-
1 week ago | 
theedgesingapore.com | Courtney McBride |Philip Heijmans |Alastair Gale
Courtney McBride, Philip J. Heijmans and Alastair Gale / BloombergSat, May 31, 2025 • 10:33 AM GMT+08 • • 4 min readFollow us on Facebook and join our Telegram channel for the latest updates. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pressed US partners in Asia to boost defence spending toward 5% of gross domestic product, warning that more urgency is needed to prepare for a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
-
1 week ago | 
sg.news.yahoo.com | Courtney McBride |Philip Heijmans |Alastair Gale
'The only way to ensure lasting alliances and partnerships is to make sure that each side does its part': HegsethUS Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pressed US partners in Asia to boost defence spending toward 5% of gross domestic product, warning that more urgency is needed to prepare for a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Addressing defence officials at a conference in Singapore, Hegseth warned countries against deepening economic ties with China while boosting defence relations with the US.
-
1 week ago | 
japantimes.co.jp | Courtney McBride |Alberto Nardelli
European leaders are racing to figure out how to keep Ukraine supplied with weapons as U.S. President Donald Trump appears to be walking away from the war. One option: buy American. Europe has neither the stocks of arms nor the capacity to make them in large enough volume as it becomes clear that the U.S. won’t be delivering any more.
-
2 weeks ago | 
japantimes.co.jp | Courtney McBride |Leen Al-Rashdan
The Defense Department formally accepted a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from Qatar to temporarily serve as the new Air Force One for U.S. President Donald Trump, one of the biggest foreign gifts ever given to the U.S. government. The move fulfills Trump’s desire for a new presidential aircraft, after years of delays in the U.S. government’s contract with the aerospace giant for new planes to serve that role.
-
Jan 14, 2025 | 
japantimes.co.jp | Jenny Leonard |Courtney McBride
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said China would face severe consequences if it launches a cyberattack that causes physical destruction in the U.S., and deterring such a move should be a priority for the incoming Trump administration. Sullivan said in an interview in Washington on Monday that the U.S. has evidence that China is prepositioning for just such an attack at some point in the future, underscoring past concerns from U.S. officials.
-
Nov 13, 2024 | 
sunherald.com | Courtney McBride |Andrea Palasciano
The Biden administration is committed to ensuring "every dollar we have at our disposal" is pushed out to Ukraine before Donald Trump takes office, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday. Blinken made a hastily arranged trip to Brussels to reassure NATO and European Union allies that the U.S. will intensify its efforts to send resources to Ukraine ahead of the inauguration of Trump, who has strongly criticized the scale of the U.S. effort to defend Kyiv.
-
Oct 24, 2024 | 
japantimes.co.jp | Courtney McBride |Galit Altstein |Dan Williams
Negotiators between Israel and Hamas will meet in the coming days, as they make a renewed effort to end the devastating conflict in Gaza, according to the U.S. and Israel. The U.S. is exploring different options to restart stalled talks between the warring parties and secure the release of hostages held by the Palestinian militant group, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Qatar on Thursday.
-
Oct 9, 2024 | 
japantimes.co.jp | Courtney McBride |Alberto Nardelli
U.S. President Joe Biden has warned Israel against attacking Iran’s nuclear sites, and U.S. officials worry a strike on its energy infrastructure could roil energy markets. But with Israeli retaliation against Iran expected at any time, the U.S. is finding it has few assurances against further escalation. Biden’s team is pressing Israel to limit its retaliation against Iran for a strike last week to military targets such as air bases and missile sites.
-
Aug 19, 2024 | 
charlotteobserver.com | Marissa Newman |Courtney McBride |Fares Akram
Israel and Hamas blamed each other for stalling a cease-fire and hostage deal as U.S. President Joe Biden's top diplomat arrived in the region to press for an agreement. Mediators say the warring sides are getting closer to a pause in the conflict in Gaza that's been raging for more than 10 months and has roiled the wider Middle East. But objections from both parties on Sunday raised the prospect of another diplomatic failure.
-
May 14, 2024 | 
japantimes.co.jp | Courtney McBride
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday to reinforce U.S. support after delays in billions of dollars of military aid forced Ukraine to ration munitions and prompted fears the U.S. would abandon its partner in the face of Russia’s invasion. Blinken’s trip comes at an urgent time. Russia has launched a major offensive in the northeast Kharkiv region — one of its most aggressive campaigns since the invasion began in February 2022.
