Breaking News, Latest Philippines Headlines, World, Entertainment, Politics, Weather & Video News
by Sunghee Hwang Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea test-fired a new “long-range cruise missile” over the weekend, state media reported Monday, with the United States saying the nuclear-armed country was threatening its neighbours and beyond. Pictures in the Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed a missile exiting one of five tubes on a launch vehicle in a ball of flame, and a missile in horizontal flight. Such a weapon would represent […]
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Afghanistan’s return to Taliban rule following the withdrawal of US forces shows Taiwan needs to be “stronger and more united” in ensuring its own defense, President Tsai Ing-wen said Wednesday. Democratic Taiwan’s 23 million people live under the constant threat of invasion from authoritarian Beijing which views the island as its own territory and has vowed to one day seize it. Washington remains Taiwan’s most important unofficial ally and is bound […]
Austin is first Biden cabinet member to meet with Pres. Duterte (Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte decided to continue the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States government, recalling his earlier decision to terminate or abrogate the VFA. Delfin Secretary Delfin Lorenzana announced that President Duterte decided to continue the VFA after his meeting on Thursday, July 29, with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Because of this, he said that the “VFA […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia said Tuesday it had successfully test-fired its new S-500 air defence missile systems at a southern training range and hit a high-speed ballistic target. Russia says the S-500, which is expected to have a maximum firing range of 600 kilometres, is the most advanced anti-missile system in the world and is capable of countering attacks from space. Its development however is years behind schedule. The military had previously said the […]
by Kyoko HASEGAWA TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japanese, US and French troops kicked off their first-ever joint military drill Tuesday in southwestern Japan, as concerns rise over China’s growing assertiveness in the region. An Australian naval ship is also taking part in the week-long air, land and sea exercises involving 300 ground troops from the three countries. It comes as Tokyo looks to deepen defence ties beyond its key US ally and with eyes on […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A US vessel fired warning shots at more than a dozen Iranian fast attack boats which buzzed close to a US Navy submarine and escort ships in the narrow Strait of Hormuz on Monday, the Pentagon said. In the second such incident in two weeks, 13 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy boats approached the seven US vessels at high speeds, closing within 150 yards (140 meters) before one of the […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia announced Wednesday it would upgrade military bases in its far north and expand joint drills with US forces after warnings about the “drums of war” beating in the Pacific region. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a plan worth more than half a billion US dollars to revamp four military training facilities in the remote north over the next five years. The package of upgrades is more extensive and more costly […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan will hold a joint military drill with US and French troops in the country’s southwest next month, the defence minister said Friday, as China’s actions in regional waters raise concern. The exercise, running from May 11 to 17, will be the first large-scale exercise in Japan involving ground troops from all three countries, the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) said in a statement. It comes as Tokyo seeks to deepen […]
Concerns arise as Lorenzana was in IATF meeting with Pres. Duterte just last week (Eagle News) – Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said he had tested positive for COVID-19. Lorenzana, 72, in a statement, said that he received his test results on Tuesday, April 6, that showed he was positive for the virus, and would thus be “undergoing isolation” to avoid infecting other people. “The result of my RT-PCR test today, 06 April 2021, came […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea has tested a new “tactical guided projectile” with a solid-fuel engine, state media said Friday after the nuclear-armed country carried out its first substantive provocation since US President Joe Biden’s inauguration. The North on Thursday launched two weapons from its east coast, with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga calling them ballistic missiles. Pyongyang is under multiple international sanctions over its weapons programmes, with UN Security Council resolutions banning […]
by Kang Jin-kyu SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea fired two suspected ballistic missiles into the sea Thursday, in its first substantive provocation to the new US administration of Joe Biden. The nuclear-armed North has a long history of using weapons tests to ramp up tensions, in a carefully calibrated process to try to forward its objectives. Donald Trump’s first year in office was marked by a series of escalating launches, accompanied by a […]
Diplomatic protest filed after 220 Chinese militia boats spotted near Whitsun Reef (Eagle News) — The Philippines’ top defense official called on China on Sunday, March 21, to “stop encroaching” into the country’s sovereign territory, and demanded that China recall more than 200 militia boats spotted near a disputed reef some 320 kilometers west of Palawan Island. In what could be defense chief Secretary Delfin Lorenzana’s toughest pronouncement on China, he said that China […]
