CANBERRA -- The Australian government will increase military spending by 53 billion Australian dollars (38.1 billion U.S. dollars) over the next 10 years under the 2026 national defense strategy announced on Thursday.
Minister for Defense and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles detailed the new strategy in a speech to the National Press Club in Canberra, describing the funding boost as the "biggest peacetime increase" in Australian history. (Austrlia-Defense-Spending)
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ISLAMABAD -- Large-scale combing search operations have been launched in different areas of Pakistan's federal capital Islamabad, with patrol units and special squads patrolling the city, according to local police on Thursday.
Meanwhile, special checkpoints have been set up at various locations. Army and Rangers personnel are also present at the checkpoints along with the Islamabad Police, Xinhua witnessed. (Pakistan-Islamabad-Security)
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TOKYO -- The Embassy of China in Japan on Thursday urged the Japanese side to promptly investigate a series of terror threats and take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese diplomatic missions and personnel in the country.
At a press conference held on the same day, the embassy said it had recently been subjected to multiple threats. On March 5, individuals claiming to be former Japanese police officers and ex-members of the Self-Defense Forces sent a threatening letter to the embassy. Although the incident was immediately reported to Japanese authorities, the embassy said it received insufficient attention, and no effective measures were taken, with the case still unresolved. (Japan-Chinese Embassy)
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ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's Foreign Office said on Thursday that Lebanon is part of the ongoing ceasefire process and is being viewed in that context.
"Positive signs over the past two days on the Israel-Lebanon border front are encouraging," Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said during a weekly press briefing here. (Pakistan-U.S.-Iran Talks)
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ISLAMABAD -- Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam on Thursday said Tehran is prepared to engage in serious and constructive talks.
Speaking in an interview with official Pakistan TV after an event at the Institute of Regional Studies in Islamabad, the envoy said Iran was entering the proposed negotiations with full seriousness and a clear objective of achieving a positive outcome. (Pakistan-Iran-U.S. Talks) ■
