to the Democrats until Biden steps down, putting pressure not just on the president, but the entire party. In an opinion piece on the website Deadline, Hollywood producer Damon Lindelof urged fellow donors to impose a “DEMbargo”. Lindelof wrote: “When they text you asking for cash, text back that you’re not giving them a penny and you won’t change your mind until there’s change at the top of the ticket.” For now, there have been no such calls from the Biden campaign’s biggest donors. Political action group Future Forward USA Action and venture capital firms Greylock Partners and Sequoia Capital are the top three donors for the Biden campaign, according to the website OpenSecrets. Who could replace Biden and how would they fare against Trump? Some have put forward Michelle Obama as a likely nominee, but the former first lady has repeatedly said “no”. Yet 50 percent of those polled said they would vote for Obama if she were on the ticket, putting her seven points ahead of Trump. More likely candidates, however, include: Kamala Harris: VP Harris, 59, is a straightforward replacement for Biden and likely a top runner. A former prosecutor and California senator, Harris could appeal to young voters, as well as supporters from Black and other minority communities (she is of Indian and Jamaican descent). A vocal advocate of abortion rights, she
Missile hits Kyiv children’s hospital amid barrage of Russian strikes
NewsFeed Part of a children’s hospital in the Ukrainian capital has partially collapsed after being struck Monday amid a barrage of Russian missiles across the country. Published On 8 Jul 20248 Jul 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
France ‘pushed into the hands of the far-left’ says leader of far-right
NewsFeed France’s leader of the far-right National Rally says a ‘dishonourable alliance’ prevented his party from winning a majority. Jordan Bardella spoke after exit polls showed the RN party coming in third, despite earlier projections for a far right victory. Published On 7 Jul 20247 Jul 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
In Australia, energy crunch prompts a heated debate on going nuclear
Mudgee, New South Wales, Australia – The Mount Piper coal-fired power station sits just 25km (15 miles) to the west of one of Australia’s most scenic natural landscapes, Blue Mountains National Park, known for its spectacular eucalyptus-covered canyons, sandstone cliffs and waterfalls. The facility, set in hilly, drought-prone grazing country, is one of seven sites where conservative opposition leader Peter Dutton plans to build Australia’s first nuclear energy power stations should his Liberal and National Party coalition win next year’s federal election. Dutton has argued that the current centre-left Labor Party government will not be able to reach its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 43 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 with renewables such as wind and solar alone. “I want to make sure that the Australian public understands today that we have a vision for our country to deliver cleaner electricity, cheaper electricity and consistent electricity,” Dutton told reporters last month. For many Australians, Dutton’s proposals lit a match under a discussion they had assumed was put to bed decades ago. In 1998, a previous conservative government banned nuclear power in favour of coal, a commodity that remains Australia’s second most valuable export after iron ore – the fuel last year made up 15 percent of total exports, worth some 102 billion Australian dollars ($68bn). But since 2006, conservative parties have periodically called for a new debate on the nuclear question – although never seriously while last in power between 2013-2022. Under the current government’s plans, Australia is one of the few major economies not using, or planning to use, nuclear energy to provide guaranteed power to underpin renewable sources like solar and wind. In Blue Mountains communities such as Lithgow, a gentrifying town that once hosted more than a dozen coal mines, the nuclear proposals have prompted mixed reactions. Larissa Edwards, one of a growing number of “tree changers” who have relocated to Lithgow to escape city life, said she was horrified when she learned of the plans. “I came because it’s a beautiful and special part of the world,” Edwards told Al Jazeera. “I was gobsmacked really. It’s an obvious spot for Dutton’s plan, which he had signalled to some degree. But as the whole area is moving to renewables, I was still shocked,” she said. “I don’t think it’s the right solution for the energy crisis, nor for the climate crisis that we’re in.” Australia’s opposition leader has proposed nuclear power as a solution to the country’s energy challenges [Peter Dutton Gray/AFP] However, coal miners in Lithgow who spoke to Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity expressed hope that a nuclear facility would bring new jobs for the next generation following the closure of all but three of the town’s mines. While there is a divide between those who prioritise the economy versus the environment, there is widespread dismay about the lack of consultation ahead of the announcement, or a detailed estimate of costs expected to be in the billions of dollars. “The polling I have carried out so far is on the ground in the Lithgow area and from what I can tell, there is already strong division between those supporting a reactor and those opposing it, with a heap of people in the middle asking for more details and information,” Andrew Gee, an independent MP who represents the region, told Al Jazeera. “The community can’t be expected to make an informed choice on this issue if there’s no consultation and the community simply doesn’t have the facts. Its leaders can’t be expected to either.” The governments of the affected states in Australia’s federated model have given Dutton’s nuclear plans a resounding “no”. Three of the five states with sites in the plan – New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland – have bans on the construction of nuclear facilities. In a further obstacle, the proposed sites are privately owned and, in most cases, have prior commitments for renewables projects. “It’s clearly got a fundamentally political objective, which is to differentiate the opposition on energy policy, and has been successful so far in that the government hasn’t yet worked out what its reaction should be,” Tony Wood, the director of the energy program at the Grattan Institute think tank, told Al Jazeera. The chosen sites all host ageing coal-fired electricity plants, which the incumbent government has promised to phase out as quickly as possible. On an optimistic timetable, nuclear energy would take at least 10-15 years to come online. Critics see the policy as aimed at propping up members of Dutton’s coalition in electorates where communities are anxious about the economic impact of the transition away from coal, as well as leveraging a backlash in regional areas against what many rural residents see as unsightly renewables projects. At the heart of the debate are questions about the economic viability of renewables as Australia transitions to net-zero emissions by 2050, a commitment supported by both major parties. While policymakers are tasked with finding the most effective solutions for the nation’s energy grid, they must also take heed of Australian voters’ sensitivity to rising power bills. Australia’s energy demand is forecast to double by 2050, according to a report released last month by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO). Its key message was to speed up the rollout of renewables. “This doesn’t do anything for the cost of living. It could even make it worse, because it creates uncertainty,” the Grattan Institute’s Wood said of the nuclear proposals. Other critics have expressed concern about the lack of any plan for nuclear waste. “I am concerned about how things are going to be transported through the area and I’m concerned about the storage of waste and the impact that that would potentially have on an area that’s so close to our World Heritage environment,” Lithgow resident Edwards said. Such fears have been compounded politically by the fact that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has yet to say where waste from Australia’s planned fleet of nuclear submarines, the
Japan, Philippines sign defence pact with eyes on China
Agreement comes as Manila and Tokyo share concerns about Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the region. Japan and the Philippines have signed a defence pact allowing the deployment of troops on each other’s soil amid shared concerns over China’s growing military power. Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoko Kamikawa and Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro signed the Reciprocal Access Agreement on Monday during a ceremony in Manila. Under the agreement, Japanese forces will be able to deploy in the Philippines for joint military exercises and Filipino forces will be able to carry out combat training in Japan. The pact will need to be ratified by both countries’ legislatures to come into effect. The agreement comes as Japan and the Philippines, both long-standing allies of the United States, are wary of China’s growing assertiveness in the region. Beijing has laid claim to more than 90 percent of the South China Sea, including waters that lie within the exclusive economic zones of the Philippines and four other Southeast Asian countries. An international tribunal at the Hague in 2016 found that Beijing’s claims had “no legal basis”. China and the Philippines’s coast guards and navies have been involved in numerous confrontations in the disputed waters, including an incident last month during which Chinese coast guard personnel wielding knives and spears used motorboats to ram two Philippine navy supply vessels. Japan has a longstanding territorial dispute with China over the Senkaku Islands located between Taiwan and Okinawa. Under Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Tokyo has sought to boost its military firepower, including through reciprocal access agreements with Australia and the United Kingdom. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has forcefully denounced China’s actions in the South China Sea and warned that his country would consider the death of any Filipino at its hands as close to “an act of war”. Manila has longstanding defence pacts with Australia and the US and is exploring a similar agreement with France. In April, the leaders of the US, Japan, and the Philippines held their first trilateral summit in Washington, DC as part of efforts to boost military cooperation between the sides. The summit came on the heels of joint military drills in the South China Sea that also included Australia. Adblock test (Why?)