Philippine News

March 13 ------ Saudi forces intercepted more than two dozen drones after Iran vowed to attack oil resources in the Middle East and said it would maintain a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz that has sent crude prices soaring. Israel also came under attack early Friday from missiles launched by Iran, with the Israeli military saying its air defenses were working to intercept them. The International Energy Agency has warned that the Middle East war could lead to "the largest s

BAKU, March 13 ------ The United Nations has warned of significant risks to global trade and development, including higher food prices and cost-of-living, if the Strait of Hormuz is closed amid the West Asia conflict, according to The Economic Times. The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said in a report that the ongoing military escalation in the region due to the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, and retaliation by Tehran has disrupted shipping flows through the Str

March 13 ------ Ukraine’s battlefield experience in drone warfare is now being sought by countries confronting Iran’s increasingly capable drone attacks. According to a report by The Guardian, Ukraine has “dispatched interceptor drones and operators to protect US bases in Jordan”, one of several countries that have requested Kyiv’s assistance in countering Iranian drone threats. The move comes as the United States and Gulf states search for more effective ways to intercept Ir

KYIV, March 13 ------ Ukraine is opening access to its battlefield data for its allies to train drone AI software, the defense ​minister said as Kyiv seeks to harness the experience it has ‌garnered fending off Russia's four-year, full-scale invasion. The move comes as militaries across the globe start to use automated systems which can guide drones to their targets without a pilot, or quickly analyze vast pools of ​data. Foreign allies and companies have sought access to Ukr

March 12 ------ Oil prices fell further on Wednesday, as reports of the International Energy Agency proposing the largest release of oil reserves in its history due to potential supply disruptions from the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran dragged on sentiment. Brent futures traded down 88 cents, or 1 per cent, at $86.92 a barrel by 0451 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) traded 35 cents lower, or 0.4 per cent, at $83.1 a barrel. U.S. crude prices leapt 5 per cent at the

NEW YORK, March 12 ------ The dollar strengthened against the euro and the yen as investors remain on edge over further escalation in the Middle East conflict that has driven up energy prices worldwide, as Iran struck tankers and energy storage facilities in fresh attacks. The dollar has risen about 2 per cent against the euro since February-end on a flight to safe-havens - was 0.4 per cent higher against the euro on Wednesday. Those gains eased earlier in the week on brief

March 12 ------ President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian anti-drone experts have begun work on defending Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates from Iranian attacks. Ukraine – which has now been under attack from Iranian-made Shahed drones and the Russian-made drones modeled on them for over four years – has responded by offering material assistance to the countries bearing the brunt of Iran’s response. “Three of our teams have gone – strong teams of

March 12 ------ Ukrainian forces struck a major Russian microelectronics factory in Bryansk with Storm Shadow cruise missile air-launched missiles, damaging a facility that produces critical components for Russia’s missile systems, Ukraine’s military said. Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed the strike on the Kremniy El Group plant, describing it as part of a broader campaign to reduce Russia’s military-industrial capacity. “Kremniy El is a crit

March 11 ------ Some airlines in Asia and Europe raised fares, added fuel surcharges, or adjusted schedules as the Middle East conflict drove jet fuel costs sharply higher and disrupted key air routes. Australia's Qantas Airways QAN.AX, Scandinavia's SAS, and Air New Zealand AIR.NZ was among the carriers that announced price increases, while others warned the crisis could threaten fuel supplies or force further schedule changes. Jet fuel prices, which were around $85 to $90 p

March 11 ------ Abu Dhabi state oil giant ADNOC has shut its Ruwais refinery in response to a fire at a facility within the complex following a drone strike, a source with knowledge of the situation said, marking the latest energy infrastructure disruption due to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. The complex is the site of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) facilities that can refine up to 922,000 barrels of oil a day and serves as the central hub for the emirate's downstream

KYIV, Ukraine, March 11 ------ Ukraine hit a "key" military factory in a missile strike on Russia's western city of Bryansk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said after Moscow gave a toll of six dead in the attack. "Our soldiers struck one of the key Russian military factories in Bryansk. This factory produced electronics and components for Russian missiles. The very ones that are striking our cities," Zelensky said in a daily address. He called the strike "a completely

KYIV, Ukraine, March 11 ------ Russian and Ukrainian officials made rival claims of battlefield successes in their 4-year-old war, with Ukraine saying it pushed Moscow’s forces back across places on the front line and the Kremlin insisting Russia’s invasion of its neighbor is making progress. At the same time, Russia’s almost daily attacks on Ukrainian civilian areas continued, killing several people, as Washington postponed its sponsored talks between the two sides due to th

FRANKFURT, Germany, March 10 ------ The Iran war has put at risk some of the world’s most critical oil and gas infrastructure — the pipelines, refineries, and shipping terminals that keep energy flowing from the countries around the Persian Gulf to the global economy. Strikes by Iranian drones have disrupted operations, while the risk of Iranian strikes has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for some 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas. Oil fiel

TOKYO, March 10 ------ Japan is preparing to deploy its first batch of domestically developed long-range missiles, with their launchers arriving at an army camp as the country accelerates its offensive capability in response to rising challenges in the region. The upgraded Type-12 land-to-ship missiles will be deployed at Camp Kengun in Japan’s southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto by the end of March, completing the process of deployment, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara

KYIV, Ukraine, March 10 ------ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that 11 countries had tapped Kyiv for help in how to counter Iranian drones being fired by Tehran in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes. Ukraine has to fend off nightly barrages of Iranian-designed Shahed attack drones launched by Russia, an ally of Tehran. They are now being used in strikes across the Middle East. "As of now, there are 11 requests from countries neighboring Iran, European states, and

March 10 ------ Talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine have been postponed at the request of Washington, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Originally scheduled for this week, the meeting has been postponed because, according to Zelensky, “the partners’ priority and all attention are focused on the situation around Iran.” Monday marks the tenth day since US and Israeli bombs rained down on Iran on Feb. 28, killing the nation’s supreme leader along with a number of other top

March 9 ------ Oil prices have eclipsed US$100 per barrel for the first time in more than three and a half years as the Iran war hinders production and shipping in the Middle East. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) jumped 20 per cent to US$109.17 a barrel, a level not seen since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, while the international Brent benchmark contract was up 19 per cent at US$110.35. Both could rise or fall as market trading continues. US Presiden

TEHRAN, March 9 ------ Iran's ruling clerics appointed the slain leader's son, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, as the country's new supreme leader, defying threats from the United States and Israel to oppose him. Nine days after US-Israeli strikes killed the elder Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and plunged the Middle East into war, the clerical government's Assembly of Experts convened to choose their next leader. Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, was "appointed and introduced as the third leader of

March 9 ------ The UK has revealed details of four maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facilities in Ukraine, tasked with repairing armored vehicles and equipment such as UK-gifted CVR-T armored vehicles, Husky support vehicles, AS-90 artillery systems, L119 light guns, and former Soviet-era kit. A collaboration with Swedish partners also means that the sites can support the Swedish Archer artillery systems. The facilities – operated under UK Ministry of Defense contracts

March 9 ------ Ukraine’s real-world combat experience, combined with Western industrial capabilities, is helping the country lead in military innovation, senior Ukrainian officials said at a briefing. Combat experience gives Ukraine an edge Colonel Vitalii Dobriansky, head of the Central Directorate for Innovation Activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, told reporters that Russia’s full-scale war has given Ukraine an advantage in testing and developing innovative military