ADNOC launches $18.7 billion takeover bid for Australia's Santos
The XRG-led consortium, which includes Abu Dhabi Development Holding Company (ADQ) and U.S. investment firm Carlyle, has proposed a "final non-binding indicative offer" to acquire 100% of Santos stock for $5.76 per share in cash.
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Japan Today
2 hours ago
- Japan Today
Australian airline Qantas hit by massive cyberattack
Australian airline Qantas says it is investigating a "significant" cyber attack, after hackers infiltrated a system containing sensitive data on six million customers. Australian airline Qantas said Wednesday it was investigating a "significant" cyberattack, after hackers infiltrated a system containing sensitive data on six million customers. Qantas said hackers had targeted one of its customer contact centres, breaching a computer system used by a third party. They had access to sensitive information such as customer names, email addresses, phone numbers and birthdays, the blue-chip Australian company said. "There are 6 million customers that have service records in this platform," the company said in a statement. "We are continuing to investigate the proportion of the data that has been stolen, though we expect it will be significant." Credit card details and passport numbers were not kept in the system, Qantas added. "There is no impact to Qantas' operations or the safety of the airline." Chief executive Vanessa Hudson said Qantas had notified Australia's National Cyber Security Coordinator. "We sincerely apologize to our customers and we recognize the uncertainty this will cause," she said. "Our customers trust us with their personal information and we take that responsibility seriously." Qantas apologized in 2024 after a glitch with its mobile app exposed some passengers' names and travel details. A string of major cyberattacks have in recent years raised concerns about the protection of Australians' personal data. Major ports handling 40 percent of Australia's freight trade ground to a halt in 2023 after hackers infiltrated computers belonging to operator DP World. Russia-based hackers in 2022 breached one of Australia's largest private health insurers, accessing the data of more than nine million current and former customers. The same year telecom company Optus suffered a data breach of similar magnitude in which the personal details of up to 9.8 million people were accessed. © 2025 AFP
Asahi Shimbun
6 hours ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Rubio hosts U.S. Indo-Pacific partners amid strained bilateral ties
Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stand together at the start of their meeting of the Indo-Pacific Quad at the State Department in Washington, D.C., on July 1. (REUTERS) WASHINGTON--U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted his Australian, Indian and Japanese counterparts on Tuesday, seeking to boost efforts to counter China even as trade and other bilateral disagreements introduce friction into the relationships. The four countries, known as the Quad, share concerns about China's growing power, but ties have been strained by President Donald Trump's global tariff offensive from which none of the members have been spared. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, nevertheless, said the meeting had been "very productive." "Today's gathering will strengthen strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific and keep it free and open," he said on X. In welcoming his counterparts, Rubio called the Quad countries important strategic partners and said it was time to "deliver action" on specific issues. He said 30 or 40 companies from Quad countries would meet at the State Department on Tuesday to discuss cooperation, including diversification of the supply chain for critical minerals, which is a sector currently dominated by China. The meeting offered a chance to refocus attention on the region seen as the primary challenge for the U.S. after Trump was distracted by issues elsewhere, including the recent Israel-Iran conflict. In January, the Quad said it would meet regularly to prepare for a leaders' summit in India later this year. Rubio was also to hold bilateral meetings with Japan's Takeshi Iwaya, Jaishankar and Australia's Penny Wong. Wong said on X that what was the second Quad ministerial this year was "a signal of the importance of our partnership and the urgency of the challenges we face." "We agreed that it's never been more crucial to take concrete actions that support peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific," she wrote. Trump on Tuesday said Washington could reach a trade deal with India that would help American firms compete there and leave New Delhi facing far lower tariffs, although he cast doubt on a possible deal with Japan by a July 9 deadline for higher levies. Jaishankar said on Monday there were hopes of bringing the trade talks to a successful conclusion, which would require "give and take" to find middle ground. After the Quad meeting, Jaishankar went to the Pentagon, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he hoped India and the U.S. could build on their defense integration efforts. "We hope we can complete several major pending U.S. defense sales to India, expand our shared defense industrial cooperation and co-production efforts," Hegseth said. Other issues have put pressure on relations. India has differed with Trump's claims that his intervention and threats to cut off trade talks averted a major conflict between India and Pakistan after militants killed Indian tourists in the disputed Kashmir region in April. On Monday, Jaishankar restated India's position that trade was not a factor in bringing a ceasefire with Pakistan, while adding in reference to the U.S. that "relationships will never be free of issues," and "what matters is the ability to deal with it and to keep that trend going in the positive direction." TARIFF NEGOTIATIONS Japan, the key U.S. ally in the Indo-Pacific, postponed an annual ministerial meeting with the U.S. State and Defense Departments that was supposed to be held on Tuesday. Press reports said this move followed U.S. pressure for it to boost defense spending further than previously requested. Nicholas Szechenyi, at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, said U.S.-Japan ties appeared to have lost momentum since Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Trump hailed a new golden age in ties at a summit in February. "The tariff negotiations are all-consuming, and the Japanese appear exasperated by the administration's public lectures on defense spending," Szechenyi said. The Financial Times said last week the demands came from Elbridge Colby, the third-most senior Pentagon official, whom analysts say has also recently created anxiety in Australia by launching a review of the massive AUKUS project to provide that country with nuclear-powered submarines.
Japan Today
7 hours ago
- Japan Today
Shifting to Asia, Rubio meets Quad and talks minerals
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (right) poses for a group picture with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong (2nd left), Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (2nd right)) and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar By Shaun TANDON U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Tuesday with counterparts from Australia, India and Japan, shifting focus to Asia after a tenure so far marked by crises elsewhere and domestic priorities. Rubio had welcomed the foreign ministers of the so-called Quad on January 21 in his first meeting after President Donald Trump's inauguration, seen as a sign that the new administration would prioritize engagement with like-minded countries to counter China. Since then, much of Rubio's attention has been on the Middle East, with the United States bombing Iranian nuclear sites in support of Israel; on Ukraine, as Trump unsuccessfully seeks a ceasefire in Russia's invasion, and on boosting Trump's domestic priorities such as mass deportations of migrants. Welcoming the three foreign ministers, Rubio did not directly mention military concerns over China but said he sought cooperation among business and on raw materials -- also key goals for the Trump administration. Rubio told them he was focused on "diversifying the global supply chain of critical minerals -- not just access to the raw material, but also access to the ability to process and refine it to usable materials." "It's critical for all technologies and for all industries across the board," Rubio said, voicing hope for "real progress" on the issue within the Quad. China holds major reserves of several key minerals including the vast majority of the world's graphite, which is crucial for electric vehicles. Beijing has sought to impose restrictions as leverage, as the United States in turn curbs its access to semiconductors and as Trump wields the threat of punishing tariffs on both friends and foes. Trump is expected to travel to India later this year for a summit of the Quad. The four-way partnership was first conceived by late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who saw an alliance of democracies around China -- which has repeatedly alleged that the Quad is a way to contain it. Trump has long branded China as the top U.S. adversary, but since returning to office has also saluted his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Both the Indian and Japanese foreign ministers said that they wanted the Quad to focus on a "free and open Indo-Pacific" -- a phrasing that is a veiled allusion to opposing Chinese dominance in Asia. "We're all committed to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific," Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said. "It is essential that nations of the Indo-Pacific have the freedom of choice, so essential to make right decisions on development and security," he said. Jaishankar also made clear that India would raise its strikes last month against Pakistan in response to a major attack on mostly Hindu civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir. "India has every right to defend its people against terrorism, and we will exercise that right. We expect our Quad partners to understand and appreciate that," he said. Despite shared concerns on China, the Quad members have differed on other hotspots. India has maintained a historic relationship with Russia despite the invasion of Ukraine. Both India and Japan also have historically warm relationships with Iran, whose nuclear sites the United States bombed in June in support of an Israeli campaign. © 2025 AFP
