Trump’s record suggests that meetings with him frequently fail. Instead, Albanese has an important agenda to pursue at the UN in New York, and when dealing with the US better outcomes are more likely if Australia develops its own policies in its own interests.

Michael Keating

According to much of the media, sooled on by the Opposition, whether Albanese’s visit to America this week is a success is almost entirely dependent on whether he gains a meeting with Trump and how that meeting goes.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has slammed Brussels, accusing the EU leadership of mismanaging key areas such as the economy, immigration, and security.

In a critical speech at Digital Civic Circles, a network of digital groups promoting conservative values in Hungary, he claimed the bloc was on the brink of collapse due to the failures of its current leaders.

The prime minister painted a stark picture of “mountains of debt, crowds of migrants, street violence, the increasingly dark shadow of war, mass layoffs, skyrocketing utility costs, impoverished households, and Brussels bureaucrats running around like panicked chickens,” on Saturday while describing the EU’s troubles.

If I were drafting astrology advice for Anthony Albanese over the next few weeks, I would be hinting that it was the worst possible time for international travel, and that a serious bout of diplomatic flu might be the best way to secure his (and Australia’s) long-term interests.

Jack Waterford

The Kremlin has branded Britain a leading force among nations seeking to prolong the Ukraine conflict and obstruct a peaceful settlement brokered by the US.

The comments by spokesman Dmitry Peskov come after US President Donald Trump’s visit to London last week, during which British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for more pressure on Russia.

”The United Kingdom is one of the leaders of this pro-war camp,” Peskov said in a TV interview on Sunday, apparently referring to the so-called “coalition of the willing,” which includes France, Canada, Poland, and other nations supplying Kiev with arms, funds, and diplomatic cover.

Western European countries must be ready to fight Russia if they offer security guarantees to Kiev as part of a potential settlement of the Ukraine conflict, Finnish President Alexander Stubb has said.

In an interview with The Guardian released on Saturday, Stubb stressed that if the West decides to provide any assurances to Kiev, they should stick to the notion that “security guarantees in essence are a deterrent.”

Asked if the guarantees would mean that European countries are saying they would be ready to engage militarily with Russia in case of an attack on Ukraine, the president replied: “That is the idea of security guarantees by definition,” adding that they would be meaningless without real force behind them.

The current governments of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom are weakening day by day. Recently, more and more people outside the continent have become convinced that the role of Western Europe in world affairs is in decline.

The Three Main Western European States Are Losing the Support of their Populations

Mohammed Amer

The UK Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known as MI6, has launched a portal on the dark web in a bid to attract potential spies in foreign countries, with a particular focus on Russia. Dubbed ‘Silent Courier’, the initiative is aimed at people with “access to sensitive information” on terrorism or foreign intelligence activities, according to the British government.

The scheme was officially presented by the agency’s outgoing chief, Sir Richard Moore, in his final public speech, given in Istanbul on Friday. The British government also published a statement on the plan earlier the same day.

London touted its portal as a “secure messaging platform” that would allow would-be spies and defectors to contact British intelligence through “harnessing the anonymity of the dark web.”

There is something ineffably eternal about the “drum beating and bell chiming from sundown to daybreak” when it comes to the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower standing in the north end of ancient Beijing.

There can hardly be equal structures around the world when it comes to architecture as music. They are like two powerful, solemn notes being played over and over again for centuries – the sounds and echoes reverberating across the mega-metropolis.

Pepe Escobar: The Choice is Stark - Global Governance or Barbarism

Both towers are part of the so-called Beijing Central Axis – and serious scholars make no bones about their essential role in reflecting people’s existence in History. In China after all, architecture is regarded as frozen music.

John Menadue argues it is time for Australia to separate itself from US policy and preparations to confront China militarily.

I have outlined earlier the brutal consequences for Australia in persisting with Defence Minister Marles’ policy of integrating Australia into US war preparations against China.

Mike Gilligan

When you see me refusing to play along with the campaign to canonise Charlie Kirk or respect the emotional hysteria around his killing, this is the main reason why.

It’s amazing how aggressively free speech in the United States is being torn apart in the wake of the Charlie Kirk killing.

Caitlin Johnstone

The UK, Canada and Australia have formally recognized the State of Palestine. The move comes as more than 140 world leaders are preparing to attend the annual United Nations General Assembly summit in New York next week, which will be dominated by questions regarding the region.

Canada was the first of these countries to officially recognize Palestine on Sunday, with Prime Minister Mark Carney announcing that Ottawa “recognizes the State of Palestine and offers our partnership in building the promise of a peaceful future for both the state of Palestine and the State of Israel.”

The move was shortly followed by similar announcements from Australia and the UK.

Our civilisation is weird… Most places on earth have now been under the influence of the Western way to “do things”…

As such, we and the entire human species, are trouble — and in deep trouble. We do not see it yet, because we are lied to. 

There are often characteristics at which any system will collapse, get out of balance, or jump off the road and fall into the ravine — for going too fast. And we are going too fast.

Over the last couple of centuries, the Western civilisation has relied on many factors, in various guises, and here are the main ones: 

LIES

CAPITALISM

CONSUMERISM

SUPERIORITY

HYPOCRISY

ADVERTISING

SCIENCES

DISTRACTIONS

RUBBISH CREATION (INCLUDING GLOBAL WARMING EMISSIONS)

LET’S START WITH THE LIES, past and present….

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Vietnamese singer Duc Phuc wins the Intervision International Music Contest, said Russian jury member Igor Matvienko.

"Duc Phuc, Vietnam, won," Matvienko said, announcing the results.

Kyrgyzstan and Qatar took second and third place.

The jury did not rate Russia's Yaroslav Dronov (Shaman) at his request, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

Intervision finale ended with Million Voices performed by all participants. Each contestant performed lines of the song in their native language.

Keith Kellogg, President Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, had strong words for Russia at a conference held in Ukraine, saying that the US could “kick Russia’s ass,” Remix News has reported.

The US, UK and other Western nations that continue to supply weapons to West Jerusalem are equally responsible for the Israeli “genocide” in Gaza, Roger Waters, British rock legend and co-founder of the band Pink Floyd, has said.

In September of last year, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution that called on Israel to withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories and for all states to take effective action against violations of international law by West Jerusalem. However, attacks continue; the IDF launched an operation to take control of Gaza City earlier this month.

Waters joined a large crowd which gathered outside UN headquarters in New York for the anniversary of the vote on Thursday, calling for an arms embargo against Israel and action to halt the “genocide” of Palestinians.