Here is a look at what is making news around the country today.
Today’s national news includes Australia delaying on answering Israeli military export requests, Papua New Guinea, Australia inks new police deal, 4th quarter inflation hits two-year low, and US military stockpiling supplies in Australia.
Politics
Australia delaying answering Israeli military export requests
Australia is stalling on processing requests related to military exports to Israel, fearing that either approving or rejecting such motions will draw backlash, The Times of Israel has reported. “There appears to be a deliberate ‘go slow’ happening on anything to do with Israel while the war in Gaza continues,” an unnamed Australian defence industry insider said. “Nobody in the government wants to be seen to be either approving or rejecting Israeli military sales.” Foreign Minister Penny Wong is believed to be partly responsible for the delays.
Papua New Guinea, Australia inks new police deal
Australia will plough millions more dollars into Papua New Guinea’s police force under a four-year deal designed to underscore a “traditional” security partnership in the face of growing Chinese influence, Barron’s reported. Canberra will spend about US$25 million on renovating and expanding police barracks and housing, according to the deal. The investment represents a bid to help the beleaguered police force while cementing long-standing security ties that appear increasingly fragile. The announcement comes after China had offered to train and equip Papua New Guinea’s thinly stretched police force.
https://www.barrons.com/news/papua-new-guinea-inks-new-police-deal-with-australia-427ca5ea
Economy
4th quarter inflation slows to a two-year low
Consumer price inflation slowed more than expected to a two-year low in the fourth quarter, while a sharp deceleration in core inflation prompted markets to bring forward bets of rate cuts, Reuters reported. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed the consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.6 per cent in the fourth quarter. The annual pace of CPI inflation slowed to 4.1 per cent was well below the peak of 7.8 per cent in December 2022. For December 2023, the CPI rose 3.4 per cent year-on-year, down sharply from 4.3 per cent in November and down more than two percentage points in three months.
https://www.reuters.com/markets/australia-inflation-slows-sharply-two-year-low-q4-2024-01-31/
Defence
US military stockpiling supplies in Australia
American war planners used joint Talisman Sabre exercises to position equipment in northern Victoria. The equipment from Talisman Sabre included roughly 330 vehicles and trailers and 130 containers in warehouses in Bandiana, in north-east Victoria. The amount of equipment, which the US military has not previously acknowledged, is enough to supply about three logistics companies, with as many as 500 or more soldiers. The US and its allies are increasingly worried that in the coming years the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, could order his military to seize Taiwan, the democratically governed island China considers its territory, The Guardian reported.
0 Comments