Ukraine Races to Counter Russia’s Faster Jet-Powered Drones 
Trump Open to Chinese Automakers Building Cars in US 
Global Poll Shows Rising Trust in Institutions as US-China Leadership Support Falls 
US Immigration Arrests Surge as Deportations Lag Behind 
Saudi Arabia Raises Security Alerts as Houthi Attacks Threaten Oil Routes 
China’s Global Times Slams Anthropic CEO’s AI Slowdown Plan as ‘Cold War’ Strategy 
Takaichi-Backed Koja Wins Okinawa Governor Race 
Guterres Urges Stronger Global AI Safeguards Ahead of UN Assembly 
Rodrigo Duterte Makes First Public Appearance at ICC in 18 Months 
South Korea’s Cho Hyun to Meet Rubio in Washington 
Banking scandal rocks Brazil’s politics and the country’s presidential election in October 
Mahmoud Khalil Sues Columbia Over Alleged Pro-Palestinian Harassment 
Kim Jong Un Pledges Deeper Russia Cooperation 
Ukraine Tests New Anti-Drone Weapon After Successful Shahed Intercept 
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Expected at Trump-Xi State Dinner 
Ovechkin Faces Scrutiny Over United Russia Campaign Video 
US Confirms Weapons in Orbit as Space Tensions Rise 
Add as a preferred source on Google
The Supreme Court of the Philippines this week ruled to strike down an old energy deal the country has with China and Vietnam in the highly contested South China Sea. The court ruled that the deal was unconstitutional due to the foreign entities that are also part of the deal.
The Philippine Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled to strike down a 2005 energy exploration deal with Chinese and Vietnamese companies in the South China Sea. The deal, which expired in 2008, was ruled illegal as the Philippine constitution does not allow foreign entities to exploit natural resources. The court said the majority of businesses involved must be Philippine-owned and that the Philippine state must control and supervise activities.
The decision may challenge efforts by China to revive the oil and gas exploration talks with Manila in areas of the South China Sea that are not being disputed. The court did not explain why the ruling was issued 14 years after the petition was filed.
China claims most of the South China Sea as its territory, angering the surrounding countries, including the Philippines, who have overlapping claims to parts of the body of water. A 2016 tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines, citing that China’s so-called historical territorial claims in the South China Sea have no basis in international law. Beijing has rejected the ruling and has continued to assert its claims over parts of the waters.
Efforts to find a legally plausible way by the Philippines and China have been met with challenges. The previous administration of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte abandoned the latest effort in June last year due to constitutional constraints and sovereignty issues.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said his country must find a way to exploit its untapped energy reserves in the South China Sea within its exclusive economic zone, even without China’s input.
The Philippine presidential office said on Monday that Marcos Jr. appointed former military chief Carlito Galvez to become the new defense minister, replacing Jose Faustino. Galvez previously led the COVID-19 task force in the country. During his time as a regional army commander in 2017, Galvez was known for overseeing the defeat of militants loyal to the Islamic State group that took over and occupied a town for five months.
