CNN
 — 

The US military will gain access to four more bases in the Philippines under an agreement announced as US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Manila on Thursday.

In addition, the two allies said projects at five bases already covered in the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) were almost completed.

The EDCA allows the US to rotate troops to specific bases and build facilities for both countries to use.

“The EDCA is a key pillar of the US-Philippines alliance, which supports combined training, exercises, and interoperability between our forces. Expansion of the EDCA will make our alliance stronger and more resilient, and will accelerate modernization of our combined military capabilities,” a joint announcement said.

The announcement did not give the location of the bases to which the US military will gain new access.

It said only that the new locations “will allow more rapid support for humanitarian and climate-related disasters in the Philippines, and respond to other shared challenges,” without specifying what those challenges are.

The five installations previously covered under the EDCA were Cesar Basa Air Base, Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation, Lumbia Air Base, Antonio Bautista Air Base, and Mactan Benito Ebuen Air Base.

Several US defense officials told CNN earlier this week that Washington was seeking to expand its access to bases in the Philippines with an eye toward China, as part of an ongoing shift in force posture in the Indo-Pacific region.

Washington has been aggressively making deals in the Indo-Pacific, including announcing just a day earlier plans to share defense technologies with India, and earlier this month plans to deploy new US Marine units to Japanese islands.

And last week, the Marine Corps officially opened a new base on Guam, a strategically important US island east of the Philippines. Camp Blaz is the first new Marine base in 70 years and one day is expected to host 5,000 Marines.

Increased access to military bases in the Philippines would give US armed forces a strategic footing on the southeastern edge of the South China Sea just 200 miles south of Taiwan, the democratically ruled island of 24 million that the Chinese Communist Party claims as part of its sovereign territory despite never having controlled it.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has refused to rule out the use of military force to bring Taiwan under Beijing’s control, but the Biden administration has been steadfast in its support for the island as provided by the Taiwan Relations Act, under which Washington agrees to provide the island with the means to defend itself without committing US troops.

Beijing also claims much of the disputed South China Sea as its territory.

The US has been steadfast in calling on the Chinese government to abide by its obligations under international law and cease its “provocative behavior” in the South China Sea.

A 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague dismissed China’s claims to the South China Sea outright, while making clear that Beijing was infringing on Philippine sovereignty through activities such as island-building in Manila’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Beijing has disavowed the tribunal ruling and continued to build up and militarily reinforce its positions in the South China Sea. It claims the US and other countries are increasing tensions in the region by sending their warships there in violation of its sovereignty.

In November, US Vice President Kamala Harris visited the Philippines to discuss expanded US base access with the recently elected President Ferdinand “Bong Bong” Marcos Jr. Some experts said her visit sent an unambiguous message to Beijing that the Philippines is moving closer to the US, reversing the trend under the previous president, Rodrigo Duterte.

Washington and Manila are bound by a mutual defense treaty signed in 1951 that remains in force, making it the oldest bilateral treaty alliance in the region for the United States.

In addition to the expansion of the EDCA, the US is helping the Philippines modernize its military and has included it as a pilot country in a maritime domain awareness initiative. The two countries also recently agreed to hold more than 500 activities together throughout the year.

Earlier this month, the Philippines announced that 16,000 Philippine and US troops would take part in the annual Balikatan exercise, which is set to take place from April 24 to April 27.

That exercise will include “a live fire exercise to test the newly acquired weapons system of the United States and the Philippines,” an announcement from the state-run Philippine News Agency said.

Formal US ties to the Philippines go back to 1898, when as part of the Treaty of Paris that ended the Spanish-American War, Madrid ceded control of its colony in the Philippines to the US.

The Philippines remained a US territory until July 4, 1946, when Washington granted it independence – but a US military presence remained in the archipelago nation.

The country used to be home to two of the US military’s largest overseas installations, Clark Air Base and Subic Bay Naval Station, which supported the US war effort in Vietnam in the 1960s and early ’70s.

Both bases were transferred to Philippine control in the 1990s, after a 1947 military basing agreement between Washington and Manila expired.

Hong Kong
CNN
 — 

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend in particular person a summit of leaders from the Group of 20 nations in Bali subsequent week, the Russian embassy in Indonesia advised CNN on Thursday.

Putin will be represented by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, stated Yulia Tomskaya, the chief of protocol on the embassy.

Tomskaya added that Putin remains to be deciding if he will be part of one of many conferences nearly.

Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, additionally stated that Putin would not attend. Pandjaitan, who helps to coordinate the summit, stated the Russian President can be represented by “senior officials.”

Putin’s choice not to attend the G20 summit in particular person saves him the embarrassment of being confronted – or shunned – by different world leaders over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The assembly will happen simply days after the Kremlin introduced Russian forces would retreat from a big swathe of Kherson – one among 4 Ukrainian areas Putin beforehand stated Russia deliberate to annex in violation of worldwide legislation.

In the lead as much as the occasion, Western nations and Ukraine have pressured Indonesia, the G20 host, to step up its condemnation of Moscow and withdraw its invitation to Putin for the summit. Since invading Ukraine in late February, western democracies have handled Russia and Putin as a pariah on the world stage.

US President Joe Biden, who’s attending the summit, said in March Russia must be ejected from the G20, a multilateral group comprised of 19 of the world’s main economies and the European Union. Senior members of Biden’s administration have walked out of G20 events the place Russian delegates are current.

When requested if he would meet Putin one-on-one in Bali throughout an unique interview final month, Biden stated he did not see a great purpose to take action however it will “depend on specifically what he wanted to talk about.” Biden stated if Putin needed to debate the jailed American basketball star Brittney Griner then he can be open to speaking.

Jakarta has resisted stress to single out Russia and has sought to stay a impartial place. It has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the summit as a visitor.

Zelensky has stated that Ukraine would not participate in the G20 summit if Putin attends. The Ukrainian President is anticipated to hitch the conferences nearly.

Chinese chief Xi Jinping, who met Putin in Uzbekistan in September, can also be anticipated to attend the summit and meet Biden for the primary time for the reason that American President took workplace practically two years in the past.

Beijing has not formally confirmed whether or not Xi will attend the summit or meet with Biden. But on Wednesday, Biden told a news conference on the White House following the midterm elections that he will be having talks with Xi in Bali.

Biden stated he’s not planning to make any “fundamental concessions” and that they will talk about the financial system and commerce. But he declined to disclose what his message can be on US army help to Taiwan ought to China transfer on the self-governing island.

“I’m gonna have that conversation with him,” Biden added, noting that they’ll lay out “what each of our red lines are.”

Their much-anticipated assembly comes as relations between US and China hit their lowest level in many years in a downward spiral that began below the previous presidency of Donald Trump, as the 2 nations ramp up their rivalry in commerce, expertise, geopolitics and beliefs.

In current months, tensions have reached new highs following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s go to to Taiwan and the Biden administration’s ban on the sale of advanced chips and chip-making equipment to China.

Meanwhile, below Xi, China has moved nearer to Russian, united by their plummeting relations with the US and different Western nations. Weeks earlier than the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Xi and Putin declared their nations share a “no-limits” friendship. Beijing has since refused to condemned the warfare in Ukraine, or referred to it as an “invasion.”

After G20, Xi will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok, which kicks off subsequent Friday, in response to Thailand’s Foreign Ministry. Biden is not anticipated to attend the occasion, whereas Putin has but to substantiate his attendance.

CNN
 — 

Dozens of individuals have reportedly been killed in military airstrikes at a celebratory occasion in Myanmar’s mountainous Kachin state on Sunday, drawing worldwide condemnation of the junta that seized energy within the nation greater than a yr and a half in the past.

Victims had been attending an occasion organized by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) to mark the 62nd anniversary of the armed ethnic insurgent group’s political wing, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), KIO General Secretary La Nan stated on Tuesday.

La Nan stated each women and men had been amongst about 50 folks killed, although no kids have been recognized among the many victims but. Another 54 are injured, many with burns and shrapnel wounds, he added.

CNN can not independently confirm the variety of reported deaths.

La Nan stated the occasion, which included musical performances, was one of many group’s most vital annual festivities, with “hundreds, if not thousands” in attendance together with artists, enterprise house owners and elders. Many had traveled from throughout the state to attend, he stated.

“We understand the intention of (the airstrikes) was largely to inflict chaos and massive pain to the public, in a large volume and with as much damage as they could inflict,” La Nan stated.

The military junta, which overthrew the government in a bloody coup final February, claimed on Monday that studies of civilian deaths from the airstrikes had been “fake news.”

It claimed the airstrikes had focused the KIA’s military base, in response to the group’s earlier raids and assaults on passenger vessels alongside the Irrawaddy River. It additionally claimed it had adopted worldwide conventions “so as to ensure peace and stability of the region.”

La Nan refuted the junta’s declare, saying the celebration had been held within the A Nang Pa area – a small space the place vacationers typically cease by a market. It’s “nowhere close to military installations,” he stated.

Though KIO personnel had been in attendance, “they were not there as military personnel but as entertainers,” serving to welcome visitors and performing, he added.

Since the coup, rights teams and observers say freedoms and rights in Myanmar have deteriorated; state executions have returned and the variety of documented violent assaults by the military on faculties has surged.

Numerous armed rebel groups have emerged, whereas tens of millions of others proceed resisting the junta’s rule by way of strikes, boycotts and different types of civil disobedience.

Myanmar’s shadow authorities, the National Unity Government – a bunch of ousted lawmakers, coup opponents and ethnic minority group representatives – condemned the assault in a press release on Monday, saying the military had “deliberately committed another mass killing.”

The assault “clearly violates international laws as the provisions of the Geneva Conventions,” it stated within the assertion, urging the worldwide neighborhood and United Nations to “take effective actions urgently.”

The NUG operates undercover or by way of members overseas, searching for to achieve recognition because the reputable authorities of Myanmar.

The assault on Sunday drew worldwide condemnation, with the United Nations saying it was involved over studies of greater than 100 civilians impacted.

“While the UN continues to verify the details of this attack, we offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of all those who were killed or injured. The UN calls for those injured to be availed urgent medical treatment, as needed,” it stated in a press release on Monday.

It added that the military’s “excessive and disproportionate” use of pressure towards unarmed civilians was “unacceptable,” and known as on these accountable to be held to account.

La Nan, the KIO official, stated the military had sealed off the roads surrounding A Nang Pa after the assault, imposed an web and telecommunications blackout, and deployed plainclothes officers to native hospitals – that means victims of the assault have little to no entry to medical care.

“They are taking refuge in nearby makeshift clinics and rudimentary medical facilities in the mining area. Most of their relatives are very worried because there is very little access to medicine,” he stated, calling it a “deliberate blockade.”

The KIO and area people is now attempting to get better all of the victims, and “have a proper burial according to our traditions and our religious rituals,” he stated – including that about 10 our bodies had been past identification.

CNN can not independently confirm the present scenario.

On Monday, the ambassadors of Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States issued a joint assertion condemning the strike.

“This attack underscores the military regime’s responsibility for crisis and instability in Myanmar and the region and its disregard for its obligation to protect civilians and respect the principles and rules of international humanitarian law,” the joint assertion learn.

Non-profit group Amnesty International stated in a press release the military’s actions – together with executing pro-democracy activists, jailing journalists and concentrating on civilians – have been allowed to proceed “in the face of an ineffective international response.”

“As officials and leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) prepare to host high-level meetings in the coming weeks, this attack highlights the need to overhaul the approach to the crisis in Myanmar,” the assertion stated, urging ASEAN leaders to take motion after they meet for his or her annual summit in November.

CNN
 — 

When Singapore introduced this week it might end a colonial-era law that criminalized sex between males, it appeared like a huge victory for gay rights advocates within the Southeast Asian nation.

On re-examination, to many it gave the impression to be a double-edged sword.

That’s as a result of because it put an finish to that law, the Singapore authorities reiterated its opposition to gay marriage.

Soon after saying that consensual gay sex would now not be unlawful, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong mentioned in his annual August rally speech that his authorities would “uphold and safeguard the institution of marriage” – outlined within the Constitution as a union between man and girl.

That transfer gave the impression to be geared toward putting a compromise with conservative segments of society nonetheless vociferously against same-sex marriage. Christianity is the third hottest faith in Singapore after Buddhism and Taoism, overlaying almost one in 5 Singaporeans in accordance with the 2020 census. At the identical time, the city-state is residence to varied evangelical mega church buildings that preach towards homosexuality.

Lee famous in his speech that gay rights stays “a highly sensitive and contentious” subject to conservatives within the nation.

“What we seek is a political accommodation, one that balances legitimate views and aspirations among Singaporeans,” Lee mentioned.

“But everyone has to accept that no (one) group can have things their way,” he added.

To gay rights activists, the persevering with ban on same-sex marriage is a vital blow. At stake is greater than the choice of getting a white marriage ceremony in church: in Singapore, {couples} in registered marriages have entry to larger housing subsidies and adoption rights than single individuals.

So whereas activists within the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) group welcomed the repeal of the gay sex law, many had been disillusioned too.

And that disappointment will solely have deepened with the suggestion by a few of Lee’s ministers that not solely would the federal government stay against gay marriage – it could even create additional hurdles to forestall individuals from searching for to problem the wedding legal guidelines in court docket.

Law minister Ok Shanmugam mentioned in an interview with state media that Parliament, relatively than the courts, would maintain the ability to outline marriage – successfully making it more durable for individuals to legally problem the federal government’s insurance policies as a number of gay males have tried lately.

That has performed nicely with some conservative non secular teams.

“We are heartened that the government has indicated they will be taking steps to protect the prevailing norms and values of the Singaporean society on the issue of marriage,” mentioned Bishop Titus Chung in a assertion issued on behalf of the Diocese of Singapore.

The National Churches Council, made up of a number of native church buildings and Christian organizations, mentioned that its members “further appreciated” the federal government’s assurance that it might “uphold and safeguard the institution of marriage.”

And the Singapore Catholic Church additionally welcomed the federal government’s transfer. “Otherwise, we will be taking a slippery road of no return, weakening the fabric of a strong society which is founded on the bedrock of holistic families and marriages,” it mentioned.

Activists, in the meantime, have signaled their disappointment.

“Any move by the government to introduce further legislation or constitutional amendments that signal LGBTQ+ people as unequal citizens is disappointing,” greater than 20 activist teams mentioned in a joint assertion.

Still, some activists say they like to concentrate on the positives, at the least for now.

As affiliate law professor Eugene Tan of the Singapore Management University put it: “Singapore removed a law long regarded as being discriminatory towards gay men. To view the current situation as removing one prohibition in favor of preserving another is overlooking the progress made.”

In 2012, Gary Lim and Kenneth Chee, a gay couple who had been collectively for 15 years, challenged the law towards gay sex at Singapore’s High Court.

“For us, repealing (the gay sex law) was never about gay marriage,” the couple mentioned. “We are just both relieved that after ten years, (its abolition) has happened during our lifetime.”

However, they admit to being disillusioned with the federal government’s remarks on marriage.

“We expected that to happen, but it isn’t the end,” Lim mentioned. “The work doesn’t stop and with this repeal, things will get stronger and move forward as the queer community heals.”

“Getting married would be a nice acknowledgment of our relationship and love for each other but at this point, it isn’t the most important thing,” Chee mentioned.

“But it (puzzles me) how our marriage would affect straight marriages, that I don’t understand,” he added.

“I hope that the conservatives can one day see gay people are not dangerous or a threat to them or their children. They don’t have to fear us.”

“And maybe in the future we can all forge a relationship and work together.”