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Philippines, Australia to seal new defence pact as China tensions rise

22 Aug 2025

By Mikhail Flores MANILA (Reuters) -The Philippines and Australia are working towards a new defence agreement to be signed next year, their defence ministers said on Friday, as both nations seek to step up military cooperation to deal with shared security challenges in the Indo-Pacific. Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said the enhanced defence cooperation …

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Japan to provide H3 rocket for Europe’s mission to observe Apophis asteroid

22 Aug 2025

By Kantaro Komiya TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan will join a European project to observe the Apophis asteroid when it passes close to the Earth by providing the H3 rocket as a launch vehicle, a Japanese space agency official said on Friday. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will join the European Space Agency (ESA)’s Ramses mission …

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Thai court clears influential ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra in royal insult case

22 Aug 2025

By Panarat Thepgumpanat and Napat Wesshasartar BANGKOK (Reuters) – A court in Thailand dismissed a royal insult case on Friday against influential former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, clearing the first hurdle in a series of high-stakes court rulings involving the powerful Shinawatra political dynasty. The court said the case, brought by the royalist military stemming from …

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Taiwan president ups defence spending target to 5% of GDP

22 Aug 2025

TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on Friday he hoped defence spending would reach 5% of gross domestic product before 2030, upping a target of bolstering the island’s military budget that Washington has pushed for. The previous day, the government said next year’s defence budget would reach 3.32% of GDP, including for the first …

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Exclusive-China’s Xi likely to skip October ASEAN leaders summit, sources say

22 Aug 2025

By Laurie Chen and Rozanna Latiff BEIJING/KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -Chinese President Xi Jinping is unlikely to attend a major summit of Asian leaders in October, two people familiar with the matter said, dashing expectations of a potential meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the event. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim this month had said …

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China’s growing nuclear arsenal

22 Aug 2025

By David Lague HONG KONG (Reuters) – Alongside a massive build-up in conventional military firepower, China has embarked on a rapid and sustained increase in the size and capability of its nuclear forces, according to the U.S. military and arms control experts. The commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, General Anthony Cotton, told Congress in …

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Philippines, Australia, Canada hold joint sail in South China Sea

22 Aug 2025

(Corrects last name of official in paragraph 3 to Hernandez, not Fernandez) MANILA (Reuters) -The navies of the Philippines, Australia and Canada were conducting a joint sail in the South China Sea on Tuesday, an area of flaring tensions following a collision between two Chinese vessels last week. The Philippine frigate BRP Jose Rizal, Australian …

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Magnitude 5.6 earthquake strikes near Myanmar-India border, EMSC says

22 Aug 2025

(Reuters) -A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck near the Myanmar-India border on Friday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said. The quake was at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), EMSC said. (Reporting by Harshita Meenaktshi in Bengaluru; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)

China’s Xi to host Putin, UN’s Guterres at regional summit

22 Aug 2025

BEIJING (Reuters) -Chinese President Xi Jinping will host Russia’s Vladimir Putin, U.N. chief Antonio Guterres and more than 20 heads of government later this month, Beijing said on Friday, for a political and security meet aimed at cementing China’s regional influence. Leaders from a bloc spanning roughly a quarter of the globe will unveil new …

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Pakistan fireworks warehouse blast kills 4, injures more than 30

22 Aug 2025

KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) -An explosion at a fireworks warehouse in the Pakistani city of Karachi killed four people and injured more than 30 on Thursday, police said. The warehouse and some nearby shops caught fire after the initial blast, which was followed by several smaller explosions, forcing residents to flee for safety. “I thought several …

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