<p style='box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 2; padding: 0.2rem 0px 0.8rem; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: "AP Font", "AP Font Local", Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;' id="isPasted">BAKU: Standings leader Oscar Piastri crashed on the first lap of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday to hand his McLaren teammate and title rival Lando Norris a chance to slash Piastri&#39;s lead in the Formula 1 title fight.<p style='box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 2; padding: 0.2rem 0px 0.8rem; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: "AP Font", "AP Font Local", Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;'>Piastri seemed to false-start and then nearly stall off the line, dropping to the back of the field before sliding into the barrier as he tried to recover places.&nbsp;<p style='box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 2; padding: 0.2rem 0px 0.8rem; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: "AP Font", "AP Font Local", Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;'>The Australian crashed for the second day in a row in Baku after also hitting the barrier in qualifying.<p style='box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 2; padding: 0.2rem 0px 0.8rem; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: "AP Font", "AP Font Local", Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;'>The incident was a blow to McLaren&rsquo;s chances of sealing the constructors&rsquo; title.<p style='box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 2; padding: 0.2rem 0px 0.8rem; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: "AP Font", "AP Font Local", Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;'>Norris started seventh and his McLaren teammate Piastri ninth for Sunday&#39;s race after a chaotic qualifying session with plenty of crashes, rain, and red flags.&nbsp;<p style='box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 2; padding: 0.2rem 0px 0.8rem; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: "AP Font", "AP Font Local", Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;'>Red Bull&#39;s Max Verstappen took pole position in Azerbaijan for the first time in his career.

Azerbaijan Formula One Grand Prix in Baku

Racing

Oscar Piastri crashes on lap one of the Azerbaijan GP, giving teammate Lando Norris a chance to close the gap in the F1 title race.

McLaren's F1 leader Oscar Piastri crashes out of Azerbaijan GP

TOKYO: Japan&#39;s governing party leader, Sanae Takaichi, is on track to become the country&rsquo;s first female prime minister, after finding a badly needed replacement for a crucial partner that left her Liberal Democratic Party&rsquo;s coalition. Takaichi, 64, would replace Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tuesday&rsquo;s parliamentary vote. If she&#39;s successful, it would end Japan&#39;s three-month political vacuum and wrangling since the coalition&#39;s loss in the July parliamentary election. The moderate centrist Komeito party split from the LDP after a 26-year-long coalition. The move by Komeito came days after Takaichi&rsquo;s election as president of her party, and it forced her into a desperate search for a replacement to secure votes so that she can become prime minister. The Buddhist-backed Komeito left after raising concerns about her ultraconservative politics and the LDP&rsquo;s lax response to slush fund scandals that led to their consecutive election defeats and loss of majority in both houses. While the leaders of the country&#39;s top three opposition parties failed to unite for a change of government, Takaichi went for a quick fix by teaming up with the most conservative of them: The Osaka-based Ishin no Kai, or Japan Innovation Party. But the long-term stability of their cooperation is an unknown. The two parties are set to sign a coalition agreement on Monday. An eventual Takaichi premiership would be on a cliff edge. The fragile new coalition, still a minority, would need cooperation from other opposition groups to pass any legislation. It would be a risk that could lead to an unstable, short-lived leadership. Big diplomatic tests come within days &mdash; talks with US President Donald Trump and regional summits. At home, she needs to quickly tackle rising prices and compile economic boosting measures to address the frustrated public. Unpopular among womenAn admirer of former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Takaichi&#39;s breaking of the glass ceiling makes history in a country whose gender equality ranks poorly internationally. But many women aren&#39;t celebrating, and some see her impending premiership as a setback. &ldquo;The prospect of a first female prime minister doesn&rsquo;t make me happy,&rdquo; sociologist Chizuko Ueno posted on X. Ueno explained that Takaichi&rsquo;s leadership would elevate Japan&rsquo;s gender equality ranking, but &ldquo;that doesn&rsquo;t mean Japanese politics becomes kinder to women.&rdquo; Takaichi, an ultraconservative star of her male-dominated party, is among those who have stonewalled measures for women&rsquo;s advancement. Takaichi supports the imperial family&rsquo;s male-only succession, opposes same-sex marriage and a revision to the civil law allowing separate last names for married couples, so women don&rsquo;t get pressured into abandoning theirs. The prospect for a dual system for last names is fading under Takaichi, Ueno says. &ldquo;Ms. Takaichi&rsquo;s policies are extremely hawkish and I doubt she would consider policies to recognize diversity,&rdquo; said Chiyako Sato, a political commentator and senior writer for the Mainichi newspaper. Rising prices and population declineIf she&#39;s successful in the parliamentary vote, Takaichi would immediately launch her Cabinet on Tuesday and make a policy speech later in the week. A protege of assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi is expected to emulate his economic and security policies. With a potentially weak grip on power, it&#39;s unknown how much Takaichi would be able to achieve. She would have only a few days to prepare for diplomatic tests &mdash; major regional summits and talks with Trump in between. She has to reassure that there will be stable ties with China and South Korea, which are concerned about her revisionist views on wartime history and past visits to the Yasukuni Shrine. The shrine honors Japan&rsquo;s 2.5 million war dead, including convicted war criminals. Victims of Japanese aggression, especially China and the Koreas, see visits to the shrine as a lack of remorse about Japan&rsquo;s wartime past. Takaichi supports a stronger military, currently undergoing a five-year buildup with the annual defense budget being doubled to 2% of gross domestic product by 2027. Trump is expected to demand that Japan increase its military spending to NATO targets of 5% of GDP, and purchase more US weapons. Takaichi has to follow up on Japan&rsquo;s pledge of $550 billion to Trump&rsquo;s administration as part of a US tariff deal. Her policies focus on short-term measures such as rising prices, salary increase and subsidies, as well as restrictions against a growing foreign population amid a rise of xenophobia. Takaichi hasn&#39;t shown a vision for Japan to address bigger issues like demographic challenges. Takaichi&rsquo;s dilemmaTakaichi&rsquo;s mission is to regain conservative votes by pushing the party further to the right. The LDP&rsquo;s new coalition with the right-wing JIP may fit Takaichi&#39;s views, but experts say that she would have to avoid pushing them and prioritize stability. She needs to balance relations between China and the United States under Trump, while at home she also needs balance to gain support from the opposition camp to achieve anything. &ldquo;She needs to be realistic,&rdquo; says Sato, the commentator. On Friday, Takaichi sent a religious ornament instead of going to the Yasukuni Shrine, apparently to avoid a diplomatic dispute with Beijing and Seoul. To consolidate opposition cooperation and lift her coalition closer to a majority, she has reached out to smaller opposition groups, including the far-right Sanseito. &ldquo;There is no room for Takaichi to show her true colors. All she can do is cooperate per policy,&rdquo; said Masato Kamikubo, a Ritsumeikan University political science professor. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a pathetic situation.&rdquo; A kingmaker&#39;s influenceTakaichi&rsquo;s election as LDP leader as she seeks the premiership is about power politics by the 85-year-old conservative former Prime Minister Taro Aso, the party&rsquo;s most powerful kingmaker. In her first move as LDP president, Takaichi appointed Aso as the party&#39;s vice president and gave more top jobs to his allies and others who supported her, including Abe allies linked to the funds scandal. Takaichi is expected to appoint them to her Cabinet. Political instabilityPolitical observers expect that a Takaichi government wouldn&#39;t last long. An early election may have to be called later this year, in hopes of regaining a majority in the lower house, though that would be tough. Experts also raise concerns about how Takaichi, a fiscal expansionist, can coordinate economic policies with Ishin&#39;s fiscal conservative views. &ldquo;The era of LDP domination is over and we are entering the era of multiparty politics. The question is how to form a coalition,&rdquo; Sato said, noting a similar trend in Europe. &ldquo;We need to find a Japanese way of forming a coalition and a stable government.&rdquo; About a dozen opposition parties span the spectrum from the Japanese Communist Party on the left to Sanseito and several others on the extreme right. &ldquo;What&rsquo;s going on here right now is what&rsquo;s going on in all our democracies for a lot of complicated reasons,&rdquo; said Gerald Curtis, a Columbia University professor and expert on Japanese politics, citing the mainstream political parties losing popularity, and voters acting on the basis of anger and resentment.

Asia

Ultraconservative Sanae Takaichi is poised to become Japan's first female prime minister, forming a fragile coalition amid political instability, rising prices, and diplomatic challenges, though her leadership faces deep public and ideological divides.


Who is Sanae Takaichi, the woman set to lead Japan?

BEIJING: China on Sunday accused the US National Security Agency (NSA) of carrying out cyberattacks on its national time center, saying any damage to related facilities could have disrupted network communications, financial systems, and power supply. The Ministry of State Security alleged that the US agency had exploited vulnerabilities in the messaging services of a foreign mobile phone brand to steal sensitive information from devices of the National Time Service Center&#39;s staff in 2022.&nbsp; &lsquo;Special cyberattack weapons&rsquo;It did not specify the brand. The US agency also used 42 types of &ldquo;special cyberattack weapons&rdquo; to target the center&#39;s multiple internal network systems and attempted to infiltrate a key timing system between 2023 and 2024, it said in a post on WeChat, a Chinese social media platform. The ministry said it had evidence but did not provide it in the post.&nbsp;What is the time center?It said the time center is responsible for generating and distributing China&rsquo;s standard time, in addition to providing timing services to industries such as communications, finance, power, transport, and defense.&nbsp; The ministry added that it had provided guidance to the center to eliminate the risks. &ldquo;The US is accusing others of what it does itself, repeatedly hyping up claims about Chinese cyber threats,&rdquo; the post said. Western governments in recent years have alleged hackers linked to the Chinese government have targeted officials, journalists, corporations, and others.&nbsp;&nbsp;Ongoing tensions&nbsp;The ministry&#39;s statement could fuel tensions between Washington and Beijing, on top of trade, technology, and other issues. The US Embassy did not address the Chinese allegation in an emailed response. The response focused on China&#39;s cyberattacks, calling them the most active and persistent threat to the US government and companies.

China

Says US agency, the NSA used 42 types of “special cyberattack weapons” to target the center's multiple internal network systems and attempted to infiltrate a key timing system between 2023 and 2024.

China accuses US of cyberattack on national time center

Reuters

BEIJING: China&#39;s economic growth slowed to the weakest pace in a year in the third quarter, as a property crisis and trade tensions hurt demand, leaving policymakers with the daunting challenge of rebalancing GDP drivers towards greater consumption over time.&nbsp;Authorities have unveiled modest stimulus measures this year, supported by resilient exports and strong stock markets, but renewed US-China trade tensions pose risks. While there is room for additional support, analysts are divided over whether policymakers will act this year.&nbsp;Data on Monday showed gross domestic product (GDP) grew 4.8% in July-September, slowing from 5.2% in the second quarter and in line with analysts&#39; expectations in a Reuters poll for a rise of 4.8%.&nbsp;China is aiming for full-year growth of around 5%.&nbsp;&quot;The market understanding was that China is going to miss the target, no matter what. Even with stimulus, it was going to be below 5%,&quot; said Dan Wang, China director at Eurasia Group.&nbsp;&quot;But judging by the figure for the first three quarters, it&#39;s going to hit the target, suggesting China can withstand any pressure from the US, even with such levels of tariff threats and export restrictions. Beijing is sending the signal that it is capable of reaching its development goals and is strongly committed to its policies.&quot;&nbsp;Quarterly, GDP grew 1.1% in the third quarter, the National Bureau of Statistics data showed, compared with a forecast 0.8% increase and a revised 1.0% gain in the previous quarter.

Business

Data on Monday shows gross domestic product (GDP) grew 4.8% in July-September, slowing from 5.2% in the second quarter and in line with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a rise of 4.8%.

China's Q3 GDP growth slows to one-year low

HONG KONG: A cargo aircraft skidded off a Hong Kong runway into the sea when landing early Monday, killing two people. The Emirates flight, arriving from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was landing at Hong Kong International Airport around 3:50 a.m., according to Hong Kong&rsquo;s airport authority. Four crew members on the plane were rescued and taken to a hospital. Initial reports from police said two people in an airport ground vehicle were killed. Emirates said the Boeing 747 freighter flying as EK9788 was wet leased and operated by Turkish cargo carrier Act Airlines. In wet leases, the company supplying the plane also provides the crew, maintenance, and insurance. The airline said there was cargo on board. Local Hong Kong broadcasters showed the aircraft partially submerged just off the edge of the airport&rsquo;s sea wall. The aircraft&rsquo;s front half and cockpit were visible above water, but the tail end appeared to have broken off. The crash occurred on the north runway of Hong Kong&rsquo;s airport, one of Asia&rsquo;s busiest. That runway remained closed, while the two other runways at the airport continue to operate. Hong Kong&#39;s Civil Aviation Department said in a statement it was following up with the airlines and other parties involved in the crash.

A Turkish-operated Emirates cargo plane skidded off Hong Kong’s runway into the sea during landing, killing two airport workers and injuring four crew members, prompting runway closure and an ongoing aviation investigation.

Cargo aircraft skids off Hong Kong runway into sea, killing 2 people

AUSTIN:&nbsp;Max Verstappen made it clear that he is chasing a spectacular fifth world title after reeling off his third win in four races with a masterclass in Sunday&#39;s sizzling United States Grand Prix. After avoiding direct comment on the championship for several weeks, Red Bull&#39;s four-time champion said he felt sure he now has a real chance of snatching the title from the grasp of McLaren&#39;s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Boosted by cutting Piastri&#39;s advantage to 40 points with five Grands Prix remaining, including two more sprint races, a buoyant Verstappen called for Red Bull to maintain their momentum. &quot;Yeah, for sure, the chance is there,&quot; he said. &quot;We just need to try and deliver these weekends until the end. We will try whatever we can.&quot; After winning both Saturday&#39;s sprint and Sunday&#39;s Grand Prix race, Verstappen has 306 points in the title race, in third place, leaving Piastri on top with 346 points and Norris on 332. McLaren have already won the constructors&#39; title for the second consecutive year, but have focussed on preparing for 2026 and stopped introducing updates to their car for this year &mdash; leaving their drivers nervously scrambling to keep their title bids on track. The 28-year-old Dutchman has now collected 119 points from a possible 135 over the last five Grand Prix weekends &mdash; a run that has also coincided with improvements in form from both Mercedes and Ferrari. Verstappen added, &quot;It was an unbelievable weekend for us. I knew that the race was not going to be super straightforward, and I think, if you look at the whole race, the pace between me and Lando was really close. &quot;I think the first stint is where we made the difference. I could eek out a little bit of a gap, and that is basically what we kept until the end.&quot; He added, &quot;I am incredibly proud of everyone for delivering a weekend like this, and now we just have to keep the momentum.&quot; Verstappen&#39;s late-season charge has prompted memories of the 2007 season when Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari went into the final race in Brazil trailing both McLaren drivers, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, but emerged as champion.

Red Bull's four-time champion reignited his title hopes with victory at the US Grand Prix, closing in on McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris as he targets a fifth world championship with five races remaining.

Verstappen gunning for fifth world title

PARIS: French luxury group Kering is selling its beauty products business, including its leading perfume brand Creed, to cosmetics giant L&#39;Oreal in a deal worth $4.6 billion, the companies said Sunday. Kering, owner of luxury handbag-maker Gucci, and the French grooming giant said in a joint statement they were &quot;entering a long-term strategic partnership in luxury beauty and wellness.&quot; Under the deal, L&#39;Oreal will acquire Kering&#39;s beauty products division, including Creed, they added. They valued the deal at four billion euros overall, subject to regulation, with payment expected in the first half of 2026. &quot;Through Creed, we will establish ourselves as one of the leading players in the fast-growing niche fragrance market,&quot; said L&#39;Oreal chief executive Nicolas Hieronimus in the statement. The companies said the partnership &quot;includes the rights to enter into a 50-year exclusive license for the creation, development, and distribution of fragrance and beauty products for Gucci&quot; after the current licence expires.

Kering will sell its beauty division, including luxury perfume brand Creed, to L’Oreal for $4.6 billion under a new strategic partnership that also grants L’Oreal future rights to Gucci beauty products.

Gucci owner sells beauty division to L'Oreal for $4.6B

Web Desk

FLORIDA: Speaking to the media, US President Donald Trump said on Monday that India will continue to pay &quot;massive&quot; tariffs if they don&#39;t restrict Russian oil purchases.&nbsp; Trump said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi told him India will stop its Russian oil purchases. &quot;I spoke with Prime Minister Modi of India, and he said he&#39;s not going to be doing the Russian oil thing,&quot; Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, reiterating what he said in the past week. When asked about India&#39;s government saying it was not aware of any conversation between Modi and Trump, Trump replied: &quot;But if they want to say that, then they&#39;ll just continue to pay massive tariffs, and they don&#39;t want to do that.&quot;

Americas

Trump warns India will continue to face ‘massive tariffs’ over Russian oil purchases

MADRID: Kylian Mbappe extended his goalscoring streak to 11 consecutive games to help Real Madrid reclaim top spot in La Liga with a 1-0 victory at nine-man Getafe on Sunday. After rivals Barcelona briefly displaced Los Blancos with a narrow win over Girona on Saturday, Xabi Alonso&#39;s side restored their two-point advantage before next weekend&#39;s Clasico. Getafe fended off Madrid until Allan Nyom was dismissed a minute after coming on, and Mbappe quickly pounced to decide the game in the 80th minute. Alex Sancris was also sent off as Getafe unravelled in the final stages. Alonso started with Brazilian star Vinicius Junior on the bench, with the Champions League clash against Juventus on Wednesday and Barca&#39;s impending visit in mind. The winger turned out to be key as a second-half substitute, with both of Getafe&#39;s red cards issued for fouls on him. &quot;Vini had a great impact ... we told him this morning he could be so important,&quot; Alonso told reporters. &quot;It was a very demanding game, coming here to face Getafe is never easy ... it wasn&#39;t the prettiest game but we did what we had to do.&quot; Mbappe returned after an ankle problem kept him out of a France World Cup qualifier earlier in the week, leading the line at Getafe&#39;s Coliseum stadium. The French forward had scored in his previous 10 consecutive appearances for club and country and found the net once again. &quot;We are very happy with how Kylian is going; he&#39;s being decisive,&quot; said Alonso. Mbappe twice came close before Getafe earned a foothold in the game and began to frustrate the visitors, stopping them from creating much danger. Only towards the end of the first period did Madrid perk up again in attack, with Soria saving from Rodrygo Goes after good work by Jude Bellingham. Getafe&#39;s goalkeeper made a good stop from a powerful David Alaba free-kick, and Fede Valverde flashed a strike across the face of the goal before half-time. Alonso sent on Vinicius in the second half, and his spark began to worry the hosts, who resorted to fouls to fend off the Brazilian. Bellingham fed Mbappe, who fired off target, and then whipped a free-kick inches wide, as Madrid remained comfortably on top. Getafe see redThe game changed when Getafe substitute Nyom, under a minute after coming on, needlessly knocked down Vinicius off the ball with his arm and was sent off. Moments after play restarted, Real Madrid took the lead. Arda Guler fed Mbappe, who was just onside, and he turned nicely before firing past Soria and in off the post for his 10th league goal of the season, leading the charts both in La Liga and in the Champions League. Getafe continued to self-destruct and Sancris was sent off for a second yellow card, gained for another unnecessary foul on Vinicius, leaving Jose Bordalas&#39;s side with nine men. Alvaro Carreras fired wide after a cheeky scoop over the defence by Vinicius, whom Getafe fans booed. Despite their significant numerical disadvantage, the hosts had one golden chance to level in stoppage time, but Thibaut Courtois saved from Englishman Abu Kamara with his knee. &quot;We should not give away this chance, but Thibaut did his job,&quot; said Alonso. Getafe coach Bordalas said he did not believe Nyom deserved to be dismissed before Madrid&#39;s opener. &quot;Nyom&#39;s red card changed the game,&quot; said the Getafe coach. &quot;For me, it&#39;s not a red card, yellow at most.&quot; Elsewhere, newly-promoted Elche continued their good start to the season with a 0-0 draw against Athletic Bilbao, which left them seventh, one place above their Basque opponents. Rayo Vallecano climbed into 10th with a 3-0 win at Levante, while struggling Real Sociedad snatched a late 1-1 draw at 10-man Celta Vigo.

Football

The 80th-minute strike sealed Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over nine-man Getafe, extending Mbappe's scoring streak to 11 games and restoring Madrid’s La Liga lead ahead of the upcoming Clasico against Barcelona.

Mbappe sends Real Madrid top as Getafe self-destruct

SYDNEY:&nbsp;Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets with President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday, touting his country&#39;s abundant critical minerals as a way to loosen China&#39;s grip over global supplies. At the same time, Albanese is hoping to secure Trump&#39;s backing for a 2021 pact to arm Australia with silent, nuclear-powered attack submarines. Australians have a mostly unfavourable view of the Trump administration, polling shows, though the country relies on the United States to balance China&#39;s expanding military clout in the Pacific region. In the run-up to the White House talks, Australia is selling itself to Washington as a future source of critical minerals, including rare earths, of which China is by far the world&#39;s largest supplier. Australia sits on deposits of lithium, cobalt, and manganese as well as rare earth metals used in technologies from semiconductors to defence hardware, electric cars, and wind turbines. Albanese, who said he looked forward to a &quot;positive and constructive&quot; meeting with Trump, announced plans in April for a strategic reserve of critical minerals to provide to &quot;key partners&quot; such as the United States. The reserve is designed to help relax China&#39;s chokehold on global critical minerals production, which it has been accused of leveraging to pressure trade partners. Trump this month threatened 100% tariffs on China in response to its latest rare earths export curbs, though he later eased his stance with a social media post saying: &quot;It will all be fine.&quot; China the &#39;focal point&#39;Australia&#39;s economy minister, Treasurer Jim Chalmers, said his country had &quot;a lot to offer the world&quot; in critical minerals. &quot;We will engage with our partners to make sure that we can be a very reliable supplier to meet the critical minerals needs of this country, here in the US, and other markets around the world,&quot; Chalmers told a news conference in Washington on Friday. But the treasurer has also taken a swipe at impediments to global trade, raising concerns over the economic impact of US tariffs, including a 10-percent levy on Australian goods, and the US-China trade spat. On defence, Australia&#39;s government will be hoping for Trump&#39;s blessing of the 2021 agreement to equip its navy with at least three US Virginia-class submarines within 15 years, and the technology to build its own vessels in the future. The AUKUS submarine deal between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States could cost Australia up to US$235 billion over the next 30 years, according to Canberra. The nuclear-powered vessels lie at the heart of Australia&#39;s strategy of improving its long-range strike capabilities in the Pacific. But the Trump administration said in June it had put AUKUS under review to ensure it aligned with his &quot;America First agenda,&quot; with some critics saying the United States did not produce enough Virginia-class submarines to supply Australia as well as its own navy. Australia&#39;s government says it has received no indications that Washington will withdraw support for AUKUS, which is expected to be raised in the White House talks. &quot;AUKUS should be given the green light and once again confirmed as the foundation of Australia&#39;s security and vital to the United States&#39; interest in competing with a rising Beijing-led authoritarian axis,&quot; predicted Justin Bassi, executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a think tank partly funded by Australia&#39;s Department of Defence. &quot;China will likely be the focal point of discussions even if it is rarely mentioned publicly: AUKUS, critical minerals, cyber, and critical technologies are frontline agenda topics, and all are about China.&quot;

Australasia

Australian PM Anthony Albanese meets President Trump in Washington to promote Australia’s critical minerals and seek reaffirmation of the AUKUS submarine pact, amid tensions over China’s dominance in global supply chains and Pacific security.

Aussie PM meets Trump with critical minerals on offer

PALM BEACH, The United States will slash assistance to Colombia because its leader, Gustavo Petro, &ldquo;does nothing to stop&rdquo; drug production, President Donald Trump said Sunday, escalating the friction between Washington and one of its closest allies in Latin America. In a social media post, Trump referred to Petro as &ldquo;an illegal drug leader&rdquo; who is &ldquo;low rated and very unpopular.&rdquo; The Republican president warned that Petro &ldquo;better close up&rdquo; drug operations &ldquo;or the United States will close them up for him, and it won&rsquo;t be done nicely.&rdquo; Hours later, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the latest U.S. strike on a vessel that was allegedly carrying &ldquo;substantial amounts of narcotics.&rdquo; He said the vessel was associated with a Colombian rebel group &mdash; the National Liberation Army, or ELN &mdash; that has been in conflict with Petro&rsquo;s government. He did not provide any evidence for his assertions, but he shared a brief video clip of a boat engulfed in flames after an explosion on Friday. Petro, who can be as vocal on social media as his American counterpart, rejected Trump&rsquo;s accusations and defended his work to fight narcotics in Colombia, the world&rsquo;s largest exporter of cocaine. &ldquo;Trying to promote peace in Colombia is not being a drug trafficker,&rdquo; Petro wrote. He suggested that Trump was being deceived by his advisers, described himself as &ldquo;the main enemy&rdquo; of drugs in his country and said Trump was being &ldquo;rude and ignorant toward Colombia.&rdquo; The Colombian Foreign Ministry described Trump&rsquo;s statement as a &ldquo;direct threat to national sovereignty by proposing an illegal intervention in Colombian territory.&rdquo; Defense Minister Pedro S&aacute;nchez told reporters that the country &ldquo;has used all its capability and also lost men and women fighting drug trafficking.&rdquo; Trump&rsquo;s latest broadside against Petro raises the possibility of an expanding clash in Latin America, where the U.S. has already increased pressure on neighboring Venezuela and its leader, Nicol&aacute;s Maduro. American naval ships, fighter jets and drones are deployed in the region for what the administration has described as an &ldquo;armed conflict&rdquo; with drug cartels. Trump also authorized covert operations inside Venezuela. Unlike Venezuela, Colombia is a longtime U.S. ally and the top recipient of American assistance in the region. But coca cultivation reached an all-time high last year, according to the United Nations, and there has been fresh violence in rural areas where the government spent years battling insurgents before reaching a peace deal a decade ago. In September, the Trump administration accused Colombia of failing to cooperate in the drug war, although at the time Washington issued a waiver of sanctions that would have triggered aid cuts. Colombia received an estimated $230 million in the U.S. budget year that ended Sept. 30, a drop from recent years that exceeded $700 million, according to U.S. figures. Petro, Colombia&rsquo;s first leftist president, has repeatedly feuded with Trump this year. Petro initially rejected U.S. military flights of deported migrants, leading Trump to threaten tariffs. The State Department said it would revoke Petro&rsquo;s visa when he attended the U.N. General Assembly in New York because he told American soldiers to disobey Trump&rsquo;s orders. Petro and Trump have also been at odds over American strikes on boats in the Caribbean. On Sunday, Petro accused the U.S. government of assassination, pointing to a Sept. 16 strike that he said killed a Colombian man named Alejandro Carranza. Petro said Carranza was a fisherman with no ties to drug trafficking, and his boat was malfunctioning when it was hit. &ldquo;The United States has invaded our national territory, fired a missile to kill a humble fisherman, and destroyed his family, his children. This is Bol&iacute;var&rsquo;s homeland, and they are murdering his children with bombs,&rdquo; Petro wrote on social media. He said that he asked his country&rsquo;s attorney general&rsquo;s office to initiate legal proceedings internationally and in U.S. courts. The White House and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Petro&rsquo;s accusations. Despite Petro&rsquo;s criticism, his government plans to prosecute the Colombian survivor of a more recent U.S. strike on a submersible that was allegedly carrying drugs. Another survivor was repatriated to Ecuador, where the Ministry of the Interior said he would not face charges after prosecutors met with him and determined that he had not committed any crimes within the country&rsquo;s borders. The ELN, which Hegseth said was the target of Friday&rsquo;s strike, has long denied any role in drug trafficking and offered to submit to the scrutiny of an international commission. It did not respond to Hegseth&#39;s announcement. Colombian authorities regularly report the dismantling of cocaine laboratories and the seizure of drugs believed to belong to the guerrillas. There have been seven U.S. strikes in the region since early September that the administration says are targeting alleged drug traffickers. At least 32 people have been killed. Trump said Sunday that Petro had &ldquo;a fresh mouth toward America.&rdquo; He complained that drug smuggling continues &ldquo;despite large scale payments and subsidies from the USA that are nothing more than a long term rip off of America.&rdquo; &ldquo;AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT, OR SUBSIDIES, WILL NO LONGER BE MADE TO COLOMBIA,&rdquo; he added. Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst for the Andes region at International Crisis Group, said &ldquo;it is befuddling and profoundly unwise of the United States to alienate its strongest military partner in Latin America at a moment when tension between Washington and Venezuela are at its highest point in recent years.&rdquo; She said Washington and Bogota have long treated their relationship as foundational, but &ldquo;that wisdom is being thrown out the window, with really catastrophic effects.&rdquo; Colombia lost significant U.S. funding when Trump slashed the U.S. Agency for International Development earlier this year. More cuts could affect military cooperation and undermine efforts to fight rebel groups. &ldquo;If that is cut, we will see a strategic loss of capability for the Colombian military and police at precisely the moment when they&rsquo;re confronting the greatest security crisis in Colombia for over a decade,&rdquo; she said.

Donald Trump said the U.S. will cut aid to Colombia, calling President Gustavo Petro a “drug leader” who fails to curb cocaine production. Petro condemned Trump’s remarks as a threat to Colombian sovereignty and “rude ignorance.”