Readers discuss China’s position on the South China Sea, and US action against student protesters.

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

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

Manila summoned the number two official at the Chinese embassy to protest Beijing’s use of water cannon against its vessels in the disputed Scarborough Shoal

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

Manila’s defence chief said the Philippines has a ‘range of options’ to counter China, signalling that he wants maritime operations to be ‘less telegraphic’.

Observers speculate the investigation is politically motivated by President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s ongoing feud with his predecessor.

Beijing’s latest confrontations with Tokyo and Manila over contested islands come as they strengthen maritime coalition with Washington.

Commerce and labour groups call for urgent review of modernisation initiative that will affect livelihoods and families of countless jeepney drivers.

Bangkok’s heat index – a measure of how hot it feels like when humidity is taken into account – was listed as above 52 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday.

Scrutiny cast on internet service providers, lax enforcement and a disturbing culture compounded by poverty.

The Philippines announced it will halt in-person classes at public schools, while Thai power demand rose to a record, as a heatwave grips southern Asia.

Senior Colonel Zhou Bo shares his insights on global and regional challenges, based on long experience in military diplomacy.

The move comes days after the United Nations said Asia was warming at a particularly rapid pace, and as Manila recorded its highest ever temperature.

There’s more to the pair’s recent showdown than just a cutting verbal exchange, analysts say. And it’s not just next year’s midterm polls at stake.

Calling Beijing’s claim ‘propaganda’, Defence Secretary Teodoro said Manila would never enter into any pact that would compromise its claims in the waterway.

With the junkets of Asia’s gambling capital ‘decimated’ by an anti-corruption crackdown, money launderers have shifted focus to more loosely regulated casinos in Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and Myanmar.

Their manifesto criticises President Marcos Jnr’s South China Sea stance, claims China’s aggressive actions justified by his provocations

The government said it was investigating the spread of the manipulated video ‘seemingly asking the armed forces to act against another nation’.

Readers discuss Beijing’s dealings with Manila over their dispute in the South China Sea, and Moscow’s changing attitude to the Belt and Road Initiative.

Mohamad Hasan takes a veiled swipe at US-Philippines military cooperation during a meeting with China’s foreign minister in Beijing.

Manuel Mamba has been tossed out of office for illegally using public funds just as joint military exercises involving Manila and Washington take place in his province.

Marcos Jnr’s pro-US stance and measures to ‘elevate’ the Philippines have made him a ‘pivotal player’ on South China Sea issues among world leaders.

Marcos Jnr’s office says “no such directive exists” and Manila is working with various agencies to combat deepfakes.