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  • New York cultural giants bring major art installations to JFK's new terminal

    New York cultural giants bring major art installations to JFK's new terminal

    Four of New York’s most iconic museums are joining forces to transform JFK’s Terminal 6 into a global arts hub, with installations by MoMA, the Met, Lincoln Center, and the American Museum of Natural History.

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    When John F. Kennedy International Airport unveils its new $4.2 billion Terminal 6, visitors won’t just be greeted by sleek gates and high-tech screens – they’ll walk straight into a mini New York arts district.
    As reported by Artnet, four of the city’s most renowned cultural institutions – the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Museum of Natural History, and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts – are teaming up to showcase major installations inside the terminal.

    The artworks, all on loan from each institution’s permanent collection, will be displayed in the international arrivals corridor. It’s part of a wider effort to make Terminal 6 not just a place to pass through – but a cultural experience in its own right.Rendering of the arrivals area in Terminal 6 at JFK.Rendering of the arrivals area in Terminal 6 at JFK.
    Courtesy of JFK Millennium Partners and The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

    “Thanks to the collaboration with four of New York’s premier cultural institutions, Terminal 6 will offer arriving visitors from around the world a unique New York experience before they leave the terminal,” said Port Authority executive director Rick Cotton.
    In addition to these pieces, the terminal will feature 19 permanent, site-specific installations curated by Public Art Fund, plus a rotating display of local work selected by Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning.
    Lincoln Center is contributing a 140-foot mural celebrating its work across music, dance, theatre and opera. MoMA has partnered with artist Yoko Ono on a piece inspired by her 2019 work PEACE is POWER. The American Museum of Natural History will create a display drawing from its scientific collections, while the Met’s installation nods to its diverse collection, showcasing 5,000 years of global art.The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York CityThe Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City
    Hugo Schneider / CC licence

    “We’re honoured to collaborate with such prestigious institutions – icons in the global arts community and deeply rooted in the spirit of New York City,” said Steve Thody, CEO of JFK Millennium Partners (JMP), which is leading the project with the Port Authority. “Each installation will reflect and celebrate the vibrant cultural heartbeat of New York as we welcome the world to JFK and beyond.”
    The effort is led by architect Stanis Smith and will also feature 19 site-specific permanent installations curated by Public Art Fund and rotating local artworks curated by Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning.
    The 1.2 million-square-foot terminal will feature 10 gates and is expected to create around 4,000 jobs. Airlines including JetBlue, Lufthansa, Swiss, ANA, Avianca, and Cathay Pacific will operate from the terminal. Cotton noted that the terminal will boast “state-of-the-art architecture, cutting-edge technology and iconic, [and] locally inspired dining and shopping.”

    The first six gates are set to open later this year, with full completion expected by 2028.Cultural institutions have come under significant pressure during Donald Trump's second presidential termCultural institutions have come under significant pressure during Donald Trump’s second presidential term
    AP Photo

    While JFK’s new terminal celebrates New York’s artistic spirit, the wider US cultural landscape faces increasing political scrutiny.
    A letter sent by the White House last week ordered several US museums to align their content with Donald Trump’s interpretation of American history.
    The move follows Trump’s signing of an executive order in March titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” which accused the Smithsonian of coming under the influence of a “divisive, race-centered ideology” and called upon it to “remove improper ideology” from the institution’s museums.
    In February, Trump removed the Kennedy Center’s Board of Trustees and replaced them with his supporters. He even named himself chairman and vowed to end events featuring performers in drag, indicating he would take on a larger role in dictating the institution’s programming schedule.

  • UK and Australia to sign 50-year nuclear submarine treaty as US reviews AUKUS treaty

    UK and Australia to sign 50-year nuclear submarine treaty as US reviews AUKUS treaty

    The three-way alliance was announced in 2021 to contend with growing Chinese military might in the Asia-Pacific region.

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    The United Kingdom and Australia announced on Friday that they will sign a cooperation treaty to build Australian nuclear-powered submarines and welcomed a review by US President Donald Trump’s administration into Washington’s role in the trilateral defence deal.
    UK Defence Secretary John Healey and Foreign Secretary David Lammy met with their Australian counterparts Richard Marles and Penny Wong in Sydney for an annual meeting.

    Marles said he and Healey will sign a 50-year treaty on Saturday that will underpin bilateral cooperation on building an Australian fleet of submarines powered by US nuclear technology.From left, Richard Marles, David Lammy, Penny Wong and John Healey hold a press conference at Admiralty House in Sydney, 25 July, 2025From left, Richard Marles, David Lammy, Penny Wong and John Healey hold a press conference at Admiralty House in Sydney, 25 July, 2025
    AP Photo

    “It is as significant a treaty as has been signed between our two countries since federation,” Marles said, referring to the unification of several British colonies to form the Australian government in 1901.
    The three-way alliance was announced in 2021 to contend with growing Chinese military might in the Asia-Pacific region.
    It would deliver Australia at least eight submarines including three to five second-hand US Virginia-class submarines.

    Britain and Australia would cooperate to build their own SSN-AUKUS submarines.

    US reviewing AUKUS submarine deal

    US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is reviewing the AUKUS pact, which the previous administration entered into under Joe Biden.
    There are concerns that the US may not provide Australia with its first Virginia-class submarine by the early 2030s as planned, due to domestic submarine construction being behind schedule.
    Marles and Healey declined to speculate on whether Britain and Australia would continue to jointly build submarines if the US pulled out, when questioned at a press conference.US President Joe Biden, centre, speaks as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak listen at Naval Base Point Loma, 13 March, 2023US President Joe Biden, centre, speaks as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak listen at Naval Base Point Loma, 13 March, 2023
    AP Photo

    “Australia and the UK welcome the review because we see this as a chance for a new administration to renew their commitment to AUKUS. And that’s what we expect,” Healey said.
    “Any sort of hypotheticals that you suggest simply aren’t part of the picture,” Healey added, referring to the prospect of Britain and Australia proceeding without US involvement.
    The Australian government confirmed this week it had paid the US a second $500 million (€426 million) instalment on the AUKUS deal. The first $500 million was paid in February.
    The submarines are expected to cost Australia up to $245 billion (€208 billion).

    Brits join Australian war games

    The meeting comes as 3,000 British military personnel take part in the largest military exercise ever conducted in Australia.
    More than 35,000 military personnel from 19 nations are taking part in Exercise Talisman Sabre, which began in 2005 as a biennial joint exercise between the US and Australia.South Korean soldiers pose for a photo during the Exercise Talisman Sabre military drills near Rockhampton, 14 July, 2025South Korean soldiers pose for a photo during the Exercise Talisman Sabre military drills near Rockhampton, 14 July, 2025
    AP Photo

    Marles and Healey will inspect the British aircraft HMS Prince of Wales at the northern port of Darwin on Sunday.
    Lammy said the carrier’s arrival in Darwin was meant to send a clear signal to the world.
    “With our carrier strike group docking in Darwin, I think we’re sending a clear signal, a signal of the UK’s commitment to this region of the world. Our determination to keep the Indo-Pacific free and open and that we stand together,” he said.