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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
US pushes security ally Australia to spend more on defence
By Kirsty Needham SYDNEY (Reuters) -U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked security ally Australia to increase defence spending in a meeting with Defence Minister Richard Marles on Friday in Singapore. The defence chiefs also discussed the need to significantly lift U.S. submarine production rates to meet AUKUS targets. Australia is scheduled to pay the United States $2 billion by the end of 2025 to assist its submarine shipyards, in order to buy three Virginia-class submarines starting in 2032 -- its biggest ever defence project. The defence ministers meeting on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premier security forum, is only the second between the security allies since the Trump Administration took office. Hegseth had "respectfully" said Australia should increase defence spending, Marles said in an Australian Broadcasting Corporation television interview after the meeting. "Clearly we have increased defence spending significantly and that is acknowledged, but we want to be making sure we are calibrating our defence spending to the strategic moment that we need to meet," he said. "We are very much up for the conversation, and the American position has been clear," he added. Marles said they did not discuss a number, although a Pentagon official had previously said Australia should spend 3% of gross domestic product. Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who was re-elected this month and is yet to meet U.S. President Donald Trump, did not raise defence spending in this year's national budget, saying his government had already announced a A$50 billion boost over a decade. Albanese said on Thursday defence spending would rise to 2.4%. "In a rational world defence spending is a function of strategic threat - there is definitely strategic threat in the world today and we are rational people," Marles said. The AUKUS submarine partnership and working together to provide stability in the Indo-Pacific were also discussed, Marles said. "AUKUS is happening and we talked about the need to maintain the momentum," he said. "We want to be seeing a significant increase in the production and sustainment rate, the availability of Virginia class submarines for the United States fleet." U.S. production of Virginia class attack submarines has fallen behind U.S. Navy targets, and concern has been raised in Washington over selling used submarines to Australia under AUKUS if this reduces the fleet size.
The Star
2 days ago
- Business
- The Star
US pushes security ally Australia to spend more on defence
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attends a joint press conference with Philippine Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro, at Camp Aguinaldo, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, March 28, 2025. REUTERS/Lisa Marie David/File Photo SYDNEY (Reuters) -U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked security ally Australia to increase defence spending in a meeting with Defence Minister Richard Marles on Friday in Singapore. The defence chiefs also discussed the need to significantly lift U.S. submarine production rates to meet AUKUS targets. Australia is scheduled to pay the United States $2 billion by the end of 2025 to assist its submarine shipyards, in order to buy three Virginia-class submarines starting in 2032 -- its biggest ever defence project. The defence ministers meeting on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premier security forum, is only the second between the security allies since the Trump Administration took office. Hegseth had "respectfully" said Australia should increase defence spending, Marles said in an Australian Broadcasting Corporation television interview after the meeting. "Clearly we have increased defence spending significantly and that is acknowledged, but we want to be making sure we are calibrating our defence spending to the strategic moment that we need to meet," he said. "We are very much up for the conversation, and the American position has been clear," he added. Marles said they did not discuss a number, although a Pentagon official had previously said Australia should spend 3% of gross domestic product. Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who was re-elected this month and is yet to meet U.S. President Donald Trump, did not raise defence spending in this year's national budget, saying his government had already announced a A$50 billion boost over a decade. Albanese said on Thursday defence spending would rise to 2.4%. "In a rational world defence spending is a function of strategic threat - there is definitely strategic threat in the world today and we are rational people," Marles said. The AUKUS submarine partnership and working together to provide stability in the Indo-Pacific were also discussed, Marles said. "AUKUS is happening and we talked about the need to maintain the momentum," he said. "We want to be seeing a significant increase in the production and sustainment rate, the availability of Virginia class submarines for the United States fleet." U.S. production of Virginia class attack submarines has fallen behind U.S. Navy targets, and concern has been raised in Washington over selling used submarines to Australia under AUKUS if this reduces the fleet size. (Reporting by Kirsty Needham in Sydney; Editing by Michael Perry)
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
US pushes security ally Australia to spend more on defence
SYDNEY, - U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked security ally Australia to increase defence spending in a meeting with Defence Minister Richard Marles on Friday in Singapore. The defence chiefs also discussed the need to significantly lift U.S. submarine production rates to meet AUKUS targets. Australia is scheduled to pay the United States $2 billion by the end of 2025 to assist its submarine shipyards, in order to buy three Virginia-class submarines starting in 2032 its biggest ever defence project. The defence ministers meeting on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premier security forum, is only the second between the security allies since the Trump Administration took office. Hegseth had "respectfully" said Australia should increase defence spending, Marles said in an Australian Broadcasting Corporation television interview after the meeting. "Clearly we have increased defence spending significantly and that is acknowledged, but we want to be making sure we are calibrating our defence spending to the strategic moment that we need to meet," he said. "We are very much up for the conversation, and the American position has been clear," he added. Marles said they did not discuss a number, although a Pentagon official had previously said Australia should spend 3% of gross domestic product. Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who was re-elected this month and is yet to meet U.S. President Donald Trump, did not raise defence spending in this year's national budget, saying his government had already announced a A$50 billion boost over a decade. Albanese said on Thursday defence spending would rise to 2.4%. "In a rational world defence spending is a function of strategic threat - there is definitely strategic threat in the world today and we are rational people," Marles said. The AUKUS submarine partnership and working together to provide stability in the Indo-Pacific were also discussed, Marles said. "AUKUS is happening and we talked about the need to maintain the momentum," he said. "We want to be seeing a significant increase in the production and sustainment rate, the availability of Virginia class submarines for the United States fleet." U.S. production of Virginia class attack submarines has fallen behind U.S. Navy targets, and concern has been raised in Washington over selling used submarines to Australia under AUKUS if this reduces the fleet size.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
'Distressed' Kangaroo Gets into 'Boxing Match' with Man, Then Tries to Drown Him in Floodwaters
A kangaroo reportedly attacked a man and tried to submerge him in floodwaters in New South Wales, Australia, on May 23 The animal later ran off after it was apparently spooked by something "Even in Australia, you do not expect to see it," said witness Kristy Lees A kangaroo in distress attempted to down a man during a recent heavy storm in Australia that claimed multiple lives. Kristy Lees, who witnessed the altercation on Friday, May 23, told the BBC that at the time, she and her husband were driving down to check the water levels in the North Shore of Port Macquarie, a city in New South Wales. Then, Don James, the man who was attacked by the animal, and another man warned the couple that there was a big kangaroo around the next parked vehicle, the outlet reported. Speaking with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Lees said that suddenly the kangaroo 'leapt at our car." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories Lees told the BBC that the kangaroo began to attack her car before focusing its attention on James, who was walking away up the road. "They literally got into a boxing match," Lees said. "I'm looking in the rear-view mirror and they are throwing punches." She also said that James ran and fell into a patch of floodwater by the side of the road. James told the ABC that the animal tried to hold him down into the water. "I just remember being under water and kicking and screaming and carrying on!" he recalled, saying it was "pretty traumatic for a while there.' To James' luck, the kangaroo apparently got spooked by something and ran off. The BBC reported that an approaching car driven by James' friend may have been responsible for that. Lees believed the kangaroo, which was described as being "very distressed," got trapped during the recent flooding due to heavy rain last week in southeast Australia that left at least four people dead and about 50,000 people stranded. According to an article posted on the University of Melbourne's website, kangaroos are generally peaceful animals, but they can also be dangerous. The article stated that kangaroos possess 'powerful arms and massive feet' that can be used as weapons during male-to-male combat. 'Indeed, a pet kangaroo may perceive its human owner as a rival kangaroo or a potential predator, or perhaps both,' the post read. 'As a result, kangaroos sometimes attack people, causing nasty and even fatal injuries.' In 2022, a 77-year-old Australian man died after he was attacked by a wild kangaroo, which was believed to be the first fatal attack involving a kangaroo in Australia since 1936. Even Lees acknowledged the unusual nature of the situation she witnessed, telling the BBC: "It's not every day a big, male kangaroo decides to take you on... Even in Australia, you do not expect to see it." Read the original article on People
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Climate
- South China Morning Post
New South Wales battered by hazardous dust storm in wake of record floods
Australians in New South Wales are facing yet another extreme weather challenge even as thousands are still reeling from days of storms and unprecedented flooding. Massive dust clouds blanketed parts of the state, including the capital of Sydney, on Tuesday, creating conditions which experts warn are hazardous to health. Authorities warned of 'extremely poor' air quality in some suburbs, with PM10 particle levels exceeding 600 – far above the 'good' threshold of 40, according to environmental standards. PM10 refers to particles with a diameter of 10 micrometres or fewer, which are 'small enough to pass through the throat and nose and enter the lungs', according to NSW Health. Short-term exposure to them can exacerbate pre-existing health conditions such as asthma and lung or heart disease. Particles in the air may include dust, sea salt, and by-products from fires, vehicles and industrial sources, according to Air Quality NSW. 'These particles can pass into the lungs,' the agency said, adding they can trigger breathing difficulties, eye and throat irritation, or worsen chronic bronchitis and asthma. The dust storm originated in South Australia and swept across Victoria, reducing visibility to as little as 300 metres (1,000 feet) before moving into central and southeastern New South Wales, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
