Page 7 - Australia

India in talks with Australia to source rare earth minerals, says official

India is in talks with Australia to source rare earth minerals, an Australian official said on Tuesday. The development assumes significance in the wake of rare earth magnet shortage caused by Chinese export restrictions. "They (India and Australia) are talking about rare earth and there are blocks available. So there is an opportunity for India to take an early-stage block and have tie-ups with a few companies," Malini Dutt, Trade and Investment Commissioner, New South Wales Government, Australia, said. Besides rare earth, both private and public sectors in India have shown interest in copper blocks in Australia, she said on the sidelines of India Energy Storage Week (IESW) 2025, organised by India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA). "There is a lot of interest around copper as well, given some of the conversations I have had. The interest is both from private sector and a PSU which is quite on the hunt for copper (blocks), Malini said. You are aware there are smelters and companies

Australia sees 450,000 Indian tourists: How easy visa, flights fuel boom

Tourism Australia's Nishant Kashikar explains how digital visas, direct flights, and new experiences are driving over 450,000 Indian tourists to Australia annually

Australia's student visa now world's costliest, but Indians undeterred

Australia has once again hiked student visa fees to ₹1.12 lakh, making it the world's costliest. But Indian students are unlikely to look elsewhere

Australia hikes student visa fee to ₹1 lakh, costliest in English world

Australia hikes student visa fee to AUD 2,000 from July 1, 2025, making it the costliest among major English-speaking study destinations

Operation Sindoor's message conveyed with great clarity, says Jaishankar

Operation Sindoor conveyed to the world with great clarity that India will act against terrorism, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in a statement in line with the UN Security Council calling for those responsible for the Pahalgam attacks to be brought to justice. "What is important for us in the Quad statement, as also the statement that the Security Council had issued on April 25, is that the perpetrators of terrorism must be held accountable. They must be brought to justice, Jaishankar said during a press conference in Washington on Wednesday. And that's important because we then have to communicate to the world what we did. On May 7, the objective of Operation Sindoor is that if there are terrorist attacks, we will act against the perpetrators, the supporters, the financiers, and the enablers. So that message, I think, was conveyed with great clarity, he said. A joint statement issued by Quad Foreign Ministers -- Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Foreign .

QUAD foreign ministers concerned about East and South China sea situation

The leaders expressed their support for ASEAN and its centrality, the Pacific Islands Forum and Pacific-led regional groupings, as well as the Indian Ocean Rim Association

US, Indo-Pacific partners agree to strengthen maritime cooperation

The United States. Australia, India and Japan have agreed to expand their cooperation on maritime security in the Indo-Pacific and further collaborate on supplies of critical minerals and rare earths that are key components of high-tech production. The foreign ministers of the four countries, known as the "Quad", met in Washington on Tuesday as the Trump administration seeks to expand US influence in the Indo-Pacific to compete with a rising China amid tensions with partners over trade and defense issues. In a joint meeting with his three colleagues, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Quad must be a vehicle for action that goes beyond statements of intent and stressed that commerce and trade will be critical to ensuring the group's relevance in the future. To that end, the four announced in a statement the creation of a Quad Critical Minerals Initiative that aims to strengthen economic security and collective resilience by collaborating on securing and diversifying critical ...

QUAD to reiterate commitment to free Indo-Pacific: US State Dept official

S Jaishankar is visiting the US at the invitation of US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio to participate in the QUAD Foreign Minister's Meeting, the MEA, said in an official statement

Jaishankar to begin 4-day visit to US for QUAD foreign ministers' meeting

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will embark on a four-day visit to the US on Monday to participate in a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Quad grouping that will focus on new proposals to advance a common vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific. Jaishankar will visit the United States from June 30 to July 2 at the invitation of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Sunday. The Quad foreign ministers' meeting on July 1 will build on the discussions held at an earlier meeting in Washington on January 21, it said. "They will exchange views on regional and global developments, particularly those concerning the Indo-Pacific, and review the progress made on various Quad initiatives in the run-up to the Quad leaders' summit, which will be hosted by India," the MEA said in a statement. It said the ministers are also expected to deliberate on new proposals aimed at advancing a shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific. The Quad,

Jaishankar speaks to Australian FM ahead of QUAD foreign ministers meet

In a post on X, EAM noted that he discussed the India-Australia bilateral cooperation and the Indo-Pacific in his conversation with Foreign Minister Wong

Want Australian citizenship? This visa for top talent may get you there

Australia has launched a new permanent visa for globally recognised talent in research, sport, arts, business and academia

Darwin port dispute shows not all Chinese stakes pose security threat

Beijing's ownership of critical infrastructure has been growing steadily over the years, but Trump's new administration is paying more attention

No SATs or high fee: Australia brings ATAR board to Indian schools

Indian students can now study under Australia's WACE curriculum, gain ATAR scores, and apply globally-without SATs or sky-high fee

Trump's rethink on Australia submarines gives China a strategic edge

First announced by former President Joe Biden in 2021, the multibillion-dollar deal commits Washington and London to help Canberra develop a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines over a 30-year period

Australians equally distrust both Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, survey finds

A new Lowy Institute survey found that 72% of Australians don't trust Donald Trump to act responsibly in global affairs, slightly more than the 71% who expressed distrust in China's Xi Jinping

Amazon to invest $13 bn in Australia's data center infra over five years

The investment is Amazon's largest global technology commitment in Australia, with funding directed toward new server capacity and support for generative AI workloads

98,000 Indians apply for Australia's 1,000 Work and Holiday visa spots

Over 98,000 Indians applied for Australia's Work and Holiday visa in 2024, as the country opened 1,000 annual spots under a ballot system for young Indian travellers

Pentagon mulls scrapping Aukus submarine deal with Australia, Britain

The review will study whether the deal, signed by President Joe Biden's team in 2021, is "aligned with the President's America First agenda," the Pentagon said

Greta Thunberg deported, Muda land scam, Austria school shooting, Bangalore stampede & more top

The Enforcement Directorate today provisionally attached 92 properties worth ₹100 crore linked to the Muda land allotment scam, raising the total seized assets in the case to ₹400 crore.

Japanese frigate reaches Australia as Tokyo attempts $6.5 bn defence deal

A state-of-the-art Japanese warship has arrived in Australia as part of a high-stakes campaign to secure a $6.5 billion contract to build the country's next fleet of general-purpose frigates. The JS Yahagi, a Mogami-class stealth frigate from Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force, is docked in Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory in what appears a symbolic and strategic move aimed at strengthening defense ties with Australia and showcasing Japanese naval technology. Japan's bid, led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, was short-listed in November for the Royal Australian Navy's SEA 3000 frigate project and is competing against Germany's MEKO A-200 offered by Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. The Australian Government is expected to select a preferred design later this year, with construction for 11 new vessels slated to begin the following year. Japan would jointly develop and produce the frigates for the Australian navy. Bolstering defense industry As part of its military buildup, Japa