Japan / AFP Thousands of demonstrators rallied on the Japanese island of Okinawa on Sunday against the heavy US military presence and violent crimes by American personnel that have angered residents for decades. Protesters, which organisers expected to number more than 50,000, gathered in the prefectural capital Naha, infuriated with the United States after a former Marine employed as ...

  Manila / AFP Two US aircraft carriers have started exercises in the Philippine Sea, defence officials said on Sunday, as Washington’s close ally Manila faces growing pressure from Beijing in the South China Sea. The US Pacific Command said the USS John C Stennis and USS Ronald Reagan, among the world’s largest warships, began conducting air defense drills, sea ...

  Sydney / AFP Three years after being ousted from power following a tumultuous period of infighting in which two prime ministers were deposed, Australia’s opposition Labor said on Sunday it was ready to return to Canberra ahead of national elections. The July 2 poll is tipped to be a tight race, and could see the ruling Liberal-National coalition become ...