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Defence

Defence
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Defence. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Soldiers fire a howitzer during the annual joint “Balikatan” military exercises between the US and Philippine troops in Aparri, Cagayan province, in May 2025. Photo: Reuters
The Philippines

US-Philippines ties enter ‘more mature’ phase with planned fuel depot

The facility in Davao signals that defence ties are now focusing on sustainment, endurance and operational continuity, analysts say.

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Indonesia

Why Indonesia’s Prabowo is in Russia – and what he needs from Putin

Ukraine war

‘Failing to help’: Ex-UK PM Boris Johnson criticises ‘timidity’ over Ukraine

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US, Israel war on Iran

US begins blockade of Iranian ports amid fragile ceasefire

Trump says Beijing ‘would like to see this ended’ as the US moves to stop vessels transiting to and from Iranian ports.

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A giant billboard reading ‘The Strait of Hormuz remains closed’ in Tehran, Iran. Photo: AFP
2026 Trump-Xi summit

Could Trump’s Hormuz blockade derail China summit with Xi Jinping?

US president’s move forces China into political dilemma and could create a flashpoint ahead of his meeting with Chinese leader, analysts say.

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Australia

‘Deeply historic’: Australia appoints first-ever female army chief

Susan Coyle will become the first woman to lead the army in 125 years as the military aims for one in four personnel to be women by 2030.

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Ukraine war

Easter truce between Ukraine and Russia ends after thousands of violations

A brief 32-hour lull in the war is shattered as Kyiv and Moscow trade accusations of drone strikes, artillery and tank fire.

An Orthodox priest blesses Russian conscripts during a ceremony in Bataysk, in the Rostov region of Russia on Friday. Photo: Reuters
US, Israel war on Iran

‘Blown to hell’: Trump announces US blockade of Strait of Hormuz

The US plans to block ‘all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports’ starting on Monday.

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US-Venezuela conflict

‘Eager to explore’: Chinese migrants return to Venezuela after Maduro’s capture

A large chunk of Venezuela’s Chinese community fled overseas during Maduro’s rule. Now, many are returning as they see ‘new opportunities’.

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US, Israel war on Iran

‘We have no trust in the other side’: Iran blames US as talks end with no deal

Tehran’s lead negotiator hits out at Washington after Islamabad talks, while Vance says sticking point was lack of nuclear commitments.

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Pro-government demonstrators take to the streets of Tehran on Saturday. Photo: AP
Ukraine war

Russia and Ukraine begin 32-hour ceasefire for Orthodox Easter

Kyiv says it will reciprocate the Kremlin-ordered truce from Saturday afternoon until the end of Sunday.

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Beams of light illuminate the sky over the graves of fallen Ukrainian soldiers as friends and relatives take part in a joint prayer and candlelight vigil at Lychakiv Military Cemetery in Lviv, western Ukraine, on February 23. Photo: EPA
Ukraine war

Ukrainians sceptical as Russia’s Putin orders Easter truce

The Kremlin says its forces will stop fighting ‘in all directions’ for 32 hours, and Zelensky says Kyiv is willing to reciprocate.

Japan

Why Japanese firm’s tie-up with Ukrainian drone maker sparks concerns in Russia

The two firms plan to develop drones that can be ‘deployed quickly and at low cost in the real combat conditions of Ukraine’.

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Britain

UK tracked Russian submarines in alleged Atlantic ‘covert’ op: defence secretary

John Healey said warships and military aircraft forced Russia to halt activity in UK waters near vital undersea cables and pipelines.

Britain’s Defence Secretary John Healey delivers a statement at 9 Downing Street in London on Thursday. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

How can Beijing prepare for Trump’s ‘drunken boxing’ style before he meets Xi?

As Trump loomed large in both Iran war and subsequent pause, analysts weigh the importance of rhetoric vs results in his talks with China.

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Commentators say the US president’s volatile, and often contradictory, negotiation style may be effective and parties across the table should react to his actions, not his words. Photo: AP
The Philippines

Philippines strengthens South China Sea grip with permanent base on Thitu Island

The island, known locally as Pagasa, is home to about 400 Filipinos, whom China accuses of living there illegally.

North Korea

North Korea tests electromagnetic weapon and carbon fibre bomb: state media

Such weapons use electromagnetic energy rather than explosives to disrupt or damage targets, especially electronics infrastructure.

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France

French detainees back in Paris after ‘terrible ordeal’ in Iran

The pair had been under house arrest at the French embassy in Tehran ever since being freed from more than three years in prison in November.

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French President Emmanuel Macron greets Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris after three and a half years in detention, next to French ambassador to Iran Pierre Cochard at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Wednesday. Photo: EPA
North Korea

North Korea launches fifth missile test after dousing South’s peace hopes

A top Pyongyang official says the designation of the South as a hostile state ‘can never change with any words or conduct’.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Iran allows 2 French former detainees to leave country

The green light for them to leave Iran, long sought by France, signalled how Iran is differentiating between nations amid the Iran war.

US-China relations

What is US telling Pacific allies by moving missiles to use in the Iran war?

Deploying US missiles to the Middle East ‘reinforces Beijing’s assessment that time and industrial scale favour China’, analyst says.

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According to US media reports, the Pentagon has ordered nearly all its JASSM-ER air-launched cruise missiles to be moved from the Pacific to boost its efforts in the war against Iran. Photo: Handout
Technology

Opinion | In Asia-Pacific, the real maritime contest is over satellite surveillance

States’ ability to exercise territorial rights is increasingly mediated by their access to satellite data and analytics, but the tech is dominated by a powerful few.

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A J-15 fighter jet from the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong making an unusual approach to a Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force P-3C patrol aircraft conducting surveillance above the Pacific Ocean on June 8, 2025. Photo: Handout /Japan’s Ministry of Defence / AFP
Taiwan

How lessons from Iran war could shape mainland China’s Taiwan calculus

US strengths and strains offer Beijing a playbook, but key differences limit how far the conflict can guide future military strategy.

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Nato

Opinion | In denying Trump airspace, Europe has drawn a line for Nato

Growing European defiance to US demands raises a critical question: is Nato a club of equals or a mechanism for enforcing one nation’s agenda?

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South Korea

‘Irresponsible and reckless’: South Korea’s Lee regrets drones sent to North

The South Korean president said an investigation revealed that government officials were involved in the incursion earlier this year.

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Fragments of a drone lie scattered on the ground in Muksan-ri, North Korea, after being shot down on January 4. Photo: KCNA/Reuters
Global South

Opinion | Global South nations are insulating themselves from the heat of US actions

The ‘Great Insulation’ is coming – not major powers decoupling top-down but small and middle powers building a firewall from the bottom up.

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A poster depicting US President Donald Trump with devil horns at a protest in defence of national sovereignty near the US consulate in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on August 1, 2025. Photo: AFP
Ukraine war

Zelensky fears Ukraine may get less US support to fight Russia due to Iran war

Zelensky has offered to share Ukraine’s battlefield expertise with the US and allies to develop countermeasures against Iranian attacks.

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Crime

Bomb allegedly left at US base by Alen Zheng was built inside 2 Pepsi bottles

The revelation of the bomb’s make-up comes amid questions of how it sat outside the military installation for six days without being found.

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