Australian news and politics live: Albanese to visit Great Wall of China, signs trade agreements
Elbridge Colby, the man reviewing AUKUS inside the Pentagon, thinks he can replicate MAGA's success in scolding, berating and bullying Europe into lifting defence spending in Australia and the Indo-Pacific.
But his cut-and-paste approach may not only fail, but backfire.
This is because his hectoring approach fails to recalibrate for the important ways that Europe differs from Asia.
Mr Colby's demands that Indo-Pacific allies raise defence spending are legitimate in Australia's case.
But he is far from the first person to raise the issue.
Read more.
Today marks a historic highlight in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's visit to China, with a walk along the Great Wall planned before he heads to Chengdu.
This follows a landmark series of meetings in Beijing's Great Hall with President Xi Jinping, Chairman Zhao Leji, and Premier Li Qiang, where Albanese emphasised Australia's ongoing commitment to engaging China in areas of mutual benefit, while not shying away from disagreement when needed.
The diplomatic talks have already yielded tangible results for both nations. On Tuesday, six new agreements were signed, including one that will soon see sweet, tangy Chinese jujubes available on Australian shelves—while, for the first time, apples from mainland Australia will be exported to China.
'In recent years, co-operation has encountered headwinds,' Chinese Premier Li admitted as the two countries move to deepen trade cooperation amid broader global uncertainty.
Albanese echoed these sentiments, stating, 'My government believes unequivocally in free and fair trade as a driver of global growth, and I know the discussions that we've had today have been very constructive'.
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West Australian
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‘Tyrell-ble': Beloved chip brand Tyrrells pulled from major Australian supermarkets due to low demand
Australians have been caught off guard by the quiet disappearance of a beloved chip brand from supermarket shelves without warning. UK -born snack brand Tyrrells has been pulled from Woolworths , Coles and IGA stores, without an official announcement. The change was spotted by a frustrated Reddit user who posted about it last Thursday. 'Gone from their shelves without warning or even clearance tags. Didn't even get a chance to stock up,' the user wrote. 'These were f****** good, made in Australia with Aussie potatoes, and at $3.80 for 165g. Price does what it says, without stupid price hikes and fake offers.' Other users echoed the disappointment. 'WHAT! OUTRAGE! They were the only chips I bought,' one comment read. 'These are the king of chips and I am heartbroken,' another said. 'Damn, that's really disappointing. They were the best chips on the shelves,' a third added. 'Absolutely unacceptable. These are the only good chips,' someone else chimed in. 'That's tyrell-ble,' another joked. Snackbrands Australia, the maker of Tyrrells, confirmed the brand has been discontinued due to low demand. 'We always aim to bring delicious snacks to our consumers in line with their needs, however we sadly had to retire the Tyrrells brand from market due to insufficient levels of consumer demand,' the company said in a statement. 'We realise that there will always be true lovers of the brand out there however we need to balance the requirements of our consumers as well as our retail partners when making these tough decisions.' Both Coles and Woolworths confirmed to they are no longer stocking Tyrrells chips. has also reached out to IGA for confirmation. Snackbrands said Tyrrells will still be available 'for the foreseeable future' in some Harris Farm stores, and suggested fans try their other products. 'The good news is that we continue to innovate and offer great alternatives under our Kettle and Natural Chip Company brands,' a spokesperson added. Tyrrells chips can still be found on Amazon , with nine 165g bags of the classic Pot Crispy Salted flavour currently available for $15.86. Some Reddit users reported spotting a few bags at 7-Eleven and The Reject Shop. Tyrrells, originally founded on a farm in Herefordshire, England in 2002, is known for its hand-cooked, premium potato chips made from locally grown ingredients. The brand entered the Australian market in 2014, initially importing products from the UK. From 2016, following its acquisition of Yarra Valley Snack Foods, Tyrrells chips were made locally in Victoria using Australian potatoes.
Perth Now
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Aussie snack lovers shattered as popular chips disappear from shelves
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The Age
31 minutes ago
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Vilifying art-lovers at the NGV is a step too far
To submit a letter to The Age, email letters@ Please include your home address and telephone number below your letter. No attachments. See here for our rules and tips on getting your letter published. PROTESTS Exiting the NGV on Sunday, I was confronted by women protesting. My first instinct was to think they are women like me. As a teacher and Christian leader I've worked for peace, justice and reconciliation in education, churches and communities creating meaningful ways of offering hopeful transformation. I am a protester. But my instinct was wrong about these women as I don't target individuals and vilify them as they did to hundreds of us. A woman with the megaphone claimed 'anyone entering the NGV was ensuring the NGV thinks it's OK to hang out with fascists. You have blood on your hands and you support Zionism.' She then got personal to one woman saying 'you in the hat, you are supporting genocide entering the NGV'. I was collecting my bike nearby and foolishly engaged suggesting we can protest but it's wrong to target individuals as perpetrators of genocide. She then directed the megaphone at me chanting 'you support genocide'. She's right; we are all complicit in systemic and collective sins of commission and omission. But broad scale public vilification is not protest. It polarises, shuts down empathy and divides us further. Sally Apokis, South Melbourne Albanese should offer more than a gesture Anthony Albanese is correct in that the government should not recognise Palestine as a gesture only. He should do it as a commitment to the people of Palestine (''We won't make a decision as a gesture': Albanese says no imminent move to recognise Palestine ', 28/7). At the moment Albanese is gesturing, not acting. He is unprepared to take a bold stand, whether it be to recognise Palestine or sanction Israel for its blatant crimes. 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Where is the power of leaders if they take no action to stop this carnage in Gaza? Peta Colebatch, Hawthorn Blame not so simple Regarding Sean Kelly, the Geneva Conventions allow the blocking of aid if the enemy is stealing or using it. Kelly cites a New York Times story denying Hamas is doing so, but a Washington Post report set out in detail, citing many witnesses including Gazans, how Hamas is in financial crisis because Israel has stopped it taxing aid, or stealing and selling it. Kelly writes about famine starting within months of the war beginning, but those warnings were retracted by the Famine Early Warning System, a US-funded monitoring group. The UN is also culpable. After ending its nine-week blockade in May, after having allowed enough aid into Gaza to last for some months, Israel not only facilitated the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has distributed around 95 million meals, but also resumed UN access. However, there were recently 900 truckloads of aid inside Gaza checkpoints the UN hadn't collected. As for the suggestion of recognising a Palestinian state, only Palestinian Authority intransigence has prevented such a state. Hamas would say recognition only happened because of the October 7 atrocities. Recognition would simply encourage further Palestinian rejectionism and terrorism. Jamie Hyams, Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council Statehood for Palestine The people of the world claiming statehood for Palestine are living in a world of delusion. There are so many questions that still need to be asked. Some of these are: What are the geographical boundaries that define this state called Palestine? Who are the citizens of Palestine and who makes the decisions as to who becomes a citizen? What are the institutions that govern this state called Palestine? Are Jews allowed to be citizens of this new state called Palestine? These are only a few of the questions that need to be considered. No leader nor a member of the lobby groups that are advocating for statehood have made proposals that define this state. It's disingenuous on all people wishing for a state called Palestine because it's a falsehood. The people who are most vulnerable and exploited are once again being led up a path of others making. Graham Haupt, Glen Waverley Revert to 1947 borders Yes, as several correspondents to this page have stated, there are other serious human massacres also occurring, right now, in Yemen, and in Sudan. The difference is that those wars are not openly supported by a vocal and prominent segment of Australians, or accepted by Australian governments. Injustice for the people of Gaza stings our collective conscience. Here, and around the world. The only fair and long-term solution is to formally recognise those 1947 UN borders and allow the two states to exist as equals — with equal rights to exist, and also equal rights to have the military capability to defend themselves. Geoffrey McNaughton, Glen Huntly
