Australia's purchase of Japanese frigates signals a new era for Indo-Pacific security
The Mogami, built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), is a stealth frigate boasting both offensive and defensive capabilities.
– Japan's landmark multibillion-dollar sale of 11 upgraded Mogami-class destroyers to the Royal Australian Navy marks a pivotal moment for the country's burgeoning arms export industry.
Tokyo clinched the A$10 billion (S$8.36 billion) contract, announced by Canberra on Aug 5, over more seasoned competition from Germany, Spain and South Korea – all major military shipbuilders. Japan will deliver the first vessel in 2029.
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Straits Times
7 minutes ago
- Straits Times
German zoo euthanises 3-day-old tiger cubs, sparking both outcry and support
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A German zoo's move to euthanised three tiger cubs after they were rejected by their mother drew mixed reactions from people. Leipzig Zoo in eastern Germany announced on Aug 10 on its social media accounts that the three-day-old Amur tiger cubs, weakened after they did not receive milk or maternal care, were put down to 'spare them further suffering'. It said hand-rearing the cubs was 'out of the question', as it would conflict with principles of species-appropriate wildlife management. 'The rearing of offspring by the mother (and) the offspring learning from its mother are essential for natural behaviour without (any) imprinting,' it added. The cubs were born to Yuska, a first-time mother, on the evening of Aug 6. The first few hours after the birth were promising, the zoo said, as Yushka instinctively cared for the babies. But by the afternoon of Aug 7, her interest had waned. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Business Keppel to sell M1's telco business to Simba for $1.43b, says deal expected to benefit consumers Business Singtel, StarHub shares fall after announcement of Keppel's M1 sale Singapore Healthy lifestyle changes could save Singapore $650 million in healthcare costs by 2050: Study Opinion Anwar's government: Full house but plenty of empty offices Singapore 79 arrested, over 3kg of heroin seized in 5-day drug blitz Singapore Man's claim amid divorce that his mother is true owner of 3 properties cuts no ice with judge Asia Tourist spots in South Korea face complaints over rude service, price gouging during peak season Business Nvidia, AMD to pay 15% of China chip sale revenues to US, official says 'As an inexperienced mother, she unfortunately abandoned the rearing process – a behaviour that can occur in first-time mothers in the animal kingdom,' the zoo said. Over the next two days, the cubs grew weak. Dr Andreas Bernhard, the zoo's veterinarian, told German press agency dpa that the cubs failed to show any active behaviour, an indication that they were not receiving milk or maternal care. As such, the zoo said it had no choice but to euthanise them to spare them further suffering. Despite the explanation, the zoo's decision sparked an outcry. 'You can't be serious,' wrote a netizen on Leipzig Zoo's Instagram account, while another decried the cruelty. 'Stop breeding (the tiger) if you don't want to take responsibility for the offspring… that's cruel!,' the netizen with the handle paravain9 said. On the zoo's Facebook page, Mr Dalino Equs said: 'Won't hand-rearing have been an option for this endangered animal species? Putting the three cubs to sleep is sad. We humans interfere with nature so often that perhaps it would have been possible to let them live.' Amur tigers, also known as Siberian tigers, are the largest cat species in the world and are classified as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Only around 500 of them remain in the wild – in north-east China, the Russian Far East, and possibly North Korea. However, there were some who supported the zoo's move. 'I feel sorry for you guys. But nature is sometimes cruel. Hats off for your honesty. Fingers crossed it turns out good next time,' said Mr Ricarda Kissgen on Facebook. Another, with the handle @mondschattenelfe_sara on Instagram, expressed condolences and noted the mother's inexperience is not to blame. 'That's just how it is in the animal kingdom. I hope she learns from this and can then take better care of her next cubs! Much comfort and strength to the keepers. I know a decision like this is never easy.' The zoo said it intends to continue the Amur tiger breeding programme with Yushka.
Straits Times
29 minutes ago
- Straits Times
New Zealand to consider recognising Palestinian state
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox New Zealand said the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is rightly at the forefront of the global agenda. WELLINGTON - The New Zealand government said it is considering recognition of a state of Palestine, with a formal decision to be taken in September. 'New Zealand has been clear for some time that our recognition of a Palestinian state is a matter of when, not if,' Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement on Aug 11 in Wellington. 'The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is rightly at the forefront of the global agenda.' If it proceeds, New Zealand would be following several of its western peers, including the UK, France and Canada, who plan to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations summit in September. Australia on Aug 11 also said it would do so . 'Some of New Zealand's close partners have opted to recognise a Palestinian state, and some have not,' Mr Peters said. 'Ultimately, New Zealand has an independent foreign policy, and on this issue, we intend to weigh up the issue carefully and then act according to New Zealand's principles, values and national interest.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Business Keppel to sell M1's telco business to Simba for $1.43b, says deal expected to benefit consumers Business Singtel, StarHub shares fall after announcement of Keppel's M1 sale Singapore Healthy lifestyle changes could save Singapore $650 million in healthcare costs by 2050: Study Opinion Anwar's government: Full house but plenty of empty offices Singapore 79 arrested, over 3kg of heroin seized in 5-day drug blitz Singapore Man's claim amid divorce that his mother is true owner of 3 properties cuts no ice with judge Asia Tourist spots in South Korea face complaints over rude service, price gouging during peak season Business Nvidia, AMD to pay 15% of China chip sale revenues to US, official says It was not a straightforward, clear-cut issue, Mr Peters said, with 'a broad range of strongly held views' within government. Cabinet would take a formal decision in September and Mr Peters will 'present the government's approach to this issue' at the UN in late September, he said. BLOOMBERG
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Japan urges evacuations after rains leave several missing
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A house is seen destroyed by a landslide in Aira, Kagoshima prefecture, south-western Japan, on Aug 10. TOKYO - Japanese authorities on Aug 11 urged millions to evacuate their homes after heavy rains unleashed floods and landslides in the country's south-west, leaving several residents missing. Television footage from various communities in Kumamoto prefecture showed houses, stores and vehicles submerged in about a metre of water. Surging rivers swept away vehicles and damaged roads. In six hours to early Aug 11, more than 37cm of rain fell in Kumamoto prefecture's hardest-hit Tamana city, a record for the area, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. 'The situation is life-threatening and safety must be ensured immediately,' the weather agency said. 'Maximum vigilance is required even in places where disasters are not normally considered to occur.' Evacuation advisories and warnings were issued to more than three million residents in the south-western regions, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Business Keppel to sell M1's telco business to Simba for $1.43 billion Business Nvidia, AMD to pay 15% of China chip sale revenues to US, official says Singapore Healthy lifestyle changes could save Singapore $650 million in healthcare costs by 2050: Study Opinion Anwar's government: Full house but plenty of empty offices Singapore 79 arrested, over 3kg of heroin seized in 5-day drug blitz Singapore Man's claim amid divorce that his mother is true owner of 3 properties cuts no ice with judge Asia Tourist spots in South Korea face complaints over rude service, price gouging during peak season Singapore BTO income ceiling, age floor for singles being reviewed: Chee Hong Tat Some 384,000 residents, mostly in Kumamoto, faced Japan's most serious evacuation warning, it said. A father in Kosa town in Kumamoto went missing early on Aug 11 after a landslide hit near his house while he stood outside his vehicle, a town official told AFP. His wife and their two children were safe inside the car, the official said. In Misato town, also in Kumamoto, rescuers were trying to reach an elderly man trapped inside his house after it was struck by a landslide, the town's duty official told AFP. 'Rain was so heavy that I couldn't see what's in front of me for four to five hours,' Misato town official Kazuhiro Masunaga told AFP. Two people in Fukuoka city reportedly were swept away in a surging river Aug 10 and remained missing, national broadcaster NHK said. AFP
