SYDNEY: King Charles III wrapped up a six-day Australia tour Wednesday, jetting off to the Pacific island of Samoa for a summit of the 56-nation Commonwealth, where more questions about Britain’s colonial legacy await.
The king took off from Sydney airport after a slimmed-down tour of Australia, capped by a public finale Tuesday under the sails of the harborside Opera House where thousands of fans crowded for a brush with royalty.
On his first major foreign tour since being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, the 75-year-old monarch held a community barbecue, greeted posy-bearing children, met ministers and dignitaries, and was sneezed on by a bow-tie-wearing alpaca named Hephner.
He was also given a stark reminder of the resentment that remains over Britain’s imperial past.
An Indigenous senator, Lidia Thorpe, heckled him during a stop in the capital Canberra, screaming: “Give us our land back!” and “This is not your land, you are not my king!“
Charles insists that the monarchy still has a place in Australia’s democracy and that the Commonwealth — a bloc of 2.5 billion people — can play a “significant role on the global stage.”
“It has the diversity to understand the world’s problems, and the sheer brain power and resolve to formulate practical solutions,” he said before heading to Apia, the coastal capital of Samoa — halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii.
This year’s Commonwealth summit is the first hosted by a Pacific Island nation and will be an “extraordinary” opportunity to showcase the region, Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland told AFP.
She said she hoped the gathering would “cement” the Commonwealth family “as we look to what, for many, is a very troubled and complex future.”
That sentiment is reflected in the theme of this year’s summit: “One Resilient Common Future,” with discussions to focus on the environment, democratic systems, economy, youth, gender, and digital transformation.
Climate change and rising sea levels are expected to feature heavily, with world leaders to deliberate on an Ocean Declaration to safeguard a healthy and resilient ocean.
Pacific island nations — once seen as the embodiment of palm-fringed paradise and now among the most climate-threatened areas of the planet — are well placed to highlight this “existential threat,” Scotland said.
About 70 percent of Samoa’s population of 220,000 lives in low-lying coastal areas.
Each Commonwealth country has been adopted by a village festooned in that nation’s colors and national flags.
Nonetheless, the legacy of empire will loom over the summit, in particular when leaders select a new secretary-general nominated from the African region — in line with regional rotations of the position.
Scotland has been secretary-general since 2016, and all three candidates to succeed her have called publicly for reparations for slavery and colonialism.
At the last Commonwealth summit two years ago in Rwanda, Charles responded to calls for countries that benefited from slavery to pay reparations and issue an apology by expressing his “personal sorrow” at the suffering it caused.
Beyond the political challenges, Charles’ nine-day tour of Australia and Samoa with Queen Camilla is a test of his own health following his diagnosis in February with an undisclosed form of cancer.
King Charles winds up Australia trip, flies to Samoa summit
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King Charles winds up Australia trip, flies to Samoa summit
Thai coffee chains cut default sugar content in coffee and tea drinks in a new health push
- The Health Department says Thais consume 21 teaspoons of sugar daily, far exceeding the World Health Organization’s recommended six teaspoons
- Officials warn this increases obesity and diabetes risks. A survey found iced coffee and bubble tea contain high sugar levels
BANGKOK: For many Thais, a meal doesn’t feel complete without an iced coffee or tea so sugary it could pass for dessert. The government, concerned about the health consequences, wants them to dial it back.
Starting Wednesday, nine major coffee chains across the country have pledged to cut the default sugar content in some of their drinks by half in a government initiative aimed at tackling excessive sugar consumption.
According to the Health Department, Thais consume an average of 21 teaspoons of sugar per day, more than three times the World Health Organization’s recommended limit of six teaspoons. Health officials warn that such high intake increases the risk of obesity, diabetes and other diseases.
The initiative is the first significant step to change consumers’ sugar consumption behavior, said Amporn Benjaponpitak, the director general of the department.
Pakorn Tungkasereerak, the department’s deputy, said 2025 data show that about 45 percent of Thais aged 15 and older are obese, while 10 percent of the population has diabetes.
A survey by the Bureau of Nutrition found that a 22-ounce (650-milliliter) iced coffee contains an average of nine teaspoons of sugar, while a 10-ounce (300-milliliter) serving of bubble milk tea — an iced milk tea with tapioca pearls known as boba — can contain as much as 12 teaspoons.
Sirinya Kuiklang, an office worker, said she approves of the changes. She already orders her drinks at just 25 percent of the standard sugar level, but she is aware that many others consume too much sugar.
“It’s good for Thai people,” she said.
Another office worker, Porwares Tantikanpanit, said he has enjoyed his non-coffee beverages at their current sugar levels but is willing to adjust if shops reduce the sweetness.
However, putting the policy into practice may prove challenging. Officials have said each brand can apply the initiative as they see fit.
Some customers have expressed confusion in response to social media posts promoting the initiative, asking how to order drinks with the level of sweetness that they prefer. Several brands said that the reduction applies only to certain menu items.
