... With Trump's win, the Liberals would have thought the latest manifestation of a widespread international swing to the right would put wind in their sails. But the counter-argument has grown — an erratic and autocratic Trump is making some Australian voters feel more unsettled and inclined to stick with the status quo.

Peter Dutton doesn't pull his punches on Donald Trump, while Anthony Albanese plays it safe

    BY Michelle Grattan

The Bank of Russia (CBR) has said it is not in talks with the US administration regarding the removal of economic sanctions imposed over the Ukraine conflict. Washington has signaled that sanctions relief could be a part of the peace process to end hostilities, leading to speculation in the media about potential discussions.

Speaking on the sidelines of the ‘Cybersecurity in Finance’ forum in Ekaterinburg on Thursday, the head of the CBR, Elvira Nabiullina, was asked whether negotiations on easing financial sanctions and unfreezing Russia’s sovereign reserves were underway.

“The Central Bank is not participating in such negotiations. I am not aware of this,” Nabiullina responded, as quoted by Russian media outlets.

French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to the United States next week to discuss the war in Ukraine, Le Figaro reports.

French Minister Delegate for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad confirmed that Macron will visit Washington, aligning with US President Donald Trump’s recent statement that he would meet Macron “very soon, possibly on Monday.”

According to Haddad, Macron’s visit will focus on Ukraine.

“He is going to convey the voice of Europeans and to make it clear that Ukraine’s future cannot be decided without them,” Haddad stated.

Australia on Thursday said it was monitoring the "unusual" presence of Chinese warships near its eastern coast.

"We are keeping a close watch on them, and we will make sure we are watching every move. It's not unprecedented. But it is an unusual event," Defence Minister Richard Marles told Sky News. 

Marles said the ships were being monitored but were not a threat and were "engaging in accordance with international law."

A frigate, a cruiser and a supply tanker belonging to the Chinese navy were first spotted last week off mainland Australia. They then took a path that brought them to the eastern coast.

THE STORY OF SCOTT RITTER’S DAUGHTER AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY WHERE SOME OF THE FUTURE LEADERS, OFFICERS AND PUBLIC SERVANTS ARE TRAINED IN FULL-BLOWN RUSSOPHOBIA IS FRIGHTENING. 

I KNEW OF THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE CIA AND THE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM IN AMERICA…

AS WE’VE DISCOVERED RECENTLY WITH THE ELECTION OF TRUMP BY THE “GARBAGE”, EDUCATED PEOPLE TEND TO VOTE DEMOCRATS AND APPEAR ON “THE VIEW” — WHILE THE OI-POLOI VOTED “republican” WHICH WAS NOT SO MUCH FOR THE loony REPUBLICANS BUT FOR A DECLARED FELON, A SEXIST, A RACIST BOMBASTIC CLOWN WHO DOES NOT CARE MUCH FOR THE “AMERICAN CONSTITUTION” ACCORDING TO EDUCATED JOURNALISTS… UNWASHED PEOPLE LOVE THAT. THEY DISTRUST EDUCATED DEMOCRATS WHO KNOW EVERYTHING.

Four U.N. special rapporteurs have written jointly to the U.K. government demanding explanation of its inappropriate persecution of journalists and political activists under the Terrorism Act. 

They state that those persecuted:

“appear to have no credible connection to ‘terrorist’ or ‘hostile’ activity.”

The cases taken up by the United Nations are those of Johanna Ross (Ganyukova), John Laughland, Kit Klarenberg, Craig Murray (yes, me), Richard Barnard and Richard Medhurst. 

Lately I have been asked to try and make sense of Donald Trump and the first three weeks of his presidency.

And, more specifically, to comment on the drama that unfolded in Munich these past few days.

As I stumble through the mental gymnastics of trying to explain the unexplainable, my brain takes me to the classic Francis Ford Coppola film, Apocalypse Now, and the character of the “unnamed photojournalist” played in manic fashion by Dennis Hopper. 

By Scott Ritter
Special to Consortium News

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aBZiYs8KEw

MORE TO COME....

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

The relationship between the United States and key ally Ukraine is dissolving before our eyes.

Donald Trump's social media diatribe on Wednesday, local time, in which he described the country's leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a "dictator" who's "done a terrible job", was just the latest deterioration.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has called out Donald Trump for making inflammatory and misleading statements about Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, in a striking contrast to senior Albanese government ministers’ reluctance to directly criticise the US president.

The Australian-Ukrainian community has pleaded with the government to speak out more strongly in defence of Ukraine after Trump called Zelensky a “dictator without elections” and claimed the war was Ukraine’s fault, despite Russia invading its smaller neighbour in 2022.

“I think President Trump has got it wrong in relation to some of the public commentary that I’ve seen him make in relation to President Zelensky and the situation in the Ukraine,” Dutton told 2GB radio on Thursday.

The board of Creative Australia, formerly the Australia Council, has betrayed its mission by enabling censorship and gross political interference in the arts, and its members must resign or be sacked.

Five days after Lebanese-born artist Khaled Sabsabi was appointed to represent Australia at the next Venice Biennale in 2026, he was unceremoniously dumped by the board late on 13 February. The decision followed an attack on the artist’s work by The Australian, flagship of the Murdoch media empire, and questions in Parliament by opposition arts spokesperson Claire Chandler.

President Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky have become embroiled in a war of words a day after the Russia-US meeting in Riyadh focusing on Ukraine. Trump slammed Zelensky over his refusal to hold elections, saying he's down to "4% approval" and that Ukraine looks like a "massive demolition site" under his leadership. He's not wrong. Here's why.

Didn’t Make Peace

Zelensky did not make good on his promise to end the war in the Donbass – the single biggest reason he was elected in the spring of 2019.

Declaring verbal support for the Minsk Agreements in October 2019, Zelensky triggered large-scale street protests led by nationalist thugs threatening to oust him. He quickly backed down, never returning to the issue again.

Intelligence officials have disrupted numerous attempts by hostile countries to kill or harm critics in Australia, and in one recent operation even thwarted a plot to lure an unsuspecting human rights activist overseas, who was to be silenced in an "accident".

The boss of the country's domestic intelligence agency has delivered his annual threat assessment, where he's also expressed concern antisemitic attacks have "not yet plateaued" here, and warned Russia could soon conduct sabotage against Australia.

ASIO boss reveals multiple nations plotted to murder critics in Australia

Clive Palmer and Pauline Hanson traded barbs after an attempt to unify their party fell apart, over disagreements about who should lead and bankroll their hoped-for singular right-wing populist movement.

Amid concern that a swathe of "Australia First"-type groups and individuals may cannibalise each other's supporters at the upcoming election, Mr Palmer on Wednesday announced he would campaign on a Donald Trump-style platform.

If national governments across the globe are prepared to put minimising the climate threat ahead of protecting the fossil fuel industry, they will have to make major changes to how the net zero concept is being applied. This will require carbon offsetting to be brought in line with its intended application, and a consequential major reduction in its use.