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Australia thrash India by 21 runs, seal series 2-1

After posting 269 in 49 overs on a slow pitch where strokeplay wasn’t easy, Zampa and Agar helped Australia fight back in the middle overs to break the back of India’s batting….reports Asian Lite News

Leg-spinner Adam Zampa took four wickets while left-arm spinner Ashton Agar chipped in with two scalps to lead Australia to a 21-run victory over India in the series decider at the M A Chidambaram Stadium, here to win the series 2-1.

After posting 269 in 49 overs on a slow pitch where strokeplay wasn’t easy, Zampa and Agar helped Australia fight back in the middle overs to break the back of India’s batting. Even though Mitchell Starc went wicketless, the rest of bowlers along with fiery fielding show and spot-on fielding placements led to India being bundled out for 248 in 49.1 overs.

Despite India having a 65-run opening partnership, India lost four wickets for 43 runs after Virat Kohli and KL Rahul had put on 69 runs for the fourth wicket. But after Rahul and Kohli fell, the chase went downhill and India ended up on the losing side, which meant they lost an ODI series at home after four years.

With the pitch offering not much help for the fast bowlers, Shubman Gill took a liking to the pace from Mitchell Starc. A whipped six over deep mid-wicket was followed by his trademark short-arm jab and two leaning drives to pick three boundaries off the left-arm pacer.

Rohit Sharma joined the boundary-hitting party in the seventh over with an elegant loft over long-off for six against Starc, followed by a pre-mediated scoop and pull off Sean Abbott to get two boundaries. After he lofted Adam Zampa over long-on for six, Rohit couldn’t keep a swipe down and was caught at deep square leg off Abbott.

Three overs later, Gill missed a drifting in delivery from Zampa and was struck on pad first, with Australia getting him out after taking the review. Kohli took time, before pulling Agar off backfoot through mid-wicket and followed it up with a beautiful inside-out loft over extra cover for six.

Rahul then hit India’s first boundary after 49 balls with a smash over Zampa’s head for four, bringing up fifty of his partnership with Kohli. When Starc pitched it full, Rahul was quick to slam it down the ground for six and one ball later, unfurled a loft over extra cover for four.

Just when Rahul had started to shift gears, Zampa took him out in the 28th over as the right-hander never got the elevation on a googly and toe-ended loft to long-on. In the next over, Axar Patel was run out after facing four balls, by a brilliant diving throw from Steve Smith at mid-wicket.

After Kohli reached his fifty in 61 balls, Hardik Pandya got off the mark with a pulled six off Abbott, followed by a punch through extra cover for four. Agar produced a twist in the 36th over – Kohli chipped a drive to long-off.

It was immediately followed by beating Suryakumar Yadav on the cut with a skiddy delivery to get him out for a first-ball duck for the third time in the series. Pandya and Jadeja kept India in the contest with a 33-run partnership as Australia put the pressure on the duo.

With the asking rate climbing and pressure building up, Hardik tried to slog across the line off Zampa in the 44th over. But the ball took the leading edge and Smith took the catch at cover. In the next over, Jadeja danced down the pitch to slog across the line against Zampa, but sliced to backward point.

Mohammed Shami shined with a six and four off Marcus Stoinis. But the all-rounder had the last laugh by rattling Shami’s off-stump. A mix-up between Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj resulted in run-out of the former, bringing the Indian innings to an end.

Brief Scores: Australia 269 all out in 49 overs (Mitchell Marsh 47, Alex Carey 38; Hardik Pandya 3/44, Kuldeep Yadav 3/56) beat India 248 in 49.1 overs (Virat Kohli 54, Hardik Pandya 40; Adam Zampa 4/45, Ashton Agar 2/41) by 21 runs

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India fall to Australia in ‘horror show’ defeat

Left-arm fast-bowler Mitchell Starc emerged as the main architect of Australia bundling out India for their fourth-lowest total at home, claiming his ninth five-wicket haul in ODI cricket…reports Asian Lite News

There was a scare of the second ODI at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium failing to start due to heavy rain being forecast for the day. Thankfully, the match began on time, much to the joy of fans in the stadium.

But the spirits were dampened as it turned into a horror show for India as the hosts crashed to 117 all out in 26 overs after being asked to bat first. Left-arm fast-bowler Mitchell Starc emerged as the main architect of Australia bundling out India for their fourth-lowest total at home, claiming his ninth five-wicket haul in ODI cricket.

Starc, who had picked a three-fer in the first ODI in Mumbai, produced yet another stunning exhibition of early swing bowling to scythe through the top order and then took out Mohammed Siraj to finish with 5-53. Sean Abbott was excellent in his 3-23 while Nathan Ellis provided great support through 2-13.

If India’s highly disappointing batting wasn’t enough, then the bowlers were made to look utterly pedestrian by the tremendous display of spectacular hitting by the opening pair of Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head. The left-right duo thrashed Indian bowlers all around the park to chase down the total with 39 overs to spare, making it the heaviest defeat for the hosts in terms of balls left.

The result meant the series scoreline now stands at 1-1, with the decider to be held in Chennai on Wednesday. India had a game which they would like to delete from their memory forever.

They couldn’t handle pace and swing from Starc, losing four wickets in Power-play for the first time since the 2019 ODI World Cup semifinal loss to New Zealand. Four batters fell for ducks as only Virat Kohli and Axar Patel could go beyond 25. With the ball, they were just relentlessly thrashed by Marsh and Head as Australia completely outplayed them in all departments of the game.

Starc’s stellar show began from the first over, with Shubman Gill slashing a full and wide delivery straight to point. Rohit Sharma, coming in for Ishan Kishan, clipped him through square leg for four on the last ball of the opening over.

He and Virat Kohli took a boundary each off Cameron Green’s half-volleys in the next over, before the latter drove and clipped off Starc in the third over. Starc bounced back in the fifth over, enticing Rohit to chase a wide delivery and a thick outer edge was caught by Steve Smith at first slip.

On the very next ball, Starc’s inswinger comprehensively beat Suryakumar Yadav on the inside edge to trap the right-hander lbw for a second straight golden duck. The inswinger from Starc then took out KL Rahul, who looked to flick, but was struck on the front pad in front of the stumps.

India lost their fifth wicket in the tenth over when Hardik Pandya pushed away a Sean Abbott delivery without any footwork and Smith dived to his right to take a one-handed screamer of a catch with his right hand.

There was no respite for India as Nathan Ellis struck on his second delivery in the 16th over, trapping Kohli lbw with a straighter delivery while trying to play across the line. Four overs later, Ellis had his second wicket when his good length delivery got extra bounce and took the thick edge off Ravindra Jadeja’s gloves to wicketkeeper Alex Carey.

Axar and Kuldeep Yadav tried to put up some resistance. But Abbott lured Kuldeep into pulling to square leg. On the very next ball, Mohammed Shami poked at a full delivery and nicked behind to Alex Carey.

Axar smacked Starc for delightful sixes down the ground and backward square leg in the 26th over. But the left-arm pacer ended the over by rattling Mohammed Siraj’s top of off-stump to complete a fantastic five-wicket haul.

In chasing 118, Head clipped and flayed off Siraj for a brace of fours in the second over. Marsh continued from where he left off in the first ODI at Mumbai, starting by punching Shami between cover and point for four, followed by lofting over mid-on in the third over.

He welcomed Siraj by standing tall to flay past cover before Head pulled a short ball from him through square leg for the second four of the fourth over. Marsh’s dominance continued by flicking, punching and pulling Shami for two fours and a six in the fifth over.

Head took it to another level by pulling Siraj twice, apart from flicking and punching for four straight boundaries in the sixth over. Axar’s introduction in the seventh over couldn’t stop Marsh as he creamed a drive through cover for four.

He then welcomed Hardik by slamming a six down the ground, followed by clubbing back-to-back sixes over deep mid-wicket and long-on to reach his fifty in just 28 balls. Head feasted on Axar’s deliveries with a cut through point and whipped past short fine leg to get back-to-back boundaries as the opening partnership raised its century in just 8.5 overs.

Marsh welcomed Kuldeep Yadav by pulling him to the second tier over deep midwicket for six before Head went back to pull through the same region for four. After being dropped by Shami running in from long-on, Head got his fifty in 29 balls. Marsh finished off the chase in 11 overs with a square drive through point off Axar for a boundary to complete Australia’s drubbing of India.

Brief scores:

India 117 in 26 overs (Virat Kohli 31, Axar Patel 29 not out; Mitchell Starc 5-53, Sean Abbott 3-23) lost to Australia 121 for no loss in 11 overs (Mitchell Marsh 66 not out, Travis Head 51 not out) by 10 wickets

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Ratan Tata appointed to ‘Order of Australia’

Tata, has been a strong and influential advocate for deeper bilateral ties, including advocating for the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement…reports Asian Lite News

India’s top industrialist and philanthropist Ratan Tata has been appointed to the ‘Order of Australia’ for distinguished service to the Australia-India relationship, particularly to trade, investment, and philanthropy, Australia’s Governor General has announced.

As of 2022, Ratan Tata, the Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons and former Chairman of Tata Group, has a net worth of Rs 3800 crore.

“In recognition of his support for the Australia-India relationship, he is worthy of formal national recognition with an appointment as an Honorary Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AO),” a statement by the office of Governor General read.

“Delighted at the Australian Governor-General’s announcement to appoint Mr Ratan Tata an Honorary Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to the Australia-India relationship, particularly to trade, investment & philanthropy,” Barry O’Farrell, Australia’s High Commissioner to India, tweeted on Friday.

Ratan Tata.

Tata, has been a strong and influential advocate for deeper bilateral ties, including advocating for the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement, which was finalised in 2022, and supporting visiting business and government leaders in India.

“His work includes supporting development and creating opportunity across a wide range of fields including health, nutrition, education, water, agriculture, the environment and energy, social justice and inclusion, digital transformation, disaster relief, and women’s economic empowerment,” the statement said.

Through scholarships offered under the Tata family trust, Indian students have been afforded opportunities to study in Australia, deepening people-to-people and economic ties, and creating opportunities in Australia’s education sector.

Tata has also been involved in disaster relief efforts and has supported organisations that provide aid to those in need, such as after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, during which two Australians tragically lost their lives.

The Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which has been based in Australia since 1998, employs the largest number of Australians of any Indian company, with 17,000 staff and associates. TCS also contributes to the Australian community through a significant pro-bono programme which offers complimentary IT services to six not-for-profit Australian organisations in the fields of health and Indigenous leadership.

Ratan Tata has received numerous international awards and commendations for his contributions to business, industry, engineering, leadership, culture, and peace, including a Doctor of Business honoris causa from the University of New South Wales.

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Australia to buy up to 220 Tomahawk missiles from US  

Australian officials said the new nuclear-powered submarines would be able to fire the Tomahawk missiles…reports Asian Lite News

Australia said it’s planning to buy up to 220 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States after the US State Department approved the sale Friday.

The deal comes days after Australia announced it would buy nuclear-powered attack submarines from the US to modernize its fleet amid growing concern about China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific.

Australian officials said the new nuclear-powered submarines would be able to fire the Tomahawk missiles.

Japan last month also announced plans to upgrade its military in an effort to deter China, including buying 400 Tomahawk cruise missiles for deployment as soon as 2026.

The Australian missile sale comes with a price tag of nearly $900 million. The prime contractor will be Arizona-based Raytheon Missiles and Defense.

“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States,” the State Department said in a statement. “Australia is one of our most important allies in the Western Pacific.”

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said his country would be working closely with the US.

“Making sure we have longer-range strike missiles is a really important capability for the country,” Marles told Channel Nine. “It enables us to be able to reach out beyond our shores further, and that’s ultimately how we are able to keep Australia safe.”

Defense Industry Minister Pat Conroy said the missiles could be fired from the Virginia-class submarines Australia would be buying under the so-called AUKUS deal.

“We certainly want the best possible capability for the Australian Defense Force, so that includes the ability to strike opponents as far away as possible from the Australian mainland,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. “The cruise missiles are a critical part of that, as are the submarines that launch them.”

The submarine deal has raised concerns that it could clear the way for bad actors to escape nuclear oversight in the future. Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, this week pledged to be “very demanding” in overseeing the planned transfer from the US to Australia.

Former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating this week launched a blistering attack on his nation’s plans, saying that because of the huge cost, “it must be the worst deal in all history.”

Australian officials have estimated the cost of the submarines at between 268 billion and 368 billion Australian dollars ($178-$245 billion) over three decades.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government had been transparent about the expense.

“The assessment that has to be made is does the purchase, and then us building our own nuclear-powered submarines, increase the capacity for us to defend ourselves by more than 10 percent? You bet it does,” Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. “That’s why it represents good value.”

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US, UK, Australia reach deal on nuclear submarines

Under the AUKUS deal outlined on Monday, Australia will first receive at least three nuclear-powered submarines from the US…reports Asian Lite News

Aimed at countering China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region, leaders of the US, UK and Australia have unveiled new details of their plan to create a fleet of next generation nuclear-powered submarines.

Under the AUKUS deal outlined on Monday, Australia will first receive at least three nuclear-powered submarines from the US, reports the BBC.

Meanwhile, members of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) will also be embedded at US and UK submarine bases from this year to gain the necessary skills to use the submarines.

From 2027, the US and UK will base a small number of nuclear subs at a RAN base in Perth, Western Australia, before Australia buys three American Virginia-class submarines in the early 2030s – with options to purchase two more.

After that, the plan is to design and build an entirely new nuclear-powered submarine for the UK and Australian navies, called SSN-AUKUS.

This attack craft will be built in the UK and Australia to a British design, but use technology from all three countries.

The interim and future boats will give Australia submarines which can travel further and faster than its existing fleet, with cruise missiles that could strike targets on land and at sea.

The submarines will however, not carry nuclear weapons and US, Australian and British officials have insisted the plans are consistent with international non-proliferation rules, despite Chinese protestations.

Addressing reporters at the Point Loma Naval Base in San Diego while being flanked by the Prime Ministers of Australia and the UK, Anthony Albanese and Rishi Sunak, respectively, US President Joe Biden called AUKUS a “powerful entity”.

“Forging this new partnership, we’re showing again how democracies can deliver our own security and prosperity… not just for us but for the entire world.

“Today, as we stand at the inflection point in history, where the hard work of enhancing deterrence and promoting stability is going to affect the prospects of peace for decades to come, the US can ask for no better partners in the Indo-Pacific, where so much of our shared future will be written,” CNN quoted Biden as saying.

The President stressed that the US has “safeguarded stability in Indo-Pacific for decades, to the enormous benefits of nations throughout the region from ASEAN to Pacific Islanders to the People’s Republic of China”.

“In fact, our leadership in the Pacific has been the benefit to the entire world. We’ve kept the sea lanes and skies open and navigable for all. We’ve upheld basic rules of the road.”

On his part, Sunak directly named China as a cause for concern, CNN reported.

“China’s growing assertiveness, the destabilizing behaviour of Iran and North Korea all threaten to create a world defined by danger, disorder and division.

“Faced with this new reality, it is more important than ever, that we strengthen the resilience of our own countries,” he added.

Meanwhile, Albanese said the submarine plan would create thousands of new jobs and marked the “biggest single investment in Australia’s defence capability in all of its history”.

“This will be an Australian sovereign capability, commanded by the royal Australian navy and sustained by Australian workers in Australian shipyards with construction to begin this decade,” the BBC quoted the Prime Minister as saying.

He also noted that the agreement marks the first time in 65 years and only the second time in history that the US has shared its nuclear propulsion technology.

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Biden set to announce Australia submarine deal

Biden is traveling Monday to San Diego, where he will meet Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for talks…reports Asian Lite News

President Joe Biden is set to meet with two of America’s closest allies to announce that Australia will purchase US-manufactured, nuclear-powered attack submarines to modernize its fleet, amid growing concerns about China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

Biden is traveling Monday to San Diego, where he will meet Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for talks on the 18-month-old nuclear partnership known by the acronym AUKUS.

The partnership, announced in 2021, paved the way for Australia’s access to nuclear-powered submarines, which are stealthier and more capable than conventionally powered boats, as a counterweight to China’s military buildup.

San Diego is Biden’s first stop on a three-day trip to California and Nevada. He will discuss gun violence prevention in the community of Monterey Park, California, and his plans to lower prescription drug costs in Las Vegas. The trip will include fundraising stops as Biden steps up his political activities in advance of his expected plans to announce next month a run for reelection in 2024.

Representational Image

Australia is purchasing up to five Virginia-class boats as part of AUKUS, according to two people familiar with the arrangement who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the plans. A future generation of submarines will be built in the U.K. and in Australia with U.S. technology and support. The initial plans call for all of the Australian subs to be constructed in Adelaide, Australia.

The U.S. would also step up its port visits in Australia to provide the country with more familiarity with the nuclear-powered technology before it has such subs of its own.

Biden will also hold bilateral meetings with Albanese and Sunak, an opportunity to coordinate strategy on a range of global challenges, including Russia’s war in Ukraine and the global economy.

The secretly brokered AUKUS deal included the Australian government’s cancellation of a $66 billion contract for a French-built fleet of conventional submarines, which sparked a diplomatic row within the Western alliance that took months to mend.

Meanwhile, China has argued that the AUKUS deal is in violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, arguing that transfer of nuclear weapons materials from a nuclear-weapon state to a non-nuclear-weapon state is “blatant” violation of the spirit of the pact. Australian officials have pushed back against the criticism, arguing that it is working to acquire nuclear-powered and not nuclear-armed submarines.

“The question is really how does China choose to respond because Australia is not backing away from what it — what it sees to be doing in its own interests here,” said Charles Edel, a senior adviser and Australia chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “I think that probably from Beijing’s perspective they’ve already counted out Australia as a wooable mid country. It seemed to have fully gone into the U.S. camp.”

Before he leaves the White House, Biden will first deliver remarks on his administration’s extraordinary efforts to safeguard depositors and protect against broader economic hardship after the second- and third-largest bank failures in the nation’s history.

“The American people and American businesses can have confidence that their bank deposits will be there when they need them,” Biden said in a statement Sunday night. “I am firmly committed to holding those responsible for this mess fully accountable and to continuing our efforts to strengthen oversight and regulation of larger banks so that we are not in this position again.”

Meanwhile, Albanese said an alliance with Britain and the United States to deliver nuclear powered submarines to Australia would involve “jobs here”.

The United States and Britain each have closely guarded nuclear submarine programmes and the AUKUS defence alliance, announced in 2021, is yet to announce details of how the capability will be transferred to Australia, which does not have a domestic nuclear industry.

AUKUS would announce “the optimal pathway by which Australia will operate our nuclear-powered submarines,” Albanese said in a speech to the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday. “This will be the single biggest leap in our defence capability in our history.”

Regional stability required Australia to build its sovereign defence capability, including advanced manufacturing, he added.

“Its about our defence, but it is also about our industry policy, about our economy, about jobs here,” he said in response to questions.

John Blaxland, professor of international security and intelligence studies at the Australian National University, said there was “enormous pressure” on Albanese for the submarine programme to deliver local jobs, but it was likely Australia would initially buy a British submarine.

Co-production or component production in Australia were expected in the long term, he said.

“A key part of the deal is this will deliver for intergenerational purposes a capability for the production of submarines and warships into the future,” he said.

AUKUS is seen as an effort by the Western allies to push back against China’s growing power and influence, particularly its military buildup, pressure on Taiwan and deployments in the contested South China Sea.

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India, Australia agree to boost two-way investment

Goyal and Farrell reaffirmed the importance of the multilateral trading system, with the WTO at its core….reports Asian Lite News

India and Australia on Sunday acknowledged the significance of their trading relations, as bilateral trade exceeded $31 billion during the last financial year.

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Australia’s trade minister Don Farrell met to discuss next steps for further enhancing the bilateral economic relationship.

They discussed implementation of the economic cooperation and trade agreement (ECTA), negotiations for the India-Australia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) and further developing two-way investment.

Both the ministers agreed that given the trade complementarities between the two countries, there is considerable potential for significantly enhancing bilateral trade within the next five years.

The ministers also discussed engagement in the G20, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

They agreed that Australia and India share high ambition for the IPEF, as evidenced at the special round of IPEF negotiations in New Delhi, and would continue to work together though IPEF on areas of mutual interest, including the clean economy and resilient supply chains.

Both Goyal and Farrell noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese look forward to swift progress in negotiations and for an early conclusion of an ambitious Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), which will build on the foundation laid by the ECTA, including new areas of trade, investment and cooperation.

CECA will create new employment opportunities, raise living standards and improve the general welfare in both countries.

The ministers look forward to concluding CECA as soon as possible, are pleased with the progress resolving various bilateral technical market access issues and look forward to continuing engagement.

They highlighted the importance of a smooth and timely clean energy transition as both countries work towards achieving their respective net zero goals.

The ministers noted the complementary nature of Australia and India’s economies and committed to further enhancing economic, technology, and trade and investment cooperation to get to net zero emissions.

Goyal and Farrell reaffirmed the importance of the multilateral trading system, with the WTO at its core.

They agreed to build on the success of the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference in Geneva and reaffirmed their commitment towards improving WTO functions and having a fully functioning dispute settlement system by 2024.

They also agreed to work towards a productive engagement in the run-up to the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference to be held in Abu Dhabi in 2024.

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India, Australia collaborate for key mineral projects

Investments under the partnership will seek to build new supply chains underpinned by critical minerals processed in Australia…reports Asian Lite News

Working towards investment in critical mineral projects, including lithium, to develop supply chains between the two countries, India and Australia held bilateral talks on Friday.

The Union Minister for Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs, Pralhad Joshi, and Minister for Resources and Northern Australia, Madeleine King, announced the partnership and have identified five target projects (two lithium and three cobalt) on which to undertake detailed due diligence.

Ministers from the two countries have also agreed to deepen cooperation and extend their existing commitments to the India-Australia Critical Minerals Investment Partnership.

Investments under the partnership will seek to build new supply chains underpinned by critical minerals processed in Australia, that will help India’s plans to lower emissions from its electricity network and become a global manufacturing hub, including for electric vehicles.

“The partnership between India’s Khanij Bidesh India Ltd (KABIL) and CMO Australia has reached the first milestone in a short span of one year from signing of the MoU in March 2022 between both the organisations,” said Joshi.

Minister King said India’s goals to lower carbon emissions and boost electric vehicle production presents great opportunities and prospects for Australia’s critical minerals sector, renewable exports and building stronger supply chains.

“Working together, both the nations are committed to reduce emissions, guarantee energy security and diversify global markets for critical minerals and clean technologies,” the Minister added.

Australia produces nearly half of the world’s lithium, is the second-largest producer of cobalt and the fourth-largest producer of rare earth elements. With the expected increase in global demand for low-emissions technologies over the next three decades, this partnership will go a long way towards securing mutually beneficial critical mineral supply chains.

Union Minister Joshi visited Western Australia in 2022 and toured Tianqi Lithium Energy’s Kwinana lithium hydroxide refinery.

The partnership on critical minerals has taken further momentum after the visit of Minister Joshi to Western Australia.

Indian, Australian flag.

India-Australia to finalise economic cooperation agreement

During the meeting of joint ministerial commission between Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and his Australian counterpart Don Farrell on Saturday, both India and Australia have committed to conclude the negotiations for expanding the scope of existing free trade agreement by the end of 2023. Both countries also decided to aim to push bilateral trade to USD 100 billion.

Australia’s Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell, who is accompanying Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on an official visit here in New Delhi, said that the two countries “can achieve” this target. Last year, on December 29, India and Australia implemented an economic cooperation and trade agreement (ECTA) and are now negotiating to expand its scope for a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (CECA).

“ECTA was the first stage of our economic engagement. We are now entering into phase-2 of our discussions where we are looking at much wider ambit of subjects and taking this into a CECA,” Goyal told reporters during a joint press conference here.

Both the ministers have expressed “unhappiness” towards the trade negotiators and said they “will be much more ambitious and aim for a USD 100-billion trade between the two economies”, he said.

Farrell said that the two countries “can achieve” this target.

On the deadline to conclude the CECA negotiations, Goyal said that though anything done with a deadline is always “dangerous” as “you may land up making mistakes”, but “we” must do things fast.

Both the trade ministers, he said, are committed to speed up the negotiations.

Both the prime ministers have “collectively tasked us to work towards closing the CECA negotiations within this calender year. We would love to do that. We would work to engage in a same spirit as ECTA and hope for quick outcomes without compromising on its quality,” Goyal added.

He also said that “we are very very dissatisfied” with the USD 30-billion bilateral trade and the officials of India and Australia have kept a target of USD 45-50 billion in the next five years.

Goyal said huge opportunities are there to increase cooperation in areas like education, technology, audio-video services and sports.

While Australia has some “very” fine technologies, best of education institutes and sports, India can offer in terms of its talent pool, manufacturing base and startup ecosystem, he said.

On increasing agri trade with Australia, the Indian commerce minister said that there are several areas of mutual interest, which are under consideration of agriculture ministries of both sides to resolve sanitary and phyto-sanitary (related with plans and animals) problems.

After the first India-Australia summit talks here on March 10 on a range of key issues, Albanese has said that both countries are looking at firming up the ambitious CECA by 2023 while a joint statement mentioned that the two prime ministers tasked the concerned officials to expedite the conclusion of a Migration and Mobility Partnership Arrangement (MMPA) within the next three months.

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India, Australia eye $100bn bilateral trade

Trade ministers of India and Australia are committed to speed up the negotiations.

During the meeting of joint ministerial commission between Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and his Australian counterpart Don Farrell on Saturday, both India and Australia have committed to conclude the negotiations for expanding the scope of existing free trade agreement by the end of 2023. Both countries also decided to aim to push bilateral trade to USD 100 billion.

Australia’s Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell, who is accompanying Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on an official visit here in New Delhi, said that the two countries “can achieve” this target. Last year, on December 29, India and Australia implemented an economic cooperation and trade agreement (ECTA) and are now negotiating to expand its scope for a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (CECA).

“ECTA was the first stage of our economic engagement. We are now entering into phase-2 of our discussions where we are looking at much wider ambit of subjects and taking this into a CECA,” Goyal told reporters during a joint press conference here.

Both the ministers have expressed “unhappiness” towards the trade negotiators and said they “will be much more ambitious and aim for a USD 100-billion trade between the two economies”, he said.

Farrell said that the two countries “can achieve” this target.

On the deadline to conclude the CECA negotiations, Goyal said that though anything done with a deadline is always “dangerous” as “you may land up making mistakes”, but “we” must do things fast.

Both the trade ministers, he said, are committed to speed up the negotiations.

Both the prime ministers have “collectively tasked us to work towards closing the CECA negotiations within this calender year. We would love to do that. We would work to engage in a same spirit as ECTA and hope for quick outcomes without compromising on its quality,” Goyal added.

He also said that “we are very very dissatisfied” with the USD 30-billion bilateral trade and the officials of India and Australia have kept a target of USD 45-50 billion in the next five years.

Goyal said huge opportunities are there to increase cooperation in areas like education, technology, audio-video services and sports.

While Australia has some “very” fine technologies, best of education institutes and sports, India can offer in terms of its talent pool, manufacturing base and startup ecosystem, he said.

On increasing agri trade with Australia, the Indian commerce minister said that there are several areas of mutual interest, which are under consideration of agriculture ministries of both sides to resolve sanitary and phyto-sanitary (related with plans and animals) problems.

After the first India-Australia summit talks here on March 10 on a range of key issues, Albanese has said that both countries are looking at firming up the ambitious CECA by 2023 while a joint statement mentioned that the two prime ministers tasked the concerned officials to expedite the conclusion of a Migration and Mobility Partnership Arrangement (MMPA) within the next three months.

Goyal appreciated Australia for taking care of Indian sensitivities in the agri and dairy sectors where small and marginal farmers are involved.

“We are looking at win-win opportunities in many areas which will open up a lot of potential like in space technology, Australian education systems and critical minerals, energy storage system that are developed in Australia and sports…Our focus has been leveraging on each other’s comparative competitive advantages to add to trade,” he added.

Farrell said that Australia has all the critical minerals to build batteries for electric vehicles.

He also said that in the first month of the ECTA, Australia has shipped goods worth USD 2.5 billion to India.

Farrell added that Australian wine industry can come to India and provide support to the sector here in terms of sharing knowledge and quality.

“I do hope that in the months to come we will be able to send our teams from India from the wine sector and will be able to invite teams from Australia coming in forging alliances with mutual cooperation,” Goyal said.

Goyal added that India can learn different water sports from Australia as it has a long coastline.

On whether Australia is looking to include gender and sustainability issues in the CECA, Farrell said that the country is looking at these issues as part of the CECA.

Goyal said that India is open to negotiations and look to engage with the rest of the world from a position of strength and learn from the best practices. (ANI)

ALSO READ: India, Aus celebrate 75 years of cricket friendship

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India, Aus celebrate 75 years of cricket friendship

Prime Ministers Modi and Albanese were greeted with loud cheers as they did a lap of honour at the stadium prior to the match…reports Asian Lite News

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, on Thursday arrived at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to watch the first day of the final Test match of the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2023.

PM Modi welcomed his Australian counterpart at the venue, the largest stadium in the world. Albanese will watch the first hour’s play between India and Australia in the company of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Australia captain Steve Smith won the toss and opted to bat versus India at the toss for the fourth and final Test for the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.

Both the Prime Ministers were greeted with loud cheers as they did a lap of honour at the stadium prior to the match.

The two leaders have also presented framed artwork representing 75 years of friendship through cricket by the BCCI.

Earlier, PM Modi arrived at the venue and was received by Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, and state Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi. BCCI president Roger Binny and BCCI secretary Jay Shah were also present at the felicitation.

The Australian PM who arrived in India on Wednesday. Banners of Prime Minister Modi and his Australian counterpart went up at the Narendra Modi stadium ahead of the final Test.

India is currently leading the series 2-1. However, the hosts need to secure an outright victory in the final Test to qualify for the final of the ICC World Test Championship where they will be facing Australia in London from June 7 onwards.

“One of the things that bind both countries is cricket and it will be great to see the leaders of India and Australia on day one of the matches in Ahmedabad,” Australian High Commissioner Barry O’Farrell said.

Yesterday, Albanese participated in Holi celebrations along with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and the Governor of Gujarat Acharya Devvrat at Raj Bhawan in the state capital Gandhinagar.

The Australian Prime Minister on the same day visited the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad and paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel accompanied the Australian PM on his visit to the Ashram. During the visit, Albanese took a complete tour of the Ashram.

The Australian PM, upon his arrival in India, tweeted: “An incredible welcome to Ahmedabad, India. The beginning of an important trip for Australia-India relations.” (ANI)

ALSO READ-Albanese celebrates Holi in Gujarat