Breaking News, Latest Philippines Headlines, World, Entertainment, Politics, Weather & Video News
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s prime minister on Wednesday said he will soon meet President Joe Biden in the United States, where a massive nuclear-powered submarine deal is expected to be unveiled. After 18 months of deliberation, Australia is expected to reveal plans to obtain eight nuclear-powered submarines, in what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called “the single biggest leap” in defense capability in the country’s history. “I’ll be meeting with President Biden in the […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — A US decision to shoot down a Chinese balloon that Beijing claimed had veered off course has “seriously impacted and damaged” relations between the two countries, China’s foreign ministry said Monday. The aircraft, which Washington said was a spy balloon, had spent several days flying over North America, leading the United States to call off a planned visit to Beijing by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Washington on Saturday said a […]
by Paul HANDLEY Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The Pentagon said Thursday it was tracking a Chinese spy balloon flying high over the United States, reviving tensions between the two countries just days ahead of a rare visit to Beijing by the top US diplomat. At President Joe Biden’s request, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and top military officials considered shooting the balloon down but decided doing so would endanger too many people on […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday said sending fighter jets to Ukraine would require “months if not years” of training and that he was looking for the most effective way of helping Kyiv secure victory. In a pre-recorded television interview to mark his first 100 days as leader, Sunak told TalkTV’s Piers Morgan Uncensored the UK was “always talking to the Ukrainians about the right support they need”. “The […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — NATO’s chief on Wednesday applauded Japan’s plan to double its defense spending, saying that the pledge reflected the country’s resolve for greater security involvement in a volatile world. Speaking in Tokyo, Jens Stoltenberg said Japan’s renewed focus on security made the nation “even more” of a partner “for peace”. “I am glad that Japan is planning (a military budget) to reach the NATO benchmark of two percent of GDP devoted to […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida will sign a “hugely significant” new defense agreement when the pair meet in London on Wednesday, Downing Street said. The two leaders will also discuss Japan’s current presidency of the G7 and “the need to maintain our collective support for Ukraine”, according to a statement from Sunak’s office. The deal, to be signed at the historic Tower of London, […]
Warsaw, Poland (AFP) — Poland’s Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak on Tuesday said the EU member would accept Patriot missiles from Germany after earlier calling on Berlin to send them to Ukraine instead. “After talking to the German defense minister, it is with disappointment that I have accepted the decision to refuse support for Ukraine,” Blaszczak said on Twitter. “Deploying the Patriots in western Ukraine would have increased Polish and Ukrainian security. We thus proceed to […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has told his cabinet to increase defense spending to two percent of GDP by 2027, up from a longstanding level of around one percent. Kishida announced the plan to his defense and finance ministers late Monday, as Japan overhauls its defense and security strategies to address growing threats from China as well as the changing geopolitical landscape after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In August, the defense […]
by W.G. Dunlop Agence France-Presse SIEM REAP, Cambodia (AFP) — US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe in Cambodia on Tuesday as the two sides move to keep tensions in check. The meeting on the sidelines of a conference of defense ministers in Siem Reap — which lasted for an hour and a half — was the first between Austin and Wei since June, before a visit by US House Speaker […]
by Claire Lee and Sunghee Hwang Agence France-Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea on Tuesday described its record-breaking blitz of missile launches last week as a “just counteraction” to the biggest-ever US-South Korea air exercises. Pyongyang has long condemned joint military exercises by Seoul and Washington, calling them rehearsals for an invasion — but it has appeared especially sensitive to air force drills. That is because North Korea’s air force is the weakest […]
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Joe Biden on Monday promised to provide advanced air defense systems to Ukraine after Russian missiles rained down on the capital Kyiv and other cities, the White House said in a statement. Biden spoke to President Volodymyr Zelensky and “pledged to continue providing Ukraine with the support needed to defend itself, including advanced air defense systems,” the statement said. Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened more “severe” […]
by Mathias CENA Agence France-Presse GINOWAN, Japan (AFP) — For decades, residents of Japan’s Okinawa have strongly opposed the US military bases that dot the region but a subtle shift is under way, driven by Chinese saber-rattling and economic challenges. The bases are often seen as a disproportionate burden for Japan’s sub-tropical southernmost region. Okinawa comprises 0.6 percent of the Japanese archipelago’s territory but contains 70 percent of the land used for US bases, and […]
