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(L-R) Major General Francisco Lorenzo, Philippine exercise director, Philippine military Chief General Romeo Brawner, and US Lieutenant General Christian Wortman, Commanding General I Marine Expeditionary Force, unfurl the joint military exercise flag during the opening ceremony of the annual Balikatan (shoulder to shoulder) joint military exercise at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon city, suburban Manila on Aril 20, 2026.
(L-R) Major General Francisco Lorenzo, Philippine exercise director, Philippine military Chief General Romeo Brawner, and US Lieutenant General Christian Wortman, Commanding General I Marine Expeditionary Force, unfurl the joint military exercise flag during the opening ceremony of the annual Balikatan (shoulder to shoulder) joint military exercise at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon city, suburban Manila on Aril 20, 2026. `
Asia & Pacific

US begins Philippines war games amidst Middle East conflict

The war games will feature live-fire exercises in the north of the country facing the Taiwan Strait, as well as a province off the disputed South China Sea, where the Philippines and China have engaged in repeated confrontations.

41 minutes ago
Asia & Pacific

US begins Philippines war games in thick of Middle East conflict

Thousands of American and Philippine troops, joined for the first time by a significant contingent of Japanese forces, began annual military exercises Monday set against the backdrop of the Middle East war.

1 hour ago
Middle East and Africa

More than 20 vessels pass Strait of Hormuz on Saturday

Among the vessels that made it through on Saturday, five of them last loaded cargoes from Iran ranging from oil products to metals. Three of them are liquefied petroleum gas carriers with one each heading to China and India.

1 hour ago

The Latest

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Asia & Pacific

Hong Kong allows fire victims to visit ravaged homes

Victims of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades began government-supervised visits to their ravaged former homes on Monday for the first time since the November blaze, looking to retrieve personal items that might have survived.

2 hours ago
Middle East and Africa

World weighs fate of Mideast ceasefire after US seizes Iranian cargo ship

Concerns grew on Monday that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran might not hold after the US said it had seized an Iranian cargo ship that tried to run its blockade and Iran vowed to retaliate.

2 hours ago
Middle East and Africa premium

Indonesia sends condolences over death of French peacekeeper in Lebanon

Indonesia has extended its deepest condolences to France over the death of its peacekeeper in southern Lebanon, reiterating its call for enhanced protection of the United Nations peacekeeping missions in the war-torn Middle East country.

4 hours ago
Americas

Trump signs order to accelerate access to psychedelic drug treatments

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Saturday intended to speed up access to medical research and treatment based on psychedelic drugs.

23 hours ago
Middle East and Africa

Strait of Hormuz to stay closed until port blockade lifts, Iran says

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, said in a televised address that there has been "progress" in talks with Washington "but there are many gaps and some fundamental points remain."

1 day ago
asia-pacific

North Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles towards sea off its east coast

North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles towards the sea off its east coast, South Korea and Japan said on Sunday, marking the latest in a flurry of launches by Pyongyang to accelerate efforts to boost its military capabilities.

1 day ago
asia-pacific

Australia, Japan ink multibillion dollar warship deal

Japan is deepening cooperation with United States allies in the Asia-Pacific region that, like Tokyo, are involved in territorial disputes with China.

1 day ago
asia-pacific

Record number of Rohingya refugees died at sea last year: UNHCR

More than one in seven of the estimated 6,500 Rohingya refugees who attempted the sea crossing last year were reported missing or dead.

1 day ago
asia-pacific

Myanmar cuts ex-leader Aung San Suu Kyi's sentence, frees former president

The sentence has been cut by one-sixth, but it remains unclear whether the Nobel Peace Prize winner will be allowed to serve the rest of her sentence under house arrest, the lawyer said.

2 days ago
asia-pacific

Indonesia to send fertiliser to Australia amid shortfall

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the deal, which fills 20 percent of the fertiliser needed for the planting season, was a "significant outcome for our farmers".

3 days ago
asia-pacific

Australia to boost defense spending citing growing threats

The new commitment follows pressure from US President Donald Trump's administration for Canberra to boost military expenditure as a share of total annual economic output.

3 days ago
asia-pacific

'Transnational repression' worsened last year: report

The rights group recommends countries with democracies should slap sanctions on foreign leaders who favor transnational repression through forced returns of dissidents back to their home countries.

3 days ago
americas

Trump signs order to accelerate access to psychedelic drug treatments

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Saturday intended to speed up access to medical research and treatment based on psychedelic drugs.

23 hours ago
americas

World Bank could provide up to $100 billion in funds for countries hit by war, Banga says

Banga's comments, on the sidelines of the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, reflect growing recognition of the huge impact the war is already having on global growth and inflation, with developing countries likely to be hit the hardest.

5 days ago
americas

Pope Leo issues warning on democracy after Trump criticism

Pope Leo warned of the risk of democracies sliding into "majoritarian tyranny" on Tuesday, in a letter issued by the Vatican two days after US President Donald Trump attacked the pontiff on social media.

5 days ago
americas

'Blindsided': US farmers strained as fertilizer costs surge on war

The cost of urea -- a common nitrogen-based fertilizer -- had jumped by around 50 percent at the port of New Orleans.

5 days ago
americas

Artemis crew urges unity on 'lifeboat' Earth

Artemis II was the inaugural crewed mission of NASA's program aiming to install a sustained presence on the Moon.

1 week ago
americas

Trump weighs broader cabinet reshuffle as Iran war pressure grows

Any potential reshuffling could serve as a reset for the White House as it confronts a politically challenging stretch: The five-week-old war has driven up gas prices, dragged down Trump's approval ratings and intensified anxiety about the consequences for Republicans heading into November's midterm elections.

2 weeks ago
europe

Pope Leo downplays feud with Trump, says 'not in my interest' to debate him

Pope Leo sought to downplay his feud with US President Donald Trump on Saturday, saying reporting about comments he has made so far during his Africa tour "has not been accurate in all its aspects".

1 day ago
europe

Indonesia, France agree to boost defense industry ties

President Prabowo Subianto was hosted by counterpart Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace Tuesday, where they "discussed strengthening strategic cooperation," a statement from the government said.

4 days ago
europe

Meloni suspends defence cooperation deal with Israel

"In view of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defence agreement with Israel," Meloni said on the sidelines of an event in Verona, according to Italian news agencies ANSA and AGI.

4 days ago
europe

President Prabowo to meet Macron in Paris

Prabowo is set to meet Macron at the Elysee Palace "to discuss enhancing strategic cooperation between the two countries," Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said in a statement.

5 days ago
europe

Vatican should 'stick to matters of morality': J.D. Vance

"I certainly think that in some cases, it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality... and let the President United States stick to dictating American public policy," Vance told Fox News's "Special Report with Bret Baier."

5 days ago
middle-east-africa

Strait of Hormuz to stay closed until port blockade lifts, Iran says

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, said in a televised address that there has been "progress" in talks with Washington "but there are many gaps and some fundamental points remain."

1 day ago
middle-east-africa

France blames Hezbollah for French peacekeeper's death in Lebanon

The attack follows an agreement between Israel and Lebanon on Thursday for a 10-day ceasefire to negotiate an end to six weeks of fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed group.

1 day ago
middle-east-africa

Trump, Iran cite progress in talks as uncertainty hangs over Hormuz

The war, now in its eighth week, has killed thousands, spread to Israeli attacks in Lebanon and sent oil prices surging because of the de facto closure of the strait, which before the war carried one-fifth of the world's oil shipments.

1 day ago
middle-east-africa

Kosovo, Bosnia troops prepared for Gaza peacekeeping role

Kosovo intends to send 22 members of the security forces, while Bosnia said more than 60 Bosnian soldiers are expected to join the peacekeeping force.

2 days ago
middle-east-africa

Iran reopens Strait of Hormuz, but says US must end naval blockade

Subsequent statements and clarifications from both sides left uncertainty over how quickly shipping might return to normal, and some vessels could be observed making unsuccessful attempts cross the strait on Friday before turning back.

2 days ago
middle-east-africa

Hegseth says US forces ready to restart combat if Iran doesn't agree a deal

Hegseth also said the US will blockade Iranian ports for "as long as it takes."

2 days ago

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