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Added on the 05/10/2021 09:27:16 - Copyright : AFP EN
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that the United States stands by its "ironclad" commitments to defend longtime ally the Philippines against armed attack in the South China Sea. SOUNDBITE
"We celebrated the start of our 38th annual exercise Balikatan. More than 17,000 troops are participating this year. It is the largest and most complex iteration in the exercise's history," US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin tells a press conference, alongside Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, and Defense Chief Carlito Galvez. The two countries launched their largest-ever joint military exercises, as the longstanding allies seek to counter growing Chinese assertiveness in the region. SOUNDBITE
The Philippines and the United States hold an opening ceremony in Manila for their largest-ever joint military exercises, as the longstanding allies seek to counter growing Chinese assertiveness in the region. Nearly 18,000 troops are taking part in the annual exercises dubbed Balikatan, or "shoulder to shoulder" in Filipino, which for the first time will include a live-fire drill in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost entirely. IMAGES
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he will retire from politics, paving the way for his daughter to contest the country's highest office in the 2022 elections. SOUNDBITE
Manila, Sep 3 (EFE).- Controversial Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter Sara are keeping the country in suspense about whether they’ll run together in May’s elections, although analysts suggest there will be some kind of agreement between the two and polls already see them as favorites.Philippine law does not allow presidents to stand for re-election, so Duterte has announced he will run for vice president while his daughter Sara, mayor of Davao, has not yet announced whether she will contest the presidency.ARCHIVE FOOTAGE OF PHILIPPINE PRESIDENT RODRIGO DUTERTE AND THE STREETS OF MANILA, PHILIPPINES.
Caracas, Aug 24 (EFE).- The Venezuelan government has provided the International Criminal Court (ICC) with evidence of the damage done by the sanctions the United States has imposed on the oil-rich Latin American nation, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said.(Camera: IVAN CARDENAS)STATEMENTS BY THE EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA, DELCY RODRÍGUEZ (IN SPANISH)TRANSLATIONS:1. The prosecution of the international criminal court (presented) a report containing evidence on the damage caused by the coercive, unilateral measures against the Venezuelan people.2. In the same way, we have obtained information on how (the sanctions) affected the medicine-producing industry in Venezuela. More than half the medicine-producing transnationals in the country left as of 2016 and this is the drop we see in drug production.3. And yesterday with this report we were showing the effect and the damage caused. In legal matters it can be said that we have completed the cycle. We have completed the cycle to demonstrate that there are reasonable causes in this referral made by the international criminal court to affirm that a crime against humanity has been committed against the Venezuelan people.