Manila, July 30 (IANS) The US and the Philippines held a Foreign and Defence Ministerial Dialogue (2+2) on Tuesday in Manila.

Philippines Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo and Secretary of National Defence Gilberto Teodoro Jr met with their counterparts, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin in Quezon City, for the fourth such dialogue between the two countries.

The four Secretaries discussed how to further enhance the two countries’ commitment to the alliance between the US and the Philippines while enabling a common programme supporting the rules-based international order, enhanced economic ties, broad-based prosperity, and solutions to evolving regional and global security challenges.

The third iteration of the 2+2 dialogue was held in April 2023 in Washington and concluded in a joint statement that reaffirmed full support for international law, modernising shared defence capabilities of the alliance, advancing economic and environmental security, and cultivating the vibrant and robust people-to-people ties between the two countries.

Blinken and Austin were also scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Philippines President Ferdinand R Marcos, Jr during their visit to Manila.

–IANS

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Brisbane, July 30 (IANS) Australia and New Zealand on Tuesday called for a “rapid and effective global response” to climate change in this “critical decade” while expressing their commitment to working together with Pacific partners to ensure the resilience and prosperity of the region.

The two countries held a 2+2 Climate and Finance Ministers Dialogue in Brisbane which was attended by

Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen attended the dialogue from the Australian side while New Zealand was represented by Minister of Finance Nicola Willis and Minister of Climate Change Simon Watts.

This was the second such annual discussion held between the two countries since the inaugural 2+2 Dialogue held in June 2023.

In the Joint Statement that was released after the meeting, both countries acknowledged the need for urgent yet orderly action to tackle climate change.

“Australia and New Zealand also recognise that climate change is the single greatest existential threat to the livelihoods, security and wellbeing of the peoples of the Pacific. We remain committed to working together with Pacific partners to ensure the resilience and prosperity of the region,” it mentioned.

During Tuesday’s meeting, the two sides agreed to conduct a review into regulatory barriers to the net zero transformation, with an initial focus on regulatory interactions with standards for batteries and electric vehicle charging.

It was also decided to convene sector-based roundtables with representatives from the maritime sector including exporters, shipping lines, ports and other stakeholders to identify the conditions required for trans-Tasman green shipping corridors and the opportunity to strengthen supply chain resilience.

–IANS

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Changsha, July 30 (IANS) At least seven more people have been confirmed dead and three others remain missing after intense rain triggered flash floods and mudflows in central China’s Hunan Province, pushing the death toll due to the rain-related incidents to 22, local authorities said Tuesday.

Among the dead are three villagers from Yongxing County in the city of Chenzhou. A rain-triggered mudflow claimed their lives after they went missing last Wednesday while patrolling the mountains, according to the county’s emergency management bureau.

The other four deaths and three missing persons were reported in four villages in the city of Zixing, which has experienced record precipitation since Friday, with one location recording over 645 mm of rain in just 24 hours, Xinhua news agency reported.

Heavy rainstorms in the aftermath of Typhoon Gaemi have wreaked havoc across Hunan. In Xiangtan County, three dike breaches occurred in the Juanshui River in the past few days, prompting the evacuation of thousands of residents.

In Zixing, the rain has toppled or damaged the homes of 867 households and caused 1,345 road cave-ins. Officials said that communications with many villages were disrupted, hindering timely updates on the situation.

The city has dispatched more than 5,400 rescuers. A total of 11,379 people have been evacuated for safety, said the city’s flood control and drought relief headquarters.

On Tuesday morning, volunteers were seen loading bottled water, rice and cooking oil onto a helicopter parked on the sports ground of Zixing No.1 Middle School.

Since Monday, helicopters have been taking off from the school to air-drop supplies to disaster-hit areas where rain-triggered landslides have disrupted road traffic and telecommunications.

“These supplies are urgently needed in disaster-hit areas, so we continued flying,” said Ou Deqing, board chairman of a Hunan-based general aviation company whose helicopters joined the relief efforts.

As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, helicopters have made 101 trips to evacuate residents and deliver 20.9 tonnes of materials to 28 villages in Zixing, according to the headquarters.

China’s meteorological authorities on Monday issued an orange alert for rainstorms, the second-highest level in its four-tier warning system, across parts of the country.

Heavy rain is expected in regions including the Chinese capital Beijing and neighbouring Hebei and Tianjin, as well as Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Hubei and Hunan, on Monday and Tuesday, according to the National Meteorological Center.

–IANS

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Tehran, July 30 (IANS) Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations in New York has rejected claims by US intelligence officials that Tehran sought to influence the US presidential election, the official news agency IRNA reported on Tuesday.

The remarks were made in a statement released on Monday after US intelligence officials earlier in the day claimed that Iran was working to “influence the US presidential election and undermine Donald Trump’s bid to regain the White House,” the report said.

Iran’s permanent mission stressed that Tehran had no objective or activity to influence the US election, adding a major part of such accusations were within the framework of the “psychological operations designed to artificially pep up election campaigns” in the United States, Xinhua news agency reported.

The US presidential election is scheduled for November 5, 2024.

–IANS

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Wellington, July 30 (IANS) New Zealand and Indonesia launched a plan of action on Tuesday which sets a course for intensified cooperation to guide bilateral ties over the next five years.

New Zealand and Indonesia share an important partnership, said New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters following official talks in Auckland with his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi, Xinhua news agency reported.

The two sides agreed on a dedicated Plan of Action for 2025-2029, which sets a new goal of 6 billion NZ dollars ( $ 3.54 billion) in annual two-way trade by 2029, replacing the one released in 2020.

Meeting this goal will necessitate even greater trade cooperation, including on halal, Peters said.

“We also agreed to work towards a joint Working Holiday Scheme and closer education cooperation,” he said.

–IANS

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