US President initiates renaming without prior Congress approval

MANILA, July 18 — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr will visit the United States (US) next week with a clear message to President Donald Trump that the Philippines must become economically stronger if it is to serve as a truly robust partner, an official said today.

WASHINGTON, June 26 — United States (US) Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said he was unaware of any intelligence suggesting Iran had moved any of its highly enriched uranium to shield it from US strikes on Iran's nuclear program over the weekend.

BEIJING, June 2 — China has protested to the United States (US) against "vilifying" remarks made by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday, while accusing it of deliberately ignoring calls for peace from regional nations.

SINGAPORE, May 31 — US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned on Saturday that the threat from China was real and potentially imminent as he pushed allies in the Indo-Pacific to spend more on their own defence needs.

WASHINGTON, May 1— United States (US) Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Iran on Wednesday that it will face consequences for supporting the Houthis, even as the US has relaunched talks with Iran over its nuclear programme.

WASHINGTON, April 5 — The head of Taiwan's National Security Council arrived in the United States (US) for talks with President Donald Trump's administration, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday, days after China concluded war games around Taiwan.