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The Pacific appears increasingly nearer to war as Chinese vessels encircled and boarded military resupply boats belonging to a key American ally. Tensions erupted as the Chinese Coast Guard seized ships of a Philippine Navy resupply mission that was underway near the Second Thomas Shoal. The Armed Forces of the Philippines revealed pictures of the Monday confrontation in a social media post, calling the attack “coercive, aggressive, and barbaric.”(Snip) Videos show the resupply mission turning to blows as China became involved. In one clip, Chinese sailors could be seen waving and swinging axes, machetes and other melee weapons as the...

One minute video of Chinese Coast Guard swarming resupply Philippine’s boat attacking with hatchets, machetes, spears. —- The Armed Forces of the Philippines releases to media late June 19 videos from soldiers aboard rigid hull boats, from aboard the BRP Sierra Madre, and drones to show how the China Coast Guard violently disrupted a routine mission to bring supplies for and rotate troops assigned to the BRP Sierra Madre in the West Philippine Sea. The mission happened on June 17, resulting the the destruction of two rigid hull inflatable boats, theft of equipment, and the amputation of one soldier's thumb.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. military launched a secret campaign to counter what it perceived as China’s growing influence in the Philippines, a nation hit especially hard by the deadly virus. The clandestine operation has not been previously reported. It aimed to sow doubt about the safety and efficacy of vaccines and other life-saving aid that was being supplied by China, a Reuters investigation found. Through phony internet accounts meant to impersonate Filipinos, the military’s propaganda efforts morphed into an anti-vax campaign. Social media posts decried the quality of face masks, test kits and the first...

The U.S. military launched a clandestine program amid the COVID crisis to discredit China’s Sinovac inoculation – payback for Beijing’s efforts to blame Washington for the pandemic. One target: the Filipino public. Health experts say the gambit was indefensible and put innocent lives at risk.... ...The clandestine operation has not been previously reported. It aimed to sow doubt about the safety and efficacy of vaccines and other life-saving aid that was being supplied by China, a Reuters investigation found. Through phony internet accounts meant to impersonate Filipinos, the military’s propaganda efforts morphed into an anti-vax campaign.....

The government is “open to the idea” of the Philippines serving as a “processing area” for Afghan nationals displaced by their homeland’s conflict before they are resettled in the United States, a Department of Justice (DOJ) official said on Tuesday. One year after a Senate inquiry was launched to tackle Washington’s request, Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez told reporters that talks with the US Embassy regarding the details of a possible agreement were still ongoing. “Initially, we discussed [hosting] a few hundred [Afghan nationals] and if it works out, then we’ll accommodate more,” he said. Vasquez added that their main concern...

The final resting place of an iconic U.S. Navy submarine that was sunk 80 years ago during World War II was located 3,000 feet below the ocean's surface, the Naval History and Heritage Command said Thursday. The USS Harder – which earned the nickname "Hit 'em HARDER" – was found off the Philippine island of Luzon, sitting upright and "relatively intact" except for damage behind its conning tower from a Japanese depth charge, the command said. The sub was discovered using data collected by Tim Taylor, CEO of the Lost 52 Project, which works to locate the 52 submarines sunk...

American submarine USS Harder that vanished in 1944 is discovered more than 3,000 below surface near Philippines' Luzon island The wreck of a U.S. Navy submarine that "sank the most Japanese warships" during World War II has been found in the South China Sea after being missing for nearly 80 years. The USS Harder, which vanished on Aug. 24, 1944, with 79 sailors onboard, has been discovered off Luzon island in the Philippines with the help of data provided by Tim Taylor, CEO of Tiburon Subsea and the Lost 52 Project, according to the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC)....

Just because it's not front page news at the moment doesn't mean this may not be one of the most important stories in the world right now. As discussed here and here, the conflict between China and the Philippines has been escalating for most of the past year. China claims that all of the islands in the South China Sea belong to it and the Philippines refuses to comply, especially with regard to island that are within its Exclusive Economic Zone.China has been harassing Philippines' ships and fishing vessels for months but last week it threatened to release proof of...

Court documents showed Kandic had multiple responsibilities, including recruiting foreign fighters (ISIS photo) On January 4, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) called for worldwide targeting of Jews and Christians, which it later claimed resulted in 610 people wounded or killed in 110 attacks across 12 countries. Avril D. Haines, the Director of National Intelligence, told a Senate panel, “The threat from ISIS remains a significant counterterrorism concern,” while noting that the majority of its attacks have been carried out by “parts of ISIS that are outside of Afghanistan.” The main body of ISIS is active in Turkey,...

OPINION China’s recent outcry over the alleged breach of ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’ with the Philippines reveals a profound irony, given the history of its coercion and deceit There is a huge amount of insincerity and gall involved in the Chinese complaint that the Philippines had torn up the bilateral ‘Gentleman’s Agreement,’ between Beijing and Manila. While the term ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’ has an implicit assumption of ‘trust’ as a fundamental tenet besting a relationship, which may otherwise not be legally binding -- to even imagine that there has been any element of ‘trust’ between these two sparing countries, is to put oneself...

Contentious legislation passing the British Parliament late tonight that will give the government the ability to send asylum-seekers arriving in the UK to Rwanda... In Ukraine late tonight explosions reported in Odessa...early Tuesday morning...explosions reported in Kiev... An investigation led by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna finding no links between the United Nations World Relief Agency and terrorist groups... The Russian military in Syria noting 14 violations of Syrian airspace by US-led coalition warplanes... 35 rockets fired into northern Israel as Passover began this evening... The trial of President Donald Trump in New York heard its first testimony today......

TUGUEGARAO CITY, CAGAYAN, Philippines — Two Cagayan Valley lawmakers have filed separate resolutions asking the appropriate committee of the House of Representatives to look into the reported surge of Chinese students in colleges and universities in this city amid the country’s tension with China over the West Philippine Sea. Representatives Joseph Lara of Cagayan’s third district and Faustino “Inno” Dy V of Isabela’s sixth district said the presence of large numbers of Chinese nationals in this region and other parts of the country pose a risk to the country’s national security and economy, particularly since these foreigners had been involved...

In Israel today hundreds of Jewish residents storming into a Palestinian village killing one... A federal judge denying Hunter Biden's motion to dismiss... After many weeks of talk a transitional council for Haiti ... The Democrat Governor of Kansas Laura Kelly vetoing legislation stopping gender changing medical treatments... Israeli politics...latest "Lazar" poll... "This is a sad day for America" Congressman Thomas Massie Reacts...Speaker Mike Johnson breaking a 212-212 tie... President Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson each expressing support for the other... Trump supportive of the notion that more aid to Ukraine is going to be a "loan"... A barrage...

WASHINGTON — Reporters who were supposed to observe President Biden’s heavily promoted trilateral meeting with the leaders of Japan and the Philippines missed his remarks Thursday when press handlers left them standing downstairs in a hallway as the commander in chief spoke. The rare logistical snafu prevented journalists from witnessing the 81-year-old president’s opening remarks to Philippine President Bongbong Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in the White House East Room. The day’s print pool reporter, Michael Shear of the New York Times, relayed the unexpected dilemma in an emailed update to colleagues who were anticipating quotes from the...

The U.S., Japan and the Philippines will launch joint naval patrols in the South China Sea later this year, according to a U.S. official and a foreign diplomat familiar with the planning. It’s a major move to counter China in the region — and one likely to elicit a strong response from Beijing. The three-country naval maneuvers are part of a package of initiatives that President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will unveil at their first-ever trilateral summit next month, the official and the diplomat said. The White House is also expected...

Friction has grown between Manila and Beijing in recent months over competing claims in the South China Sea. "These waterways are critical to the Philippines, to its security, to its economy," Mr Blinken said. "They're also critical to the interests of the region, the United States and the world," "That's why we stand with the Philippines and stand by our ironclad defence commitments, including under the mutual defence treaty." The visit is also likely to be seen as bolstering American support for Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who has tilted towards Washington unlike his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, who pushed ties...

The South China Sea has once again become a focal point of international attention following sudden clashes between coast guard vessels of the Philippines and China. As tensions rise, the involvement of global powers like the US and Japan adds further complexity to the situation, potentially pushing more nations to align against Beijing. Amid these escalating tensions, it becomes imperative for China to reconsider its assertive stance and respect the existing global order to avoid further international backlash The South China Sea (SCS) has once again come into focus following sudden skirmishes between the coast guard vessels of the Philippines...

Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels yesterday collided in the disputed South China Sea and four Filipino crewmembers were injured in high-seas confrontations. The China Coast Guard ships and accompanying vessels blocked the Philippine Coast Guard and supply vessels off the disputed Second Thomas Shoal (Renai Shoal, 仁愛暗沙) and executed dangerous maneuvers that caused two minor collisions between the Chinese ships and two of the Philippine vessels, Philippine officials said. — The supply boat, crewed by Filipino navy personnel, was later hit by water cannon blasts from two Chinese coast guard ships. Its windshield shattered, injuring at least four Filipino...

Gun laws in the Philippines aren't as atrocious as many other countries in southeast Asia, but they're still wildly draconian compared to most states in the U.S. There are an estimated 4 million gun owners in the country, but in order to lawfully possess a gun owners have to jump through numerous government-imposed hoops like psychological testing and training mandates, and some guns that are commonly owned here are off-limits to the average Filipino. This week, however, the Philippine National Police announced that soon civilians will be able to purchase and possess semi-automatic rifles; a major change to the country's...

The Philippines' fishing bureau has accused Chinese fishing vessels of using cyanide to destroy Scarborough Shoal, a fish-rich atoll in the South China Sea contested by both Manila and Beijing. "These Chinese fishermen use cyanide," Nazario Briguera, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, said on Saturday, per a translation from Filipino by The Philippine Star. Cyanide fishing is a controversial fishing method that typically involves dumping the highly toxic chemical near coral reefs or in fishing grounds to stun or kill fish so they can be easily captured. It's widely condemned because it indiscriminately affects most...