IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva has urged nations not to impose tariffs, following US President Donald Trump’s latest measures

Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, Georgieva said, “the largest economy in the world has chosen to use tariffs as an instrument in relations with partners.”

The IMF chief urged nations to adhere to “trade on the most favored nation rule,” adding that imposing tariffs “does not work well” unless the nation has a “very large” and “relatively closed”economy. She warned that nations which place tariffs on others will see prices rise domestically.

This thesis, by undertaking a detailed, empirical analysis of the role youth and student wings play in
the recruitment of national legislators of the German Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands and
the British Labour Party, contributes to our understanding of how the social democratic party family
has changed in the decades since the early 1980s.

The role of youth and student wings in shaping Social Democratic Parliamentarians in Germany and Great Britain.

LUKE JOHN DAVIES

The 24th of October 2025 is the 80th anniversary of the ratification of the UN Charter, which opens with a determination to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.

The world has not saved the children. According to UNICEF, about 64, 000 children have been killed or maimed in Gaza. In Britain, during World War II, 7736 children under 16 were killed and 7662 children were seriously wounded.

Francesca Beddie

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is scheduled to meet President Donald Trump in Washington on 20 October.

Thus far, Albanese has dealt with this administration with equanimity, declining to rush the gate for a meeting. This is no bad thing. It is best to avoid projecting neediness to Trump.

Australians will be thinking about the immediate results of the visit. We should also reflect on the nature of our alliance relationship.

John McCarthy

The media will focus principally on “deliverables” and the theatre which surrounds Trump meetings.

Russian cosmonauts have sent their regards to RT from the International Space Station as the network celebrates its 20th anniversary on Friday.

The message from space by Sergey Ryzhikov, Aleksey Zubritsky, and Oleg Platonov is among the many greetings the network has received from Russia and around the world.

Ryzhikov extended best wishes on behalf of himself and fellow crew members.

Zubritsky said RT has lifted “millions of viewers to a new orbit of understanding,” offering people points of view overlooked in the Western media.

Platonov added to the well-wishes, saying he hopes every RT broadcast will be “like a rocket launch: Precise, powerful and inspiring.”

US President Donald Trump has announced plans for a summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Budapest, Hungary.

The meeting will take place at a date to be determined after “high-level advisors” from the two countries meet next week, he said in a Truth Social post on Thursday.

Washington’s delegation at the initial meeting will be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, he said, adding that the location is yet to be determined.

Trump expressed hope that by meeting Putin, the two leaders will be able to bring the Ukraine conflict to a close.

The call “was a very productive one,” he said, adding: “I believe great progress was made with today’s telephone conversation.”

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he had authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela.

The remarks represented a new escalation in the political conflict between the US and Venezuela, as the US has continued to strike boats on international waters, which have originated from the South American nation.

Trump accused the government of Venezuela of trafficking drugs to the US by sea.

Climate change and human activity are causing the health of the world’s oceans to decline at an alarming rate, the UN has warned.

Overfishing, pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change are decimating marine species at frightening speeds, disrupting delicate food webs that have evolved over hundreds of millions of years.

Julian Cribb

The US War Department stands ready to do its part and “impose costs” on Russia over the Ukraine conflict, War Secretary Pete Hegseth has said.

Speaking at Ramstein military base on Wednesday ahead of a meeting of countries coordinating military support for Ukraine, he lauded NATO members’ recent militarization push.

“If this war does not end, if there is no path to peace in the short term, then the United States, along with our allies, will take the steps necessary to impose costs on Russia,” Hegseth said.

“If we must take this step, the US War Department stands ready to do our part in ways that only the United States can do,” he added.

The unexpected visit of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa — formerly known as the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham*, a group once fighting against Russian forces — to Moscow has raised eyebrows across diplomatic circles. Many observers now question why the Kremlin chose to host a figure who only recently appeared on international terrorist lists and fought against Russian-backed troops in Syria.

LYUBA LULKO
From Warlord to President: Why Russia Welcomed Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa

"Big John" Fisher, a British social media star known for his viral fast food reviews, has been detained in Australia over a visa issue.

Famous for his love of Chinese takeaway and signature catchphrase "bosh", Fisher arrived in Western Australia on Tuesday ahead of a tour of the country.

However, in social media posts, he said he would have to cancel his scheduled appearances in Perth and Sydney as he would be deported to London.

Fisher said he was questioned by border officials for four hours, and though his visa was "legit", Australian authorities "weren't happy" that he was going to be working during his visit. It is understood that Fisher entered Australia on an incorrect visa.

Thanks to Opposition leader Sussan Ley, the government’s disgraceful attempt to squeeze the life out of the Freedom of Information Act is as dead as a herring.

In an elegant note in The Canberra Times of 13 October, Ley fillets the government’s attempt to narrow the scope of the FoI Act and says “The Opposition will stand firmly against these changes.” Thus, the Coalition and cross-benchers in the Senate are primed to flush the government’s proposals away.

Paddy Gourley

Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere hit a record high in 2024, according to a new report from the UN weather agency.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said heat trapped by such greenhouse gases was "turbo-charging" the Earth's climate and causing more extreme weather.

In its latest bulletin on greenhouse gases, the WMO said CO2 growth rates have tripled since the 1960s, and emissions from human activities and more wildfires helped fan a "vicious climate cycle."

The Geneva-based agency said growth rates of CO2 have accelerated from an annual average increase of 0.8 ppm (parts-per-million) per year to 2.4 ppm per year in the decade from 2011 to 2020. 

Western nations should prepare to continue bankrolling Ukraine’s war effort against Russia for at least three more years, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has said during a visit to London.

Sikorski, a longtime advocate of hardline policies toward Moscow, made the remarks on Tuesday while discussing the so-called “drone wall” – a proposed European network of air defense and surveillance systems to counter alleged Russian threats. Speaking to reporters, he claimed that sustained Western aid could put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“The Ukrainians are planning this war for three years, which is prudent,” Sikorski said. “And we must convince Putin that we are ready to stay the course for at least those three years.”

US President Donald Trump has suggested that it is unlikely he will end up in heaven despite his efforts to mediate peace between Israel and Hamas.

During Trump’s flight aboard Air Force One to Israel on Sunday, Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked the president whether ending the war in Gaza would help him get into heaven.

“I’m being a little cute,” Trump said, smiling and chuckling. “I don’t think there’s anything going to get me in heaven. I think I’m not maybe heaven-bound. I may be in heaven right now as we fly on Air Force One. I’m not sure I’m going to be able to make heaven, but I’ve made life a lot better for a lot of people,” he added.