About: Australia
Macron says Australia PM lied over submarine deal
French President Emmanuel Macron said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison lied to him over the cancellation of a submarine building contract in September, and indicated more efforts were required to rebuild trust between the two allies.
Australia submarines: How the ‘contract of the century’ fell apart
Australia's scrapping of a massive multi-billion-euro contract for the purchase of French submarines has led to a diplomatic crisis between France and its erstwhile allies in Canberra and Washington. Here is a timeline of the spat:
Denmark sides with Biden in submarine row
Denmark, one of Washington's closest allies in Europe, disagrees with French and EU criticism of the United States over a submarine deal with Australia, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Wednesday (22 September).
France builds EU support in sub row, but some warn against US rift
European allies rallied cautiously around France on Tuesday (21 September) after the US and Australian decision to strip Paris of a submarine supply contract, but some warned the dispute should not torpedo trade talks.
EU’s Breton: AUKUS sub snub fuels ‘growing feeling of broken relationship’
As EU diplomats discuss whether to cancel or postpone an upcoming EU-US summit meant to focus on technology and trade over the AUKUS deal, French officials insist this is not about a lost bilateral arms contract, but about a 'broken' relationship between allies.
Factbox: An intensifying arms race in Asia
Analysts warn that Asia may be sliding into an accelerating arms race as countries react to China's military growth. Here is a list of defence systems several Asian countries are looking to acquire.
EU backs France in submarine dispute, asking: Is America back?
European Union foreign ministers expressed support and solidarity with France on Monday (20 September) during a meeting in New York to discuss Australia's scrapping of a $40 billion submarine order with Paris in favor of a US and British deal.
EU chief Michel denounces ‘lack of loyalty’ by US
EU chief Charles Michel on Monday (20 September) accused the United States of a lack of loyalty after Australia canceled a mega-contract with France to buy US nuclear submarines.
Australia defends scrapping of French submarine deal, Macron and Biden to talk
Australia on Sunday (19 September) defended its decision to ditch a multi-billion-dollar order for French submarines and opt instead for an alternative deal with the United States and Britain, saying it had flagged its concerns to Paris months ago.
France says Biden acted like Trump to sink Australia defence deal
France accused US President Joe Biden on Thursday (16 September) of stabbing it in the back and acting like his predecessor Donald Trump after Paris was pushed aside from a historic defence export contract to supply Australia with submarines.
EU aims for bigger diplomatic weight on Indo-Pacific matters
The European Union outlined on Thursday (16 September) a new strategy for raising its presence in the Indo-Pacific and counter China's increasing influence in the region, which has become the latest arena of the international geopolitical race.
Half of EU vaccinated as Covid returns to China’s Wuhan
Half of the European Union's population has now been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, an AFP tally showed Tuesday, as China's Wuhan said it would test all 11 million residents after the virus returned to where it first emerged.
Russia COVID-19 deaths hit new record as EU eyes tourism reboot
Russia's Covid-19 death toll reached a record on Wednesday (30 June) as the country battled the highly infectious Delta variant, even as Europe prepared to launch an EU-wide Covid certificate to boost its devastated tourism industry.
Delta variant spread upsets EU plans for return to relative normality
Moscow and Indonesia recorded their worst daily coronavirus death toll due to the highly contagious coronavirus Delta variant, while various EU countries envisaged new restrictions, likely to upset their plans for a return to relative normality this summer.
Global crackdown on organised crime after high-tech US-Australia sting
US and Australian authorities hacked into an app used by criminals to read millions of encrypted messages, leading to hundreds of arrests of suspected organised crime figures in 18 countries, Australian officials said on Tuesday (8 June).
UK set to offer unfettered access to meat imports in Australia trade pact
The United Kingdom is expected to sign an ambitious liberalising trade pact with Australia, its first major new trade deal since leaving the EU, following a row between cabinet ministers on whether to open up the UK market to meat imports.
Blinken in UK as G7 foreign ministers discuss in-person Russia, China
Britain this week hosts the first face-to-face meeting of G7 foreign ministers in two years, joined by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as world powers tackle pandemic recovery plus growing tensions with Russia and China.
Australia says it cancelled state deals on China’s Belt and Road over ‘national interest’
Australia said a decision to cancel two accords between Victoria state and China on the Belt and Road Initiative was taken to ensure consistency in foreign relations and was not aimed at any country.
Australia blames EU supply issues for slow vaccine rollout
Australia's prime minister on Wednesday (7 April) blamed restricted vaccine supply from Europe for his country's halting coronavirus inoculation efforts, as he faced down growing public frustration over the sluggish rollout.
Australia urges EU to send 1 million COVID vaccines for Papua New Guinea
Australia said it will ask the European Union to release 1 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine to help Papua New Guinea (PNG) battle a dangerous outbreak that authorities fear could spread to other parts of the region.
Australia’s Cormann to lead OECD, climate activists dismayed
Australia’s former finance minister Mathias Cormann on Friday (12 March) announced he won the race to lead the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), disappointing climate activists who said he has blocked efforts to reduce emissions.
Australia asks European Commission to review Italy’s vaccine block
Australia has asked the European Commission to review a decision by Italy to block a shipment of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, while stressing on Friday (5 March) the missing doses would not affect the rollout of Australia's inoculation programme.
Assange ‘free to return home’ once legal challenges over, Australia PM says
Julian Assange is “free to return home” to Australia once legal challenges against him are dealt with, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, after a UK court denied a request to extradite the Wikileaks founder to the United States.