Next-generation fighter jets and new missile systems are high on the agenda as Japan seeks to counter potential threats from China and North Korea. Japan’s Cabinet has approved a record 5.34 trillion yen ($51.7 billion/€42.4 billion) defense budget for the fiscal year 2021. It’s the first defense budget under Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and seeks to bolster funding to develop longer-range cruise missiles and stealth fighters to counter potential threats from China and North Korea. Source Deutsche Welle
Pakistan’s Parliament is expected to consider a resolution on Tuesday about whether the French envoy should be expelled over the publication of controversial cartoons depicting Islam’s Prophet, testing whether the government gives in to threats from radical Islamists. Source France24
Greece recognises Sputnik V as ‘equivalent’ to European vaccines. Greece will recognise Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine in its vaccination certificate, making it easier for Russian tourists to travel and spend their summer holidays in Greece. Source Euractiv
Taiwan’s largest annual military exercise will begin in earnest this week, with the country using sophisticated software to simulate a full-scale enemy invasion and gauge its reaction to a worst-case scenario lasting eight days. Source Newsweek
