While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, March 14
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(From left) Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during the Aukus summit, on March 13, 2023.
PHOTO: AFP
Eyeing China, Biden and allies unveil nuclear-powered submarine plan for Australia
The leaders of the United States, Australia and Britain on Monday unveiled details of a plan to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines, a major step to counter China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific.
In a joint statement, US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak endorsed plans for the so-called Aukus project, first announced in 2021, at the US naval base in San Diego, California, principal home port of the US Pacific Fleet.
Under the deal, the United States intends to sell Australia three US Virginia class nuclear-powered submarines in the early 2030s, with an option to buy two more if needed, the joint statement said.
New York truck attacker escapes death penalty
An Uzbek man who killed eight people in a truck attack in New York six years ago will spend the rest of his life in jail after jurors were unable to agree on the death penalty Monday.
Prosecutors had argued for capital punishment for Saipov, who was convicted in January of several murder and terrorism charges over the attack on Oct 31, 2017.
But Saipov received a life term without the possibility of parole after the jury in Manhattan federal court failed to unanimously agree on the death sentence.
Russia agrees to extend grain deal for 60 days: Deputy minister
Russia has agreed to extend the Ukraine grain export deal following talks with the United Nations on Monday – but only for a further 60 days.
Moscow said it wanted to see “tangible progress” on a parallel agreement on Russian exports before the deal comes up for renewal again.
The grain export deal has helped ease the global food crisis triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year. The invasion saw Ukraine’s Black Sea ports blocked by warships until a deal signed in July allowed for the safe passage of exports of critical grain supplies.
ICC to seek warrants against Russians over alleged Ukraine war crimes: Source
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is expected to seek its first arrest warrants against Russian individuals in relation to the conflict in Ukraine “in the short term”, a source with knowledge of the matter said on Monday.
The prosecutor of the ICC is expected to ask a pre-trial judge to approve issuing warrants against several Russians for the abduction of children from Ukraine to Russia and the targeting of civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, said the source, who commented on condition of anonymity.
It was unclear which Russian individuals the ICC prosecutor would seek warrants for or exactly when, but the warrants could include the crime of genocide, said the source.
Tennis: Ukraine’s Tsurenko says suffered panic attack after chat with WTA chief
Ukrainian qualifier Lesia Tsurenko withdrew from her third-round match at Indian Wells against Belarusian second seed Aryna Sabalenka after suffering a panic attack following a chat with the WTA’s chief executive, she said on Monday.
Tsurenko, who beat Croatia’s Donna Vekic 2-6 6-2 6-2 on Friday, pulled out of the tournament shortly before her match against Sabalenka was due to start on Monday, citing personal reasons, organisers said.
“The reason for the withdrawal was a panic attack,” Tsurenko later told the Big Tennis Ukraine website on Monday.
