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This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.

I'm Paul Moss and at 14 hours GMT on Thursday the 2nd of February, these are our main stories.

The United States has reached a deal to boost its military presence in the Philippines as it seeks to counter Chinese influence in the region.

The oil and gas giant Shell has posted record profits for last year, helped by a surge in energy prices.

And police in Pakistan say a suicide bomber who killed scores of people at a mosque was allowed through security checks because he was wearing a police uniform.

Also in this podcast, scientists in the UK find evidence of bird flu in mammals.

There's a lot of dead wild birds at the moment due to the bird flu presence and those animals are predicting, consuming and being exposed to very high quantities of ice and that's leading to some spill over infection.

And the authorities in Hong Kong give away half a million free plane tickets to try to lure back tourists.

The United States and the Philippines say they're preserving peace and freedom in the Indo-Pacific region by striking a new military deal.

They will see large numbers of American troops return to the Philippines for the first time in 30 years.

The deal comes at a time of growing concern in the US about China's expansion in the South China Sea and fears that it could invade Taiwan.

The US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters in Manila that the deal strength and the relationship between the two countries.

I am optimistic about the future of our alliance and I am confident that we will continue to work together to defend our shared values of freedom, democracy and human dignity.

The United States and the Philippines are more than just allies. We're family.

America's ever-growing interest in the Asia-Pacific region has not surprisingly been an ever-increasing source of grievance with China.

When it came to the new agreement with the Philippines, China's foreign spokeswoman, Mao Ning, accused the United States of using the country to further Washington's own interests.

It is China's consistent belief that defense and security cooperation between countries needs to contribute to regional peace and stability.

Out of its selfish agenda, the US has held up to the Cold War era's mentality and strengthened military deployment in the region.

This is an act that escalates tensions and endangers regional peace and stability.

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