Southeast Asia

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte threatened on July 19 to end peace talks with communist rebels, hours after suspected guerrillas wounded four of his military bodyguards in an ambush.

President Rodrigo Duterte plans to extend martial law in the southern Philippines to defeat Islamist militants who have seized a major city, his spokesman said on July 18, as a critic warned the country could be edging towards a dictatorship.

Flirting, kissing, drinking alcohol - all that is forbidden in Indonesian city Banda Aceh. The Sharia defines the laws there and a special police keeps an eye on adhering to the Islamic law. It is forbidden even for young people to hold their hands.

Turkey's leading defense companies Aselsan and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI, also known as TUSAŞ) signed a deal with the Indonesian companies PT Dirgantara and PT Len on July 6 to collaborate on defense products.

For the second day in a row, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte attacked Chelsea Clinton with a coarse tirade for her criticism of his “joke” that his soldiers could rape women with impunity during martial law. He accused President Bill Clinton’s daughter of failing to denounce her father’s sexual relationship with Monica Lewinski in the White House.

Long-tailed macaques living near an Indonesian temple have figured out how to run a ransom racket on visiting tourists.

The monkeys grab valuables, such as glasses, hats, cameras or, in one case, a wad of cash from the ticket booth, then wait for temple staff to offer them food before dropping their ill-gotten gains and dashing off with the tasty prize (see video below).

Russia and the Philippines have signed almost a dozen deals, including a defense and military cooperation agreement, days after Rodrigo Duterte cut short his Moscow visit to urgently tackle the ongoing terrorist crisis in the country's south.

Overall, Moscow and Manila signed 11 documents which had been prepared for the Philippines president's visit to Russia.

China has increased military presence in the South China Sea (SCS).The Red Army recently deployed a rocket launcher in disputed Fiery Cross Reef. The Chinese state-run media reported over the weekend that Beijing made the move in order to counter the Vietnamese aggression.

The Chinese government charged on May 25 that a U.S. warship had entered its waters in the South China Sea "without permission", prompting Beijing's navy to warn the vessel to leave.

A US Navy destroyer has sailed close to a disputed South China Sea island controlled by China for the first time under US President Donald Trump.
The USS Dewey sailed within 12 miles (20 kilometers) of Mischief Reef, in the Spratly Island chain, on Wednesday, in a “freedom of navigation operation,” according to a US official.