U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Washington on 20 October, a White House official confirmed on Tuesday.
Albanese, who was reelected as leader of the centre-left Labor government in May, has not yet met Trump. A previous meeting planned during the G7 summit in Canada in June was cancelled when the president left early.
The leaders are expected to discuss several key issues, including the multi-billion-dollar AUKUS initiative with Britain, which aims to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines to counter China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific. The project is currently under review by the Pentagon, led by U.S. Under Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby, a known critic of AUKUS. Colby previously stated that submarines are a scarce and critical resource, and U.S. industry cannot produce enough to meet domestic demand.
Colby’s office has indicated the review will be completed during the northern hemisphere autumn. A senior U.S. State Department official said the review involves coordination between the Pentagon, State Department, and other agencies, but the exact timeline remains unclear.
“Ultimately, this is about ensuring that AUKUS benefits America and that the U.S. Government fully supports it,” the official told reporters.
Australia, which has already contributed roughly $1 billion to support the expansion of American submarine shipyards, remains confident that AUKUS will move forward. Under pressure from Washington to increase defence spending, Australia recently announced an additional AU$12 billion ($8 billion) to upgrade a shipyard in Western Australia.
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The collective-defence agreement between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signals that regional powers no longer want to rely solely on external security guarantees. Whether it becomes a stabilising deterrent or another axis of rivalry remains unresolved.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed, according to the latest data, as uncertainty over the waterway’s reopening kept most shipowners away. Six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, down from nine the day before and below the 10-day daily average of 11.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils the terms of an interim deal, including lifting the maritime blockade and sanctions and releasing Iran’s frozen assets.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 19th of August, covering the latest developments.
Australia on Thursday condemned Israel’s decision to close its criminal investigation into the deaths of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and six World Central Kitchen colleagues killed in Gaza in April 2024.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
North Korea has fired more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles after U.S. President Donald Trump reduced American participation in joint military exercises with South Korea in an effort to revive dialogue with Pyongyang.
Georgia’s foreign trade data for January-July 2026 shows Kyrgyzstan, China and Russia as its top three export markets, highlighting its Middle Corridor ambitions and complex economic ties with Moscow.
Kazakhstan will vote on 23 August in its first parliamentary election under the new Constitution, choosing 145 members of the new Kurultai under a fundamentally changed electoral system based entirely on party lists.
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