PNG reveals defense deal with US worth $864M — BenarNews
6 days ago · The United States will spend more than U.S. $864 million (3.5 billion kina) on infrastructure and military training in Papua New Guinea over 10 years under a defense deal signed between the two nations in 2023, PNG’s foreign minister has said. No figure putting a value on the agreement has ...
Giving season: Australia punts on cash-for-favors in Pacific ...
4 days ago · It’s the giving season and Australia has been exchanging hard cash for favors with Papua New Guinea and Nauru that gives it an increased role in their sovereign decision-making. A lack of clarity as to how these arrangements can be enforced raises questions of just how “secure” they really are ...
US missile test intercepts, downs ballistic target from Guam ...
6 days ago · Updated at 9:55 a.m. ET on 2024-12-11. The U.S. military downed a ballistic target for the first time from Guam in a missile test, which Pentagon officials called a “critical milestone” in protecting the western Pacific from potential threats.
Malaysia’s weakened opposition — BenarNews
3 days ago · Two years after Anwar Ibrahim’s government took power in Malaysia, the opposition Perikatan Nasional coalition continues to hold onto its base but has not meaningfully been able to expand it. In fact, PN has lost momentum over the past year, especially the Malay nationalist party Bersatu led by ...
In viral video, besieged Myanmar troops bemoan lack of ...
3 days ago · A video of disheveled Myanmar troops at a besieged border post is drawing anger toward junta chief Min Aung Hlaing who has lost control of the nation’s entire 270-km (170-mile) border with Bangladesh for the first time. The video shows dozens of junta troops sitting on the floor in a dark, cramped ...
China mobilizes ‘staggering’ naval presence in Taiwan Strait ...
5 days ago · China has deployed an “unprecedented number” of naval ships in the Taiwan Strait and announced extensive reserved airspace zones in a display of its capability to project power in the Pacific, a senior island defense official said on Wednesday. The show of force, which has yet to include any ...
Immigrants line up to leave Malaysia before repatriation ...
3 days ago · After living in Malaysia for 12 years without proper papers, an Indonesian woman plans to return home through a voluntary repatriation program for foreign migrants that expires on Dec. 31, or face fines or prison. Ramlah, 57, originally came to Kuala Lumpur to visit her son, and occasionally sold ...