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☆ Donald Trump appears to endorse pro-Palestine 'genocide Joe' chant at rally: 'They're not wrong'
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

At a Pennsylvania rally, Donald Trump appeared to endorse his supporters, chanting, "Genocide Joe." "Genocide Joe" was coined by Pro-Palestine supporters to protest US support for Israel's Gaza siege. AdvertisementAt a rally in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, Donald Trump appeared to endorse some of his supporters who were chant "genocide Joe," in reference to President Joe Biden's handling of the Middle East conflict. However, at the rally, Trump also expressed his support for the Jewish state. All I can do is tell the truth; the truth is they have no case," he said.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe, Trump, —, Joe Biden's, Biden, Lloyd Austin, Jordan, — Simon Ateba, Stormy Daniels, I'm Organizations: Pro, Palestine, Gaza, Service, Israel Defense Forces, Israel, US Defence, TRUMP, Biden, White, Trump, Mar Locations: Israel, Schnecksville , Pennsylvania, Gaza, Iran, Iranian, Damascus, Tehran, France, Delaware

Broken Ethernet cable is seen in front of binary code and words "cyber security" in this illustration taken March 8, 2022. "We're also seeing a greater interest from state actors in Australia's critical infrastructure." In May, the Five Eyes intelligence alliance and Microsoft (MSFT.O) said a state-sponsored Chinese hacking group was spying on U.S. critical infrastructure organisations. Techniques used by the China hacking group could be used against Australia's critical infrastructure including telecommunications, energy and transportation, the report said. Marles said Australia's relationship with China, its largest trading partner, was "complex" and the government had never pretended the relationship would be easy.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, cybercrime, Richard Marles, We're, Marles, Matthew Warren, Nigel Phair, Renju Jose, Byron Kaye, Lincoln, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Australian Cyber Security, ABC Radio, Microsoft, RMIT University Centre, Cyber Security Research, Australian Securities and Investments, Australia, Monash University, DP, Optus, Thomson Locations: Britain, U.S, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, China, Sydney

☆ China, Australia to restart annual meetings as trade resumes
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets with China's President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, November 6, 2023. President Xi Jinping said on Monday stable ties between China and Australia served each other's interests and both should expand cooperation, sending a clear signal that China was ready to move on from recent tensions. The Australian prime minister said he had used the four-day visit to advocate for Australia's interests in trade, human rights, regional and global issues. "While there are differences between us, both Australia and China benefit from cooperation and dialogue," Albanese said. Australia and China had agreed to cooperate on trade, climate change and agriculture, the Australian government said in a statement.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Xi Jinping, Lukas Coch, Li Qiang, Albanese, " Albanese, Li, Xi, Kirsty Needham, Ellen Zhang, Robert Birsel Organizations: Australia's, of, People, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, U.S, Islands Forum, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, SYDNEY, Australia, People . China, India, Japan, Pacific, United States, South China, Britain, Sydney

Details of how Japan is paring back military procurement due to currency fluctuations have not been previously reported. China, which has not ruled out using military force to bring Taiwan under its control, has expressed concern about Japan's military spending plans, accusing it of displaying a "Cold War mentality." In December, defence ministry officials discussed an order for 34 twin-rotor Chinook transport helicopters at roughly 15 billion yen per aircraft, two of the sources said. She declined to comment on whether the defence ministry had dropped an order for the seaplane. A ministry spokesperson confirmed the companies delivered a letter on Oct 25 to Defence Minister Minoru Kihara urging the government to proceed with the defence procurement as planned.

Persons: Tomohiro, Fumio Kishida, Christopher Johnstone, Johnstone, Biden, Kishida, outlays, spender, Nancy Pelosi's, Yoji Koda, Lockheed Martin, Minoru Kihara, Kevin Maher, Nobuhiro Kubo, Takaya Yamaguchi, Tim Kelly, Yoshifumi Takemoto, Katerina Ang Organizations: Defense Force, East Fuji Maneuver, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Reuters, Bank of Japan, Center for Strategic, International Studies, National Security, East, Japan's Ministry of Defence, Embassy, Pentagon, Russian, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Boeing Co, Kawasaki, Industries, Maritime Self Defense Force, Raytheon, Lockheed, Japan Business Federation, NMV Consulting, U.S . State Department's Office, Japan Affairs, Thomson Locations: Japan, Gotemba, Shizuoka, Taiwan, Tokyo, Washington, Beijing, East Asia, U.S, East China, Ukraine, China, U.S .

☆ England claim bronze but need more to challenge the elite
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Mitch Phillips | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

PARIS, Oct 28 (Reuters) - From where they were at the end of their dismal warm-ups, England's World Cup was an unqualified success and they were within three minutes of one of the great sporting turnarounds. They arrived amid the gloom of five defeats in six games but finished on a high with six wins out of seven. The skewed nature of the draw obviously favoured them, and reaching the semi-finals looked possible and even probable regardless of their form based on their World Cup history and the quality of players in the squad. Already assured of top spot in their group, England laboured against Samoa before snatching a late victory. "I always believed we would be right... We were clear that the World Cup isn't played in August," he said after clinching third place.

Persons: Tom Curry, George Ford, Henry Arundell, Marcus Smith, Owen Farrell's, Dan Cole, Joe Marler, Steve Borthwick's, Ben Earls, Borthwick, hasn't, Eddie Jones, isn't, Hooker Theo Dan, Mitch Phillips, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Japan, Samoa, Fiji, Springbok, South Africa, Argentina, Twickenham, Thomson Locations: France, Argentina, England, Marseille, Chile, South Africa

☆ Australia, U.S. Leaders to Discuss Pacific Infrastructure, Critical Minerals
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Kirsty NeedhamSYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia and the United States will announce plans to cooperate on critical minerals and bolster Pacific Islands infrastructure as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visits Washington this week, a senior Biden administration official said. The two leaders will flesh out details of further cyber security cooperation, in addition to a $5 billion Microsoft investment in Australia, the Biden administration official said. The minerals that will power the globe in the 21st century are things that Australia has significant amounts of," he told reporters in Washington on Monday. Albanese and Biden will also discuss the South China Sea, where tensions between China and the Philippines are rising. The partnership aims to sell Australia nuclear-powered submarines and build a new class of submarine in Australia by 2040.

Persons: Kirsty Needham SYDNEY, Anthony Albanese, Albanese's, Biden, Albanese, Kirsty Needham, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Biden, U.S, U.S . Department of Defense, USAID, Australia, U.S . Congress Locations: Australia, United, Pacific, Washington, United States, U.S, China, Papua New Guinea, Solomon, Philippines, Britain

There is no security in the whole region as long as Palestinians are left outside of the equation." The Hamas attack launched from Gaza follows months of rising violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, with stepped-up Israeli raids, Palestinian street attacks and assaults by Jewish settlers on Palestinian villages. "I would say for certain Hamas, terrorist groups like Hamas, will not derail any such outcome. Tehran called Saturday's attack an act of self-defence by Palestinians. Dennis Ross, a former Middle East negotiator who is now at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in Washington, said of Saturday's attack: "This is all about preventing the U.S.-Saudi-Israel breakthrough."

Persons: Ammar Awad, Israel, Ismail Haniyeh, Benjamin Netanyahu, Peacemaking, Osama Hamdan, Netanyahu, Ali Baraka, Richard LeBaron, IRAN'S, Joe Biden's, Yahya Rahim Safavi, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Dennis Ross, Samia Nakhoul, Nidal El Mughrabi, Laila Bassam, Matt Spetalnick, Edmund Blair Organizations: REUTERS, Saudi, Israel Saudi, Hamas, Iran, Israel, Al, West Bank, Reuters, U.S . Middle, Atlantic Council, Islamic, Palestinian, Analysts, Washington Institute for Near, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Gaza, Sderot, Israel, DUBAI, GAZA, WASHINGTON, Saudi Arabia, Washington, Riyadh, Tehran, Iran, Al Jazeera, Lebanese, U.S, Lebanon, America, Kippur, Egypt, U.S . Middle East, Saudi, Israeli, normalisation, Islamic Jihad, Palestine, Jerusalem, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Yemeni, Dubai, Beirut

There is no security in the whole region as long as Palestinians are left outside of the equation." The Hamas attack launched from Gaza follows months of rising violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, with stepped-up Israeli raids, Palestinian street attacks and assaults by Jewish settlers on Palestinian villages. "Some (Arab states) unfortunately started imagining that Israel could be the gateway for America to defend their security." "I would say for certain Hamas, terrorist groups like Hamas, will not derail any such outcome. Tehran called Saturday's attack an act of self-defence by Palestinians.

Persons: Ammar Awad, Israel, Ismail Haniyeh, Benjamin Netanyahu, Peacemaking, Laura Blumenfeld, Osama Hamdan, Netanyahu, Ali Baraka, Richard LeBaron, IRAN'S, Joe Biden's, Yahya Rahim Safavi, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Dennis Ross, Samia Nakhoul, Nidal El Mughrabi, Laila Bassam, Matt Spetalnick, Edmund Blair Organizations: REUTERS, Saudi, Israel Saudi, Hamas, Iran, Israel, Al, West Bank, Reuters, Johns Hopkins School, International Studies, U.S . Middle, Atlantic Council, Islamic, Palestinian, Analysts, Washington Institute for Near, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Gaza, Sderot, Israel, DUBAI, GAZA, WASHINGTON, Saudi Arabia, Washington, Riyadh, Tehran, Iran, Al Jazeera, Lebanese, U.S, East, Lebanon, America, Kippur, Egypt, U.S . Middle East, Saudi, Israeli, normalisation, Islamic Jihad, Palestine, Jerusalem, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Yemeni, Dubai, Beirut

☆ Airbus nears decision on new planemaking leadership - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] An Airbus logo is pictured at the 54th International Paris Airshow at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France, June 19, 2023. Industry sources said a final decision on the shake-up was likely in coming weeks, capping weeks of speculation after Reuters reported the looming reorganisation in July. Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even had earlier been cited as a possible candidate for the top planemaking role. But the focus of speculation has widened to Chief Commercial Officer Christian Scherer, a veteran of the Airbus planemaking business who has also had stints at the Defence division and in running turboprop joint-venture ATR, industry sources said. His appointment would herald broad continuity at the company's main planemaking business, which accounts for most of the company's revenue.

Persons: Benoit Tessier, Christian Scherer, Guillaume Faury, Bruno, Scherer, Tim Hepher, Louise Heavens Organizations: Airbus, Paris, REUTERS, Rights, Industry, Reuters, Airbus Helicopters, Defence, France, Jefferies, Bombardier, Pratt, Whitney, Airbus Defence & Space, Military Air Systems, FCAS, Thomson Locations: Le Bourget, Paris, France, Ukraine, Germany, United States

☆ Airbus to combine fighter businesses in defence shake-up -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An Airbus A321 XLR aircraft performs a flying display at the 54th International Paris Airshow at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France, June 20, 2023. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Airbus (AIR.PA) plans to merge two separate fighter businesses as part of a reorganisation of its Defence & Space division, union sources said. Asked about the new combination, which is part of a deeper Defence & Space restructuring codenamed ATOM, an Airbus spokesperson said: "We are currently discussing the details and ideas with our social partners". In July, Airbus Chief Executive Guillaume Faury said a reorganisation in Defence & Space was designed to make the business more agile. Despite a broad increase in overall demand for weapons since the Ukraine conflict began, Airbus Defence & Space is the company's second-biggest activity in terms of revenues but the least profitable, lagging behind jetliners and helicopters.

Persons: Benoit Tessier, Jean, Brice Dumont, Bruno Fichefeux, Guillaume Faury, Faury, Tim Hepher, David Holmes Organizations: Airbus, Paris, REUTERS, Rights, Defence, Space, Military Air Systems, Franco, France's Dassault Aviation, Airbus Defence, Thomson Locations: Le Bourget, Paris, France, Spanish, Ukraine

☆ Ukraine is evacuating wounded soldiers by loading them onto large drones, in what is likely a battlefield first, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine is using cargo drones to carry injured soldiers from the battlefield, The Economist reported. Ukraine has deployed large drones that are able to carry 397-pound weights for up to 43 miles, the report said. A purported US Defence Intelligence Agency document estimated in April that Ukraine had up to 113,500 wounded soldiers, compared to up to 180,000 wounded Russians, since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Reuters reported. Captured Russian soldiers have also described being left to die. Ukraine's use of drones to transport injured soldiers is one example of how Ukraine is learning lessons about using new technologies, in ways that could ultimately benefit other armies, the report noted.

Organizations: Service, Russian, Economist, US Defence Intelligence Agency, Reuters, Russia, Financial Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Western Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iraq

☆ Australia says it is 'confident' on US nuclear submarines as ministers meet
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SYDNEY, July 28 (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was confident a deal for the U.S. to sell nuclear powered submarines to Australia was on track, ahead of talks between defence and foreign ministers of the two countries on Friday. Twenty-five U.S. Republican lawmakers told President Joe Biden on Thursday the plan to sell three attack submarines to Australia under the so-called AUKUS partnership would "unacceptably weaken" the U.S. fleet without a clear plan to replace them. The United States, Britain and Australia announced the three-way AUKUS defence agreement in 2021 under which Australia is to obtain nuclear submarine technology from the United States. The U.S. is Australia's major security ally and announced with Britain in March that the United States would sell Australia three U.S. Virginia class nuclear powered submarines in the early 2030s, before Britain and Australia produce a new submarine class - SSN-AUKUS - the following decade. "Now's the time to be working closely with friends, and Australia has no better friend than the United States of America," Marles said at the start of a meeting with his U.S. counterpart.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Lloyd Austin, Albanese, Richard Marles, Austin, Marles, Kirsty Needham, Alasdair Pal, Praveen Menon Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia's, Republican, U.S, Defence, ., Democrats, NATO, Britain, Australian Defence, Sky, U.S ., Marines, Thomson Locations: Australia, Queensland, United States, Britain, Lithuania, U.S, . Virginia, CHINA, East, South, Japan, United States of America, Darwin, Sydney, Lincoln

[1/6] Black Hawk helicopters prepare to land at Taoyuan International Airport as part of the annual Han Kuang military exercise in Taoyuan, Taiwan July 26, 2023. REUTERS/Ann WangTAOYUAN, Taiwan, July 26 (Reuters) - Taiwan conducted an anti-aircraft landing drill at its main international airport for the first time on Wednesday, simulating the repulsion of an invading force as China ramps up military pressure to force the island to accept its sovereignty. The drill at the island's main Taoyuan international airport was part of Taiwan's main annual Han Kuang exercises that started on Monday, focusing on protecting its infrastructure and striking incoming enemy ships to keep key waterways open. Soldiers carrying rifles were seen running on the runway to fight off enemy forces being dropped off by the helicopters. Tsai has made modernising the military a top priority, pushing for various defence projects including developing Taiwan's own jets and submarines.

Persons: Han, Ann Wang, Han Kuang, Tsai Ing, Tsai, Fabian Hamacher, Yimou Lee, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: Taoyuan International Airport, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Taoyuan, Taiwan, Ann, Ann Wang TAOYUAN, China, island's, Taiwan's, Taipei

☆ No one from Wagner has visited barracks offered by Belarus, ministry adviser says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TSEL, Belarus, July 7 (Reuters) - No one from the Russian Wagner mercenary group has yet visited a disused military camp that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has offered for Wagner's use, an adviser to the Belarus defence minister told reporters on Friday. Asked if Wagner had come to look at the site, the adviser, Leonid Kasinsky, said: "They have not come, they have not looked." [1/3]A view shows a tent camp, which, according to the Belarusian Defence Ministry, was set up for exercises at a disused military base near the village of Tsel in the Asipovichy District, Belarus July 7, 2023. Lukashenko said Belarus had offered Wagner the disused Soviet-era military quarters near Tsel, but added that "Wagner has a different vision for deployment", on which he declined to elaborate. Kasinsky said around 300 tents at the camp had been put up for an exercise, and were not connected to Wagner.

Persons: Russian Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Leonid Kasinsky, Maxim Shemetov Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Kasinsky, Guy Faulconbridge, Kevin Liffey, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Russian Defence Ministry, Belarusian Defence Ministry, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: TSEL, Belarus, Russian, Tsel, Asipovichy District, Russia

☆ Russian ally Belarus starts 'mobilisation exercises'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 21 (Reuters) - Belarus, an ally of Russia in the war with Ukraine, said on Wednesday that its armed forces were beginning 10 days of annual "mobilisation exercises". The Belarus defence ministry said the exercises were aimed at assessing the degree of preparation of state institutions to mobilise reservists. Belarus allowed Russia to use it as one of the launchpads for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. Since then, it has held frequent exercises with Russia and let Russian forces use its bases for training. This month it took delivery of Russian tactical nuclear missiles that President Vladimir Putin said were intended as a warning to the West.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: West, Russian, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Belarusian

☆ Factbox: Top US-China exchanges since Biden took office
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Below is a list of some of the other high level U.S.-China exchanges since then. FIRST TRADE TALKS - May 26, 2021U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and China's then Vice Premier Liu He held talks virtually, the first such high level trade talks between the world's two biggest economies since Biden took office. DIPLOMAT VISITS CHINA - July 26, 2021Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman held talks with State Councillor Wang Yi, in Tianjin, China. DEFENCE CHIEFS HOLD FIRST TALKS - April 20, 2022U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held a call with China's then defence minister Wei Fenghe, the first talks between the two officials since Biden took office. BIDEN AND XI MEET IN BALI - November 14, 2022Biden and Xi held their long-awaited first face-to-face leadership talks on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Joe Biden, BIDEN, Biden, Xi Jinping, Xi, Jake Sullivan, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi, Katherine Tai, China's, Liu, Wendy Sherman, SULLIVAN, YANG, Sullivan, Yang, Lloyd Austin, Wei Fenghe, WANG, Wang, Nancy Pelosi, HARRIS, Kamala Harris, Gina Raimondo, Wang Wentao, National Defense Li Shangfu, Li, Martin Quin Pollard, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: U.S, FIRST, National Security, . Trade, CHIEFS, . Defense, General Assembly, BIDEN, IN, Economic Cooperation APEC, CHINA COMMERCE, . Commerce, Commerce, Washington D.C, China's, National Defense, Pentagon, Austin, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Anchorage , Alaska, Blinken, CHINA, Tianjin, Taiwan, North Korea, ROME, Russia, Ukraine, Beijing, New York, IN BALI, Bali , Indonesia, BANGKOK, Asia, Thailand, MUNICH, Munich, WASHINGTON, Washington, Singapore

☆ China leads tech race, highlighting need for AUKUS sharing, says think-tank
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The U.S. leads quantum computing - the next generation of computers expected to solve once unsolvable problems and enable faster communication. Quantum sensors could be used in threat detection for defence, ASPI said. The combined strength of AUKUS nations made them competitive with China in half of the technologies, it said. The transfer of nuclear-powered submarine technology -- an area where the U.S. holds a capability edge over China -- to Australia is the highest-profile AUKUS project. The legislative proposals are "necessary steps for the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines program," Conroy said in a statement.

Persons: Read, ASPI, for Defence Industry Pat Conroy, Conroy, Joe Biden, Kirsty Needham, William Maclean Organizations: National Congress, Communist Party of, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, China, for Defence Industry, U.S . Congress, U.S . Navy, Thomson Locations: Communist Party of China, SYDNEY, China, Australia, Britain, U.S, Beijing, Russia, Germany, Baltic, The U.S, Moscow, . Virginia, Virginia, Sydney

☆ Thousands rally in Australia against potential submarine base
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, May 6 (Reuters) - Thousands of people rallied on Saturday against a future nuclear-powered submarine base at Port Kembla in eastern Australia as part of the A$368 billion ($244.1 billion) AUKUS defence pact with the United States and Britain. The second-largest coal export port in New South Wales state is the Defence Department’s preferred site for a new east-coast submarine base, according to state broadcaster ABC. Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said last month no decision had been made on a site for a new east coast submarine base. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended the submarine project after two former leaders criticised the deal over its cost, complexity and potential sovereignty issues. The deal unveiled in March will see Australia purchase U.S. Virginia-class submarines before joint British and Australian production of a new submarine class to be built in Australia by the early 2040s.

☆ Taiwan seeking US cooperation to make next-generation fighters
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, May 3 (Reuters) - Taiwan is seeking U.S. cooperation to make the island's next domestically developed fighter jet, the head of Taiwanese defence contractor Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (AIDC) (2634.TW) said on Wednesday. Taiwan's air force scrambles daily to see off incursions by Chinese jets into the airspace around the island as Beijing steps up its pressure to try and force Taiwan to accept China's sovereignty. While the mainstay of Taiwan's air force is Lockheed Martin Corp's (LMT.N) F-16s and French-build Mirages it also uses AIDC's F-CK-1 Ching-kuo Indigenous Defence Fighter, or IDF. Taiwan in 2017 announced the next generation fighter programme, to include stealth capabilities, but has given few details since. Even the United States has been unwilling to provide Taiwan its most advanced fighters like the F-22 or F-35, and Taiwan has no direct answer to China's new J-20 stealth fighter.

☆ Taiwan seeking US cooperation to make next generation fighters
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, May 3 (Reuters) - Taiwan is seeking U.S. cooperation to make the island's next domestically developed fighter jet, the head of Taiwanese defence contractor Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (AIDC) (2634.TW) said on Wednesday. Taiwan's air force scrambles daily to see off incursions by Chinese jets into the airspace around the island as Beijing steps up its pressure to try and force Taiwan to accept China's sovereignty. Speaking at a Taiwan-U.S. defence industry forum in Taipei, AIDC Chairman Hu Kai-hung said the company wanted to raise its technical prowess to help with the development of Taiwan's next generation fighter. Taiwan in 2017 announced the next generation fighter programme, to include stealth capabilities, but has given few details since. Even the United States has been unwilling to provide Taiwan its most advanced fighters like the F-22 or F-35, and Taiwan has no direct answer to China's new J-20 stealth fighter.

☆ Philippines' Marcos to seek specifics from Biden on US defence commitment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Marcos will hold talks with Biden in Washington this weekend, a meeting the White House said would reaffirm its "ironclad commitments to the defence of the Philippines". "It (the treaty) needs to adjust because of the changes in the situation we are facing in the South China Sea, Taiwan, North Korea," Marcos said in a radio interview. China, however, says the pact with the United States is stoking the fire of regional tensions. Marcos on Monday said he and Biden should discuss what exactly their alliance entails and how to manage tension with China. Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Kanupriya KapoorOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Taiwan president thanks fighter pilots as Chinese drills ebb
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Taiwan Presidential Office/Handout via REUTERS/File PhotoTAIPEI, April 14 (Reuters) - Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday thanked fighter pilots who scrambled against China's air force during its drills around the island and pledged to keep strengthening the armed forces, as Beijing's military activities around the island ebbed. On Friday morning, Taiwan's defence ministry said it had not spotted any Chinese military aircraft crossing the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait in the past 24 hours. In its regular morning report on Chinese military activities in the previous 24-hour period, Taiwan's defence ministry said it had seen four Chinese military aircraft and eight Chinese warships around Taiwan. But in an accompanying map of China's activities it did not show any Chinese warplanes crossing the Taiwan Strait's median line, an unofficial boundary between the two. China says it does not recognise the median line and has since August, when it staged war games after then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, flown fighter jets regularly across it.

☆ South Australia to be 'big beneficiary' of AUKUS: Australian PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, March 11 (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday that South Australia state would be a "big beneficiary" of the landmark AUKUS defence pact, which is expected to see Australia buy up to five U.S. Virginia class nuclear powered submarines. Albanese's federal government has indicated construction would be in South Australia's capital Adelaide, but state premier Peter Malinauskas said this week he was unclear about the number of orders. On Saturday, Albanese, when asked how many submarines would be built in Australia as part of AUKUS, said an announcement would be made on Monday. "When you talk about the issue of manufacturing submarines in Australia, that's an absolute priority for us," Albanese added. AUKUS is expected to be Australia's largest-ever defence project and offers the prospect of jobs in all three countries.

☆ Airbus' defence arm says Berlin delaying exports worth billions
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Sabine Siebold | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An Airbus A400M military transport aircraft of the German Air Force is pictured in the air during the ILA Berlin Air Show 2022, in Berlin, Germany June 22, 2022. REUTERS/Fabrizio BenschMUNICH, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Slow German government export approvals are holding up Airbus Defence & Space (AIR.PA) defence exports worth several billions of euros, the company's chief executive said on Sunday, urging Berlin to speed up the process. Unfortunately we are having difficulties to get the German export licences on time," Michael Schoellhorn told Reuters in an interview at the Munich Security Conference. "Our problem is that we haven't received any contracts yet from the Zeitenwende and important exports are not being approved. Asked whether in future space developments Europe will have to fall back on Elon Musk's SpaceX company following Airbus Defence & Space's loss of two satellites on a Vega C rocket, Schoellhorn said any such solution would be temporary.

☆ Kim Jong Un showed off his rarely-seen daughter — a possible sign he's grooming her to be North Korea's next dictator
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's daughter is being prepared as his successor, analysts say. Kim Jong Un is believed to have three children, including a son who is older than Kim Ju Ae. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and daughter Kim Ju Ae at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea February 8, 2023. North Korea is a hereditary dictatorship, and Kim Jong Un was appointed successor to his father, Kim Jong Il, when he was 8, an expert told CBS News. In recent months, tensions between North Korea and US-ally South Korea have intensified amid a series of missile tests by North Korea.

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