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Blinken due in Mideast in new bid to secure Gaza truce

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due to return Wednesday to the Middle East in a new bid to secure a truce in the Israel-Hamas war.

Following a failed attempt to secure a ceasefire in the war in the Gaza Strip by the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan last week, a new round of negotiations hosted by key mediator Qatar has begun.

Philippine seafarers who survived Houthi Red Sea attack arrive home

Eleven Filipino seafarers arrived in the Philippines on Tuesday nearly a week after they survived a Houthi missile attack off Yemen.

They were crew members of the Barbados-flagged, Greek-operated merchant ship True Confidence which the Houthis attacked last week, killing three sailors, including two Filipinos.

South China Sea: ASEAN, Australia decry actions that 'endanger peace'

Southeast Asian and Australian leaders on Wednesday warned against actions that "endanger peace" in the South China Sea, following fresh confrontations between Beijing and the Philippines in contested waters.

Simmering tensions in the trade corridor threatened to boil over this week, when Chinese boats in the Spratly Islands were accused of hounding Philippines vessels.

St Nikolas oil tanker operator says it lost contact off Oman

The operator of the oil tanker St Nikolas, Greece-based Empire Navigation, said on Thursday it had lost contact with the vessel off Oman near the city of Sohar.

A spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the vessel had a crew of 19, one from Greece and 18 from the Philippines, and was carrying 145,000 metric tons of oil from Basra, Iraq, to Aliaga, Turkey.

China, US hold rival drills in disputed South China Sea

China showcased on Thursday fighter jets firing missiles in the South China Sea, as it held rival military exercises with the United States in the hotly contested waters.

The drills follow tense standoffs between Beijing and Manila in disputed reefs that saw vessels from the two countries collide and Chinese ships blast water cannon at Philippine boats.

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