01/06/2026

MONDAY | JUNE 1, 2026

9

Australia to receive used nuclear submarines SINGAPORE: Australia will only receive used nuclear-powered submarines from the United States as part of an agreement to “streamline” the AUKUS deal, with the move branded yesterday as a “cost-effective” measure by Defence Minister Richard Marles. used submarines and one new one, but the countries announced on Saturday that all three will now be in-service vessels from the US Navy stock.

acquire Virginia-class submarines in lieu of a mixture of new and in service variants.” The US Navy has 24 Virginia-class vessels but American shipyards are struggling to meet production targets set at two new boats each year. In the United States, critics have questioned why Washington would sell nuclear-powered submarines to Australia without stocking its own military first. The AUKUS submarine programme lies at the heart of Australia’s defence strategy and could cost up to US$235 billion (RM933 billion) over 30 years, according to government forecasts. – AFP three in-service

“It is definitely cost-effective. And to be clear, this is a very expensive programme ... and so we are trying to find every cost-effective option as we walk down this path.” In a joint statement on Saturday, Marles, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and British Defence Secretary John Healey confirmed the tweak to the submarine agreement. “The deputy prime minister and secretaries welcomed the proposed approach to streamline Australia’s acquisition of Virginia-class submarines, simplifying supply chain management, operational and maintenance requirements, and maximising cost efficiencies,” the statement said. “This approach would enable Australia to

When asked why Canberra was now receiving only used equipment, Marles, who is also deputy prime minister, told reporters yesterday it would be more cost-effective. “In the context of a very complicated endeavour, we need to place a premium on simplicity,” said Marles, who added that the submarines will also be the same model. “I cannot overstate the significance of that, both in terms of the submariners who are operating them, but also the people who are working on them to sustain those submarines.”

The two nations – together with the third partner in their security pact, Britain – met at Singapore’s Shangri-La Dialogue, which brings together top defence officials and experts from about 45 countries. Under the 2021 AUKUS deal, Australia is expected to receive at least three “Virginia-class” nuclear-powered submarines from the United States within 15 years. Australia had been expecting to receive two

INDIA, VIETNAM SIGN MISSILE DEAL NEW DELHI: India has signed a deal with Vietnam under which it will supply BrahMos missiles, which it jointly developed with Russia, and is in“final stages”for a similar deal with Indonesia, India’s Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said. India has a strong commitment to Asean nations, Singh said at the Shangri-La Dialogue. India, which has been building up domestic defence manufacturing for local use and export, has already sold the supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines. A deal with Vietnam could be worth about US$629 million (RM2.5 trillion), including training and logistical support. – Reuters JOCKEY PURTON MAKES HK HISTORY HONG KONG: Zac Purton became the first jockey to ride 2,000 winners in Hong Kong when he guided Rising World to victory at the city’s Sha Tin racecourse yesterday. The 43-year-old Australian reached the milestone by holding off Almighty Warrior by a short head in the opening race of the day. Purton first rode in Hong Kong as a 24-year-old in 2007 and has gone on to be the most successful jockey in the history of Hong Kong racing. He passed the previous record of 1,813 wins in Hong Kong, held by Douglas Whyte, in January 2025. He has won a total of eight jockeys’ championships and ridden 35 Group One winners in a city where horse racing is the most popular sport. Purton has most recently partnered the world’s best sprinter, Ka Ying Rising , to a Hong Kong record 20 consecutive wins. – AFP SRI LANKA TOP MONK SUSPENDED COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s Buddhist hierarchy suspended on Saturday a senior monk accused of sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl. In a rare disciplinary move, 71-year old Pallegama Hemarathana was stripped of his responsibilities as the chief custodian of a highly venerated ficus grown from a sapling of a tree believed to have sheltered the Buddha. “The Council of Monks of the Malwatte Chapter decided to suspend Venerable Hemarathana until the conclusion of the legal proceedings against him,” a statement issued by the senior monks said. Police arrested Hemarathana on May 9 over allegations that he had sexually abused an 11-year-old girl in 2022 at the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi temple in Anuradhapura. – AFP

O’Sullivan clan breaks world record

BR I E F S

o 1,848 with surname gather in Irish town CASTLETOWN BEARHAVEN: Almost two thousand people with the last names O’Sullivan and Sullivan travelled from around Ireland and the world to meet in County Cork on Saturday, in the largest ever recorded gathering of people with the same surname. Guinness World Records representatives verified the milestone at the event in the picturesque southwestern town of Castletownbere. “With a total of 1,848 the O’Sullivan clan are the new Guinness World Record holders, congratulations!” an official told a cheering crowd. The feat knocked another common Irish family name, the Gallaghers, off the top spot after their previous 2007 record win during a gathering of 1,488 participants held in County Donegal, northwestern Ireland. The surnames O’Sullivan and Sullivan are commonplace in County Cork and southwestern Ireland. Many from the large international Irish diaspora also arrived to bolster the numbers, presenting passports as proof of their name. “Where I come from in Boston, there’s plenty of us Sullivans, but this is unbelievable,” said Kevin Sullivan, 75, looking around at the crowds filing through a primary school where the event was coordinated. “Everyone I look at here I know is a Sullivan or an O’Sullivan, so it’s an incredible feeling,” the retired IT executive said with a smile. Participants passed through turnstiles to provide a preliminary tally before officials circulated through the assembled groups on the school’s football pitch for a final count. Mary Sullivan, one of many Americans of Irish ancestry who attended, said she had “travelled over 3,000 miles” to join the record attempt.

The O’Sullivan clan family crest is held by a participant in Castletownbere, Ireland, on Saturday. – AFPPIC

back on your shoulders now. Next time up, you’ll beat us!” he said. Among the participants who travelled the farthest was Michel Sanchez O’Sullivan who told AFP his grandfather was an O’Sullivan from New York who later settled in Mexico. “As far as we know, we’re the only O’Sullivans in Mexico, it’s great to be here to get to explore my Irish roots and meet the rest of the family!” the 35-year-old told AFP on Castlebere’s main street, holding his daughter Olivia on his shoulders. – AFP All people can contribute to a more peaceful society with small but important steps, he said, suggesting refraining from verbal and physical violence, both in daily life and on social media. This was the pope’s second major prayer for peace. In April, his strongly worded warning about a “delusion of omnipotence” that was becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive drew the ire of US President Donald Trump. – Bernama

The gathering was hosted by the chieftain of the clan, Kelly Sullivan, who was presented with the chain of office in Boston in 2023. “I feel blessed to have grown up as part of the wider Sullivan-O’Sullivan family, we make a team that can’t be beat,” she told the crowd. The world record bid organiser Jim O’Sullivan from Castletownbere said wet weather early in the day raised doubts about whether enough namesakes would show up. “But people turned out in their numbers, and we did it. So we’re asking the Gallaghers, Peace is possible even in these times of tension and conflict, Leo said. It “becomes possible when we choose to listen to the cry of those deprived of it: innocent children, anguished mothers and fathers, abused prisoners, refugees and people of every age who suffer,” he said. All “have but one word upon their lips: peace!” The pope also appealed to individuals, saying everyone has a personal responsibility.

Pope Leo delivers stirring call for peace ROME: Pope Leo XIV called for an end to violence in the world’s conflict-hit regions on Saturday during a prayer for peace at the Vatican.

No one should have to flee their home because of the threat of bombs, said Leo, the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. The lust for power and verbal violence must give way to the thirst for justice and truth, he said, adding that there must be no more tears shed by the innocent.