Your Tuesday Briefing: Marcos at the White House

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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. began his four-day visit to the US with a meeting with President Biden in Washington yesterday. The trip was intended to send a message to China that Marcos had plans to improve his country’s ties with the US

“We are facing new challenges and I can’t think of a better partner than you,” Biden told Marcos in the Oval Office. Biden added that the US will “continue to support the modernization of the Philippine military.”

Marcos’ trip comes days after the US and the Philippines held their largest joint military exercise in the South China Sea, aimed at curbing China’s influence. The two countries signed an agreement in February to allow the US military to expand its presence in the Philippines.

“It’s only natural,” Marcos said in the Oval Office, that the Philippines “relies on its single treaty partner in the world to strengthen, redefine, the relationship we have and the role we play in the face of the rising tensions we now see in around the South China Sea and Asia Pacific.

The US view: The White House has focused on cultivating Marcos, the dictator’s son, as a regional ally since taking office 10 months ago. His predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, is more conciliatory towards China than before, and, at times, more confrontational with the US.

Taiwan: The northernmost island of the Philippines is less than 100 miles from the self-governing island. An increased US military presence could allow a rapid force response in a war with China.

China’s position: When China’s foreign minister visited the Philippines last month, he had a firm message: It is important that the government in Manila, the capital, “deal with issues” related to Taiwan and the South China Sea, and follow through on previous commitments. not to choose a side.

Both Russia and Ukraine have reported an increase in attacks in recent days, a sign that fighting is intensifying ahead of an anticipated Ukrainian counterattack.

Russia launched a wide-ranging air strike in Ukraine yesterday, its second strike in four days. Two people were killed and 40 wounded in a Russian attack on the central city of Pavlograd, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a nightly address.

Ukraine said yesterday that it had launched four strikes on Russian troop concentrations in the previous 24 hours. Yesterday, an explosion damaged a freight train in Russia, near the border, although Russian officials did not say who was responsible. Over the weekend, several explosions also occurred behind Russian lines.

Time: Ukraine’s defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, said on national television that the military had “reached the finish line” in preparations for a counteroffensive.

One of the complicating factors: mud. It has been raining in the area for weeks, and the soil is incredibly wet. Ukraine’s new sophisticated weapons are no match for the black soil.

He was a senior official in Iran, a trusted keeper of defense secrets – and a British spy. A Times investigation shows how the information shared by the official, Alireza Akbari, upended the world view of Iran’s nuclear program and led to its execution in January.

Akbari, who is a senior military commander of the Revolutionary Guards, has opened access to Iran’s inner circle and advises on key state policies. He also spied for Britain for almost 16 years, according to Western intelligence officials. Intelligence sources told my colleagues Ronen Bergman and Farnaz Fassihi that Akbari disclosed, among other things, the existence of Fordo, a hidden uranium enrichment site near Tehran.

The revelations, which Britain shared with Israel and other Western intelligence agencies, shocked even those who closely monitor Iran. Fordo’s findings proved critical in dispelling doubts that Iran was pursuing nuclear weapons and overhauling Western military and cyber plans to counter the program. It also proved critical in persuading the world to impose sweeping sanctions on Iran.

Details: Akbari is an unlikely spy. He displayed fanatical loyalty to the ideals of the Islamic Republic and unwavering support for Iran’s leaders, according to interviews with people who knew him.

Other revelations: Iran also said it disclosed the identities of more than 100 officials, notably Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the chief nuclear scientist killed by Israel in 2020.

Many young people are asking for perms. Hairstyles have changed since the heyday of the 1980s: Instead of ringlets and hairspray, the modern male perm – inspired by K-pop and TikTok – is softer and smoother.

Celebrities line up to walk the red carpet at the Met Gala in New York. (Scheduled to start at 5:30pm in New York, 5:30pm in Hong Kong; 7:30pm in Sydney.)

The party is usually themed around the annual blockbuster show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. This year’s event, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” pays tribute to the imagination and creativity of the designer of Chanel, Fendi and his long-standing namesake line. (Lagerfeld died in 2019.)

With that theme, you can expect to see plenty of vintage designer gowns on the runway this year, making it the most sustainable Met Gala yet. Vanessa Friedman, our fashion editor, told us that she hopes to “return to a better elegance after years when the clothes of the guests have increased, the better to spread the virus.”

Among the many celebrities attending the festivities, Gala-goers will be looking for one in particular: There is speculation that Lagerfeld’s white Birman cat (and rumored heir), Choupette, who has a nanny and an Instagram account, might make an appearance.

For more: Take our Lagerfeld quiz.

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