News in Brief-(2023-10-24)

US says it will defend treaty ally Philippines

after Chinese ships ram Manila vessels

MANILA, Oct 23: The United States renewed a warning Monday that it would defend the Philippines in case of an armed attack under a 1951 treaty, after Chinese ships blocked and collided with two Filipino vessels off a contested shoal in the South China Sea. Philippine diplomats summoned a Chinese Embassy official in Manila on Monday for a strongly worded protest following Sunday's collisions off Second Thomas Shoal. — AP

S Korea, US and Japan hold aerial exercise

SEOUL, Oct 23: The South Korean, U.S. and Japanese militaries conducted their first-ever trilateral aerial exercise on Sunday in response to evolving North Korean nuclear threats, South Korea's air force said. The training held near the Korean Peninsula was to implement the three countries' earlier agreement to increase defense cooperation and boost their joint response capabilities against North Korean threats, the air force said in a statement. —AP

German leftist to launch new party

BERLIN, Oct 23: A prominent German leftist politician has launched plans to form a new party that some observers think could take votes away from the far-right Alternative for Germany. Sahra Wagenknecht on Monday presented her "Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance - for Reason and Fairness." The aim is to formally launch the party in January, in time for European Parliament elections in June. Three state elections in Germany's formerly communist east will follow next fall. —AP