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☆ Philippine dam: A 300-year-old settlement resurfaces as severe drought dries up a reservoir
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Emily Blumenthal | Monica Garrett | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A nearly 300-year-old settlement once submerged beneath a major dam in the Philippines has reemerged as sweltering heat and drought dry up the reservoir. Ezra Acayan/Getty ImagesSome visitors brave the extreme heat to see the dam, where parts of damaged structures still stand. But a drought currently affecting about half of the country’s provinces has pushed the dam’s water levels down, according to AFP. The town of Muñoz near the dam has seen heat index over 41 degrees (106 degrees Fahrenheit) the last five days. On Sunday the temperature felt like 47 degrees (117 degrees Fahrenheit) because of other contributing factors.

Persons: Marlon Paladin, Ezra Acayan, Paladin, climatologist Maximiliano Herrera, ” Organizations: CNN, National Irrigation Administration, PAGASA, AFP, Prediction Locations: Philippines, Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija, Philippine, Southeast Asia, Muñoz, Luzon, El

☆ Chinese water cannon damages ship in new South China Sea flare-up, Philippines says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Video supplied by the Philippine Coast Guard showed two larger Chinese vessels firing water cannons from opposite sides of the Philippine ship. “The Philippine vessels encountered dangerous maneuvers and obstruction from four China Coast Guard vessels and six Chinese Maritime Militia vessels,” Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said in the statement. The Philippine Coast Guard ship suffered “damage to the railing and canopy,” according to its statement. Over the past two decades, China has occupied a number of obscure reefs and atolls far from its shoreline across the South China Sea, building up military installations, including runways and ports. Beijing and Manila’s South China Sea disputes have heated up since the 2022 election of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has taken a stronger line against China than his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte.

Persons: Jay Tarriela, ”, Thomas, “, Thomas Shoal, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Rodrigo Duterte Organizations: CNN, Philippine Coast Guard, China Coast Guard, Chinese Maritime Militia, Weibo, Asia, Transparency Initiative, BRP Sierra Madre, Philippine Locations: Philippine, China, Scarborough Shoal, Chinese, Luzon, ” Beijing, South, Scarborough, Huangyan, Bajo, Masinloc, Philippines, South China, Palawan, BRP Sierra, Weibo, ”, Beijing, Manila’s, Manila, United States, Washington

They call it an encirclement of their nation and say the United States is trying to constrain its main economic and military rival. The United States also has a new security agreement with Papua New Guinea. On Wednesday, Mr. Biden signed a $95-billion supplemental military aid and spending bill that Congress had just passed and that includes $8.1 billion to counter China in the region. In addition, the United States continues to send weapons and Green Beret trainers to Taiwan, a de facto independent island and the biggest flashpoint between the United States and China. A swarm of Chinese militia and Coast Guard vessels chased a Philippine Coast Guard ship in the South China Sea last year.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Biden, Antony J, Blinken, Yuri Gripas, ” Ely Ratner, Xi, ” Kurt Campbell, Joseph Wu, ”, “, Samuel J, Paparo Jr, Mr, Paparo, Carl Vinson, Richard A, Brooks, Trump, Lloyd J, Austin III, Chen Jining, Jes Aznar, David H, Berger, Obama, Tony Mcdonough, United States —, Admiral Paparo, China’s “ revanchist, we’re Organizations: Australian, U.S, Marines, United, Pentagon, Corps, Mr, White House, White, The New York Times, American, Marine, Green, China’s, Liberation Army, Seoul SOUTH, Pacific Command, People’s Liberation Army, Agence France, Nuclear Forces Treaty, Defense, Communist Party, Tokyo Okinawa, U.S . Navy, Coast Guard, Philippine Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Army, Philippines Luzon Partner, Australia Darwin Potential, NATO, Tomahawk Locations: Beijing, United States, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Japan, Okinawa, Taiwan, Asia, Pacific, U.S, China, Shanghai, South China, South Korea, Guam, Washington, Manila, Taipei, People’s Republic of China, Palau, West Papua, Seoul, Tokyo JAPAN CHINA Taipei TAIWAN Hong Kong, GUAM philippines MALAYSIA INDONESIA JAPAN CHINA TAIWAN, philippines GUAM, INDONESIA Seoul, GUAM philippines, MALAYSIA INDONESIA, Philippine, Moscow, Tokyo, Ryukyu Islands, South, Philippines Luzon, Luzon, Spratly, Australia, Canberra, Singapore, Darwin, Australia’s, . North Carolina, Virginia, Perth, United Kingdom, Navy’s, America

☆ A double dose of hell: The Bataan Death March and what came next
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

The Death MarchThat surrender site in Balanga doesn’t mark the beginning of the Bataan Death March. “It looked like they were really trying to kill us all.”White markers along a highway on the Bataan Peninsula show the route from the 1942 Bataan Death March. A boxcar used during the infamous 1942 Bataan Death March, displayed at the Capas National Shrine in Tarlac Province, north of Manila. All but Meyer also survived the Bataan Death March. A relief depicts the 1942 Bataan Death March on the Death March Memorial in Capas, Philippines.

Persons: Philippines CNN —, Edward P, King, Franklin Roosevelt, Douglas MacArthur, Edward King, “, …, ”, Matoo Nakayama, Masaharu Homma, Camp O'Donnell, AP Survivor James Bollich, ” Bollich, Brad Lendon, Tillman R, Rutledge, O’Donnell, defecated …, –, Manuel Abrazado, Emilio Aquino, Romeo Gacad, MacArthur’s, Robert Overbeck, Calvin Graef, Avery Wilber, Donald Meyer, Anton Cichy, Meyer, Overbeck, They’d, Charles, ” Overbeck, Arisan Organizations: Philippines CNN, Museum, Balanga Elementary, Bataan, Bettmann, US Army, US Navy, Gen, Army, AP Survivor, Air Force News Service, CNN, US Clark Air Base, Kyodo, Heritage Command, US Defense, Agency, Disabled, Getty, Mount, 14th Air Force, former Flying Tigers Locations: Philippines, Philippine, Bataan, American, Corregidor, Bataan As, Harbor, Hawaii, Luzon, Manila, Gen, Marileves, Mariveles, Capas, San Fernando, Tarlac Province, …, O’Donnell, ., Balanga, Tarlac province, AFP, Japan, China, Bashi, Taiwan, South China, Kunming, Asia, Washington, North Africa, Geneva, Arisan Maru

☆ Buildings evacuated as quake rattles Philippine capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Lisa Marie David Acquire Licensing RightsMANILA, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Workers, residents, and students evacuated buildings in the Philippine capital Manila on Tuesday after an earthquake of magnitude 5.9 struck off the main Luzon island, according to the state seismology agency and images carried by media. It recorded the offshore earthquake at magnitude 5.9, with a depth of 79 kilometres (49.09 miles). Images shared by media on X showed government workers leaving congress, senate, presidential palace, justice ministry buildings. Three people died from a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck the southern Philippines on Saturday night. A separate magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Mindanao early Monday morning.

Persons: Lisa Marie David Acquire, Michael Orayani, Neil Jerome Morales, Mikhail Flores, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Manila, Philippines, Rights MANILA, Philippine, Luzon, Lubang, Occidental Mindoro, Mindanao

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. President of the Philippines speaks at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in San Francisco, California, U.S., November 15, 2023. This week's three-day joint air and maritime exercise was a "significant initiative" to boost interoperability between the two, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said. It will end in the West Philippine Sea, the name Manila uses for waters in the South China Sea that fall within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The joint patrol with the United States showed the Manila was making a stand over the South China Sea, said Jay Batongbacal, director of the Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea in Manila, the capital. "It shows that the Philippines is really firming up its posture on West Philippine Sea issues," Batongbacal said.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Carlos Barria, Eugene Cabusao, Marcos, Rodrigo Duterte, Xi Jinping, Jay Batongbacal, Batongbacal, Mikhail Flores, Karen Lema, Martin Petty, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, United States, South China, Washington, Institute for Maritime Affairs, Law, Philippine, Thomson Locations: Philippines, Asia, San Francisco , California, U.S, Philippine, Taiwan US, Manila, China, MANILA, Taiwan, Mavulis, Luzon, West Philippine, South, United, Hawaii, United States, China's, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Beijing, South China

☆ US and Philippines launch military drills with partners as China tensions mount
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

“In Tagalog ‘Sama Sama’ is a phrase that means ‘together’ and there could not be a better phrase to capture the spirit of this exercise,” said Capt. The US Navy, US Marine Corps, and Armed Forces of the Philippines joined partners to commence the seventh iteration of exercise Sama Sama in Manila on October 2. Earlier this year, the Philippine coast guard accused a Chinese coast guard ship of pointing a “military grade” laser at some of its crew, temporarily blinding them. Sama Sama features more than 1,800 personnel from the participating countries, many aboard warships from the Philippines, the US, the UK, Japan and Canada. Sama Sama will run through October 13.

Persons: ”, Sean Lewis, ‘, Adm, Toribio Adaci, Gilberto Teodoro Jr, ” Teodoro, “ It’s, it’s Organizations: CNN, United States, US Navy, US Navy’s Destroyer Squadron, Philippine Navy, Philippine News Agency, US Marine Corps, Armed Forces, Philippine Defense, Foreign Ministry, Philippine Naval Forces Southern Locations: Philippine, Manila, Beijing, South China, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Philippines, CNN Beijing, China, Spratly, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan, Philippine Naval Forces Southern Luzon

☆ South China Sea: Philippines says three fishermen killed after boat rammed by 'foreign' vessel near Scarborough Shoal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Three Filipino fishermen have died after an “unidentified commercial vessel” allegedly rammed their fishing boat near Scarborough Shoal, the Philippine coast guard said Wednesday, compounding tensions in a region of the disputed South China Sea that is already a flashpoint. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the coast guard is “backtracking and checking all monitored vessels in the area as part of its ongoing investigation,” according to a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. The South China Sea is a 1.3 million-square-mile waterway that is vital to international trade, with an estimated third of global shipping worth trillions of dollars passing through each year. Over the past two decades, China has occupied a number of obscure reefs and atolls far from its shoreline across the South China Sea, building up military installations, including runways and ports. Philippine Coast GuardPhotos released by the Philippine coast guard show the scene at Barangay Cato on October 3.

Persons: FFB Dearyn, –, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, ” Marcos Organizations: CNN, Cato, Philippine Coast Guard, Barangay Cato, Philippine Coast Guard Scarborough Locations: Scarborough Shoal, Philippine, China, Pangasinan, Luzon, Beijing, Infanta, Pangasinan province, Philippines, Bajo, Masinloc, Manila, The Hague, South China

☆ Philippines, allies kick off naval drills amid Asia-Pacific tension
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Philippine Navy Flag Officer-in-Command Vice Admiral Toribio Adaci Jr. speaks during the opening ceremony of Exercise SAMA SAMA 2023, the annual bilateral exercise between the Philippine and U.S. Navy, at the Philippine Navy Headquarters, in Manila, Philippines, October 2, 2023. This year's "Sama Sama" drills are being held in the southern part of the island of Luzon, featuring naval exercises in areas such as anti-submarine warfare, air defence and search and rescue, the Philippine navy said. "With this show of force and active engagement of our allies and partners, 'Sama Sama' transcends mere military exercises," Philippine navy chief Rear Admiral Toribio Adaci said at the opening event. "It is a symbol of our enduring partnerships and our shared commitment to security and stability in the Asia-Pacific region." The West Philippine Sea refers to the portion of the South China Sea claimed by Manila.

Persons: Toribio Adaci, Jay Ereno, Karl Thomas, Thomas, Karen Lema, Mikhail Flores, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Philippine Navy Flag, Command, Philippine, U.S . Navy, Philippine Navy Headquarters, REUTERS, Rights, Forces, United States, Navy's, South China, Manila ., Thomson Locations: Manila, Philippines, Rights MANILA, Britain, Canada, Japan, Beijing, Scarborough, China, South China, Luzon, Philippine, Asia, Pacific, West Philippine, South, United States, Australia, France, Indonesia, New Zealand

CNN —A floating barrier installed by China to prevent Filipino boats from fishing in a disputed area of the South China Sea has been removed, Philippine authorities said Monday, in the latest flashpoint between Manila and Beijing over their competing maritime claims. The video is a vivid illustration of a fraught power struggle that has been playing out for years in the South China Sea as Manila tries to push back against increasingly assertive claims to the disputed strategic waterway by Beijing. “The barrier posed a hazard to navigation, a clear violation of international law,” the Philippine Coast Guard said in a statement Monday, adding that it also infringed on Philippine sovereignty. Beijing claims “indisputable sovereignty” over almost all of the 1.3 million square miles of the South China Sea, as well as most of the islands and sandbars within it, including many features that are hundreds of miles away from China’s mainland. In 2016, an international tribunal in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines in a landmark maritime dispute, which concluded that China has no legal basis to claim historic rights to the bulk of the South China Sea.

Persons: Wang Wenbin, ” Organizations: CNN, South China, Philippine Coast Guard, Coast Guard Locations: China, South, Manila, Beijing, Bajo de Masinloc, Scarborough, Philippine, Luzon, South China, Huangyan, Philippines, China’s, The Hague, United States, Palawan

CNN —The Philippines on Sunday condemned the Chinese coast guard for installing what it called a “floating barrier” in a disputed area of the South China Sea, saying that it prevented Filipino boats from entering and fishing in the area. In a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, Philippine coast guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela said the floating barrier was discovered by Philippine vessels during a routine maritime patrol on Friday and measured around 300 meters (984 feet). Tarriela shared photos of the alleged floating barrier and claimed three Chinese coast guard boats and a Chinese maritime militia service boat had installed the floating barrier following the arrival of a Philippine government vessel in the area. The Philippine coast guard shared footage earlier this week of vast patches of broken and bleached coral, prompting officials to accuse China of massive destruction in the area. The shoal, which China calls Huangyandao, is one of a number of disputed islands and reefs in the South China Sea, which is home to various territorial disputes.

Persons: Jay Tarriela, Tarriela, ” Tarriela, ”, Mao Ning Organizations: CNN, Sunday, Twitter, of Fisheries, Aquatic Resources, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Locations: Philippines, South China, Philippine, China, Bajo de Masinloc, Rozul, Masinloc, Scarborough, Luzon

The Chinese military regularly sends ships and aircraft through the channel, Taiwan's defence ministry has said. The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the proposed port in Basco. Cayco confirmed the visit, saying they came "one time to assess" the proposed alternative port. Marcos has said the bases under the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) could prove useful if China attacked Taiwan. Jay Batongbacal, maritime affairs expert at the University of the Philippines, said the proposed port "would certainly be needed for the island’s defence in a worst case scenario."

Persons: Marvin Licudine, Andres Centino, Heather Variava, Noel Beleran, Eric Austin, Marilou Cayco, Batanes, Cayco, Kanishka, MARCOS, Rodrigo Duterte, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Marcos, Jay Batongbacal, Poppy McPherson, Karen Lema, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Philippine Military, Embassy, Staff, Education, U.S, Reuters, China, Washington, U.S . Army, ., Enhanced, Security, University of the, Thomson Locations: Philippines, Philippine, U.S, MANILA, Taiwan . U.S, Taiwan, China, Washington, Pacific, Manila, Basco, Asia, Beijing, Batanes, South China, University of the Philippines, Luzon

☆ Super typhoon Saola threatens northern Philippines
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MANILA, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Tropical storm Saola has intensified into a super typhoon, the Philippine weather bureau said on Sunday, raising the possibility of heavy rain and powerful winds hitting important rice and corn growing areas in northern provinces. Heavy rainfall was expected later on Sunday and on Monday in the provinces of Isabela, Cagayan, Ilocos and the mountainous Cordillera region, raising the risk of flooding and landslides, the weather bureau said. Saola was also expected to affect provinces on the main Luzon island as well as the capital, Manila, over the next three days, it said. Last month, strong winds and rain lashed the northern Philippines as powerful typhoon Doksuri made landfall, causing rivers to overflow and leaving thousands without power. Saola was forecast to turn north on Monday and to make landfall over southern Taiwan late on Wednesday or early Thursday, the weather bureau said.

Persons: Saola, Doksuri, Enrico Dela Cruz, Robert Birsel Organizations: Thomson Locations: MANILA, Philippine, Saola, Isabela province, Isabela , Cagayan, Ilocos, Cordillera, Manila, Philippines, China, Taiwan

☆ Typhoon Doksuri (Egay) lashes China's Fujian province after leaving 39 dead in the Philippines
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong CNN —Typhoon Doksuri made landfall in China’s southeastern coast on Friday, state weather agencies said, after the storm battered parts of the Philippines and killed at least 39 people, including dozens on an overcrowded boat that capsized in strong winds. The typhoon slammed into the coastal county of Jinjiang in Fujian province at 9:55 a.m. local time, the National Meteorological Center said. The winds around the time of landfall were approaching 175 kilometers per hour (108 mph), according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center but the storm’s interaction with land has likely lowered the wind speeds slightly. Another 13 people were killed elsewhere in the country from Typhoon Doksuri, known as Egay in the Philippines, the the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Friday. The storm brought floods to five regions and triggered more than a dozen rain-induced landslides, the agency added.

Persons: Doksuri, –, Armand Balilo Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, National Meteorological Center, Typhoon, Philippine Coast Guard, AP, coastguard, PNP, Philippine National Police, CNN, CNN Philippines, Management Locations: Hong Kong, Philippines, Jinjiang, Fujian province, Taiwan, Luzon, Talim, Manila

☆ Thousands without power as typhoon Doksuri lashes Philippines
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MANILA, July 26 (Reuters) - Strong winds and rain lashed the northern Philippines as Typhoon Doksuri made landfall on Wednesday, causing rivers to overflow and leaving thousands without power. "We are being battered here," Manual Mamba, governor of northern Cagayan province told Reuters, adding that no casualties had been reported so far. Storm warnings are in place in many parts of the northern island of Luzon, which is home to about half of the Philippines' 110 million population. Categorised as a super typhoon on Tuesday, Doksuri had weakened slightly on Wednesday. It is expected to brush past Taiwan and make landfall in China's Fujian province on Friday, according to the Philippines weather bureau.

Persons: Doksuri, Karen Lema, Enrico dela Cruz, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: Reuters, Authorities, Thomson Locations: MANILA, Philippines, Taiwan, China, Cagayan province, Philippine, Luzon, China's Fujian

☆ Typhoon Doksuri: Egay makes landfall in Philippines as country braces for impact
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A powerful typhoon made landfall in the northern Philippines early Wednesday, bringing the potentially deadly threat of tidal surges, flash floods and landslides to parts of the country’s main island, authorities said. Typhoon Doksuri, known as Egay in the Philippines, made landfall at 3:10 a.m. local time (3:10 p.m. Pagasa warned that violent and life-threatening conditions are expected in some areas of Luzon, the Philippines’ largest and most populous island, as torrential rains rains swept the country. Communities in the typhoon’s path are braced for the impact of expected winds of up to 200 kph (124 mph). Strong winds knock down a tree in the northern Cagayan provice in the Philippines on July 25, 2023.

Persons: Doksuri, Pasgasa, “, Cagayan Manuel Mamba Organizations: CNN, Pagasa, Typhoon, Authorities, Tuesday, CNN Philippines Taiwan, Weather Bureau, National Meteorological Center Locations: Philippines, Philippine, Luzon, Cagayan province, Cagayan, Cagayan provice, CNN Philippines, Taiwan, China, Fujian, Guangdong

Hong Kong CNN —A growing typhoon is sweeping across the Pacific Ocean toward the Philippines, with forecasters warning it could strengthen into a supertyphoon and press on towards Taiwan, Hong Kong or mainland China later this week. Typhoon Doksuri began as a tropical storm in the Western Pacific on Sunday morning, according to the United States’ Joint Typhoon Warning Center. That could increase to about 18 inches of rainfall by Wednesday as the typhoon intensifies and heads toward the northern part of the South China Sea – spelling potential trouble for Taiwan, Hong Kong, and parts of southern China. The Hong Kong Observatory has asked the public to monitor weather announcements, warning the typhoon will bring high heat and thunderstorms ahead of its arrival. The city has just experienced another storm, Typhoon Talim, a week ago, which prompted authorities to close schools and the stock market.

Persons: Doksuri, Ferdinand R, Marcos Jr, Talim Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Pacific, Warning, Pagasa, South China, Hong, Philippine, Hong Kong Observatory Locations: Hong Kong, Philippines, Taiwan, China, United States, Luzon, South, Taiwan Strait, China’s Guangdong, “

CNN —The Philippines’ most active volcano began spewing lava and sulfuric gas Sunday, prompting the evacuation of nearly 13,000 residents in the southeast of the country’s main island, authorities said. Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recommended everyone within a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) radius or “danger zone” of the Mount Mayon volcano be evacuated due to the danger of rockfalls, landslides and ballistic fragments. Within the past 24 hours, the Mayon Volcano Network recorded 21 weak volcanic earthquakes, and 260 rockfalls, as well as lava flow activity from the crater, according to Phivolcs. Albay province was placed under a state of calamity on Friday allowing the government to release response funds to support affected residents, CNN affiliate CNN Philippines reported. “Lava flows are slow moving and effusive eruptions are generally less violent and produce less ash and volcanic gases than explosive eruptions,” he told CNN Philippines.

Persons: Phivolcs, Teresito Bacolcol, Bacolcol, Mayon Organizations: CNN, Philippine Institute of, Philippine Provincial Information Office, CNN Philippines Locations: Philippines, Luzon, Manila, Mayon, Albay

☆ Japan threatens to destory any North Korean
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Emiko Jozuka | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

North Korea’s space development agency had said last year it would finish preparations for the reconnaissance satellite by April 2023. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno also said Monday that any North Korean missile launch disguised as a “satellite” is a “threat” to the nation’s security. Matsuno said Japan’s Defense Ministry and Self-Defense Forces have issued an order regarding the preparation of destructive measures against ballistic missiles. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects preparations for North Korea's first military spy satellite on Tuesday, state news agency KCNA reported on Wednesday local time. Last month, Kim ordered officials to prepare to launch the country’s first military reconnaissance satellite, North Korean state media reported at the time.

☆ As US and Philippine defense ties grow closer, China drives wedge over Taiwan issue
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

But the election of his successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, last year has returned relations to a more even keel, in part because Manila has become wary of a more assertive China. Last year the US granted $100 million to boost the Southeast Asian country’s defense capabilities and military modernization. Heydarian added that China has to rethink its strategy towards the Philippines, as the Marcos Jr administration is openly more aligned with the US. China remains one of the top trade partners of the Philippines, while Marcos Jr also continues to negotiate energy and agriculture investments from Beijing. Some worry Marcos Jr might be giving too much access to the US, especially when it comes to bases and facilities close to Taiwan, Heydarian said.

☆ US and Philippine forces fire on mock enemy warship in South China Sea military exercise
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —United States and Philippine forces fired on a mock enemy warship in the South China Sea on Wednesday, the latest display of American firepower in Asia as tensions with China continue to rise. Earlier this month, China’s state-run media labeled the drills as an “attempt to target China.”US and Philippine military leaders said Wednesday’s exercise was designed to synchronize combat forces. “Together we are strengthening our capabilities in full-spectrum military operations across all domains,” Jurney said. The four bases joined five included earlier, including three on the main island of Luzon, close to Taiwan, and one on Balabac Island close to Chinese installations on the disputed islands in the South China Sea. Meanwhile, in another sign of increasing US-Philippine military cooperation, the US Pacific Air Forces said Tuesday a key air exercise will return to the Philippines next month for the first time since 1990.

☆ Australia says discovery of WW2 shipwreck ends 'tragic' maritime chapter
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Marles said the SS Montevideo Maru, an unmarked prisoner of war transport vessel missing since being sunk off the Philippines' coast in July 1942, had been discovered northwest of Luzon island. The ship was torpedoed en route from what is now Papua New Guinea to China's Hainan by a U.S. submarine, unaware of the POWs onboard. It is considered Australia's worst maritime disaster. "This brings to an end one of the most tragic chapters in Australia's maritime history," Marles said in a video message. More than 1,000 men - POWs and civilians from several countries - are thought to have lost their lives in the tragedy.

☆ Japanese Ship, Torpedoed in 1942 With P.O.W.s Aboard, Is Found
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Mike Ives | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The wreck of a Japanese ship that sank in 1942 after it was torpedoed by an American submarine has been found, the Australian government said on Saturday. The ship was carrying hundreds of prisoners of war, most of them Australian, who all died, and the discovery resolves a painful episode in that country’s wartime history. The ship had no markings indicating that it was carrying prisoners of war and sank carrying more than 1,000 prisoners from about 16 nations, most of them Australian service members. The wreck was spotted this month on the seafloor northwest of Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines, according to Fugro, a company based in the Netherlands that provided the survey ship. The mission took five years to plan, and an autonomous underwater vehicle found the wreck after 12 days of searching, Fugro said.

☆ SS Montevideo Maru: Wreck of ship that sank in World War II with 1,000 POWs found in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Heather Law | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A Japanese merchant ship that sank during World War II while carrying over 1,000 prisoners of war in Australia’s largest loss of life at sea has been found. The Montevideo Maru was discovered off the northwest coast of the Philippines’ Luzon island at a depth of more than 4,000 meters (13,000ft) in the South China Sea, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles confirmed in a video he posted on Saturday from his Twitter account. The discovery brought to an end to “one of the most tragic chapters in Australia’s maritime history,” he said. “The absence of a location of the Montevideo Maru has represented unfinished business for the families of those who lost their lives,” Marles explained. This is the heart and the spirit of Lest We Forget,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote.

☆ Philippines, U.S. hold live-fire exercises focused on territorial defence
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Adrian Portugal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is fired during a live fire exercise with Philippine and U.S. troops at the three-week joint military drills "Salaknib" in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, March 31, 2023. REUTERS/Eloisa LopezFORT MAGSAYSAY, Philippines, March 31 (Reuters) - Philippine troops staged live-fire exercises with their U.S. counterparts in the Southeast Asian country's largest military camp as part of army-to-army drills aimed at enhancing Manila's defence capabilities against external threats. More than 3,000 Filipino and U.S. soldiers participated in the three-week long annual exercises called Salaknib, which on Friday featured anti-tank and small-arms live-fire exercises, and the firing of High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (Himars). "We are now transitioning from internal security operations to territorial defence operations," Philippine army training officer Lt. Col. Tara Cayton, said in a news conference. Fort Magsaysay will also host the biggest ever joint military drills between the Philippines and the United States next month, which highlight improved ties with the Western power under Marcos.

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