
Philippines says to sign troops pact with Canada as defense ties deepen
The agreement would establish a framework for increased military and defense cooperation and collaboration between the two nations and improve interoperability between their forces, the Philippines' defense ministry said.
"The Philippines looks forward to the positive impact of the SOVFA, which is expected to contribute to peace, stability, and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region," the ministry said, calling it a milestone in bilateral defense relations.
Reuters

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Ya Libnan
8 hours ago
- Ya Libnan
Don't be fooled by Al-Sharaa's business suit, he is still a jihadist
File: Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt shakes hands with Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 22, 2024. Despite his hollow promises, Al-Sharaa has failed miserably in protecting Syria's vulnerable minorities and managed to drive a wedge between the Druze in Syria and in Lebanon. The last thing the Syrians want to see is another dictator like Bashar al-Assad REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi The recent massacre targeting the Syrian Druze community in Sweida , a small religious minority group resulted in the killing of over 600 members including 140 women and children according to Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa's forces and allied militias have carried out the massacres in Sweida province This eruption of violence was an eerie reminder of a series of violence that has been launched against the Syrian religious communities and ethnic minorities, since the current regime has come to power. The Syrian National Army (SNA) which is also part of a coalition led by President Ahmad Al-Shaara's group Hayat Taheer Al-Sham (HTS) attacked Kurdish led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in North-East Syria in December 2024. In particular, fierce fighting along the Tishreen Dam became the focal point. In March, indiscriminate killings of Alawites were carried out in the Syrian coastal areas especially in the city of Banias. While exact figures remain difficult to verify, more than 1,300 individuals, most of them Alawites, lost their lives. In some cases, entire families were summarily executed. These atrocities were solely directed against the Alawite minority and instigated by militias affiliated with the new regime, ostensibly as part of a response to attacks in Latakia and Tartous from armed groups affiliated with the deposed Assad regime. In the name of fighting former President Bashar Al-Assad loyalist collective punishment was given to the Alawite community. In June this year a church in the Syrian capital of Damascus was rocked by a suicide explosion, in this deadly attack 25 people were killed. The Syrian authorities blamed the attack on the Islamic State (ISIS) group. However, a lesser- known Sunni extremist group, Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah, claimed responsibility for this attack. Many analysts believe this little-known group has deep links with HTS as their relations with HTS stretch back to before the Bashar Al-Assad If we look at the pattern of all these past attacks, it clearly indicates that they were carried out on the instructions or at least with tacit approval of the current Syrian regime. The objective of these attacks was to subdue the minorities through terror, so they don't demand their full political rights. The current Syrian regime got emboldened by the recent lifting of western sanctions and informal recognition it got from Arab states and the United States. In May 2025 the US president met Ahmad Al-Shaara in the Saudi capital Riyadh and expressed admiration for him. He went further and described Al-Shaara as a strongman and declared him a 'Tough guy with a very strong past.' The US president should have ordered a thorough research to dug more into the past of Al-Shaara as his past is one marked by links to al-Qaeda, and ISIS Al Sharaa even managed to fool Lebanon Druze leader Walid Jumblatt , who was the first Lebanese official to visit Damascus and meet with Al- Sharaa despite the objection of the Druze leadership in Syria. Jumblatt and his team were completely fooled by Al Sharaa as recent events in Syria indicate . Yesterday he went as far as attacking Syrian Druze leader Sheikh Hikmet Al Hijri, who is the most popular Druze spiritual leader in Syria and accused the Druze of Sweida of massacring the Bedouin tribes, an unfounded claim that no one else ever made. Only Federalism Can Save Syria Despite his hollow promises, Ahmed al-Sharaa has failed miserably in protecting Syria's vulnerable minorities. His brief rule has not ushered in a new era of inclusion or reconciliation, but one of betrayal and brutality. Many minorities across Syria—from Christians to Alawites, Druze to Kurds—no longer see Sharaa as a protector but as a former ISIS affiliate in a business suit. Since unilaterally appointing himself as Syria's interim president, thousands from these communities have been killed. Nowhere is his failure more glaring than in Sweida, where government forces dispatched to quell violence between Sunni Bedouins and the Druze ended up siding with the Bedouins. Instead of restoring order, they executed Druze civilians at gunpoint, looted homes, and set them ablaze. These actions confirm what many Syrians have long feared: Sharaa has no intention to govern for all Syrians—only to consolidate power under the guise of security. In this climate of deep mistrust and sectarian tension, the idea of a strong, centralized government led by one faction is no longer tenable. Syria needs a new path forward—one that gives every group a stake in the country's future while ensuring local governance, autonomy, and protection. That path is federalism. Federalism is a system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and smaller political units—such as states, provinces, or cantons. Each unit maintains a degree of autonomy to govern its own affairs, particularly in areas like education, policing, and culture, while still being part of a unified national framework. It is a model that has proven successful in multi-ethnic and multi-religious countries. Perhaps the best example is Switzerland . Despite its linguistic, cultural, and religious diversity, Switzerland has remained peaceful, democratic, and united—not in spite of its differences, but because it embraced them. The Swiss Confederation consists of 26 cantons, each with its own constitution, government, and even police force. Yet all are bound together under a federal government that handles foreign policy, national defense, and major economic policies. It is a country where French, German, Italian, and Romansh speakers coexist harmoniously—not because they were forced to live under a single ruler, but because they were empowered to manage their own affairs within a shared federal system.


L'Orient-Le Jour
a day ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Syrian delegation met with Israeli officials in Paris
A Syrian delegation, composed of officials from the Foreign Ministry and Intelligence Services, met with Israeli officials in Paris during a U.S.-mediated meeting to discuss recent security developments and efforts to contain the escalation in southern Syria, Reuters reported Saturday, citing a diplomatic source interviewed by Syria's state-run Ekhbariya TV. According to Reuters, the Syrian delegation rejected any 'illegitimate' foreign presence on Syrian territory. While the meeting did not result in any final agreement, the parties agreed to hold further discussions in the coming days to evaluate steps for maintaining stability in southern Syria. French and Syrian foreign ministers Jean-Noel Barrot and Assaad al-Chibani, along with U.S. envoy for Syria Tom Barrack, also met Friday in Paris to discuss the situation in the country. Syria, now governed by the transitional authorities led by Islamist Ahmad al-Sharaa — who took power following the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 — continues to experience frequent intercommunal violence. The most recent clashes between Druze and Sunni Bedouin communities left more than 1,300 people dead between July 13 and 20 in the south. Relations between the transitional government and various minority groups remain a concern for parts of the international community.


LBCI
a day ago
- LBCI
China's Premier Li proposes global AI cooperation organization
Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Saturday proposed creating an organization for global AI cooperation, urging countries to coordinate development and security efforts for the rapidly advancing technology. At the opening of the annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, Li described AI as a new growth engine but noted fragmented governance. He stressed the need for greater coordination to develop a globally recognized framework for AI. The three-day event gathers industry leaders and policymakers amid rising technological competition between China and the United States, with AI as a key battleground. "Global AI governance remains fragmented. Countries differ greatly, especially in regulatory concepts and institutional rules," Li said. "We should coordinate to quickly form a global AI governance framework with broad consensus," he said. Reuters