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US Navy command ship arrives in Wellington

US Navy command ship arrives in Wellington

1News16-05-2025

A large US warship has arrived in Wellington's harbour, making the first visit to the city by a US naval vessel since 2021.
The nearly 200-metre long USS Blue Ridge arrived in the city this morning.
The command ship, and flagship of the 7th US Fleet, was full of sensors, as opposed to missiles and shells. It was commissioned in 1970 and is the oldest operational ship in the US Navy.
The nearly 200-metre USS Blue Ridge arrived in the city this morning. (Source: 1News)
During the visit, leadership from the vessel would meet with their Kiwi counterparts to discuss ways of improving operational readiness, advancing future military capabilities, and growing the US and New Zealand's bilateral relationship overall.
Crew from the shop would spend the day participating in various in-port activities, including band performances, community relations events, ship tours, and tourist sightseeing.
The ship would be off-limits to the public, however.
Vice Admiral Fred Kacher, commander, US 7th Fleet, said the visit spoke to the US and New Zealand's "deep ties".
'Our partnership is rooted in our common values and respect, and our visit here represents an important opportunity for us to further strengthen the bond between our nations and our navies.'
The ship's visit comes months after Chinese warships engaged in live-firing drills in the Tasman Sea.
US defence analyst Derek Grossman told 1News that Blue Ridge's visit was a "good sign" of the two countries' security partnership.
"I think it's symbolic, but I also think it's indicative of the strengthening partnership with an eye towards countering China in the Indo-Pacific."
Grossman said he "wouldn't be surprised" if the visit was partially in response to China's live fire drills, but said it was more symbolic of an "increasing alignment in the perspectives of Wellington and Washington".

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US-China trade truce back on track, Trump says
US-China trade truce back on track, Trump says

Otago Daily Times

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  • Otago Daily Times

US-China trade truce back on track, Trump says

A deal getting the fragile truce in the US-China trade war back on track is done, US President Donald Trump said, after negotiators from Washington and Beijing agreed on a framework covering tariff rates. The deal also removes Chinese export restrictions on rare earth minerals and allows Chinese students access to American universities. Trump took to his social media platform to offer some of the first details to emerge from two days of marathon talks held in London that had, in the words of US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, put "meat on the bones" of an agreement reached last month in Geneva to ease bilateral retaliatory tariffs that had reached crushing triple-digit levels. "Our deal with China is done, subject to final approval with President Xi and me," Trump said on the Truth Social platform. "Full magnets, and any necessary rare earths, will be supplied, up front, by China. Likewise, we will provide to China what was agreed to, including Chinese students using our colleges and universities (which has always been good with me!). We are getting a total of 55% tariffs, China is getting 10%." A White House official said the 55% represents the sum of a baseline 10% "reciprocal" tariff Trump has imposed on goods imported from nearly all US trading partners; 20% on all Chinese imports because of punitive measures Trump has imposed on China, Mexico and Canada associated with his accusation that the three facilitate the flow of the opioid fentanyl into the US; and finally pre-existing 25% levies on imports from China that were put in place during Trump's first term in the White House. Lutnick said the 55% rate for Chinese imports is now fixed and unalterable. Asked on Wednesday on CNBC if the tariff levels on China would not change, he said: "You can definitely say that." 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There, the two sides set August 10 as the deadline to negotiate a more comprehensive agreement to ease trade tensions, or tariff rates would snap back from about 30% to 145% on the US side and from 10% to 125% on the Chinese side. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu in Washington and Alistair Smout in London; Additional reporting by David Milliken and William James in London and Sachin Ravikumar; Ethan Wang, Shi Bu, Yuhan Lin and Alessandro Diviggiano in Beijing; Caroline Valetkevitch in New York; Writing by David Lawder, Kate Holton and Liz Lee; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Paul Simao)

Deadly Border Feud Between Thailand & Cambodia
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Deadly Border Feud Between Thailand & Cambodia

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Thailand and Phnom Penh deny violating the law when it comes to deporting people back to each other's country, despite pleas that fleeing political activists be spared. In 1999, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet was a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. It is unknown if that will temper or give confidence to his military dealings with Thailand. Ms. Paetongtarn's father, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, had close fraternal ties with Cambodia's previous prime minister and former Khmer Rouge regiment commander Hun Sen, the father of Prime Minister Hun Manet. Those generational links were especially valuable after Mr. Thaksin was overthrown in a military coup in 2006, leading to 15 years as a self-exiled fugitive from prison sentences for corruption and other financial crimes. Those enmeshed personal relationships had recently been blamed by some Thais for weakening Bangkok's negotiating stance in an ongoing dispute with Cambodia over mapping their shared Gulf of Thailand which hosts oil and natural gas extraction platforms. "Right-wing opponents of the Shinawatras, in particular, are using the issue of Thai-Cambodian border issues to attack the Paetongtarn government," Mr. Chambers said. "This issue could become increasingly productive for the right wing opposition." Sophal Ear said: "Opposition groups in Thailand have criticized the Shinawatra-led government for its handling of the border dispute, accusing it of being too conciliatory towards Cambodia. "This strategy taps into nationalist sentiments, but risks being counterproductive if perceived as undermining efforts for a peaceful resolution. The [Thai] government's emphasis on diplomacy may appeal to moderates who prioritize stability over confrontation. "In Cambodia, there is a sense of nationalistic fervor, with support for the government's decision to seek ICJ intervention. "In Thailand, the public is more divided, some express concern over national sovereignty, while others prioritize economic and political stability," Mr. Sophal Ear said. Thailand and Cambodia will engage in talks at a June 14 meeting of the Joint Boundary Committee, said Thai Defense Minister Phumtham. 'The government has made preparations, both the legal aspects and negotiations through mechanisms, along with military preparations on the frontline if that proves necessary,' said the defense minister who is also a deputy prime minister. "For those who stir up nationalist sentiments, they should understand that war is best avoided," Mr. Phumtham said. "Don't stir it, or problems will follow." Richard S. Ehrlich is a Bangkok-based American foreign correspondent reporting from Asia since 1978, and winner of Columbia University's Foreign Correspondents' Award. Excerpts from his two new nonfiction books, "Rituals. Killers. Wars. & Sex. -- Tibet, India, Nepal, Laos, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka & New York" and "Apocalyptic Tribes, Smugglers & Freaks" are available at

'Trump wants chaos': On the frontline of the LA protests
'Trump wants chaos': On the frontline of the LA protests

1News

time2 hours ago

  • 1News

'Trump wants chaos': On the frontline of the LA protests

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