POLITICSPHILIPPINES Philippines expands US military access amid China tensions 2 hours ago2 hours ago The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, first signed in 2014, allows for US troops to set up temporarily at Philippine military bases to thwart Chinese ambitions. https://p.dw.com/p/4N0FK The Philippines on Thursday allowed greater US access to its military bases amid mounting geopolitical pressure regarding the South China Sea and Taiwan. The United States will be given access to four more locations under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, according to statements from both countries’ defense ministries. “The Philippine-US alliance has stood the test of time and remains ironclad. We look forward to the opportunities these new sites will create to expand our cooperation together,” the statements said. The US announced another $82 million (€74,5 million) to build infrastructure at the five sites where the US military is already present. “Our alliance makes both of our democracies more secure and helps uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific,” said Austin. “We discussed concrete actions to address destabilising activities in the waters surrounding the Philippines, including the West Philippine Sea, and we remain committed to strengthening our mutual capacities to resist armed attack.” Manila refers to waters immediately west of the country as the West Philippine Sea. The Chinese Foreign Ministry responded to the development by saying it hurts regional stability and increases tensions in the area. China and Philippines agree to ‘manage differences’ 02:11 What is EDCA? The EDCA, an agreement first signed in 2014, allows the US access to Philippine military bases for joint training, positioning equipment and building military infrastructure facilities, such as runways and temporary housing. The agreement had stalled under former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte who favored ties to China over the US. Washington and Manila are now trying to mend relations with current President Bongbong Marcos keen to find a new balance in his country’s ties to both China and the United States. The latest agreement with Washington did not specify where the new locations would be. However, the United States had requested access to bases on the northern land mass of Luzon — the closest part of the Philippines to Taiwan — and the Palawan islands, which face the highly disputed South China Sea. South China Sea: Fishing on the front line 03:03 Frequent visits The agreement on Thursday was signed after US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin went to Manila, seeking to increase security options to deter China. Austin’s trip follows a three-day visit to Manila by US Vice President Kamala Harris in November, which included a stop on Palawan islands. The Philippines’ Marcos has also met with US President Joe Biden twice since his landslide victory in May. mk/sms (AFP, Reuters)

POLITICSAUSTRALIA
Australia’s new $5 banknote won’t feature King Charles
5 hours ago5 hours ago
Australia will replace the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on its $5 banknote with a new design to reflect and honor the history of its Indigenous culture. King Charles III will feature on Australian coins, though.

https://p.dw.com/p/4N00z
Australia’s central bank said on Thursday that the country’s new A$5 banknote would replace an image of the British monarch with one honoring Australian Indigenous cultures.

It’s the last banknote in Australia that still bears the head of recently deceased Queen Elizabeth II. Whether that would remain the case became a question as King Charles III ascended the throne.

The bank had already said that retaining Elizabeth on the $5 bill had had as much to do with her personal stature as with her position.

The Reserve Bank of Australia said that the decision had been taken in consultation with the government, which supports the change, and that a new design would be chosen that “honors the culture and history of the First Australians.”

Mix of Australian currency.Mix of Australian currency.
King Charles’ head will start appearing on Australian coins this year, however, eventually in all denominationsImage: Rafael Ben-Ari/ Chameleons Eye/Newscom/picture alliance
The design will take several years to be printed and finalized and the old note will remain legal tender for some time after the new one goes into circulation, the bank said.

The British monarch’s head will also remain on all of Australia’s coins, with the first ones featuring Charles’ likeness to be minted this year.

Opposition alleges government behind the plan
Australians voted fairly narrowly, roughly 55%-45%, not to become a republic in a 1999 referendum, but observers expected the discussion might resurface when Elizabeth II’s long reign ended.

Although the role is largely ceremonial, King Charles remains Australia’s head of state, as he does in several other members of what today is called the Commonwealth including New Zealand.

Prime Minister Antony Albanese, of the center-left Labor Party, has been an advocate for a republic in the past, though he said soon after Elizabeth’s death that it was too soon to revisit the issue.

King Charles III speaks with Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, as he receives realm prime ministers in the 1844 Room at Buckingham Palace in London.King Charles III speaks with Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, as he receives realm prime ministers in the 1844 Room at Buckingham Palace in London.
King Charles III is Albanese’s head of state, though not for the first time for an Australian prime minister, he is not convinced that should remain the caseImage: Stefan Rousseau/empics/picture alliance
Opposition leader Peter Dutton said in a radio interview on Thursday that he believed Albanese’s government was the driving force behind the announcement hailing from the central bank.

“There’s no question about this, that it’s directed by the government and I think the Prime Minister should own up to it,” Dutton said on local radio station 2GB.

Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe, an opposition lawmaker of Indigenous descent, wrote on Twitter: “This is a massive win for the grassroots, First Nations people who have been fighting to decolonize this country. First Nations people never ceded our Sovereignty to any King or Queen, ever. Time for a Treaty Republic!”

World mourns Queen Elizabeth II
02:39
msh/jsi (AFP, AP, Reuters)