US, Australia hold joint military exercise in Papua New Guinea for first time
Talisman Sabre exercises in Australia last month involved 40,000 troops from 19 countries.
For the Papua New Guinea component, US, Australian and PNG forces are conducting disaster recovery and survival exercises through seven regions of PNG, moving through terrain from Wewak to Lae that saw fierce fighting between Japan and the US in World War Two.
The PNG activities test "combined capabilities across sea, land, air, cyber and space operations", a US Embassy spokesperson said in a statement.
The Talisman Sabre closing ceremony will be held on Monday (Aug 4) in the PNG city of Lae.
The US military gained access to Lae's major seaport under a 2023 defence deal with PNG, signed after China struck a security pact with neighbouring Solomon Islands.
The PNG defence agreement will "enhance security and prosperity for both nations", the US embassy spokesperson added.
Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape met the US under secretary for defence policy, Elbridge Colby, in Washington last month to discuss regional security challenges, with Marape raising "the importance of defending Papua New Guinea's sovereignty", said the embassy spokesperson.
Colby has reportedly pressed US allies Australia and Japan to clarify what role they would play if the US and China went to war over Taiwan.
China has been a major infrastructure lender to PNG, and Marape's office did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Another key PNG site listed in the US defence agreement is the Lombrum Naval Base, which PNG's Defence Minister Billy Joseph recently said will be officially handed over by Australia in a ceremony later this month, after a multi-million dollar renovation.
Australia outbid China to upgrade the strategically located navy base in 2018.
China's embassy in PNG last week posted social media images of Joseph at a local event celebrating the founding of the People's Liberation Army, and said China was willing to deepen military cooperation with PNG. - Reuters
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
27 minutes ago
- The Star
Trump-led Texas redistricting gambit ignites national arms race to control Congress
(Reuters) -The escalating political fight over the Texas congressional map is spreading across other states across the country, triggering an unprecedented mid-decade redistricting arms race with the balance of power in Washington at stake. At President Donald Trump's urging, Texas Republicans have proposed new congressional districts aimed at flipping five Democrat-held U.S. House seats in next year's midterm elections, further skewing what is already considered a deeply partisan map in that state. In response, Democratic governors elsewhere - most notably Gavin Newsom of California, the only state with more congressional districts than Texas - have threatened to retaliate by mounting their own redistricting efforts. "Donald Trump is a cheater, and so is Governor Greg Abbott," JB Pritzker, the Democratic governor of Illinois, told reporters on Tuesday. Standing alongside him were several of the Democratic lawmakers from Texas who fled their home state on Monday to deny Republicans a quorum and prevent a vote on the proposed new map. "As far as I'm concerned, everything is on the table," Pritzker said. Democrats need to flip only three Republican-held seats to retake the majority in the 435-seat House next year, so even modest gains for either party via redistricting could prove decisive. If Democrats win the House, they could stymie much of Trump's legislative agenda and pursue multiple investigations into his administration. The practice of partisan gerrymandering - manipulating district lines to benefit one party over another - has a long tradition in the United States, but the advent of powerful software and sophisticated voter data has allowed mapmakers to drill down to individual streets and neighborhoods. Redistricting typically occurs every 10 years to incorporate the U.S. Census count. Trump has broken with that convention by openly pushing Texas Republicans to pursue a rare mid-decade redistricting for partisan gain, even though the existing map, which Republicans drew just four years ago, resulted in the party winning 25 of the state's 38 seats. "I won Texas. I got the highest vote in the history of Texas, as you probably know, and we are entitled to five more seats," Trump told CNBC on Tuesday, referring to the 2024 presidential election. Trump has encouraged other Republican states to follow suit. A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters last week the administration believes as many as five states could redraw their maps, including Florida, where Governor Ron DeSantis has expressed a willingness to take such a step. DEMOCRATS VOW TO FIGHT BACK Ohio Republicans will draw a new map ahead of the November 2026 election that could flip at least two Democratic seats. In Missouri, where Democrats hold two of the state's seven seats, some Republican lawmakers have had preliminary conversations about a new map, according to a source familiar with the matter. Other Republican-controlled states that could in theory use redistricting to target Democrats include Kansas, Kentucky and New Hampshire. Democrats, meanwhile, face some legal hurdles in their biggest states. In California, where redistricting is overseen by an independent commission, voters would likely have to approve giving Democratic lawmakers the power to draw a new map. Newsom said on Monday he would put the issue before voters this autumn if Texas moves forward. Experts say a Democratic-drawn map could easily target five Republican incumbents, even though Democrats already hold 43 of the state's 52 seats. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on Monday that she would not "fight with my hand tied behind my back." Even so, any new map in her state would require voters to approve a constitutional amendment, and that process cannot take place before 2026. In Illinois, where Pritzker and the Democratic-controlled legislature have no restraints, Democrats already hold 14 of the state's 17 U.S. House seats, leaving them without much room to maneuver. THREATS TO TEXAS DEMOCRATS Meanwhile, in Texas, the Republican attorney general, Ken Paxton, said on Tuesday he would seek court orders declaring that any Democratic lawmakers who failed to return by Friday will lose their seats. Democrats have dismissed that threat as empty. David Froomkin, a law professor at the University of Houston, said he did not believe judges would buy the argument that lawmakers had created vacancies by leaving the state in protest. "Courts have generally taken the view that a legislator has surrendered their seat when they have chosen to surrender their seat," he said. "Here, they're not intending to vacate their offices – they're exercising their offices by trying to prevent the passage of legislation they find troubling." Paxton's threat follows warrants issued by the Republican Speaker of the Texas House, Dustin Burrows, for authorities to bring the absent lawmakers back to the statehouse for a vote. Abbott has ordered state law enforcement to help find them. But the Democrats have all left the state, putting them beyond the reach of any state agency. Trump told reporters late on Tuesday that the FBI 'may have' to get involved in forcing Democrats back to Texas. (Reporting by Joseph Ax in New York; Additional reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Frank McGurty and Howard Goller)
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Canadian minister hails 'productive' Mexico meeting as US tariffs loom
Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum, Canada's Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, and Canada's Foreign Minister Anita Anand pose for a picture in Mexico City, in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters on August 5, 2025. Mexico Presidency/Handout via REUTERS MEXICO CITY/TORONTO (Reuters) -Top Canadian ministers held a "productive" meeting with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and some of her top officials during a visit to Mexico City on Tuesday, Canada's top diplomat said, as the two nations navigate a volatile tariff environment. Mexico's economy minister had signaled earlier in the day that talks would cover the two countries' policies in response to a volley of tariff announcements from U.S. President Donald Trump. The three countries have tightly bound economies. Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said in a post on X that she and Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne had spoken with Sheinbaum to reaffirm bilateral ties. Anand also met with her Mexican counterpart Juan Ramon de la Fuente, she said. "These discussions with the president and members of her government advanced key shared priorities in terms of economic growth, security and trade diversification," she added. Mexico's Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said earlier in the day that he was also set to speak with Champagne about the two countries' experiences in dealing with tariffs imposed on goods shipped to the United States. "They want to know how Mexico is getting these results," Ebrard told journalists. Mexico was able to avoid 30% tariffs on its shipments to the U.S. set to come into force last week, securing a 90-day pause to work on a trade deal with the government of U.S. President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Trump slapped a 35% duty on many goods coming from Canada, hiking the rate from a 25% fentanyl-related tariff imposed earlier this year. "We're going to exchange experiences," Ebrard said. "They're paying a 35% tariff, and Mexico isn't." Mexico is still subject to the previously imposed 25% fentanyl tariffs, though goods sent under the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement - which are most of them - are exempt. Trump has said the U.S. would continue to levy a 50% tariff on Mexican steel, aluminum and copper and a 25% tariff on Mexican autos and on the non-USMCA-compliant goods. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum met with the Canadian finance minister, Francois-Philippe Champagne, as well as Foreign Minister Anita Anand, earlier in the day at Mexico's national palace. "We're strengthening the relationship between our countries," she said in a post on X. (Reporting by Kylie Madry and Diego Ore in Mexico City and Ryan Patrick Jones in Toronto; Editing by Sarah Morland and Stephen Coates)
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Epstein partner Maxwell opposes release of her grand jury materials
FILE PHOTO: Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell stands at the podium to address Judge Alison Nathan during her sentencing in a courtroom sketch in New York City, U.S. June 28, 2022. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg/File Photo NEW YORK (Reuters) -Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein who was convicted in 2021 of helping him sexually abuse teenage girls, said on Tuesday she opposed the U.S. government's bid to release transcripts of proceedings before the grand jury that indicted her. In a court filing, Maxwell's lawyers said the release of the materials would jeopardize a potential re-trial if she succeeds in persuading the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn her is serving a 20-year prison sentence. "The reputational harm from releasing incomplete, potentially misleading grand jury testimony, untested by cross-examination, would be severe and irrevocable," her lawyers wrote. President Donald Trump last month instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the release of the Epstein and Maxwell grand jury material, as he sought to quell discontent from his base of conservative supporters and congressional Democrats over his administration's handling of documents from the cases. Trump, a Republican, had promised to make public Epstein-related files if reelected and accused Democrats of covering up the truth. But in July, the Justice Department said a previously touted Epstein client list did not exist, angering Trump's supporters. Epstein died by suicidein jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. He had pleaded not guilty. Grand juries meet in secret to guard against interference in criminal investigations, and records of their proceedings cannot be disclosed without a judge's permission. The Justice Department has cited what it calls continuing public interest in the cases in asking Manhattan-based judges Richard Berman and Paul Engelmayer to authorize the disclosure of the Epstein and Maxwell grand jury judges asked lawyers for Maxwell, Epstein's estate, and the alleged victims to weigh in on the possible disclosure by Tuesday. Lawyers for Epstein's estate said they took no position on whether the transcripts should be released. A lawyer for Annie Farmer, who testified at Maxwell's trial that Maxwell and Epstein abused her at Epstein's New Mexico ranch when she was 16, said disclosing the transcripts may provide additional details about people who facilitated Epstein's alleged abuse. "The public has a legitimate interest in understanding the full scope of Epstein's and Maxwell's crimes," wrote the lawyer, Sigrid McCawley. Bradley Edwards, a lawyer for several alleged victims of Epstein and Maxwell, wrote in a filing that any disclosure of grand jury material should shield the alleged victims' identities, and that their lawyers should be able to review the material before it is made public. MAXWELL MEETS WITH DOJ It is unclear whether the public would learn anything new or noteworthy if such material were released. Earlier on Tuesday, the Justice Department said in a court filing that much of the testimony from law enforcement officers at Maxwell's grand jury proceedings in 2020 was corroborated by the victims and witnesses who testified publicly at her trial the following year. Maxwell's lawyers have told the Supreme Court that her conviction was invalid because a non-prosecution and plea agreement that federal prosecutors had made with Epstein in Florida in 2007 also shielded his associates. The Court is due to consider whether to take up the appeal in late September. Last month, Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Maxwell to see if she had any information about other people who may have committed crimes. Neither party has provided a detailed account of what they discussed. Maxwell last week wasmovedfrom a prison in Florida to a lower-security facility in Texas. (Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Nick Zieminski)
