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Albanese hoping to secure meeting with Trump

Albanese hoping to secure meeting with Trump

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is hoping to secure a private meeting with US President Donald Trump at the G7 Summit.
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‘Relationship is excellent': Donald Trump confirms trade deal with China done
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‘Relationship is excellent': Donald Trump confirms trade deal with China done

US President Donald Trump has confirmed a trade framework with China has been secured. Negotiations have taken place in London between both sides, but the deal is subject to final approval from both President Trump and Xi Jinping. President Trump posted on Truth Social: 'Our deal with China is done, subject to final approval with President Xi and me. Full magnets and any necessary rare earths will be supplied upfront by China. Likewise, we will provide to China what was agreed to. 'We are getting a total of 55 per cent tariffs, China is getting 10 per cent. Relationship is excellent! Thank you for your attention on this matter.'

US reduces staffers in Middle East as tensions rise
US reduces staffers in Middle East as tensions rise

Perth Now

time44 minutes ago

  • Perth Now

US reduces staffers in Middle East as tensions rise

The United States is drawing down the presence of staffers who are not deemed essential to operations in the Middle East and their loved ones due to the potential for regional unrest, the State Department and military say. The State Department said it has ordered the departure of all non-essential personnel from the US embassy in Baghdad based on its latest review and a commitment "to keeping Americans safe, both at home and abroad". The embassy already had been on limited staffing, and the order will not affect a large number of personnel. The department, however, also is authorising the departure of non-essential personnel and family members from Bahrain and Kuwait. That gives them the option of leaving those countries at government expense and with government assistance. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth "has authorised the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations" across the region, US Central Command said in a statement. The command "is monitoring the developing tension in the Middle East". Tensions in the region have risen in recent days as talks between the US and Iran over its rapidly advancing nuclear program appear to have hit an impasse. The talks seek to limit Iran's nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of some of the crushing economic sanctions that the US has imposed on the Islamic Republic. Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful. The next round of talks - the sixth - is tentatively scheduled for this weekend in Oman, but US officials said it looked increasingly unlikely that the talks would happen. President Donald Trump, who has previously said Israel or the US could carry out air strikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities if negotiations failed, gave a less-than-optimistic view about reaching a deal with Iran, telling the New York Post's Pod Force One podcast that he was "getting more and more less confident about" a deal. "They seem to be delaying, and I think that's a shame ... Something happened to them," he said in the interview recorded on Monday. Iran's mission to the UN posted on social media that "threats of overwhelming force won't change the facts". "Iran is not seeking a nuclear weapon, and US militarism only fuels instability," the Iranian mission wrote. Iranian Defence Minister General Aziz Nasirzadeh separately told journalists on Wednesday that he hoped talks with the US would yield results, though Tehran stood ready to respond. "If conflict is imposed on us, the opponent's casualties will certainly be more than ours, and in that case, America must leave the region, because all its bases are within our reach," he said. Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre, a Mideast-based effort overseen by the British navy, issued a warning to ships in the region that it "has been made aware of increased tensions within the region which could lead to an escalation of military activity having a direct impact on mariners". It did not name Iran, though those waterways have seen Iranian ship seizures and attacks in the past.

Huge blow for Australia's nuclear submarine plans as US government reviews AUKUS deal
Huge blow for Australia's nuclear submarine plans as US government reviews AUKUS deal

7NEWS

timean hour ago

  • 7NEWS

Huge blow for Australia's nuclear submarine plans as US government reviews AUKUS deal

In a huge blow for Australia's plans to acquire and eventually build nuclear submarines, the Pentagon has confirmed to 7NEWS that it is reviewing the $300 billion agreement. Australia has already made a $500 million down payment to the United States for the first Virginia class vessels. A US Department of Defense official says AUKUS is being reviewed 'as part of ensuring that this initiative of the previous Administration is aligned with the President's America First agenda'. 'As Secretary Hegseth has made clear, this means ensuring the highest readiness of our servicemembers, that allies step up fully to do their part for collective defence, and that the defence industrial base is meeting our needs,' the official said. 'This review will ensure the initiative meets these common sense, America First criteria.' The Anthony Albanese government is yet to respond to the announcement of a review. The prime minister is now under extreme pressure to save AUKUS, and will seek assurances from the US President Donald Trump that the deal is still on. Albanese and Trump are set to meet, face to face, for the first time on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada in the next week. What is AUKUS? Under the plan signed between former prime minister Scott Morrison and former United States president Joe Biden, the White House intends to sell Australia three Virginia Class SSNs (nuclear-powered submarines) from as soon as the early 2030s, which was authorised by the US Congress in December 2023. Australia retains the option to seek approval for up to two more if needed. Australia's Submarine Agency says, 'This acquisition will eliminate any capability gap and increase the three nations' (Australia, UK and US) ability to deter aggression and contribute to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.' Australia will then build its own nuclear powered submarines based off technology from the UK. Australia's nuclear-powered submarines - SSN-AUKUS - will be based on the UK's next-generation design that incorporates technology from all three nations, including cutting edge US submarine technologies. The UK will commence construction of its first SSN-AUKUS in Barrow-in-Furness UK, as early as the late 2020s. The UK intends to deliver its first SSN-AUKUS to the UK Royal Navy in the late 2030s. Australia will begin building its first SSN-AUKUS in Adelaide, South Australia, by the end of this decade, and plans to deliver the first Australian-built SSN-AUKUS to the Royal Australian Navy in the early 2040s.

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