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☆ Australia criticises China for 'unsafe, unprofessional' naval interaction
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles attends a joint news conference with France's Foreign and Defence ministers at the Quai d'Orsay in Paris, France, January 30, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Australia's government said on Saturday it had expressed serious concerns to China after an "unsafe and unprofessional" interaction between an Australian navy vessel and Chinese warship left Australian military divers injured. He said despite the Australian vessel notifying the Chinese warship of the diving operation and requesting that it keep clear, the destroyer approached "at a closer range". "Soon after, it was detected operating its hull-mounted sonar in a manner that posed a risk to the safety of the Australian divers who were forced to exit the water." The conduct was "unsafe and unprofessional", Marles said.

Persons: Richard Marles, Sarah Meyssonnier, Marles, Sam McKeith, Tom Hogue Organizations: Australia's, France's Foreign, Quai d'Orsay, REUTERS, Rights, Defence, PLA, HMAS, People's Liberation Army Navy, Solomon Islands, U.S, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, China, Australian, Toowoomba, HMAS Toowoomba, Australia, Solomon, United States, Sydney

☆ Australia Criticises China for 'Unsafe, Unprofessional' Naval Interaction
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's government said on Saturday it had expressed serious concerns to China after an "unsafe and unprofessional" interaction between an Australian navy vessel and Chinese warship left Australian military divers injured. "While diving operations were underway a PLA-N destroyer (DDG-139) operating in the vicinity closed towards HMAS Toowoomba," Marles said in a statement, referring to a ship of the People's Liberation Army Navy. He said despite the Australian vessel notifying the Chinese warship of the diving operation and requesting that it keep clear, the destroyer approached "at a closer range". "Soon after, it was detected operating its hull-mounted sonar in a manner that posed a risk to the safety of the Australian divers who were forced to exit the water." The conduct was "unsafe and unprofessional", Marles said.

Persons: Richard Marles, Marles, Sam McKeith, Tom Hogue Organizations: SYDNEY, Defence, PLA, HMAS, People's Liberation Army Navy, Solomon Islands, U.S Locations: China, Australian, Toowoomba, HMAS Toowoomba, Australia, Solomon, United States, Sydney

☆ Too nice? That's the New Zealand way, says Mitchell
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Former Australia all-rounder Simon O'Donnell slammed the Black Caps for their lack of competitive instinct but Mitchell, who scored a 119-ball 134 in New Zealand's response, said the approach would not change. "I think that's something we really pride ourselves on as Black Caps and as New Zealanders. "It's something that we're really proud of, so we'll just keep being Black Caps and doing what we're doing." New Zealand next travel to Bangladesh for a two-test series starting on Nov. 28 and Mitchell said the disappointment of their semi-final exit at the World Cup would not have any impact on their performance. "(After) the T20 World Cup final we played a couple of years ago, we had a T20 in India about 48 hours after that so we're used to it.

Persons: Daryl Mitchell, India's Virat Kohli, Kohli, Simon O'Donnell, Mitchell, we're, We'll, Nick Mulvenney, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Black Caps, Former, Caps, Black, Mumbai, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, New, Former Australia, New Zealanders, Zealand, Bangladesh, India, Sydney

☆ NZ confident about future after semi-final exit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Skipper Williamson had no complaints about how the Blacks Caps were manhandled out of the semi-finals by India on Wednesday, possibly bringing to an end his hopes of ever raising the oldest limited-overs World Cup trophy. The batting great, who has played in four World Cup semi-finals and two finals, will be 37 when southern Africa hosts the quadrennial 50-overs showpiece in 2027, while strike bowlers Tim Southee and Trent Boult will be 38. "You can only hope that, as we experienced from some of our leaders as young guys, that we can continue to bring players through. "I love being part of this group and we've got a number of world class players who love being in that changeroom and love playing for New Zealand. Reporting by Nick Mulvenney in Sydney, editing by Shri NavaratnamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kane Williamson, Skipper Williamson, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Williamson, It's, Matt Henry, Jimmy Neesham, Mark Chapman, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell, we've, Nick Mulvenney, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Blacks Caps, India, Black Caps, Caps, New Zealand, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, New Zealand, Africa, India, While, New, Sydney

The city skyline is reflected in a puddle at sunrise following rainy weather in Sydney, Australia, August 28, 2022. REUTERS/Loren Elliott Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Australia will on Thursday introduce two previously announced tax bills that will raise petroleum tax revenue and legislate the government's response to a national scandal over confidential tax plans leaked by a PwC Australia partner. The change is one of 11 recommendations from a Treasury review, eight of which the government adopted in August. The centre-left Labor government will also on Thursday introduce legislation prepared in response to revelations a former PwC Australia partner leaked confidential government tax plans then used it to drum up work with multinational companies. Chalmers in August announced a two-year Treasury review into the rules governing large consulting and auditing firms.

Persons: Loren Elliott, Jim Chalmers, Chalmers, Lewis Jackson, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Petroleum, Rent, Labor, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia

SYDNEY, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Chinese self-driving firm iMotion Automotive Technology is aiming to raise $100 million in its Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO) due to launch in the last week of November, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter. iMotion, which was established in 2016, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. The Suzhou-based firm is planning to open the books for its IPO the week after next ahead of starting trade on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) in the first week of December, according to the sources. iMotion had planned to raise $300 million, Bloomberg News reported in March, but has cut the size of its new fund raising target. Reporting by Scott Murdoch in Sydney and Yantoultra Ngui in Singapore; Editing by Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: iMotion, Hong Kong's, Scott Murdoch, Yantoultra, Lincoln Organizations: SYDNEY, iMotion Automotive Technology, Reuters, Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Bloomberg News, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, iMotion, Suzhou, China, Hong, Sydney, Singapore

☆ Australia's Warner wants to play on in white-ball internationals
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"My goal is still to set my sights on playing the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean (next June) first. And I think from there, I'll probably decide what I'm going to do with white-ball cricket. Warner, Australia's leading run-scorer at the World Cup with 499 runs from nine innings, said he would not accept a central Cricket Australia contract next year, preferring to play on as a freelancer. That's something that becomes a pain in the backside as well, especially at the stage of my career I'm at." "You don't get told anything," Warner said.

Persons: David Warner, Brad Hogg, Chris Gayle, Shoaib Malik, I'm, you've, Warner, Australia's, Nick Mulvenney, Peter Rutherford Organizations: South, Cricket Australia, Warner, Pakistan, Sydney Cricket, Thomson Locations: KOLKATA, Australia, South Africa, Kolkata, Caribbean, Sydney

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

☆ Australia wages see record rise in Q3, unlikely to be repeated
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Wayne Cole | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Australian wages posted the largest increase on record last quarter as a sharp rise in minimum wages benefited millions of workers, while intense competition among employers pushed up many individual pay deals. Annual pay growth picked up to 4.0%, from 3.6%, the fastest since early 2009 and just above market expectations of 3.9%. "Q3 was a perfect storm for wage pressures," said Sean Langcake, head of macroeconomic forecasting for Oxford Economics Australia. Much of the spike was due to a mandated 5.75% rise in the minimum wage which covers more than two million workers. Wage growth in the public sector accelerated to a 12-year high of 3.5%, while the private sector saw growth of 4.2% as firms fought to recruit and retain workers.

Persons: Loren Elliott, Sean Langcake, Wayne Cole, Tom Hogue, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Australian Bureau, Statistics, Reserve Bank of Australia, Analysts, Oxford Economics Australia, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia

☆ Australia confident China will lift all trade blocks next month
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Flags of Australia and China are displayed in this illustration picture taken May 11, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Australia said on Wednesday China could lift all its remaining trade blocks by next month as relations between the commodity trade partners stabilise and after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's visit to Beijing earlier this month. China has lifted most trade blocks imposed amid a 2020 diplomatic dispute after Australia called for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19. "I remain very confident ... that by Christmas all of these trade impediments will be removed," trade minister Don Farrell told ABC Radio from San Francisco, where he is attending Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings. Farrell said he hoped to resolve the issues over lobster and beef, which related to bio-security rules, ahead of a meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao in San Francisco.

Persons: Florence Lo, Anthony Albanese's, Don Farrell, Farrell, Wang Wentao, Renju Jose, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, China, ABC Radio, Economic Cooperation, Thomson Locations: Australia, China, Beijing, San Francisco, Asia, Sydney

☆ Cummins unsure of future as Australia ODI skipper, eyes IPL return
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KOLKATA, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Pat Cummins is unsure whether he will continue as Australia's one-day international captain after the World Cup but is looking to return to the Indian Premier League (IPL) next season in preparation for the Twenty20 showpiece. Test skipper Cummins, who will lead Australia into their semi-final against South Africa on Thursday, took on the ODI role with an eye firmly on the World Cup when Aaron Finch retired from the format last year. Probably like we've done in the past, at times white-ball cricket is going to have to shift so we fully focus on test cricket. "I feel like I've been managed really well and looked after, albeit in a really, really busy year where you don't really want to give up any cricket." "I feel like I haven't played a heap of T20 cricket and in some ways I feel like I haven't played my best T20 cricket for a little while," Cummins added.

Persons: Pat Cummins, Cummins, Aaron Finch, paceman, Andrew McDonald, George, Andrew, I've, Finch, Mitch Marsh, I'm, Nick Mulvenney, Peter Rutherford Organizations: Indian Premier League, Twenty20, South, IPL, Thomson Locations: KOLKATA, Australia, South Africa, Kolkata, Caribbean, U.S, Sydney

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Three murderers are among 81 foreigners recently released in Australia after the High Court ruled their indefinite detention in migrant centers was unconstitutional, the immigration minister said on Tuesday. The court hasn't released the reasons behind its ruling last week that overturned a 2004 precedent that stateless people could be detained indefinitely. Political Cartoons View All 1244 ImagesImmigration Minister Andrew Giles said the released foreigners included three murderers and several sex offenders. “The decision of the High Court which requires release effects very, very serious offenders,” Giles told Parliament. The 50-year-old had fled to Australia before he was sentenced in absentia and had been held in detention for nine years until the High Court decision last week.

Persons: hasn't, ”, Andrew Giles, Sussan Ley, ” Giles, Sirul Azhar Umar, Ley, Aliyawar Yawari, Clare O’Neil, ” O’Neil Organizations: Court, Rights Law, Australian, Home Affairs Locations: CANBERRA, Australia, Melbourne, Malaysian, Mongolian, Perth, Sydney

☆ Australia's CBA Q1 profit flat as competition in home loan market intensifies
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Himanshi Akhand | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Even though rate hikes since last year have boosted interest incomes and margins at Australian banks, rising cost of repayments has intensified competition in the home loan market, capping profit margins and hindering credit growth. Australia's biggest lender said cash net profit after tax was A$2.50 billion ($1.59 billion) for the quarter ended Sept. 30, same as the year earlier. CBA dominates Australia's A$2 trillion mortgage industry, which benefited from a property boom through COVID-19 restrictions. That had prompted Australia's "Big Four" banks to start offering cash payments for mortgage refinancing to lure borrowers. CBA's rivals National Australia Bank (NAB.AX), Westpac (WBC.AX) and ANZ Group (ANZ.AX) all posted higher annual profit earlier this month despite inflationary headwinds.

Persons: Edgar Su, CBA's, Matt Comyn, Australia's, Himanshi, Shilpi Majumdar Organizations: Commonwealth Bank of Australia, REUTERS, Commonwealth Bank of Australia's, Citi, CBA, National Australia Bank, Westpac, ANZ Group, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Australia's, COVID, Bengaluru

The logo of Australian energy company Origin is pictured in Melbourne, Australia, July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Reed/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Australian pension fund AustralianSuper said on Monday it had rejected an "eleventh hour" offer from a Brookfield-led consortium and its partner EIG to drop its opposition to their $10.5 billion bid for Origin Energy and join the takeover. AustralianSuper said it was Origin Energy's largest shareholder, but did not specify the size of its stake as it has done in previous releases. Brookfield argues its bid, which comes with the commitment of A$20 to A$30 billion worth of investment, will decarbonise Origin Energy faster than if the company remains in public hands. However, AustralianSuper said on Monday it was also open to stumping up cash to fund Origin's transition.

Persons: Jason Reed, AustralianSuper, EIG, Luke Edwards, Lewis Jackson, Alasdair Pal, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Origin Energy, Financial, Brookfield, Renewable, Thomson Locations: Melbourne, Australia, Brookfield, Sydney

Hadri and Umar on Thursday began their defence after being accused of murdering Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu. Sirul was arrested on an Interpol notice and has been held in an Australian immigration detention centre since January 2015, after fleeing Malaysia shortly before the verdict was handed down. His release comes just days after a landmark ruling by Australia's High Court that outlawed indefinite immigration detention, leading to the release of dozens of asylum seekers. Malaysia's top police official Razarudin Husain confirmed news of Sirul's release from Australian detention and said police would discuss with the Attorney-General and the courts the possibility of seeking extradition. Sirul was serving as a member of Najib’s personal security detail at the time of the murder.

Persons: Azilah Hadri, Sirul Azhar Umar, Hadri, Umar, Bazuki Muhammad, Najib Razak, Sirul, Razarudin Husain, Sirul’s, Najib, Praveen Menon, Rozanna, Lincoln Organizations: Thursday, Mongolian, REUTERS, Rights, Australia's, Attorney, Thomson Locations: Shah Alam, Kuala Lumpur, KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysian, Australia, Malaysia, Canberra, Malaysia’s, Sydney

☆ Australia reform drive gets NSW backing, other states sceptical
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The reforms will push Australia closer to the centralised models of New Zealand and Ireland, where provinces answer to the national body on high performance decisions affecting test rugby. On Tuesday, RA said the New South Wales Waratahs and the NSW Rugby Union (NSWRU) had become Australia's first Super Rugby club and member union to formally commit to the integration plan. However, other member unions have pushed back on handing over commercial control. No Australian team has won a Super Rugby title since the Waratahs in 2014. RA have yet to decide who will run the integrated high performance programme or take over the Wallabies from Jones.

Persons: Phil Waugh, Waugh, Eddie Jones, Jones, Ian Ransom, Peter Rutherford Organizations: MELBOURNE, Rugby Australia, Wallabies, New South Wales Waratahs, NSW Rugby Union, Super Rugby, Waratahs, Australian Capital Territory Rugby Union, Brumbies, Rugby, Irish Lions, Thomson Locations: New South Wales, NSW, Australia, Zealand, Ireland, Sydney, rugby, France, Melbourne

SYDNEY/BEIJING Nov 13 (Reuters) - Australia scored a significant win for influence in the Pacific Islands region with a trump card that China, seeking to expand security ties, doesn't have: the opportunity of resettlement. "It is something China can't do," said Australian National University Pacific expert Graeme Smith. "China can turn up and offer more infrastructure money... they can't turn up and offer this kind of resettlement relationship. Australia also will be able to block any policing deal between China and Tuvalu - as well as any telecommunications, energy or port deal - under its treaty. "Cooperation in the Pacific region tends to focus on non-traditional security, including maintenance of public security and infrastructure to deal with climate change," he added.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Kausea Natano, Graeme Smith, Richard Marles, Peter Dean, Smith, Wang Yiwei, Kirsty Needham, Martin Pollard, Miral Organizations: SYDNEY, Pacific, Australian National University Pacific, Pacific Islanders, Defence, United States Studies Centre, Albanese's, Pacific Games, State, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, Renmin University, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Australia, China, Tuvalu, Washington, Beijing, Rarotonga, Sydney, Pacific Islands, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, Kiribati, U.S, United States, Pacific

☆ Australia to apologise half a century after 'Thalidomide tragedy'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Renju Jose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Thalidomide was the active ingredient in a sedative widely distributed to many mothers in Australia and around the world in the early 1960s. "The thalidomide tragedy is a dark chapter in the history of our nation and the world," Albanese said in a statement. An Australian woman, who was born without arms and legs after her mother took Thalidomide, in 2012 won a multi-million dollar settlement from Diageo Plc, the local distributor. In 2010, Diageo agreed to make an A$50 million ($32 million) payment to 45 victims in Australia and New Zealand. There are 146 Thalidomide survivors registered with the government, though the exact number of affected is unknown.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden, Leah Millis, Thalidomide, " Albanese, Gruenenthal, Albanese, Renju Jose, Tom Hogue, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Australia’s, U.S, White, REUTERS, Rights, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, British, Diageo Plc, Diageo, New Zealand, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Australia, U.S, United States, Australian, New, Sydney

SYDNEY, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Australia's financial position will be more precarious and credit rating at risk should the government succumb to the temptation to spend the sovereign wealth fund on political projects, its outgoing chair said in a speech on Monday. The A$205 billion ($130 billion) Future Fund will come under pressure to fund state priorities as an aging population reduces taxpayers and consumes a larger chunk of spending, Chairman Peter Costello said on Monday at a UBS conference in Sydney. "As government's financial position declines, I expect we'll see more plans to spend it," he said. "Once it is spent there is nothing to offset government sovereign debt, unfunded pension and unfunded military claims. Once it is spent the pressure to raise taxes and borrow more will accelerate."

Persons: Peter Costello, Costello, telco, Lewis Jackson, Stephen Coates Organizations: SYDNEY, UBS, Labor, Liberal, Australia's AAA, telco Telstra, Thomson Locations: Sydney, China

That pushed net profit from the bank's institutional unit up 53% to overtake its retail unit, by dollar value, in the year to September, and helped the Melbourne-listed company grow overall profit 14% to A$7.4 billion ($4.7 billion), just missing a Visible Alpha consensus forecast of A$7.56 billion. But analysts expressed concern about a faster-than-expected narrowing of profit margin from the bank's retail unit, the only one of Australia's so-called big four lenders that has persisted with offering cash handouts to lure mortgage customers looking for a cheaper deal. The logo of the ANZ Bank is seen at Lambton Quay, in Wellington, New Zealand November 10, 2022. ANZ CEO Shayne Elliott denied forgoing margin to grow mortgages faster than the market, and challenged comments from other banks that have said they were intentionally slowing mortgage growth while competition eroded profit. ANZ declared a final dividend of 94 Australian cents per share, up from 74 cents a year ago.

Persons: NIM, Lucy Craymer, Shayne Elliott, we've, Byron Kaye, Rishav Chatterjee, Roushni Nair, Lisa Shumaker, Stephen Coates Organizations: ANZ, Westpac, National Australia Bank, midsession, ANZ Bank, REUTERS, UBS, Thomson Locations: Melbourne, Lambton Quay, Wellington , New Zealand, Sydney, Bengaluru

☆ Australia ports operator could be online within days after cyber incident
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Renju Jose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

I've been in contact with the company again this morning and they're making good progress," the government's Cyber Security Coordinator Darren Goldie told ABC Radio. After spotting the breach, DP World, one of a handful of stevedore industry players in Australia, disconnected internet, significantly impacting freight movements, Goldie said. The company, part of Dubai's state-owned DP World, did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment. In a statement on Sunday, DP World said the company was testing key systems crucial for the resumption of regular freight movement. The breach comes as the government prepares to release soon details on its proposed cyber security laws.

Persons: I've, Darren Goldie, Goldie, Clare O'Neil, O'Neil, Renju Jose, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: SYDNEY, ABC Radio, DP, Fremantle, telco Optus, Thomson Locations: Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Western, Australia, Dubai's

Livent CEO Paul Graves will take the top job at the newly minted Arcadium Lithium, if Allkem shareholders vote for the deal on Dec. 19. Merging the two companies would create the world's third-largest lithium producer by volume with assets spanning Australia, Canada and Argentina. Graves has said that one of his first priorities would be expanding Arcadium's footprint in Western Australia's world-class lithium districts. Under the deal, Allkem shareholders will get one share in the combined entity for each of their shares and the company will ultimately own 56% of the new firm. Livent shareholders will get 2.406 shares in the new firm, which will be called Arcadium Lithium, for each existing share.

Persons: Arcadium, Paul Graves, Kroll, Chile's, Graves, Albemarle, Livent Corp, Livent, Allkem, Scott Murdoch, Melanie Burton, Robert Birsel Organizations: JV, SYDNEY, Albemarle Corp, Liontown Resources, Hancock, Livent, FMC Corp, Galaxy Resources, Thomson Locations: Australia, U.S, Canada, Argentina, Western Australia, Sydney, Melbourne

☆ Australia Foreign Minister Touts Tuvalu Security, Migration Pact
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Sunday that a security and migration pact signed with Tuvalu showed Australia was a "genuine, reliable" regional partner, as it seeks to counter China's influence in the Pacific. Australia announced on Friday the security guarantee to the tiny Pacific Islands nation to respond to military aggression, protect it from climate change and boost migration. Australia, a United States ally, has been working to shore up its Pacific standing amid a rising China, which recently upgraded a security pact with Solomon Islands. Under the treaty, announced in the Cook Islands by Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Tuvalu counterpart Kausea Natano, Australia will also vet Tuvalu's security arrangements with other nations. Albanese has called the pact Australia's most significant agreement with a Pacific Island nation, giving "a guarantee that upon a request from Tuvalu for any military assistance based upon security issues, Australia will be there."

Persons: Penny Wong, Wong, Anthony Albanese, Kausea Natano, Albanese, Sam McKeith, David Gregorio Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia's, Tuvalu, Pacific ., Australian Broadcasting Corp Locations: Australia, Pacific, Pacific . Australia, United States, China, Solomon, Tuvalu, Cook, Taiwan, Beijing, Hawaii, Sydney

☆ Australia foreign minister touts Tuvalu security, migration pact
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong addresses the 78th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 22, 2023. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Sunday that a security and migration pact signed with Tuvalu showed Australia was a "genuine, reliable" regional partner, as it seeks to counter China's influence in the Pacific. Australia announced on Friday the security guarantee to the tiny Pacific Islands nation to respond to military aggression, protect it from climate change and boost migration. Australia, a United States ally, has been working to shore up its Pacific standing amid a rising China, which recently upgraded a security pact with Solomon Islands. Under the treaty, announced in the Cook Islands by Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Tuvalu counterpart Kausea Natano, Australia will also vet Tuvalu's security arrangements with other nations.

Persons: Penny Wong, Eduardo Munoz, Wong, Anthony Albanese, Kausea Natano, Albanese, Sam McKeith, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Australia's, General Assembly, REUTERS, Rights, Tuvalu, Pacific ., Australian Broadcasting Corp, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Australia, Pacific, Pacific . Australia, United States, China, Solomon, Tuvalu, Cook, Taiwan, Beijing, Hawaii, Sydney

☆ Police investigate 'cyber incident' at Australia ports operator
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 12 (Reuters) - The Australian Federal Police said on Sunday they were investigating a cybersecurity incident that forced ports operator DP World Australia to suspend operations at ports in several states. DP World Australia told Reuters on Saturday that operations at impacted ports were not yet restored. DP World Australia, part of Dubai's state-owned ports giant DP World, operates four container terminals in Australia in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Western Australia's Fremantle. Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said on Saturday that the government was coordinating a response to the "cyber incident". According to DP World, in the Asia Pacific region it employs more than 7,000 people and has ports and terminals in 18 locations.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, We've, we're, Darren Goldie, Goldie, Clare O'Neil, Sam McKeith, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Australian Federal Police, Australia, DP, Reuters, Fremantle, Cyber, Twitter, Home Affairs, Thomson Locations: Dubai's, Australia, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Western, Sydney , Melbourne, Asia

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