[ Middle East Monitor ] UAE resumes flights to Syria

Direct flights between Syria’s Damascus and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s cities of Dubai and Sharjah will resume on 20 June, the Syrian Ministry of Transport announced yesterday. In an official statement, the ministry said that the national airline, Syrian Air, will operate three flights to Sharjah and four to Dubai every week.

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[ Politico ] Pentagon considering permanent naval task force to counter China in the Pacific

The Pentagon is considering establishing a permanent naval task force in the Pacific region as a counter to China’s growing military might, according to two people familiar with internal discussions. The plan would also involve creating a named military operation for the Pacific that would enable the defense secretary to allocate additional dollars and resources…

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[ Yonhap News ] S. Korea to conduct Dokdo defense drill

South Korea was to stage an annual military exercise around its easternmost islets of Dokdo on Tuesday after Japan protested the planned drill and called off an agreed-upon summit between the two countries. The drill, named the East Sea Territory Protection Exercise, will involve the Navy, the Air Force and the Coast Guard, and be…

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[ Radio Free Asia ] More Than 10,000 Displaced by Renewed Fighting in Myanmar’s Battle-Ravaged Chin State

More than 10,000 people have fled their homes in Myanmar’s Chin state amid renewed fighting between junta troops and anti-coup militias in the region, according to sources, who reported casualties from clashes on Tuesday. A refugee told RFA that thousands had fled Mindat township to the surrounding mountains and jungle to escape the fighting, which resumed…

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