DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ US reaches agreement with Niger to withdraw military forces by September 15
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Oren Liebermann | Anneclaire Stapleton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The US has reached an agreement with Niger to withdraw its military forces from the African nation by September 15, according to the US Defense Department and the Nigerien Ministry of National Defense. Niger’s military government announced in March that it had ended an accord with the US that allowed military personnel and civilian staff from the Department of Defense to operate in the country. The US delegation met with Niger’s ruling military junta last week to try to reach an agreement that would allow for the secure withdrawal of US forces and for clearances for military flights. The delegations also established procedures to facilitate the entry and exit of U.S. personnel, including overflight and landing clearances for military flights,” the joint statement said. Rebuffing the calls, the military junta instead began partnering more with Russia, whose forces are now operating at the same base from which US forces are withdrawing.

Persons: Balima, Chris Meier, Mamane Sani Kiaou, Biden, ” Organizations: CNN, US Defense Department, Nigerien Ministry of National Defense, Department of Defense, Getty, Nigerien Locations: Niger, Niamey, Anadolu, Russia, US, United States

☆ The judge in Trump's classified documents case just gave him exactly what he wanted — again
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Judge Aileen Cannon on Tuesday delayed Donald Trump's classified documents case indefinitely. AdvertisementUS District Judge Aileen Cannon handed former President Donald Trump yet another legal win when she delayed his classified documents case indefinitely on Tuesday. It's just the latest legal win for Trump in the classified documents case handed to him by Cannon. Ty Cobb, a former Trump White House attorney, told CNN on Tuesday that Cannon's latest decision was "a combination of bias and incompetence." In light of Cannon's latest delay, Kalir said it was not surprising given her prior actions on the case.

Persons: Aileen Cannon, Donald Trump's, It's, —, Donald Trump, Cannon, Trump, Jack Smith's, Canon, Katie Charleston, Justice Department —, Paula Reid, Judge Cannon, I'm, She's, aren't, Ty Cobb, galvanizes, Charlie Kolean, Kolean, Tre Lovell, it's, Doron Kalir, Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Kalir Organizations: Trump, Service, Business, Justice Department, FBI, Mar, Appeals, Associated Press, Court, Trump White House, CNN, RED PAC, Cleveland State University College of Law Locations: Lago, Southern Florida, Trump's, South Florida, Georgia, New York

☆ Article 23: Hong Kong passes second national security law aligning city more closely with mainland China
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Coming into effect on Saturday, the law introduces 39 new national security crimes, adding to an already powerful national security law that was directly imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong in 2020 after huge and sometimes violent democracy protests the year before. Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Lee described it as a “historical moment for Hong Kong.”Lawmakers attend a meeting for Basic Law Article 23 legislation at the Legislative Council on March 19, 2024 in Hong Kong, China. They argue their legislation is similar to other national security laws around the world. “This will surely increase the doubt, anxiety, and uncertainty of foreign businesses in Hong Kong.”In mainland China, national security laws have often ensnared both local and foreign businesses in opaque investigations. That is something Emily Lau, a former pro-democracy lawmaker, also worries about, that what made Hong Kong distinct is fast fading.

Persons: –, John Lee, Hong, Lee, Chen Yongnuo, ”, Hong Kong’s, Eric Lai, Lai, ” Lai, Hung Ho, fung, Capvision, Sarah Brooks, “, ” Brooks, ” Johannes Hack, Emily Lau, I’ve Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong, ” Lawmakers, Legislative, China News Service, China’s Communist Party, CNN, Georgetown Center, Asian Law, Johns Hopkins University, Amnesty International, German Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong Locations: Hong Kong, Hong Kong’s, Beijing, China, Amnesty International China, ”, Hong

☆ Takeaways from the hearing on Trump’s attempt to dismiss the mishandling classified documents charges
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Tierney Sneed | Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Before the judge were two of the nine motions to dismiss that the defendants have filed in the case. “It’s difficult to see how this gets you to the dismissal of an indictment,” the judge told Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche. Cannon said some of Trump’s concerns should be up to the juryThe judge repeatedly said Thursday that some of Trump’s arguments are best suited for a jury to decide during his eventual trial. Reagan’s journals were more akin to “personal records” as defined under the Presidential Records Act, they said. In Clinton’s case, the tapes were never reviewed and therefore never confirmed to contain classified information.

Persons: Aileen Cannon, Donald Trump, Trump, Cannon, Emile Bove, Bove, ” Cannon, “, ”, Todd Blanche, Reagan, Clinton, Biden, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, Joe Biden’s, wasn’t, Jack Smith’s, Robert Hur’s, Jay Bratt Organizations: Pierce , Florida CNN, Presidential, White, Trump, Department, Presidential Records Locations: Pierce , Florida, Lago

☆ How a key witness lifted the lid on Trump’s handling of classified documents
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —A new glimpse inside Donald Trump’s inner circle shows how the ex-president’s men and women often confront a fateful dilemma under huge personal pressure. Butler’s comments are important because they foretell how he might testify in the federal classified documents trial that could be hugely damaging to Trump but that is increasingly unlikely to happen before Americans vote in the fall. Why ‘Trump Employee 5’ broke his silenceIt is too early to say whether Butler’s testimony would be decisive in the federal trial in the classified documents case. Walt Nauta, a Trump personal aide, and De Oliveira, who have not broken with the ex-president, have also denied wrongdoing. Cohen will be a key witness when Trump becomes the first ex-president to go on trial over a hush money case in New York later this month.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Brian Butler, “, hoarded, Butler, Trump, who’s, ” Butler, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, ”, Mar, Carlos De Oliveira, Stephanie Grisham, Grisham, ” Grisham, CNN’s Erin Burnett, –, Peter Navarro, Rudolph Giuliani, CNN’s Collins, Jim Sciutto, John Kelly, John Bolton, Adolf Hitler, ‘, ’, Walt Nauta, De Oliveira, John Irving, Jack Smith, Andrew McCabe, Ryan Goodman, Burnett, Smith, Michael Cohen, Cohen, Cassidy Hutchinson, Mark Meadows, Hutchinson, she’s, Cassidy, ” Hutchinson, Joe Biden, Robert Hur, Hur Organizations: CNN, Trump, “ Trump, West Palm Beach, FBI, White, White House, Capitol, New York, Republican, ‘ Trump, Mar, ”, New York University, Republicans, CBS, GOP Locations: Florida, West Palm, New Jersey, Lago, New York

☆ Sometimes, all it takes to get access to top-secret info is to flirt online with a random US Air Force employee
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewA US Stratcom employee entrusted with top-secret info about the Russia-Ukraine war is now being accused of passing it to a woman over a foreign dating site. AdvertisementIn messages revealed in the court documents, the unidentified woman called Slater her "secret informant love" and her "secret agent." A maximum penalty of 10 years in prisonSlater provided classified information "regarding military targets in Russia's war against Ukraine" and "Russian military capabilities relating to Russia's invasion of Ukraine," per his indictment. Business Insider contacted a phone number associated with David F Slater in Nebraska that has been disconnected.

Persons: —, David Franklin Slater, Slater, Per, Love, Dave, Putin, David F Slater Organizations: Service, US, Business, AP, US Strategic Command, Prosecutors, National Defense Information, National Defense, Air Force, Department of Justice, NATO Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Nebraska, USA, Kyiv, Russian

A Massachusetts Air National Guardsman accused of posting secret intelligence reports and sensitive documents online agreed to plead guilty on Monday in exchange for a 16-year sentence and a commitment to comprehensively brief officials on the extent of his leaks. The airman, Jack Teixeira, withdrew his not-guilty plea during an appearance in Boston federal court and pleaded guilty to six counts of “willful retention and transmission of national defense information,” according to court documents filed by the government. The judge in the case, Indira Talwani, scheduled a hearing in September to determine whether she would sign off on the deal. It would be highly unusual for a judge to make major alterations to a deal that required approval from top American intelligence and law enforcement officials. The Justice Department agreed not to charge him with violations of the Espionage Act, which, when combined with the other charges, could have resulted in a sentence of up to 60 years in prison had he been convicted.

Persons: Jack Teixeira, Indira Talwani Organizations: Massachusetts Air National, The Justice Department Locations: Boston

☆ Nuclear War: The Rising Risk, and How We Stop It - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( W.J. Hennigan | W.J. Hennigan Writes About National Security For Opinion. | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

The United States estimates Russia has a stockpile of up to 2,000 tactical nuclear warheads, some small enough they fit in an artillery shell. But the detonation of any tactical nuclear weapon would be an unprecedented test of the dogma of deterrence, a theory that has underwritten America’s military policy for the past 70 years. Possessing nuclear weapons isn’t about winning a nuclear war, the theory goes; it’s about preventing one. If Mr. Putin dropped a nuclear weapon on Ukraine — a nonnuclear nation that’s not covered by anyone’s nuclear umbrella — what then? Many in the administration believed the Kremlin’s dirty bomb ploy posed the greatest risk of nuclear war since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.

Persons: Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Lloyd Austin, Russia Sergei Shoigu, Britain Ben Wallace, Defense Turkey Hulusi Akar, Sebastien Lecornu, General Austin, Mark Milley, Biden, Putin’s, William J, Burns Organizations: United, of American, NATO, Defense, State, Defense Turkey, National Defense, Defense Minister American, Russian, Biden, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Moscow, White House, State Department, The Energy Department, Strategic Command, ’, Pentagon, Unmute Defense, Central Intelligence Agency Locations: Washington, Ukraine, Russia, United States, Kharkiv, Kherson, Russian, U.S, Crimean, Moscow, Poland, China, India, Turkey

☆ Air Force employee accused of sharing classified information on foreign dating website
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —An Air Force employee has been charged with sharing classified information on a foreign dating website after prosecutors say he sent sensitive information about Russia’s war in Ukraine to a person who claimed to be a woman living in Ukraine. Slater then sent this classified information to someone who claimed to be a woman living in Ukraine, according to an indictment. Successfully?”The co-conspirator sent messages for nearly two months, according to the indictment, repeatedly probing Slater for more classified information. Slater faces one count of conspiracy to disclose national defense information and two counts of unauthorized disclosure of national defense information. Before working as a civilian in the Air Force, prosecutors say Slater rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Army, retiring at the end of 2020.

Persons: David Franklin Slater, Slater, ”, Dave ”, Slater’s, “, Slater “, Matthew G, Olsen, Eugene Kowel Organizations: CNN, An Air Force, Prosecutors, Strategic Command, Justice Department, Operations Center, Air Force, Army, Justice Department’s National Security Division, Offutt Air Force Base, Omaha Field Office Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Nebraska, Omaha

In Florida, meanwhile, a federal judge could push back Trump’s trial date in the classified documents case. Special Counsel Jack Smith and attorneys for Trump proposed moving the trial later into the summer in court filings Thursday. For Friday’s hearing in the documents case, scheduled for 10 a.m. Smith has highlighted a myriad of threats made against individuals connected to the documents case, including witnesses, government employees, an FBI agent involved in the initial Mar-a-Lago search and two federal judges, including Cannon herself. Attorneys for Trump and his allies are expected to argue that Wade and Willis lied under oath about when their relationship started.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Fani Willis, Aileen Cannon, Joe Biden’s, Jack Smith, Smith, Walt Nauta, Carlos De Oliviera, De Oliviera’s, Cannon, —, Biden, – Nauta, De Oliveira, –, Willis, Scott McAfee, Nathan Wade, Wade, McAfee, Charles Mittelstadt, Terrence Bradley, Bradley, Ashleigh Merchant, Merchant Organizations: CNN, Trump —, White, National Security Council, Prosecutors, Trump Locations: Georgia, Florida, Fulton County, California, Belize, Caribbean

☆ Special counsel wants to know if potential jurors in classified documents case believe 2020 election was stolen
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Tierney Sneed | Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Prosecutors and defense attorneys submitted a list of questions for potential jurors for the judge overseeing the case to review. The proposed jury questionnaire form gives insight into how each side in the case is approaching voir dire, or the process of questioning potential jurors, for the historic trial. The special counsel also opposes a question proposed by the defense seeking negative views potential jurors have of politicians. The documents case is one of four criminal prosecutions the former president and 2024 GOP frontrunner is facing. Meanwhile, the Georgia election interference case against Trump and several other defendants brought has been tied up by ethics allegations against District Attorney Fani Willis.

Persons: Donald Trump, Jack Smith’s, Trump, He’s, Walt Nauta, Carlos De Oliveira, There’s, Smith, Attorney Fani Willis Organizations: Washington CNN —, Justice Department, FBI, Prosecutors, Manhattan District Attorney, Trump, Attorney Locations: Lago, Washington ,, Georgia

☆ Opinion: The biggest potential danger from the Hur report is one no one’s talking about
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Opinion Gary Ross | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Over the past year, we’ve seen an alarming wave of current or former senior government officials who reportedly failed to properly safeguard classified information. The clearest threat is that our adversaries can more easily gain access to classified material and the sensitive information it contains. This increases the likelihood that an adversary would succeed in accessing any classified documents stored at these locations. Our adversaries are not the only ones observing how well we safeguard sensitive information. Finally, US intelligence community employees, bound by the same oath to safeguard classified information, may come to question the seriousness of their obligation.

Persons: Gary Ross, Ross, we’ve, Donald Trump’s Mar, Joe Biden, Mike Pence, Pence, Trump, Robert Hur’s, Biden, ” Organizations: Texas, Bush School ,, Department of Defense, Office, National Intelligence and Department of Homeland Security, Bush, CNN, Biden, Justice Department, Trump, of Justice, US, US Justice Department, Lago Club . US Department of Justice, CIA, Intelligence Service Locations: Bush School , Washington, DC, United States, Delaware

☆ Opinion: The Hur report points to a huge danger that one no one’s talking about
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Opinion Gary Ross | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Persons: Gary Ross, Ross, we’ve, Donald Trump’s Mar, Joe Biden, Mike Pence, Pence, Trump, Robert Hur’s, Biden, Hur, ” Organizations: Texas, Bush School ,, Department of Defense, Office, National Intelligence and Department of Homeland Security, Bush, CNN, Biden, Justice Department, Trump, of Justice, US, US Justice Department, Lago Club . US Department of Justice, CIA, Intelligence Service Locations: Bush School , Washington, DC, United States, Delaware

☆ Russian drone strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine's 2nd largest city, kills at least 7
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A Russian drone strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, killed at least seven people overnight, including three children, Kharkiv region governor Oleh Syniehubov reported Saturday. Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper said four people were injured there by the overnight drone attacks. All nine drones were shot down, but the debris damaged port infrastructure and injured one person. The second and the third waves targeted port infrastructure in the Danube river area, Kiper said. Romania's Ministry of National Defense said on Saturday that Russia carried out overnight drone attacks on Ukraine's river ports of Ismail and Reni, near the border with Romania.

Persons: Oleh Syniehubov, Ihor Klymenko, Oleh Kiper, Kiper, Reni Organizations: Russia, Romania's Ministry of National Defense, Turkish Air Force, NATO Locations: Ukraine, Kharkiv, Russian, Ukraine's, Nemyshlyan, Ukrainian, Iranian, Odesa, Russia, Ismail, Romania, Romanian, Moscow

The law has been activated in the wake of the army’s biggest setbacks since the countrywide conflict erupted after the takeover. The rout inspired resistance forces in other parts of the country to launch their own attacks. The military government’s forces were stretched thin by the recent upsurge in resistance activity. The 2021 military takeover was met by widespread nonviolent protests and civil disobedience. But the confrontations escalated into violence after security forces used deadly force against the protesters, giving birth to organized armed resistance that has spiraled into civil war.

Persons: —, extendable, Aung, Suu Kyi, Zaw Min Tun, ”, Min Tun Organizations: Service Law, State Administration Council, National Unity Government, Frontier Myanmar Locations: BANGKOK, State, Suu, Myanmar, Rakhine, Bangladesh, Maj, Zaw, Yangon

Classified documents were found in a damaged cardboard box in President Joe Biden's cluttered Delaware garage, near where golf clubs hung on the wall. Trump, on the other hand, is scheduled to stand trial on charges alleging he hoarded classified documents at his Florida estate and thwarted government efforts to get them back. At look at the similarities and differences between the Biden and Trump investigations:WHAT KINDS OF DOCUMENTS ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? Trump is accused of not only hoarding classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, but trying to hide them from investigators and working to block the government from clawing them back. “Most notably, after being given multiple chances to return classified documents and avoid prosecution, Mr. Trump allegedly did the opposite,” the report said.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Donald Trump's, Robert Hur, Biden, Trump, Jack Smith, ! ” Biden, Hur, Barack Obama, Obama, Investigators, ” TRUMP, HUR, BIDEN, “, —, Virginia —, It's, accidently, ”, Biden —, Walt Nauta, Carlos De Oliveira, ____ Richer Organizations: Maryland, Trump, Biden, BIDEN, FBI, Prosecutors, House, Mar, Penn Biden Center, University of Delaware, Justice Department Locations: Delaware, U.S, Florida, Afghanistan, Biden's Delaware, Mar, Virginia, willfulness, clawing, Bedminster, Lago, Boston

☆ Who Is Robert Hur, Special Counsel on Biden Classified Document Probe?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Kanishka SinghWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Robert Hur, the special counsel appointed to investigate whether President Joe Biden improperly handled sensitive government documents, is a former high-ranking Justice Department official with experience in prosecuting sensitive leak investigations. On Thursday, he concluded that probe and found that Biden retained classified materials about Afghanistan after leaving the vice presidency in 2017 but said he will not be criminally charged. Hur was appointed by Donald Trump in 2018 as the chief federal law enforcement officer in Maryland and left that position in early 2021. Under Hur, the Maryland U.S. attorney's office prosecuted the case of former National Security Agency contractor Harold Martin, who stole huge amounts of classified material from U.S. intelligence agencies. A graduate of Stanford Law School and Harvard College, Hur served as top aide to then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein before his appointment as the U.S. attorney in Maryland.

Persons: Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON, Robert Hur, Joe Biden, Biden, General Merrick Garland, Hur, Trump, Gibson, Dunn, Garland, Washington . Hur, Donald Trump, Harold Martin, Martin, Rod Rosenstein, William Rehnquist, Christopher Wray, Kanishka Singh, Gram Slattery, Heather Timmons, Jonathan Oatis, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: U.S, Maryland U.S, National Security Agency, Stanford Law School, Harvard College, Supreme, Justice Department, FBI Locations: Afghanistan, U.S, Maryland, Delaware, Washington

President Joe Biden "willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency," according to a special counsel's final report released Thursday. But the special counsel, Robert Hur, said he was declining to prosecute Biden over his handling of classified documents about military and foreign policy in Afghanistan, and other material. "Our investigation uncovered evidence that President Biden willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency when he was a private citizen," Hur wrote. "We conclude that no criminal charges are warranted in this matter," the report said. "We reach the same conclusion even if Department of Justice policy did not foreclose criminal charges against a sitting president."

Persons: Joe Biden, Eisenhower, Robert Hur, Biden, Hur, General Merrick Garland, Donald Trump, Trump Organizations: of Justice, White House, FBI Locations: Afghanistan, Palm

☆ Why Yemen’s Houthi rebels welcome conflict with the US
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Since mid-November the rebels have been attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Strait of Bab al-Mandab. The Red Sea is a vital waterway that connects to the Suez Canal, through which 10% to 15% of world trade passes. In its fight, the Houthi group has distracted from Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, shored up domestic and international support, and made its name known among those who knew little to nothing about the movement, they say. That narrative has taken hold among those who oppose the Gaza war the world over. Yemen’s civil war began in 2014, when Houthi forces stormed the capital Sanaa and toppled the internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government.

Persons: Abdel Malek al, Houthi, ”, Allah, Thomas Juneau, ” Juneau, ’, Ahmed Nagi, Juneau, Israel, “, Biden, Netanyahu, ” Mohamed Ali al, Nagi, ” Nagi, ” Mohammed Ali Al, Yemen's Houthi, ” “ Houthis, Nadwa, Yemenis, ” Dawsari Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Hezbollah, Yemeni, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa, Canada’s Department of National Defense, Yemeni Armed Forces, European Union, NATO, United, Crisis, UN, BBC, Political Council, Galaxy Leader, Getty, Middle East Institute Locations: Constantinople, Istanbul, United States, Saudi, Israel, Gaza, Bab, Suez, Iran, China, India, Tehran, Iraq, Jordan, Yemen, Red, Solidarity, Aden, Instagram, US, United Kingdom, Brussels, Saudi Arabia, tatters, Yemen's province, Hodeida, AFP, America, Washington ,

☆ How the U.S. courted the Philippines to thwart China
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +14 min

What followed was two trips to the United States in less than a year for Marcos, and visits to the Philippines by high-ranking Biden administration officials. Marcos’ predecessor, the populist firebrand Rodrigo Duterte, was openly hostile to the United States and attempted to bring his country closer to communist China during his six-year term. For the United States, cementing alliances in the Asia-Pacific region is likewise crucial to keeping China in check. China’s Foreign Ministry, in a statement to Reuters, characterized China and the Philippines as “close neighbors across the sea” with a common interest in friendship. At the time, he said the cancellation of his visa was the latest in a list of “gripes and disrespect” by the United States.

Persons: Ferdinand “ Bongbong ” Marcos Jr, Joe Biden, Marcos, Gregorio Maria Araneta III, “, ” Araneta, Biden, Kamala Harris, Antony Blinken, Defense Lloyd Austin, Julio Amador III, Marcos ’, Rodrigo Duterte, China’s, Xi Jinping, ” Marcos ’, Ferdinand Marcos Sr, ”, Marcos family’s, Washington, Duterte, China “, Becca Wasser, Wasser, Barack Obama, Xi, “ I’ve, ” Duterte, Ronald “ Bato, dela Rosa, Dela Rosa, gripes, Toribio Adaci, hadn’t, Blake Herzinger, Herzinger Organizations: Reuters, U.S, Defense, ., Party, China, U.S . State Department, ” Reuters, Philippine, United, Foreign Ministry, ” ‘, People’s Liberation Army, Center, New, New American Security, CNAS, U.S . Department of Defense, U.S ., Initiative, Philippines National Economic Development Authority, United States, Philippine National Police, Washington, Forces, VFA, Mutual, China’s, U.S . Pacific Fleet, Cooperation Locations: Philippines, Philippine, Manila, United States, U.S, China, America, Asia, Taipei, Taiwan, Beijing, South, East Asia, Pacific, Washington, Hawaii, South China, It’s, American, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New American, Taiwan . U.S, Duterte, China’s, Guangdong

☆ Philippines, Australia start sea, air patrols in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Earvin Perias/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMANILA, Nov 25 (Reuters) - The Philippines and Australia began their first joint sea and air patrols in the South China Sea on Saturday, days after Manila took similar steps with the U.S. as Pacific nations warily eye an increasingly assertive China. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. The Philippines is ramping up efforts to counter what it describes as China's "aggressive activities" in the South China Sea, which has also become a flashpoint for Chinese and U.S. tensions around naval operations. The patrols will be carried out in the West Philippine Sea, said Philippine Department of National Defense spokesperson Arsenio Andolong, using Manila's term for waters in the South China Sea that fall within its exclusive economic zone. China has accused the Philippines of enlisting "foreign forces" to patrol the South China Sea and stirring up trouble.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Anthony Albanese, Earvin, China's, Richard Marles, Marcos, Marles, Arsenio Andolong, Karen Lema, William Mallard Organizations: Australia's, Rights, Australia, ., Philippine, Australian Defence Force, Armed Forces, Philippine Department of National Defense, South China, Toowoomba, Cooperative, Thomson Locations: Manila, Philippines, Rights MANILA, South, China, Australia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, South China, U.S, West Philippine, Philippine, United, Taiwan, West Philippine Sea

☆ Philippines, Australia Start Sea, Air Patrols in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines and Australia began their first joint sea and air patrols in the South China Sea on Saturday, days after Manila took similar steps with the U.S. as Pacific nations warily eye an increasingly assertive China. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. The Philippines is ramping up efforts to counter what it describes as China's "aggressive activities" in the South China Sea, which has also become a flashpoint for Chinese and U.S. tensions around naval operations. The Philippines and the United States concluded three-day joint sea and air patrols on Thursday, starting in waters near Taiwan, a democratically governed island that China claims as its own, and ending in the West Philippine Sea. China has accused the Philippines of enlisting "foreign forces" to patrol the South China Sea and stirring up trouble.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, China's, Richard Marles, Marcos, Marles, Arsenio Andolong, Karen Lema, William Mallard Organizations: Australia, ., Philippine, Australian Defence Force, Armed Forces, Philippine Department of National Defense, South China, Toowoomba, Cooperative Locations: MANILA, Philippines, South, Manila, China, Australia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, South China, U.S, West Philippine, Philippine, United, Taiwan, West Philippine Sea

☆ US Navy 'excited' by prospect of better communication with China, but says more work needed
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Greg Torode | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHONG KONG, Nov 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy was "excited" by the prospect of improved operational communications with the Chinese military amid regional tensions, but work was still needed to solidify the next steps, a senior U.S. naval officer said on Friday. "I'm very excited and I welcome that announcement," she said of China's agreement to resume telephone communications between theatre commands, something U.S. officials have been eager to develop. "These agreements were reached just recently, and we know that we have work with the PRC mil to do to solidify the next steps," Franchetti said. Her remarks come after agreements this month by U.S. President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping to resume military contacts that Beijing froze after then-House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022. Reporting by Greg Torode; Writing by Liz Lee; Editing by Jamie Freed and Gerry DoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: James Mattis, Wei Fenghe, Yuri Gripas, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Franchetti, Joe Biden, China's Xi Jinping, Nancy Pelosi, Greg Torode, Liz Lee, Jamie Freed, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Defense, of National Defense, REUTERS, U.S . Navy, U.S, Beijing, Thomson Locations: Arlington , Virginia, U.S, HONG KONG, Seoul, Taiwan, San Francisco, Iran, United States

☆ China Says It Uncovered Another Spying Case in US
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

The case is the latest to underscore Beijing's heightened commitment to national security, its expanded anti-spying laws and crackdown on domestic corruption. He also provided intelligence information in the field of national defense and the military industry on his own initiative, the report said. After investigations by the Chinese government, Hou was detained in July 2021 and charged on suspicion of espionage. In recent years, China has arrested and detained dozens of Chinese and foreign nationals on suspicion of espionage, raising the concerns of the U.S. over its counter-espionage push. Recently, China's spy agency published new details about a U.S. citizen jailed for life for espionage earlier this year.

Persons: Hou, Hou's, Bernard Orr, Sonali Paul Organizations: Ministry of State Security, U.S Locations: BEIJING, United States, Chengdu, U.S, American, China

☆ China says it uncovered another spying case in US
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Hou, Hou's, Bernard Orr, Sonali Paul Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Ministry of State Security, U.S, Thomson Locations: Rights BEIJING, United States, Chengdu, U.S, American, China

Search resuls for: "of National Defense"

25 mentions found