Long-opposed to the measure and having criticised Moscow’s mobilisation of prisoners to fill its ranks, Kyiv has recently U-turned amid fresh Russian advances on the battlefield.

The pilot ejected after the plane experienced an issue during take-off, the Defence Ministry said.

Both China and Australia lodged official protests and blamed each other for a Chinese warplane’s extraordinary use of flares against an Australian navy helicopter on Saturday.

Vice-Admiral Alberto Carlos has no mandate to strike a deal with China, who may have been attempting to shift the blame to Manila, analysts say.

Analysts say the move is insurance against an accelerating “arms race” in the region, as lessons are learned from recent flare-ups such as Iran’s drone and missile attack against Israel last month.

Taipei’s de facto diplomatic envoy to the US under president-elect William Lai Ching-te also says most on the island ‘prefer the status quo’.

An island-retaking exercise in the far north of the Philippines appears to be in preparation for hostilities breaking out over Taiwan, observers say.

‘They shouldn’t have been at any risk’, Anthony Albanese said of Australian defence personnel who he said were operating in international airspace enforcing UN sanctions on North Korea.

The Philippines has played its cards right by signalling that it’s ‘willing to work with anyone’ for strategic advantage, analysts say.

The decision to invite Lockheed Martin and BAE to a government-backed expo has raised questions about the consistency of PM Anwar Ibrahim’s criticism of the Gaza war with the actions of his government.

The Fujian aircraft carrier’s maiden mission has been deliberately timed to coincide with US-Philippines military drills, analysts say.

The Chinese embassy in Manila had said China and the Philippines earlier this year agreed on a ‘new model’ for the Second Thomas Shoal.

Series of exercises later this year to focus on ‘operational resilience’ of essential facilities.

The incident occurred on Saturday as an Australian air warfare destroyer was enforcing UN sanctions against North Korea in international waters in the Yellow Sea, the Defence Department said in a statement.

Some were aware of the risks and joined voluntarily, but others said they were tricked into going to the frontline after being promised cooking and cleaning jobs.

US troops let loose dozens of howitzer shells as Filipino forces followed up with rockets and Javelin missiles, before the imaginary enemy was whittled down with machine-gun fire and artillery rounds.

As Seoul confirms Aukus talks, analysts say the defence alliance would benefit from South Korea’s hypersonic knowledge.

Tens of thousands have been killed. Yet domestic politics are as much a factor as any looming humanitarian disaster for Western and Middle Eastern governments involved in peace talks.

Air force chief Frank Kendall conducted a test flight on the Vista plane that went nearly nose to nose with a second human-piloted F-16.

Pakistan’s eight Hangor-class submarines are equipped with technology that surpass that of India’s current Scorpène-class submarines, analysts say.

US defence chief Lloyd Austin said the grouping would look at undertaking more maritime drills, as well as providing greater security assistance to Manila.

The arrival of Russian personnel in the West African country came in the wake of a decision by Niger’s junta to expel US forces from the country.

The two countries will discuss a visiting forces agreement, a month after French troops took part in the annual Balikatan exercises.

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines says joint exercises show ‘China definitely wants Russia to be working with them and we see no reason why [Russia] wouldn’t’.

Officials emphasised that the live fire drill was not aimed at any specific nation, despite its proximity to the disputed waterways

Most analysts believe Trump would maintain the alliance to counter Beijing, but some said major shifts including a potential troop pull-out were possible

20 companies based in mainland China and Hong Kong were among hundreds of entities hit by the wide-ranging move.