VOA Asia Weekly: Defense Secretary Austin Says US-Philippine Alliance Is Ironclad [Video]

Building a US-Philippines alliance strong enough to transcend presidential politics.

Welcome to VOA Asia Weekly. I’m Chris Casquejo in Washington. That story is just ahead, but first, making headlines:

45 ex-lawmakers and activists left a Hong Kong court Tuesday. They’ve been sentenced up to 10 years in prison in the city’s biggest case under a Beijing-imposed national security law. Prosecutors said activists aimed to paralyze Hong Kong’s government. Supporters say the trials are an assault on democracy.

“Of course it will silence more people.”

A driver crashed an SUV into a crowd of students, Tuesday. It happened outside a primary school in Hunan province, just as children were arriving at school. State media reported that many bystanders were injured. Authorities have arrested a 39-year-old man in connection with the incident. The crash comes just eight days after a driver killed 35 people in Zhuhai. It’s China’s third major attack this month.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has gifted …