Morning News Bulletin 15 March 2025

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Source: SBS News

Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte fronts the ICC in The Hague; the Prime Minister set to speak with world leaders concerning a Ukraine ceasefire; Hawthorn extend unbeaten AFL start with dominant win over Essendon.


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TRANSCRIPT
  • Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte fronts the ICC in The Hague
  • The Prime Minister set to speak with world leaders concerning a Ukraine ceasefire
  • Hawthorn extend unbeaten AFL start with dominant win over Essendon

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is set to speak with world leaders tonight on the possibility of providing Australian peacekeepers to Ukraine.

The prime minister accepted an invitation from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to join a phone call on Saturday night, Australian time, about peacekeeping efforts in what's been branded a "coalition of the willing".

As well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, and Canada will also join.

Mr Albanese says peace could be achieved in Ukraine immediately if Russian President Vladimir Putin called off his country's invasion.

He also accused Opposition leader Peter Dutton of walking back his commitment to supporting Ukraine.

"We look forward to there being peace in Ukraine but we don't have to think very hard about which side we're on in this conflict. Australia has of course stood with Ukraine since the beginning of this process. It did have a bipartisan position. It appears that Mr Dutton has walked away from that. That’s a decision for him. But we stand against and remain committed to opposing the actions of Vladimir Putin."

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Opposition leader Peter Dutton says he is concerned about a new wave of tariffs that could hit lucrative agriculture and pharmaceutical exports to the US.

U-S President Donald Trump's trade war is now escalating with threats to impose up to 200 per cent tariffs on European Union wine and champagne and hinting at potential tariffs on foreign agricultural goods.

Mr Trump has already levied 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium imports and refused to provide exemptions to allies, including Australia.

Despite this, Peter Dutton has attempted to blame the Albanese government for failing to secure this carve out, saying the Prime Minister's team is incapable of negotiating with the President.

"I am concerned about a second round, and I think there are some worrying signs at the moment. If the government doesn’t get its skates on, we’re going to have further tariffs applied to Australia. It's obvious that Ambassador Rudd - I'm sure is well intentioned - but just can't open any doors, has no respect and has no relationship with the current administration and that's a real problem for Australia. But ultimately, the responsibility is the Prime Minister's. We have to respond to events and unfortunately the Prime Minister hasn't been nimble enough to do that."

Both major parties have rejected pressure to consider imposing retaliatory tariffs on the US.

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Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has appeared via videoconference before International Criminal Court judges, days after his arrest in Manila on murder charges linked to his deadly war on drugs.

The 79-year-old was expected in The Hague on Friday but instead appeared on screen from a detention centre just 1.5 kilometres away.

His lawyer, Salvador Medialdea, condemned the arrest as pure and simple kidnapping, claiming Mr Duterte was denied legal recourse in the Philippines.

"Two days ago, the whole world has witnessed the degrading fashion in which a former president of a sovereign country was bundled into a private aircraft and summarily transported to The Hague. To us lawyers, this would be called an extrajudicial rendition. ... And this all in the nature of political score settling."

A pretrial hearing has been set for the 23rd of September to determine if the prosecution's evidence is strong enough for trial.

If the case proceeds, a trial could take years.

If convicted, Duterte faces life imprisonment.

--

Ex-central banker Mark Carney has been sworn in as the new prime minister of Canada, making him the country's first leader without any serious political experience.

Mr Carney, who is 59 years old, defeated party rivals to become the leader of the ruling Liberal Party, replacing Justin Trudeau, who led Canada for more than nine years.

“I, Mark Carney, do solemnly and sincerely promise and swear that I will truly and faithfully and to the best of my skill and knowledge, execute the powers and trust reposed in me as Prime Minister.”

Mr Carney, a former head of both the Bank of Canada and Bank of England, has argued that his position as an outsider with a history of tackling crises means he is the best person to take on Donald Trump.

He says he will keep retaliatory tariffs on US goods in place until the United States shows Canada some respect.

--

Hawthorn has maintained a perfect start to the AFL season with a 26-point win over Essendon, outrunning their rivals in a 17.9 to 12.13 victory at the MCG.

In front of more than 80,000 fans, the Hawks' speed and efficiency proved too much for the Bombers.

Jai Newcombe achieved 25 disposals, seven clearances, and Karl Amon, with 28 touches, led the way, while Nick Watson and Dylan Moore each kicked three goals.

The only setback was Jack Scrimshaw’s concussion after a head clash with teammate Josh Battle.


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