As the May 2022 Presidential Election draws near, with the impending change of administration in the Philippines, there have been different views and perspectives on how Philippine foreign policy should adjust to the changes in the strategic environment underpinned by the United States (US)-China geopolitical competition in the Indo-Pacific region and the US-Russia geopolitical tussle in Eastern Europe amid the Ukraine crisis. Indeed, the rivalry and competition of major powers, more

The Philippines and the United States (US) will kick off the largest-ever joint military drills in the archipelago nation next week, US officials said Tuesday, showing off their strong defence ties in the face of growing Chinese assertiveness.Nearly 9,000 Filipino and American soldiers will take part in the 12-day war games on the main island of Luzon, which are usually an annual affair but were cancelled or curbed during the pandemic.The exercises, which start on 28 March, will cover among o

The war in Ukraine is pushing the world ever closer to an existential crisis. The lessons of the 20th century and its ghastly world wars have been lost on today’s leaders. The peace dividend of the Cold War has been squandered. Two superpowers – the United States (US) and the Russian Federation – are on the brink of an unimaginable military confrontation.

Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:Ukraine Calls On China To Condemn 'Russian Barbarism'Ukraine calls on China to join the West in condemning "Russian barbarism", after the United States (US) warned Beijing of consequences if it backed Moscow's attack on the country."China can be the global security system's important element if it makes a right decision to support the civilised countries' coalition and condemn Russian barbarism,&quo

Myanmar's junta has revoked the citizenship of several members of an opposition government dominated by Aung San Suu Kyi's toppled administration, it said Saturday.Ousted lawmakers formed the "National Unity Government" (NUG) weeks after the military's power-grab last year, and have vowed to overturn the coup.The NUG has since been declared a "terrorist" organisation by the junta.Those stripped of citizenship include spokesman Sasa – who goes by one name – m

Ukraine accused the Kremlin of "nuclear terror" and the West expressed fury on Friday after Europe's largest atomic power plant was attacked and seized by invading Russian forces, which continued to shell major cities.Fighting and a fire at the Zaporizhzhia plant triggered an emergency United Nations (UN) Security Council meeting, after which President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was ready for talks – if all Russia's demands were first met.The six reactors at Zaporizhzhia,

At least 17 people are feared dead after a landslide trapped dozens of workers inside a Myanmar jade mine, sources and local media said Tuesday.The incident came on Monday evening near Hpakant township in northern Kachin state – the same region where a massive landslide in 2020 entombed 300 workers in the country's worst ever mine disaster.Pictures of the scene showed the aftermath of the landslide, with a broad swathe of brown earth and rock covering the pockmarked side of a hill.A loca

On 18 February, 2022, six Filipino nationals from Ukraine arrived in the country after the Philippine government announced free repatriation flights for Filipinos living in the crisis-driven Eastern European state. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has estimated more than 350 Filipinos living in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, unleashing air strikes and ordering ground troops across the border in fighting that Ukrainian authorities said left dozens of people dead.The attack triggered Western warnings of unprecedented sanctions against Russia as NATO, European Union (EU) and G7 leaders condemned the invasion and vowed to hold Moscow accountable.Weeks of intense diplomacy failed to deter Putin, who massed over 150,000 troops on Uk

Myanmar hit out Monday at a genocide case brought against it by The Gambia for alleged persecution of Rohingya Muslims, urging the United Nations’ (UN) highest court to drop the claim on legal grounds.Banjul dragged Myanmar before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2019, accusing the predominantly Buddhist country of genocide against the Rohingya Muslim minority after a bloody 2017 military crackdown.When the case opened in December 2019 Aung San Suu Kyi personally represented Myanma