07:00
Türkiye’s first floating gas platform arrives at Black Sea port
Türkiye’s first floating natural gas production platform, Osman Gazi, reached Filyos Port in Zonguldak on May 31.
US expands submarine presence in Australia under AUKUS
Reuters
The USS Minnesota, a Virginia class attack submarine, is conducting training off Western Australia ahead of a significant U.S. naval expansion under the AUKUS pact. From 2027, four Virginia class submarines will be based at HMAS Stirling as part of the deal to transfer nuclear submarine capabilities
The U.S. submarine rotation will begin with 50-80 navy personnel arriving at HMAS Stirling this year, increasing to hundreds within two years. The base is undergoing an A$8 billion ($5 billion) upgrade to accommodate the Submarine Rotational Force West.
The strategic location of Western Australia, closer to Asia and the Indian Ocean than the U.S. Pacific Fleet headquarters in Hawaii, enhances the Indo-Pacific defence posture, experts say. Peter Dean, director of Foreign Policy and Defence at the University of Sydney, noted the deployment is key to countering China’s naval presence in the region.
The Virginia class submarine program has been exempted from U.S. budget cuts, with the Trump administration prioritising Indo-Pacific defence. Former Pentagon official Elbridge Colby recently told the U.S. Senate that attack submarines are "absolutely essential" for Taiwan’s defence, stressing the need to ramp up production.
The USS Minnesota moved its home port from Hawaii to Guam in November, reinforcing the U.S. forward-deployed presence. The shift follows increased Chinese naval activity, including a Chinese task force circumnavigating Australia in February and March while holding live-fire drills.
Under AUKUS, Australia will purchase two used Virginia class submarines next decade and co-develop a new nuclear-powered submarine with Britain, replacing its ageing diesel fleet. Currently, 115 Australian personnel are training on U.S. submarines, with 130 more in nuclear maintenance training in Hawaii.
06:00
Truck overturns in Washington state, releasing millions of bees
Authorities in Whatcom County, Washington, issued a warning Friday after a truck carrying honey bee hives overturned near the Canadian border, initially prompting fears that millions of bees had been released.
05:00
German Chancellor Merz to visit Trump next week
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will travel to Washington next week to meet U.S. President Donald Trump.
03:30
Bridge collapse in Russia’s Bryansk region kills at least seven, injures 30
A bridge collapse in the Vygonichsky district of Russia’s Bryansk region, near the Ukrainian border, caused a train derailment and a traffic accident early Sunday, killing at least seven people and leaving 30 injured, according to emergency services.
03:30
India hit by deadly monsoon floods, at least 22 dead
Landslides and flash floods caused by days of heavy monsoon rain have killed at least 22 people in India’s northeast, officials said.
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