'Recovered' Assange promotes Cannes documentary about his life
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has recovered well after his release from jail last year, his wife told AFP ahead of the premiere of a documentary Wednesday that includes never-seen-before footage of the whistleblower.
Assange is at the Cannes Festival to promote the documentary by American filmmaker Eugene Jarecki, who said he was trying to present a new image of the Australian and his "heroic qualities".
The 53-year-old former hacker is not talking to the media, however, with his wife Stella Assange saying, "He'll speak when he's ready."
"We live with incredible nature at our doorstep (in Australia). Julian's very outdoorsy. He always has been. He's really recovered physically and mentally," Stella, a Spanish-Swedish lawyer, told AFP.
Assange was released from a high-security British prison last June after a plea bargain with the US government over Wikileaks's work publishing top-secret military and diplomatic information.
He had spent five years behind bars fighting extradition from Britain and another seven holed up in the Ecuador embassy in London where he claimed political asylum.
Award-winning director Jarecki said his film, "The Six Billion Dollar Man", aimed to correct the record about Assange, whose methods and personality still make him a divisive figure.
"I think Julian Assange put himself in harm's way for the principle of informing the public about what corporations and governments around the world are doing in secret," Jarecki told AFP.
Anyone willing to trade years of their life for their principles, "I think you'd have to look at that person as having heroic qualities," he added.
The film includes intimate footage handed over by Stella, who initially joined Wikileaks as a legal advisor and went on to have two children with Assange while he was living in the Ecuadorian embassy.
It also features testimony from people who helped spy on Wikileaks, including a private security agent who said he installed bugs for American spy services in the Ecuadorian embassy.
Former "Baywatch" actress and Assange's friend Pamela Anderson and fellow whistleblower Edward Snowden also appear.
- Criticism -
Jarecki pushed back on some of the criticism of Assange, notably that he endangered lives by publishing unredacted US diplomatic cables with the names of informants, including human rights campaigners.
He also dismissed any links between Wikileaks and Russian intelligence services over the leak of Democratic Party emails ahead of the 2016 US presidential election which embarrassed Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton.
An investigation by US special counsel Robert Mueller, who probed alleged Russian interference in the 2016 vote, found evidence Russian military intelligence hacked the Democratic Party and passed the information to Wikileaks.
"Other than from the mouths of people in the Democratic Party, we've never found any evidence of any linkages between WikiLeaks and Russia," Jarecki claimed.
Ecuador's left-wing former president Rafael Correa, who offered Assange asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, was to attend the film's red carpet premiere on Wednesday evening.
Jarecki was awarded the first ever Golden Globe for documentary at Cannes on Monday for his previous work, including his 2018 film about Elvis, "The King".
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News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Scott Morrison, Baz Luhrmann given top accolades in King's Birthday Honours 2025
Former Covid prime minister Scott Morrison has been given the top King's Birthday honour of an Companion of the Order of Australia for his work Mr Morrison was given the honour in recognition of his 'eminent service' to the people and Australian parliament, noting his contributions to his 'leadership of the national Covid-19 response,' his economic initiatives and his work on national security, 'especially through leadership of Australia's contribution to AUKUS'. Reflecting on the challenges during his term as Australia's 30th prime minister from 2018 to 2022, he said Australians responded with 'trademark courage and a care for their country and one another'. He also highlighted China's increasingly aggressive defence posture during this period, during this period, which included the encroachment of Chinese jet fighters on the Taiwan Strait's median line in March 2019. 'During this time Australia faced challenges and threats not experienced since the Second World War,' he said in a statement. 'These ranged from unrelenting natural disasters and a once in a century global pandemic and the recession it caused, to coercion and intimidation designed to threaten our support for a free and open Indo-Pacific, a world order that favours freedom and our strong bond with allies and partners.' His statement also paid tribute to his parliamentary colleagues, state premiers, chief territory ministers, as well as Josh Frydenberg and Michael McCormack who respectively served as treasurer and Nationals leader during his term. While at times divisive, Mr Morrison's prime ministership was marred in controversy after it was revealed he secretly awarded himself the portfolios for health, finance, home affairs, treasury, and industry, science, energy and resources. His unpopularity as prime minister also resulted in what was then the 'most serious' election loss for the Liberal Party, with the party losing six of its inner metropolitan seats to teal independents. Baz Luhrmann – Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) One of Australia's most beloved Hollywood exports, Baz Luhrmann's prodigious film and theatre career is well-documented. His repertoire spans the Oscar-winning 2001 film Moulin Rouge! the third of his highly-aclaimed Red Curtain Triology which also includes Romeo + Juliet and Strictly Ballroom. His latest major work was the 2022 film Elvis which explored Elvis Presley's relationship with his manager Colonel Tom Parker and starred Austin Butler and Tom Hanks. His partner, Catherine Martin – a famed production designer – was also award a AC. Hailing from Herons Creek, a tiny town on NSW's North Coast about 291km from Sydney, Luhrmann paid tribute to his humble beginnings, and the arts community at large. 'My personal journey from a small, rural town to the world stage would not have been possible but for those who came before having the vision to support the arts, allowing us to reflect our stories back to ourselves and participate in global culture as Australians,' he said. 'Catherine Martin and I feel this honour recognises not just us, but those who have made access to the arts possible for every Australian.' Catherine Martin – Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) Hailing from Lindfield in Sydney's upper north shore, renowned costume designer, production designer and set designer Catherine Martin is behind her husbands box-office hits. She currently holds the record for the most Academy Awards held by any Australia (four), winning both best costume design and best production design for her work on The Great Gatsby (2013), and Moulin Rouge! (2001). Speaking about her latest accolade, which sits alongside four Academy Awards, a host of Baftas and a Tony, Martin said she was humbled by her AC in eminent service to the arts, to costume, production and set design, and to fostering emerging artistic talent. 'I am so honoured to be joining the ranks of so many illustrious Australians, whom I have admired and been inspired by,' she said. 'Being recognised in your home country is especially meaningful.' Outside of film, she's held executive producer and costume and production design credits on television series Faraway Downs and The Get Down. Martin also dipped her toe into filmmaking, recently launching her collaboration with Italian fashion powerhouse Miu Miu. The project showcased the brand's Upcycled capsule collection which reworks vintage dresses from the brand. 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'In forensic pathology we see cases that bypass the hospital, so we've got information that's extremely useful.' His area of expertise however is in pediatrics and SIDS – sudden infant death syndrome – and determining the risk factors, and causes for the rare but tragic event which affects about 0.3 deaths per 1000 live births. Showing the link between forensic pathology and social issues, he points to his work in amending legislation to create an Australian standard for cots to prevent instances of babies suffocating. 'There was a British pathologist who called said that SIDS is in danger of becoming a diagnostic dustbin if people don't investigate the cases properly, and a lot of unsafe cots where babies were suffocating, those deaths were being called SIDS,' he said. 'People weren't realising how dangerous the cots were.' Nicole Livingstone – Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) From Olympic medallist to presenter and now senior sports administrator, Nicole Livingstone has been honoured for her 'distinguished service to sports development and administration, to the promotion of women in sport, and to community health'. The mum-of-three participated in three Olympic Games including Seoul in 1988, Barcelona 1992, and finally Atlanta 1996, competing in a total of 11 events. She holds a bronze Olympic medal for the 200m backstroke, a bronze medal for the 4 x 200m freestyle relay, and a silver medal by the 4 x 100m silver medal. After retiring from professional swimming in 1996, Livingstone segued into presenting before becoming the general manager for the Women's Football at the AFL in 2017, where she was credited with expanding the game and growing the presence of the AFLW. Speaking to Domain in 2021, Livingstone reflected on the growth of women in sport. 'There's a lot more choice for women in this country now than in the 1990s,' she said. 'But you have to remember that during the 2000 Olympic Games, Friends was knocked off air to put swimming on TV and they had 1 million people watching. It was the time before pay-TV and the nation was glued.' Under her tenure, the AFLW became the largest employers of female athletes in Australia, and expanded the teams from eight to 18. Since 2024, Livingstone has served as the chief executive of the Victorian Institute of Sport. Naguib 'Nick' Kaldas – Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) The former NSW Police Force commissioner was one of the three commissioners behind the Royal Commission in Defence and Veteran Suicide, a role he undertook with James Douglas KC and Peggy Brown. Mr Kaldas has also held roles with the United Nations, including chief of investigations with the UN's probe into the use of chemical weapons in Syria in 2016, and the same role in the organisation's Special Tribunal for Lebanon. He was awarded the AO for his 'distinguished service to international and transnational law enforcement, to counter-terrorism leadership, to multiculturalism, and to veterans.' Sobering findings from the royal commission revealed 1677 serving and former Defence Force members died of suicide between 1997 and 2021, with that figure 20 times more than the number of members who were killed in action or during military exercises. The government has agreed in principle to implementing 104 of the 122 recommendations from the report, and noted an additional 17 for further consideration. Speaking at the ceremonial closing of the royal commission, Mr Kaldas urged the government and the Defence Force to 'recognise and admit' to the 'unacceptable behaviour' unearthed by the probe, which include rampant sexual abuse and inadequate support given to veterans and unfair delays taken to process claims lodged with the Department of Veterans' Affairs. He said systems had 'failed' many veterans over many years, stating 'our nation remains indebted to them and that debt must be now be repaid'. 'Vigilance must be maintained, and no one should take their foot off the pedal in the reform process once the Royal Commission ceases to exist,' he said. 'And so, we call on this government and succeeding governments to finally take the courageous step of overruling bureaucratic inertia and do what is needed, what is necessary and what is right'. Julie-Ann Finney – Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) An instrumental and relentless voice in calling for the Royal Commission in Defence and Veteran Suicide, which was released last year, Julie-Ann Finney's advocacy came from tragedy. The South Australian woman began campaigning for change in the military system after she lost her 38-year-old David to suicide in 2019. Ms Finney paid tribute to her late son and defence families nationwide who have lost a loved one. 'I did wish that he was here to get it. I really don't feel like this is my award,' she said. 'I feel like this award belongs to everybody who served or serves, and all of the voiceless and their families who are fighting for them. 'This has been such a huge fight, and usually if I something happens with me I don't talk about it but I have decided that this one, I'm going to stand on, because we still need so much change.' 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News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘What do you mean?': Half-naked trend you are allowed to be intimidated by
'What do you mean we're not wearing pants anymore?' It was a sentence uttered to me by a friend over a $35 breakfast. He was wearing a puffer jacket, because it was a Saturday, and he is a white man, and he was also beginning his journey into the five stages of Millennial fashion grief — starting with denial. While trying not to dip my boxy blazer sleeve into my smashed avocado, I had to gently tell him that this was the new world order. He then swiftly moved into anger, 'Well, that's ridiculous,' and then onto bargaining, 'Are you sure it isn't just shorter shorts?' Then he sadly spiralled straight into depression, 'I'm getting too old for these trends, and who can pull it off?' Then, eventually, he got to acceptance, 'Maybe with a trench, it'd look cool, or will I just look like a creep?' I'd just dropped quite the bombshell on him by solemnly delivering the news that pants, much like flavoured lip-gloss and berets, unless you're in Paris, not just because you've watched Emily in Paris — are out. It was better he heard it from me than discover it at the local shopping centre, in a few months. There's nothing more confronting than discovering what is cool by what the Cotton On mannequins are dressed in. It's how so many discovered the return of the mico-mini skirt. It is downright embarrassing to learn what is trendy again in the unflattering lighting of a shopping centre. It can make anyone feel like a sad middle-aged woman, no matter how young and hot they are! Not that I would know, of course. I've been grappling with the no-pants news for the last fortnight, but it has been brewing for a while. I've been treating it like an electricity bill and ignoring it, but at this point, I'm going to accept it because celebs are going everywhere without pants! They're at dinners, on Instagram, swanning around fashion events, and heading to red-carpet events. I can't stress enough that they're doing all this without pants! Hailey Bieber was seen rocking a trench without pants, and Kristen Stewart has been doing the no-pants dance. Dakota Johnson was seen ditching pants just after her reported break-up with the man Gwyneth Paltrow consciously uncoupled from, Chris Martin. Oh yeah, and he is in Coldplay too. Even Charli XCX has been known to leave her pants at home, and we all know whatever she's doing is cool; this is the woman who managed to reference her birth control in a song, and it wasn't cringe. We should have seen it coming when Sabrina Carpenter, under the instruction of Pharrell Williams, wore no pants to the Met Gala. Pants much like a footballer's career after a knee injury are over. I don't have any problem with celebrities not wearing pants, like they're celebrities, if they're being weird, I'm more entertained, so go for it, but I know what happens when a trend goes mainstream. It goes from something you see looking edgy on red carpets to something you see looking wrong on someone at Kmart. While my friend may have reached acceptance. I think I'm still in the bargaining phase. 'Okay fine no pants are in, but can we just please not see anyone wearing them at the supermarket?' Everyone's got a line, mine is drawn at no pants in the frozen section.
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Scott Morrison receives country's highest honour for leading Australia through crisis
Scott Morrison has credited Australians for their "courage and resilience" in the face of crises, including the Black Summer bushfires and a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, as he received the country's highest honour for his leadership. The 30th prime minister has been appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for his "eminent service" to the country and direction of the national COVID response, as part of the King's Birthday honours. Mr Morrison was prime minister for just over three and a half years — between 2018 and 2022 — a period in which he said, "we were hit with pretty much every crisis you can imagine". "From natural disasters to a global pandemic, once in a hundred years, and of course the threats we faced in our region, and a recession caused by that global pandemic," he said in a sit-down interview before his appointment was publicly announced. "Through all of this Australians were just incredible and the one assumption I made is that that's how they would be — their character would pull them through and that's the basis on which we built the policies that helped us to achieve that." The AC is the highest award in the King's Birthday Honour List, designed to recognise achievements "in service to Australia or humanity at large". Former prime ministers are typically appointed, but the time between their service and the recognition varies. Mr Morrison's appointment — three years after he lost the prime ministership — also notes his contributions to international engagement, economic initiatives and national security, particularly through his role in securing the AUKUS agreement. The latter was named by the former prime minister as one of his proudest achievements in office, among other work he said his government undertook to strengthen Australia's sovereignty. "The resilience and sovereignty of the country, whether it was building our resilience against disasters of the future, having dealt with them at the time, our economic resilience, incredibly important, the way we bounced back after COVID was incredible, and we had invested heavily in our small business sector in particular," he said. "It really was about protecting our sovereignty and building that up so we could deal with the significant challenges into the future." Mr Morrison's term coincided with the height of the COVID pandemic, when international and state borders were slammed shut, Australians were locked down in their homes, and thousands of businesses were forced to close. Just months after the emergence of the virus in China, the former Liberal leader made the at-the-time unprecedented call to ban international travellers from entering Australia — a decision that likely staved off the crisis locally but also left many Australians stranded overseas and others separated from friends and family abroad. International borders remained closed for almost two years, only reopening to vaccinated travellers in early 2022 after the Omicron variant had swept the country. During the pandemic, Mr Morrison, along with then-treasurer Josh Frydenberg, also oversaw the creation of the almost $90 billion JobKeeper scheme wage subsidy scheme, one of the largest economic support programs ever introduced. Asked if he had any regrets from that era this week, Mr Morrison said you "don't get everything right, particularly when you face that many challenges". "But I tend not to dwell too much on that, because frankly there was just the next challenge coming the next day," he said. "You do the best job you can on the day and then you shake yourself off the next day and you do it all again." Mr Morrison left parliament at the start of 2024, more than a year after losing the 2022 election to Labor prime minister Anthony Albanese. The end of his prime ministership was mired in scandal, after it emerged he had secretly sworn himself into five additional ministries during the pandemic. This week he described those secret positions as a "latent redundancy that was never active". "These were unusual times and there were many things we did that were unusual," he said. Since retiring from politics, Mr Morrison has continued to advocate internationally for the AUKUS partnership, which he said remains "as strong today as the day it was announced" despite the arrival of the second Trump administration in the United States. He declined to comment on the current direction of the Liberal Party, which suffered one of the worst election defeats on record last month. But on its future, he said the party's principles remain "as important as they ever have been". "And they are ensuring a strong economy, a strong defence force, guaranteeing those services, responsible financial management — all of those things over the last 70 years and more have meant that Australia is in the strong position it is today," he said. "And for most of that time it has been Coalition governments that have been in government." Some 830 Australians — including Hollywood heavyweights, journalists, and community advocates — will be recognised in this year's King's Birthday Honours List.
