Foreign Minister Penny Wong is set to discuss a controversial Chinese naval exercise off Australia’s east coast when she meets with China’s foreign minister at a G20 meeting in South Africa.
The People’s Liberation Army-Navy Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang travels in the Torres Strait off Australia’s coast, on February 11. (Source: Associated Press)
The Australian Defence Force is monitoring three Chinese warships which were spotted moving down the coast about 280km east of Sydney, in international waters, on Thursday.
The vessels, which sparked an alert for commercial pilots on Australia-New Zealand routes, has renewed concerns about China’s growing military ambitions in the Indo-Pacific.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Wong would meet on the incident with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi “in coming hours” at the G20 meeting in Johannesburg
“At that time, Penny Wong will be making that diplomatic representation on our behalf,” Albanese said late on Friday.
He said it was not clear whether he military drills, which accorded with international law, had involved live fire.
“According to Defence, there has been no imminent risk of danger to any Australian assets or New Zealand assets,” the prime minister told reporters in Wollongong.
Earlier, Airservices Australia said it was aware of reports of live firing in international waters and as a precaution informed airlines with flights planned nearby.
The HMAS Arunta, left, shadows the People’s Liberation Army-Navy Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang and a Fuchi-class replenishment vessel in the Tasman Sea on February 13. (Source: Associated Press)
Wong said it was “normal practice where a task group is engaging in exercises for there to be advice given to vessels and aircraft in the area, and Airservices is doing what it should do, which is to give that advice”.
A Qantas spokesperson said the airline had temporarily adjusted some flights across the Tasman and was working with the federal government and broader industry to monitor the situation.
New Zealand Defence Minister Judith Collins said the drills were worthy of attention, describing the vessels as the “most significant and sophisticated” seen in the region.
“This along with the intercontinental ballistic missile that China shot out in October, is real evidence that our distance means nothing now,” Collins told Radio NZ.
Beijing did not alert New Zealand that it was sailing the warships along the Australian coast, Ms Collins said, adding that New Zealand’s government had been aware for “a few days”.
The New Zealand defence force was assisting Australian surveillance efforts, sending a navy vessel and a P8A Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft to monitor the vessels.
The warships were complying with international law in what appeared to be the Chinese military “showing us that they can do this”, Ms Collins said.
“They’re showing the Australians as well,” she added.
Analysts believe the sailing is an attempt by Beijing to project power and send a message to Canberra about China’s capability.
The sailing follows a run-in with the Chinese military last week, when a fighter jet fired flares in front of an RAAF surveillance aircraft during a patrol over the South China Sea .
The Albanese government lodged a complaint with Beijing over the near-miss, fearing for the lives of the Australian personnel.
A man has been sentenced for his part in a massive 700kg liquid meth importation concealed in beer and kombucha bottles.
A court has been shown video of police carrying out a “squeeze test” on cans of Honey Bear beer, with those found to be soft de-pressurised and likely containing meth.
The man, who has permanent name suppression, will serve 22 years in prison with a minimum period of imprisonment of 10 years.
The case involved the largest importation of meth to make it across the New Zealand border and come before the courts.
The unnamed man’s co-accused Himatjit Kahlon was found guilty last year of the manslaughter of 21-year-old Aiden Sagala, who died after innocently drinking a Honey Bear-branded beer can which instead contained liquid methamphetamine.
Sagala was hospitalised after consuming a single drink – his health deteriorated and he died of multiple organ failure on March 7, with an “off the charts” level of meth in his system.
Kahlon knew the 21-year-old through work, and gave him the beer. His sentencing is later today.
But in the High Court at Auckland today the unnamed businessman, who did not face any charges over the death, sat with his head down for much of the sentencing.
He rented a Manukau warehouse in June 2021. Police raided that commercial property in 2023 and found 700 kgs of methamphetamine as well as 2kgs of cocaine. The meth was hidden in beer and kombucha bottles and was imported from India.
He pleaded guilty on the eve of his trial last year to four drugs charges related to ephedrine, methamphetamine and cocaine.
Justice Kiri Tahana asked lawyer Pip McNabb why the Crown did not think life imprisonment for the man with name suppression was appropriate given that it was New Zealand’s largest importation of methamphetamine.
McNabb said the Crown had thought about it carefully but concluded that there were higher people up the supply chain.
Justice Tahana also pressed Ron Mansfield KC, who is representing the man, on the issue of whether it was an aggravating feature of offending that the meth was hidden in food items, citing a number of meth lollies which were found in Auckland last year.
Mansfield said generally there was no risk to the general public as the meth was usually too valuable.
He said that his client was “recruited” and provided “the perfect front” for the importation. He was doing well in business and intelligent but was made to feel vulnerable because of a debt to another party.
Justice Tahana said that debt story was “implausible”.
She told the man his method of concealment was an aggravating feature of his offending, and she had considered a starting point of 32 years.
“Had it been distributed the consequences for the community would’ve been devastating. You were motivated by financial gains.”
US President Donald Trump this week falsely blamed Ukraine for starting the war that has cost tens of thousands of Ukrainian lives, causing outrage and alarm in a country that has spent nearly three years fighting back a much larger Russian military.
President Donald Trump meets with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Trump Tower (Source: Associated Press)
Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “a dictator without elections” and claimed his support among voters was near rock-bottom.
Zelensky said Wednesday (local time) that the disinformation is coming from Russia, and some of what Trump has said does echo Russia’s own narrative of the conflict
Mahi for Ukraine founder Kate Turska says Donald Trump is treating Ukrainians as an asset to be traded in his foreign policy. (Source: 1News)
Here’s a look at some of Trump’s statements:
Ukraine ‘should have never started it’
WHAT TRUMP SAID: “You’ve been there for three years. You should have ended it … You should have never started it. You could have made a deal.”
THE FACTS: Russia’s army crossed the border on February 24, 2022, in an all-out invasion that Putin sought to justify by falsely saying it was needed to protect Russian-speaking civilians in eastern Ukraine and prevent the country from joining NATO.
But Russia’s aggression against Ukraine didn’t start then. In 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin saw signs that Ukraine was pulling away from Russia’s sphere of influence, seeking alliances with western European nations.
Putin illegally annexed the Crimean Peninsula and started an armed aggression in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas that grew into a long-running conflict that left thousands dead.
That conflict simmered until 2022, when Putin ordered what he called military exercises along Ukraine’s borders. He told the world that the roughly 150,000 soldiers that he had amassed would not be used to invade Ukraine. But in the early hours of February 24, Russia launched widespread airstrikes and soldiers began pouring over the border.
Russian servicemen attend a combat training for assault units in an undisclosed location on January 4. (Source: Associated Press)
Ukraine should hold elections
WHAT TRUMP SAID: “We have a situation where we haven’t had elections in Ukraine, where we have martial law,” Trump said in Mar-a-Lago, adding on Wednesday (local time) in a post on social media: “A Dictator without Elections, Zelensky better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left.”
THE FACTS: Zelensky was elected to a five-year term in 2019, and the next presidential elections had been scheduled for spring 2024. But Ukrainian law prohibits parliamentary or presidential elections during a state of martial law, so Zelensky has remained in office. He has said he believes elections will be held in Ukraine after martial law is lifted. The country would need to amend the law if it decided to hold a vote.
There are numerous factors that, according to Ukraine’s government, “would render it literally impossible to ensure a fair electoral process in the circumstances of a total war”.
According to the United Nations’ refugee agency, some 6.9 million Ukrainian refugees have been registered worldwide since February 2022. Of those, millions remain outside the country due to the war. It would be nearly impossible for all of those who have been displaced to participate in an election, potentially robbing millions of their right to vote.
Furthermore, around 800,000 soldiers are currently serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces as they struggle to contain Russian advances. An election would necessitate pulling soldiers off the front lines to vote, weakening Ukraine’s military position. Additionally, those fighting would be unable to run for office, a right that is guaranteed to them by Ukrainian law.
Many Ukrainians are living in areas under Russian occupation, essentially precluding their participation in any electoral process. And since Russia continues to regularly strike both military and civilian targets across the country, packing millions of citizens into crowded polling places could create additional danger.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky gives a press conference in Kyiv. (Source: Associated Press)
Zelensky’s support at rock bottom?
WHAT TRUMP SAID: “The leader in Ukraine, I mean, I hate to say it, but he’s down at 4% approval rating.”
THE FACTS: Zelensky “retains a fairly high level of public trust” — about 57% – according to a report released by the Kyiv International Institution of Sociology, whose executive director is Anton Hrushetskyi.
Speaking in Kyiv on Wednesday (local time), Zelensky said the number given by Trump, for which the president cited no sources, was “disinformation” that originated in Russia, and that the president “unfortunately lives in this disinformation space”.
Zelensky said he will ask pollsters in the coming weeks to conduct surveys on the public’s trust in him and share the results with the Trump administration.
In this photo provided by Ukraine’s 24th Mechanised Brigade press service, Ukrainian servicemen fire an MRLS BM-21 ‘Grad’ towards Russian army positions near Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region, Ukraine (Source: Associated Press)
Millions of deaths
WHAT TRUMP SAID: “When you see what’s taken place in Ukraine with millions of people killed, including the soldiers, millions of people killed, a big percentage of their cities knocked down to the ground, I don’t know how anybody even lives there.”
THE FACTS: No estimates by any reputable analysis place deaths near the millions.
While exact figures of the number of deaths are unknown, Zelensky said earlier this month that over 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed since the start of the full-scale war in February 2022. He has also said that “tens of thousands of civilians” had been killed in occupied areas of Ukraine, but that no exact figures would be available until the war was over. The most recent data from the Russian Defence Ministry, published in January 2023, pointed to just over 6,000 military deaths, although reports from US and UK officials put that number significantly higher.
The family of a Fijian fisherman currently fighting for his life at Vaiola Hospital in Tonga have shared their devastation at his tragic experience.
Tongan Ambulance. Photo/Kalino Latu
Tabweranibwe Tarawa, 38, of Fiji, had been allegedly attacked while having a rest aboard the boat “Winning 6” apparently in Tongan waters on Saturday 15, the family claimed.
The details of the incident are still unknown. Tonga Police have yet to comment.
A Fiji Times report said, “Tarawa, was allegedly attacked with an axe while sleeping aboard a fishing vessel in Tonga last Saturday”.
In a fundraising appeal to raise AU$5,500, a relative wrote, “This situation has left his family devastated, grappling with overwhelming challenges during this heartbreaking time.”
The funds will cover his medical expenses and help his family visit him in Tonga.
“To make matters worse, the company involved has provided no assistance, forcing them to confront the burden of mounting medical expenses and urgent needs that remain unmet,” the message on the GoFundMe website said.
“In light of this tragic incident, we are seeking justice and compassion for my beloved nephew.
“Any support you can offer would mean the world to us.
“If you are in Tonga, visiting him would bring much comfort during this difficult time.
“Moreover, any information you could provide to the Tonga Police regarding the circumstances of this incident would be invaluable as his family seeks answers.
“They are actively engaging with relevant authorities here in Fiji, holding onto the hope of being reunited with him when he returns home.
“Your generous donations will go directly towards covering his medical bills, the return air tickets for two passengers from Suva to Tonga, and food expenses.
We are only hopeful that good Samaritans like you will help us achieve our goal of paying off his medical bills and for families to visit him”.
Tonga Police have issued a warning to the community to remain vigilant following the arrest of drug traffickers near a school.
Tonga Police. Photo/Kalino Lātū
The police also seized cannabis plants, ammunition, and drug-related utensils following an investigation into reports of the illegal acitivities.
Police said a 43-year-old and a 16-year-old male suspects have been arrested and charged with possession of illicit drugs.
The 16-year-old was involved in distributing cannabis leaves around the school area.
As the investigations continued, a residence in Ha’ateiho was identified.
Acting swiftly on this intelligence, Tonga Police successfully seized three cannabis plants weighing a total of 2,300 grams, four ammunition bullets, and drug-related utensils.
Police investigations remain ongoing.
“Tonga Police urges the public to remain alert and report any suspicious activity especially where drugs and minors are involved.
Drug-related crimes are an ongoing significant threat to the safety and well-being of our communities”.
New Zealand is aware of a Chinese naval task group sailing in international waters off Australia and is monitoring it, says Defence Minister Judith Collins.
People’s Liberation Army-Navy Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang. (Source: Australian Defence Force)
The Australian Defence Department said the Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang, the Renhai-class Cruiser named Zunyi and the Fuchi-class replenishment vessel Weishanhu have continued sailing down the coast after being spotted to the north east of the country last week, the ABC reported.
British newspaper the Financial Times reported around 12 hours ago the ships were around 150 nautical miles (277km) east of Sydney.
Collins said the New Zealand Defence Force is monitoring the group, in coordination with Australia.
“We have not been informed by the Chinese Government why this task group has been deployed into our region, and we have not been informed what its future plans are.
“We will continue to monitor these vessels.”
Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles told Sky News the ships were “not doing anything contrary to international law”. It was an unusual event, but not unprecedented, he said.
A spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry said they were unable to answer questions about the ships, saying he was unfamiliar with the situation, the ABC reported.
Police are searching for a driver who crashed into two properties in Massey, West Auckland before fleeing on foot this morning.
A vehicle entered a driveway and crashed through a fence and into two houses shortly after 4am. (Source: 1News)
Emergency services were called after a vehicle travelling along Don Buck Rd entered a driveway and crashed through a fence and into two houses shortly after 4am.
“Thankfully no one was injured,” a police spokesperson said
Vehicle crashes into two West Auckland homes
Footage taken by 1News showed debris strewn from homes on Don Buck Rd, in Massey.
https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.686.0_en.html#fid=goog_355718203Play Video
Vehicle crashes into two West Auckland homes0:34
Footage taken by 1News showed debris strewn from homes on Don Buck Rd, in Massey. (Source: 1News)
“The driver has abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot and inquiries are underway to locate them.”
Footage taken by 1News showed debris strewn from both homes into the surrounding yards.
Footage taken by 1News showed debris strewn from a hole in one of the homes. (Source: 1News)
Anyone with information was urged to call 105, or provide information anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
Tonga is currently dealing with an outbreak of dengue fever, with the Minister of Health confirming 10 cases since last Friday.
Health Minister Dr ‘Ana ‘Akau’ola
Most cases are from Tongatapu, and the age group most affected is 12 – 17.
The Ministry of Health said in a statement the number of positive and suspected cases has increased significantly over the past few days in the island groups of Tongatapu, Vava’u, and Eua.
More cases are expected due to the ongoing rain and adverse weather conditions, which favour breeding sites for the mosquitoes responsible for the transmission of the dengue virus, the statement said.
The Officers in Charge of Health in all outer island groups have been alerted to the situation and encourage their respective practitioners to have a high index of suspicion for early detection and treatment of cases.
The Public Health outbreak response teams have been mobilized to conduct positive case investigations, contact management, robust vector control, and preventative measures.
The Ministry reminds the public that dengue fever is contagious.
It spreads from person to person through the bites of infected mosquitoes.
The public is urged not to panic but to educate themselves about dengue fever and to seek medical attention promptly if they experience symptoms.
Dengue Fever symptoms include:
Sudden high fever
Severe headaches
Pain behind the eyes
Joint and muscle pain
Nausea
Vomiting
Swollen glands
Rash that appears 3-4 days after fever begins
Severe symptoms, such as abdominal pain, bleeding gums and vomiting blood, require immediate medical attention.
Consultation and dialogue with World Health Organization and other technical partners continues while mobilizing resources to enhance surveillance, community wide clean-up and prevention measures.
A gale warning has been issued for the Niuas, while the rest of the Tonga group has received a strong wind warning.
Heavy rain warnings and flash flood advisory remain in force for the Niua Toputapu and Niua Fo’ou land areas.
Tonga MetService says an active trough of low pressure lies over the Niuas and is associated with cloudy to overcast skies, occasional heavy rain, thunderstorms, and strong gusting to gale-force winds for the rest of this week.
Meanwhile, a fresh to strong easterly wind will continue to prevail over the Vava’u, Ha’apai, Tongatapu, and Eua groups.
For Niua Toputapu, Met said a northwesterly wind of up to 20 – 25 knots, rising up to 30 – 35 knots at times and south to southeast at times tomorrow. Rough to very rough seas (up to four metres). Moderate northwesterly winds (up to three metres). Poor visibility due to heavy rain.
For Niuafo’ou coastal waters, it said northwesterly wind of up to 20 – 25 knots rising to 30 – 35 knots at times and becoming south to southwest tomorrow. Rough to very rough seas (up to four metres). A moderate northwesterly winds (up to three metres). Poor visibility due to heavy rain.
For Vava’u coastal waters, Met said an east-to-south wind of up to 15-20 knots rising up to 25 knots at times. The winds will become 20-25 and gust up to 30-35 knots at times tomorrow night. Moderate seas (up to two and a half metres) will then become rough to very rough seas by tomorrow night (up to four metres). Moderate northwesterly winds (up to three metres) will also be expected. Poor visibility due to heavy rain.
For Ha’apai, Tongatapu, and Eua coastal waters, east-to-southeast winds are 15-20 knots, rising to 25-30 knots at times. There are moderate to rough seas (up to three metres).
For Tele-ki-Tonga and Tele-ki-Tokelau coastal waters, the authority said easterly winds 15-20 knots. Moderate seas (up to two metres).
