Will Albanese stand up to Trump on trade and defence?
In a little under a fortnight, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will arrive in Canada for the G7. He is expected to meet US President Donald Trump there. How he handles the American leader on trade and national security is the first serious test of Australian diplomacy under Trump.
Albanese now travels with enhanced authority at home by virtue of his big win last month. But his new authority makes the job more demanding and more complex. He is, after all, in the position to make decisions and will be expected to do so.
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The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Britain to expand sub fleet for 'warfighting readiness'
Britain will expand its nuclear-powered attack submarine fleet as part of a defence review that is designed to prepare the country to fight a modern war and counter the threat from Russia. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, like other leaders across Europe, is racing to rebuild his country's defence capabilities after US President Donald Trump told the continent it needed to take more responsibility for its own security. Monday's Strategic Defence Review will call for Britain's armed forces to move to a state of "warfighting readiness" and reverse its post-Cold War military decline. "The moment has arrived to transform how we defend ourselves," Starmer told workers at BAE Systems' Govan shipbuilding site in Scotland, saying he would "end the hollowing out of our armed forces." "When we are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, the most effective way to deter them is to be ready." Britain will build up to 12 of its next-generation attack submarines, which are nuclear-powered but carry conventional non-nuclear weapons, to replace the current fleet of seven from the late 2030s, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. Britain operates a separate fleet of submarines armed with nuclear weapons. The government for the first time said a pre-existing program to develop a new nuclear warhead to replace the model used by that fleet would cost SGT15 billion ($A31 billion). "With new state-of-the-art submarines patrolling international waters and our own nuclear warhead program on British shores, we are making Britain secure at home and strong abroad," Defence Secretary John Healey added. The new submarines will be a model jointly developed by the UK, US and Australia under the security partnership known as AUKUS. In light of Trump's decision to upend decades of strategic reliance on the US by Europe, Starmer has already committed to increasing Britain's defence spending in an attempt to reverse a long-term decline in its military capability. He has promised to raise defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027 and target a three per cent level over the longer term. Despite cuts to the military budget in recent years, Britain still ranks alongside France as one of Europe's leading military powers, with its army helping to protect NATO's eastern flank and its navy maintaining a presence in the Indo-Pacific. But the army, with 70,860 full-time trained soldiers, is the smallest since the Napoleonic era and the government has said it must rebuild given the growing strategic threats. Britain will expand its nuclear-powered attack submarine fleet as part of a defence review that is designed to prepare the country to fight a modern war and counter the threat from Russia. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, like other leaders across Europe, is racing to rebuild his country's defence capabilities after US President Donald Trump told the continent it needed to take more responsibility for its own security. Monday's Strategic Defence Review will call for Britain's armed forces to move to a state of "warfighting readiness" and reverse its post-Cold War military decline. "The moment has arrived to transform how we defend ourselves," Starmer told workers at BAE Systems' Govan shipbuilding site in Scotland, saying he would "end the hollowing out of our armed forces." "When we are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, the most effective way to deter them is to be ready." Britain will build up to 12 of its next-generation attack submarines, which are nuclear-powered but carry conventional non-nuclear weapons, to replace the current fleet of seven from the late 2030s, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. Britain operates a separate fleet of submarines armed with nuclear weapons. The government for the first time said a pre-existing program to develop a new nuclear warhead to replace the model used by that fleet would cost SGT15 billion ($A31 billion). "With new state-of-the-art submarines patrolling international waters and our own nuclear warhead program on British shores, we are making Britain secure at home and strong abroad," Defence Secretary John Healey added. The new submarines will be a model jointly developed by the UK, US and Australia under the security partnership known as AUKUS. In light of Trump's decision to upend decades of strategic reliance on the US by Europe, Starmer has already committed to increasing Britain's defence spending in an attempt to reverse a long-term decline in its military capability. He has promised to raise defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027 and target a three per cent level over the longer term. Despite cuts to the military budget in recent years, Britain still ranks alongside France as one of Europe's leading military powers, with its army helping to protect NATO's eastern flank and its navy maintaining a presence in the Indo-Pacific. But the army, with 70,860 full-time trained soldiers, is the smallest since the Napoleonic era and the government has said it must rebuild given the growing strategic threats. Britain will expand its nuclear-powered attack submarine fleet as part of a defence review that is designed to prepare the country to fight a modern war and counter the threat from Russia. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, like other leaders across Europe, is racing to rebuild his country's defence capabilities after US President Donald Trump told the continent it needed to take more responsibility for its own security. Monday's Strategic Defence Review will call for Britain's armed forces to move to a state of "warfighting readiness" and reverse its post-Cold War military decline. "The moment has arrived to transform how we defend ourselves," Starmer told workers at BAE Systems' Govan shipbuilding site in Scotland, saying he would "end the hollowing out of our armed forces." "When we are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, the most effective way to deter them is to be ready." Britain will build up to 12 of its next-generation attack submarines, which are nuclear-powered but carry conventional non-nuclear weapons, to replace the current fleet of seven from the late 2030s, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. Britain operates a separate fleet of submarines armed with nuclear weapons. The government for the first time said a pre-existing program to develop a new nuclear warhead to replace the model used by that fleet would cost SGT15 billion ($A31 billion). "With new state-of-the-art submarines patrolling international waters and our own nuclear warhead program on British shores, we are making Britain secure at home and strong abroad," Defence Secretary John Healey added. The new submarines will be a model jointly developed by the UK, US and Australia under the security partnership known as AUKUS. In light of Trump's decision to upend decades of strategic reliance on the US by Europe, Starmer has already committed to increasing Britain's defence spending in an attempt to reverse a long-term decline in its military capability. He has promised to raise defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027 and target a three per cent level over the longer term. Despite cuts to the military budget in recent years, Britain still ranks alongside France as one of Europe's leading military powers, with its army helping to protect NATO's eastern flank and its navy maintaining a presence in the Indo-Pacific. But the army, with 70,860 full-time trained soldiers, is the smallest since the Napoleonic era and the government has said it must rebuild given the growing strategic threats. Britain will expand its nuclear-powered attack submarine fleet as part of a defence review that is designed to prepare the country to fight a modern war and counter the threat from Russia. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, like other leaders across Europe, is racing to rebuild his country's defence capabilities after US President Donald Trump told the continent it needed to take more responsibility for its own security. Monday's Strategic Defence Review will call for Britain's armed forces to move to a state of "warfighting readiness" and reverse its post-Cold War military decline. "The moment has arrived to transform how we defend ourselves," Starmer told workers at BAE Systems' Govan shipbuilding site in Scotland, saying he would "end the hollowing out of our armed forces." "When we are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, the most effective way to deter them is to be ready." Britain will build up to 12 of its next-generation attack submarines, which are nuclear-powered but carry conventional non-nuclear weapons, to replace the current fleet of seven from the late 2030s, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. Britain operates a separate fleet of submarines armed with nuclear weapons. The government for the first time said a pre-existing program to develop a new nuclear warhead to replace the model used by that fleet would cost SGT15 billion ($A31 billion). "With new state-of-the-art submarines patrolling international waters and our own nuclear warhead program on British shores, we are making Britain secure at home and strong abroad," Defence Secretary John Healey added. The new submarines will be a model jointly developed by the UK, US and Australia under the security partnership known as AUKUS. In light of Trump's decision to upend decades of strategic reliance on the US by Europe, Starmer has already committed to increasing Britain's defence spending in an attempt to reverse a long-term decline in its military capability. He has promised to raise defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027 and target a three per cent level over the longer term. Despite cuts to the military budget in recent years, Britain still ranks alongside France as one of Europe's leading military powers, with its army helping to protect NATO's eastern flank and its navy maintaining a presence in the Indo-Pacific. But the army, with 70,860 full-time trained soldiers, is the smallest since the Napoleonic era and the government has said it must rebuild given the growing strategic threats.
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Russia, Ukraine begin peace talks after major attacks
Russian and Ukrainian officials are holding their second round of direct peace talks since 2022 with no sign they are any closer to an agreement, one day after Kyiv struck some of Moscow's nuclear-capable bombers. The two sides are expected to discuss their respective ideas for what a full ceasefire and a longer term path to peace should look like amid stark disagreements and pressure from President Donald Trump, who has warned the US could abandon its role as a mediator if there's no progress. The Russian and Ukrainian delegations arrived at Istanbul's sumptuous Ciragan Palace by the Bosphorus, along with a senior Turkish official. Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Moscow's delegation, said Russia had received Ukraine's draft memorandum for a peace accord ahead of the talks. There was no word on whether Kyiv had received Russia's draft. Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov is heading the Ukrainian delegation. Their last round of talks in Istanbul on May 16 yielded the biggest prisoner swap of the war with each side freeing 1000 prisoners, but no sign of peace - or even a ceasefire as both sides merely stated their opening negotiating positions. Monday's meeting comes after Ukraine and Russia ramped up the war with one of the biggest drone battles of the conflict, a Russian highway bridge blown up over a passenger train and an attack on nuclear-capable bombers deep in Siberia. At least seven people were killed and 69 injured when a highway bridge in Russia's Bryansk region, neighbouring Ukraine, was blown up over a passenger train heading to Moscow with 388 people on board. No one has claimed responsibility. Ukraine attacked Russian nuclear-capable long-range bombers at a military base deep in Siberia on Sunday, a Ukrainian intelligence official said, the first such attack so far from the front lines more than 4300km away. Ukraine's domestic intelligence service, the SBU, acknowledged it carried out the attack, codenamed "Operation Spider's Web", planned for more than a year-and-a-half. The intelligence official said the operation involved hiding explosive-laden drones inside the roofs of wooden sheds and loading them onto trucks that were driven to the perimeter of the air bases. A total of 41 Russian warplanes were hit, the official said. The SBU estimated the damage at $US7 billion ($A11 billion) and said Russia had lost 34 per cent of its strategic cruise missile carriers at its main airfields. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed delight at the "absolutely brilliant outcome," and noted 117 drones had been used in the attack. "And an outcome produced by Ukraine independently," he wrote. "This is our longest-range operation." Russia's Defence Ministry acknowledged that Ukraine launched drone strikes against Russian military airfields across five regions on Sunday. Air attacks were repelled in all but two regions - Murmansk in the far north and Irkutsk in Siberia - where "the launch of FPV drones from an area in close proximity to airfields resulted in several aircraft catching fire". Russia launched 472 drones at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine's air force said, the highest nightly total of the war. Russia also launched seven missiles. Russia reported new drone attacks, listing 53 attacks intercepted in a period of less than two hours, including 34 over the border Kursk region. Russia said it had advanced deeper into the Sumy region of Ukraine, and open source pro-Ukrainian maps showed Russia took 450sq/km of Ukrainian land in May, its fastest monthly advance in at least six months. with DPA Russian and Ukrainian officials are holding their second round of direct peace talks since 2022 with no sign they are any closer to an agreement, one day after Kyiv struck some of Moscow's nuclear-capable bombers. The two sides are expected to discuss their respective ideas for what a full ceasefire and a longer term path to peace should look like amid stark disagreements and pressure from President Donald Trump, who has warned the US could abandon its role as a mediator if there's no progress. The Russian and Ukrainian delegations arrived at Istanbul's sumptuous Ciragan Palace by the Bosphorus, along with a senior Turkish official. Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Moscow's delegation, said Russia had received Ukraine's draft memorandum for a peace accord ahead of the talks. There was no word on whether Kyiv had received Russia's draft. Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov is heading the Ukrainian delegation. Their last round of talks in Istanbul on May 16 yielded the biggest prisoner swap of the war with each side freeing 1000 prisoners, but no sign of peace - or even a ceasefire as both sides merely stated their opening negotiating positions. Monday's meeting comes after Ukraine and Russia ramped up the war with one of the biggest drone battles of the conflict, a Russian highway bridge blown up over a passenger train and an attack on nuclear-capable bombers deep in Siberia. At least seven people were killed and 69 injured when a highway bridge in Russia's Bryansk region, neighbouring Ukraine, was blown up over a passenger train heading to Moscow with 388 people on board. No one has claimed responsibility. Ukraine attacked Russian nuclear-capable long-range bombers at a military base deep in Siberia on Sunday, a Ukrainian intelligence official said, the first such attack so far from the front lines more than 4300km away. Ukraine's domestic intelligence service, the SBU, acknowledged it carried out the attack, codenamed "Operation Spider's Web", planned for more than a year-and-a-half. The intelligence official said the operation involved hiding explosive-laden drones inside the roofs of wooden sheds and loading them onto trucks that were driven to the perimeter of the air bases. A total of 41 Russian warplanes were hit, the official said. The SBU estimated the damage at $US7 billion ($A11 billion) and said Russia had lost 34 per cent of its strategic cruise missile carriers at its main airfields. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed delight at the "absolutely brilliant outcome," and noted 117 drones had been used in the attack. "And an outcome produced by Ukraine independently," he wrote. "This is our longest-range operation." Russia's Defence Ministry acknowledged that Ukraine launched drone strikes against Russian military airfields across five regions on Sunday. Air attacks were repelled in all but two regions - Murmansk in the far north and Irkutsk in Siberia - where "the launch of FPV drones from an area in close proximity to airfields resulted in several aircraft catching fire". Russia launched 472 drones at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine's air force said, the highest nightly total of the war. Russia also launched seven missiles. Russia reported new drone attacks, listing 53 attacks intercepted in a period of less than two hours, including 34 over the border Kursk region. Russia said it had advanced deeper into the Sumy region of Ukraine, and open source pro-Ukrainian maps showed Russia took 450sq/km of Ukrainian land in May, its fastest monthly advance in at least six months. with DPA Russian and Ukrainian officials are holding their second round of direct peace talks since 2022 with no sign they are any closer to an agreement, one day after Kyiv struck some of Moscow's nuclear-capable bombers. The two sides are expected to discuss their respective ideas for what a full ceasefire and a longer term path to peace should look like amid stark disagreements and pressure from President Donald Trump, who has warned the US could abandon its role as a mediator if there's no progress. The Russian and Ukrainian delegations arrived at Istanbul's sumptuous Ciragan Palace by the Bosphorus, along with a senior Turkish official. Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Moscow's delegation, said Russia had received Ukraine's draft memorandum for a peace accord ahead of the talks. There was no word on whether Kyiv had received Russia's draft. Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov is heading the Ukrainian delegation. Their last round of talks in Istanbul on May 16 yielded the biggest prisoner swap of the war with each side freeing 1000 prisoners, but no sign of peace - or even a ceasefire as both sides merely stated their opening negotiating positions. Monday's meeting comes after Ukraine and Russia ramped up the war with one of the biggest drone battles of the conflict, a Russian highway bridge blown up over a passenger train and an attack on nuclear-capable bombers deep in Siberia. At least seven people were killed and 69 injured when a highway bridge in Russia's Bryansk region, neighbouring Ukraine, was blown up over a passenger train heading to Moscow with 388 people on board. No one has claimed responsibility. Ukraine attacked Russian nuclear-capable long-range bombers at a military base deep in Siberia on Sunday, a Ukrainian intelligence official said, the first such attack so far from the front lines more than 4300km away. Ukraine's domestic intelligence service, the SBU, acknowledged it carried out the attack, codenamed "Operation Spider's Web", planned for more than a year-and-a-half. The intelligence official said the operation involved hiding explosive-laden drones inside the roofs of wooden sheds and loading them onto trucks that were driven to the perimeter of the air bases. A total of 41 Russian warplanes were hit, the official said. The SBU estimated the damage at $US7 billion ($A11 billion) and said Russia had lost 34 per cent of its strategic cruise missile carriers at its main airfields. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed delight at the "absolutely brilliant outcome," and noted 117 drones had been used in the attack. "And an outcome produced by Ukraine independently," he wrote. "This is our longest-range operation." Russia's Defence Ministry acknowledged that Ukraine launched drone strikes against Russian military airfields across five regions on Sunday. Air attacks were repelled in all but two regions - Murmansk in the far north and Irkutsk in Siberia - where "the launch of FPV drones from an area in close proximity to airfields resulted in several aircraft catching fire". Russia launched 472 drones at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine's air force said, the highest nightly total of the war. Russia also launched seven missiles. Russia reported new drone attacks, listing 53 attacks intercepted in a period of less than two hours, including 34 over the border Kursk region. Russia said it had advanced deeper into the Sumy region of Ukraine, and open source pro-Ukrainian maps showed Russia took 450sq/km of Ukrainian land in May, its fastest monthly advance in at least six months. with DPA Russian and Ukrainian officials are holding their second round of direct peace talks since 2022 with no sign they are any closer to an agreement, one day after Kyiv struck some of Moscow's nuclear-capable bombers. The two sides are expected to discuss their respective ideas for what a full ceasefire and a longer term path to peace should look like amid stark disagreements and pressure from President Donald Trump, who has warned the US could abandon its role as a mediator if there's no progress. The Russian and Ukrainian delegations arrived at Istanbul's sumptuous Ciragan Palace by the Bosphorus, along with a senior Turkish official. Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Moscow's delegation, said Russia had received Ukraine's draft memorandum for a peace accord ahead of the talks. There was no word on whether Kyiv had received Russia's draft. Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov is heading the Ukrainian delegation. Their last round of talks in Istanbul on May 16 yielded the biggest prisoner swap of the war with each side freeing 1000 prisoners, but no sign of peace - or even a ceasefire as both sides merely stated their opening negotiating positions. Monday's meeting comes after Ukraine and Russia ramped up the war with one of the biggest drone battles of the conflict, a Russian highway bridge blown up over a passenger train and an attack on nuclear-capable bombers deep in Siberia. At least seven people were killed and 69 injured when a highway bridge in Russia's Bryansk region, neighbouring Ukraine, was blown up over a passenger train heading to Moscow with 388 people on board. No one has claimed responsibility. Ukraine attacked Russian nuclear-capable long-range bombers at a military base deep in Siberia on Sunday, a Ukrainian intelligence official said, the first such attack so far from the front lines more than 4300km away. Ukraine's domestic intelligence service, the SBU, acknowledged it carried out the attack, codenamed "Operation Spider's Web", planned for more than a year-and-a-half. The intelligence official said the operation involved hiding explosive-laden drones inside the roofs of wooden sheds and loading them onto trucks that were driven to the perimeter of the air bases. A total of 41 Russian warplanes were hit, the official said. The SBU estimated the damage at $US7 billion ($A11 billion) and said Russia had lost 34 per cent of its strategic cruise missile carriers at its main airfields. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed delight at the "absolutely brilliant outcome," and noted 117 drones had been used in the attack. "And an outcome produced by Ukraine independently," he wrote. "This is our longest-range operation." Russia's Defence Ministry acknowledged that Ukraine launched drone strikes against Russian military airfields across five regions on Sunday. Air attacks were repelled in all but two regions - Murmansk in the far north and Irkutsk in Siberia - where "the launch of FPV drones from an area in close proximity to airfields resulted in several aircraft catching fire". Russia launched 472 drones at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine's air force said, the highest nightly total of the war. Russia also launched seven missiles. Russia reported new drone attacks, listing 53 attacks intercepted in a period of less than two hours, including 34 over the border Kursk region. Russia said it had advanced deeper into the Sumy region of Ukraine, and open source pro-Ukrainian maps showed Russia took 450sq/km of Ukrainian land in May, its fastest monthly advance in at least six months. with DPA
AU Financial Review
2 hours ago
- AU Financial Review
Government must step up its game on AI challenges
Business usually says the best thing politicians can do to help is to get out of the way, but when it comes to the society-reshaping potential of artificial intelligence, it knows it needs them along for the ride. There is a growing sense that things are starting to get complicated in the workplace. A leading pack of Australian chief executives is getting formed in the race to embrace AI as a driver of workforce productivity, and it will have far-reaching implications for all aspects of employment.
