Hegseth, counterparts praise AUKUS ‘commitment’ after arrangement survives Pentagon review
“The reviews are done. It’s time to deliver,” said John Healey, the UK’s Secretary of State for Defense.
Asia
H1B visa chaos in India as Trump’s new social media vetting rules lead to cancelled appointments
New policy leaves hundreds of H-1B workers stranded as US consulates cancel or postpone appointments
Kim Jong Un gathers North Korea’s ruling elite for key party meeting
The Workers’ Party gathers once every five years
Japan and South Korea scramble fighter jets in response to China and Russia’s joint patrols
Japan says China and Russia’s show of force raises ‘serious concern for our national security’
Trump tells India to stop ‘dumping rice’ on US or face new tariffs
India is world’s largest rice exporter
Kazakhstan announces upcoming visit by Iran’s President Pezeshkian
Kazakhstan’s presidential office announced on Monday that Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian will pay an official two-day visit to Astana starting on Wednesday.
Japan accuses Chinese fighters of directing fire-control radar at its aircraft
Japanese Minister of Defence Shinjiro Koizumi has accused Chinese jets of directing their fire-control radar at Japanese aircraft during two separate incidents over international waters near the island of Okinawa.
‘It’s alive’: Biden-era Replicator drone initiative lives on as DAWG, looking at bigger UASs
Renamed the Defense Autonomous Working Group, the drone initiative is now conducting wargames and working on larger, longer-ranged attack drones, Adm. Sam Paparo and Pentagon CTO Emil Michael said.
Catastrophic Indonesia flooding death toll rises to 900
Environmental groups are attributing the amplified damage from the floods to widespread deforestation linked to mining and logging
Asia floods death toll exceeds 1,750
Rescue teams and volunteers have been struggling to assist millions of people affected by floods and landslides in parts of Asia, as the official death toll from the ongoing, climate-fuelled disaster climbs to more than 1,750 in the worst-affected cou…