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☆ South China Sea: On board an outnumbered Philippine ship facing down Chinese aggression
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Rebecca Wright | Ivan Watson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Near Second Thomas Shoal, South China Sea CNN —As dawn slowly broke on the horizon, a large fleet of Chinese vessels came into view from the deck of a Philippine Coast Guard ship as it entered the contested waters of the South China Sea. Filipino soldiers on the dilapidated Sierra Madre ship, anchored near the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, on May 11, 2015. The US military also maintains a regular presence in the South China Sea, with aircraft overflights, so-called “freedom of navigation” operations, and patrols and exercises with allies and partners to assert that the South China Sea is an international waterway. The Philippine Coast Guard said it counted five China Coast Guard vessels and 18 boats belonging to Beijing’s “maritime militia." Rebecca Wright/CNNTarriela, the Coast Guard spokesperson, said a China Coast Guard vessel had come within 20 yards (60 feet) of the Cabra.

Persons: David, Goliath, “, ”, Thomas Shoal, Rebecca Wright, Sabina, Ritchie, Jiao, –, Jay Tarriela, Mao Ning, China Coast Guard “, Thomas, Ferdinand “ Bongbong ” Marcos Jr, Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos Jr, Jose Manuel Romualdez, CNN Tarriela, Tomas Etzler, Erik de Castro, month’s, ” Tarriela, ‘, Collin Koh, ” Koh, Ray Powell, SeaLight, “ Will, ” Powell, we’ve Organizations: South China, CNN, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine, Armed Forces, China Coast Guard, ” CNN, Philippine Navy, Coast Guard, Foreign Ministry, Sierra Madre, Center for Strategic, Studies, China Power, Ministry, Washington, Philippine News Agency . Diplomacy, Coast Guardians, Guard, Madre, Reuters, USS, China, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, National Security, Stanford University Locations: South, South China, Philippines, United States, Philippine, China, Bulilyan, Palawan, Sierra Madre, Sierra, The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, Madre, Hague, Beijing, China’s, Manila, Shanghai, Singapore

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The government of Venezuela accused neighboring Guayana Sunday of granting illegal oil exploration concessions in territory the two nations are disputing. The comments Sunday came after Guyana said Saturday that it has satellite imagery showing Venezuelan military movements near the South American country’s eastern border with Guyana. Venezuela has been laying claim to the mineral-rich Essequibo region, which covers about two thirds of Guyana’s surface area. But for more than 60 years Venezuela has accused the commission of cheating it out of the Essequibo region. Several top American administration and military officials have visited Guyana in recent weeks as a show of support.

Persons: Guayana, Vincent, Robert Persaud, Irfaan Ali, Nicolás Maduro Organizations: ”, ExxonMobil, Argyle, US Center for Strategic, International Studies, Venezuelan Locations: CARACAS, Venezuela, Guyana, Essequibo, Caribbean, St, Brazil, Punta Barima, Netherlands, U.S

☆ ‘Never going back.’ Israelis evacuated from border town with Lebanon fear war with Hezbollah
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Tara John | Adi Koplewitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

There are fears of a full-blown confrontation with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon – that would open up a dangerous new front in the war. Israelis who were evacuated from the north of the country and seen in a hotel lobby in Tiberias, Israel, on November 16. They have lived through the Six-Day War, the Yom Kippur War, Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and fight with Hezbollah in 2006. View of the Sea of Galilee from a hotel in Tiberias, Israel, on November 16. Tara John/CNNA group of cousins, who were evacuated from the town of Dovev, knit quietly in a hotel lobby in Tiberias, Israel on November 16.

Persons: Jesus, Boaz Yosef, Tara John, Hassan Nasrallah, Elana Pilveny, ”, ’, Shoshana, “, ” Pilveny, Yosef, Israel “, Yoav Gallant, David Shenfer, ” Shenfer, Israel’s, Kibbutz Bar’am, “ We’ve, ” Lea Raivitz, Raivitz Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Reuters, Defense Ministry, Israeli, Nations, CNN Hezbollah, Kibbutz, Residents Locations: Tiberias, Galilee, Israel, Lebanon, Dovev, Israel’s, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Gaza, Beirut, Kiryat Shmona, Lebanese, View, overflights

CNN —Hamas has demanded that Israel stop flying surveillance drones over Gaza as part of its request that Israel pause its military operations in exchange for freeing hostages held by the terrorist group, according to two Israeli officials and a third source familiar with the ongoing negotiations. The Israeli military has been flying drones in the skies over Gaza for hours on end virtually every day during their military operation, using them as a primary means of surveillance to monitor the battlefield. The Pentagon has also been flying American surveillance drones over Gaza in its support of Israel’s efforts to find the hostages, which includes an estimated 10 Americans. The negotiating parties – Israel, Hamas and the US, with Qatar mediating between them – continue to grind away, as they try to reach an agreement on a number of sticking points. Other demands made by Hamas during the negotiations are more aid and fuel into Gaza, sources say, as well as allowing Palestinians who have fled south for safety to return to northern Gaza, where Israel now has control.

Persons: Israel, – Israel, Joe Biden, Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al, “ It’s, –, Tzachi Hanegbi, ”, —, ” Hanegbi, Jake Sullivan, Brett McGurk, Bill Burns, McGurk, ” Biden, CNN’s Tamar Michaelis Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Pentagon, Israel’s National Security, Senior Biden, National, CIA Locations: Israel, Gaza, Washington, Qatar, Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani

☆ Chinese fighter jet got within 10 feet of US bomber over South China Sea, US military says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A Chinese fighter jet came within 10 feet of a US Air Force B-52 bomber flying over the South China Sea on Tuesday, according to the US military. Beijing cut off the communications after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last year, infuriating Chinese leaders. China uses its military might to assert its claims of sovereignty in the South China Sea and beyond, including Taiwan. In 2022, the Chinese military increased its aggressive actions towards the independent island territory, including ballistic missile overflights, military aircraft flying into Taiwan’s aerial identification zone and major exercises near Taiwan. Though Xi has said he is seeking the peaceful unification of Taiwan with China, he has not renounced the use of military force to achieve his goal.

Persons: “, Joe Biden, Wang Yi, Wang, Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan, Biden, Xi Jinping, Ely Ratner, ” Ratner, Nancy Pelosi, “ I’ve, ”, Adm, John Aquilin, Xi Organizations: CNN, US Air Force, Pacific Command, ”, Foreign, APEC, US, East, South China, National Defense Strategy, America Locations: South, US, San Francisco, Beijing, Taiwan, China

☆ Pentagon warns about China’s growing long-range missile arsenal in major report
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The 2023 China Military Power report, released annually by the Defense Department, said that Beijing has also completed the construction of three new fields of long-range ballistic missiles silos as it builds out its options for delivering a nuclear warhead from different platforms. China uses its military might to assert its claims of sovereignty in the South China Sea and beyond, including Taiwan. In 2022, the Chinese military increased its aggressive actions towards the independent island territory, including ballistic missile overflights, military aircraft flying into Taiwan’s aerial identification zone and major exercises near Taiwan. The growing aggression isn’t only pointed at Taiwan or China’s neighbors. Chinese military pilots have ramped up their “coercive and risky” behavior against US aircraft flying over the East and South China in the last two years.

Persons: ”, Xi Jinping, ” Ely Ratner, “, Aquilino Organizations: CNN, Pentagon, Defense Department, National Defense Strategy, America, East, Defense, Pacific Security Affairs, PLA, PLA’s Joint Staff Department Locations: China, United States, Beijing, South, Taiwan, South China, Fiji

WASHINGTON, Sept 28 (Reuters) - The Senate Foreign Relations Committee's new chairman on Thursday said he would look at Turkey's $20 billion Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) F-16 fighter jet deal and that more issues than Sweden's ascension to NATO would affect the decision on lifting his predecessor's longstanding hold. Cardin said he had discussed Sweden's NATO accession with Turkish officials at a NATO ambassador's meeting on Wednesday. Leaders of the U.S. Senate and House foreign affairs panels review every major foreign arms sale. "Menendez being out of the picture is an advantage," Erdogan was quoted as telling reporters by Turkish media. The top Republican on the Senate panel, Senator Jim Risch, has put a hold on arms sales to Hungary over the issue.

Persons: Lockheed Martin, Ben Cardin, Cardin, Bob Menendez, Tayyip Erdogan's, Menendez, Nadine Menendez, Erdogan, Sweden's, Jim Risch, Patricia Zengerle, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Relations, Lockheed, Turkish, NATO, U.S . Senate, Kurdistan Workers Party, Republican, Thomson Locations: NATO, Sweden, Greece, Ankara, Stockholm, Turkey, Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Budapest

☆ Ryanair CEO pied in the face by climate activists in Brussels
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Lauren Kent | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —The CEO of Ryanair, Michael O’Leary, was pied in the face during a Thursday visit to Brussels in a stunt by climate activists. Ryanair says it has so far collected 1.8 million signatures on its online petition from members of the public. The incident was captured on video, and the activists can be heard shouting: “Welcome in Belgium. O'Leary stands in front of a lifesize cardboard version of Ursula von der Leyen, the EU Commission president. After being pied, the head of Europe’s largest airline carried on talking to the media outside the EU building, saying, “We’re here to discuss the petition.

Persons: Michael O’Leary, O’Leary, “, Michael O'Leary, O'Leary, Ursula von der Leyen, ”, — Organizations: London CNN, Ryanair, European Commission, EU Commission, EU, RTL, Reuters, International Energy Agency, Twitter Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Ukraine

☆ Leaders of Turkey and Greece vow to repair ties after year of tension
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis meets with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan during a NATO leaders summit in Vilnius, Lithuania July 12, 2023. Dimitris Papamitsos/Greek Prime Minister's Office/Handout via REUTERSATHENS, July 12 (Reuters) - Greece and Turkey agreed on Wednesday to resume talks and confidence-building measures as they hailed a new "positive climate" in ties after more than a year of tensions between the historic foes. Relations improved when Greece became one of the first countries to send rescue workers to help pull survivors from the rubble after a devastating earthquake hit Turkey in February. "We are cautiously optimistic we can turn a new page," Mitsotakis told reporters after the summit. Reporting by Renee Maltezou; Additional reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever; Editing by Conor HumphriesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Tayyip Erdogan, Dimitris Papamitsos, Erdogan, Mitsotakis, Renee Maltezou, Huseyin Hayatsever, Conor Humphries Organizations: NATO, Minister's, REUTERS, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Greek, Cooperation, Thomson Locations: Vilnius, Lithuania, REUTERS ATHENS, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, United States, Greek, Thessalonki

☆ Factbox: Europe's ongoing strike-related travel disruptions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The travel industry is on high alert for disruption after Europe's peak season last year was hit by cancellations, causing chaos at airports. This summer, air traffic control issues are likely to be the weak spot, according to warnings from Eurocontrol, which manages European airspace. Heathrow Airport security workers on June 23 called off 31 days of strikes planned at Britain's busiest hub. At Birmingham Airport, around 100 security officers and terminal technicians will begin continuous strike action from July 18. The strikes will severely impact the airport's security and terminal maintenance, leading to flight delays, the Unite union said.

Persons: Hannah McKay, Tiago Brandao, Pierre John Felcenloben, Antonis Triantafyllou, Milla Nissi Organizations: British Airways, Heathrow Airport, REUTERS, BELGIUM Ryanair, BRITAIN, Heathrow, Birmingham Airport, Glasgow, FRANCE Air, ATC, Nantes, Ryanair, Reuters, SPAIN Pilots, Iberia Regional Air Nostrum, Air Nostrum, Air Europa, Swedish Transport Workers, Union, Geneva, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, BELGIUM, Belgium, Charleroi, Europe, Gatwick, France, Paris, Orly, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse, Bordeaux, ITALY, PORTUGAL, Portugal, Iberia, Spain, SWEDEN

☆ CNN Exclusive: Biden says war with Russia must end before NATO can consider membership for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Jeremy Herb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —President Joe Biden told CNN in an exclusive interview that Ukraine is not yet ready for NATO membership, saying that Russia’s war in Ukraine needs to end before the alliance can consider adding Kyiv to its ranks. “I don’t think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war,” Biden said. Biden told Zakaria that it was a “difficult decision” to give Ukraine the controversial ammunition, but that he was convinced it was necessary because Ukraine was running out of ammunition. Biden told Zakaria he was optimistic that Sweden would eventually be admitted to NATO, noting the key holdout, Turkey, is seeking to modernize its F-16 fleet, along with Greece, which has voted to admit Sweden. It’s an observation.’ I said, ‘Since Russia went into Ukraine, 600 American corporations have pulled out of Russia.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zakaria, ” Biden, We’re, he’s, Vladimir Putin’s, Tom Brenner, Kyriakos, It’s, Xi Jinping, “, ’, you’ve, ’ ” Biden, Xi didn’t, CNN “, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, Isaac Herzog, Netanyahu, “ It’s, Bibi Organizations: CNN, NATO, White House, Russia, White, West Bank Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Europe, Lithuania, NATO, Ukrainian, Israel, Russian, Sweden, Turkey, Hungary, Greece, “ Turkey, Mitsotakis, China, Saudi Arabia, Beijing, ‘, United States, Riyadh

☆ Israel, Saudi normalization a long way off, Biden says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, July 9 (Reuters) - Israel and Saudi Arabia are a long way from a normalization agreement that would involve a defense treaty and a civilian nuclear program from the United States, U.S. President Joe Biden said in a CNN interview broadcast Sunday. "We're a long way from there. Israel’s religious-nationalist government has acknowledged setbacks in the normalization efforts, amid Saudi censure of its policies toward the Palestinians. And it depends upon the conduct and what is asked of us for them to recognize Israel," Biden said in the interview. Israel, which is outside the voluntary Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and has no nuclear energy, is widely believed to have atomic weaponry.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Fareed, Eli Cohen, ”, Steve Holland, Doina Chiacu, Dan Williams, Andrea Ricci, William Maclean Organizations: CNN, Fareed Zakaria's GPS, Israel’s Army, Israel Football Association, Saudi, U.S, Washington, Thomson Locations: Israel, Saudi Arabia, United States, U.S, Saudi, Riyadh, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Libya

☆ Rescuers race against time to find the missing sub in the Atlantic bound for the Titanic site
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Rescuers in a remote area of the Atlantic Ocean raced against time early Tuesday to find a missing submersible carrying five people on a mission to document the wreckage of the Titanic. OceanGate's expeditions to the Titanic wreck site include archaeologists and marine biologists. Gallo identified Nargeolet, a friend who has led multiple expeditions to the Titanic, on Tuesday during an interview with CNN. OceanGate hired the Polar Prince to ferry dozens of people and the submersible craft to the North Atlantic wreck site. CBS journalist David Pogue, who went on the trip last year, noted his vessel got turned around looking for the Titanic.

Persons: Mauger, NBC's, John Mauger, David Concannon, John's, Concannon, OceanGate, Hamish Harding, Harding, Mark Butler, Butler, Victor Vescovo, Mariana, Richard Garriott de Cayeux, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman, Allah, Paul, Henry Nargeolet, David Gallo, Gallo, David Pogue, Pogue, Mike Reiss, Alistair Greig, submersibles, Greig Organizations: Discovery, U.S . Coast Guard, OceanGate Expeditions, Authorities, Rescue Coordination Center, Rescuers, Polar, Canadian Boeing, Twitter, U.S, Lockheed, The Associated Press, AP, Coast Guard, United Arab, Action Aviation, World Records, Shepard, The Explorers, SETI Institute, CNN, CBS, University College London Locations: Nova Scotia, British, St, John's, Newfoundland, Canadian, Bahamas, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, California, Virginia

Air India, which is revamping itself under new owner Tata Group, has been rapidly growing its international presence with new non-stop flights to Europe and the United States. Being able to use Russian airspace has come as a boon as it looks to capture a bigger share of the market. IATA Director General Willie Walsh called for an opening up of Russian airspace. "What we would like to see is everybody using Russian airspace. But airlines that can are unlikely to stop using Russian airspace after this diversion, said James Halstead, managing partner at Aviation Strategy.

Persons: Stringer, Campbell Wilson, Wilson, Scott Kirby, Kirby, Willie Walsh, Walsh, James Halstead, Vinod Kannan, India's, it's, Air India's Wilson, I'm, Aditi Shah, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, United Airlines, Air, Air India, International Air Transport, Tata Group, Reuters, Airlines, Aviation, Singapore Airlines, Thomson Locations: Sheremetyevo, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Stringer ISTANBUL, U.S, India, Europe, Asia, Brussels, Air India, Istanbul, Air, United States, Russia's Far

[1/3] A Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter jet ( C foreground) is seen between U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II fighter jets at Incirlik airbase in the southern city of Adana, Turkey, December 11, 2015. "Now what's important is how does Erdogan want to move into the future with Turkey. NATO member Turkey requested in October 2021 to buy $20 billion of Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) F-16 fighters and nearly 80 modernization kits for its existing warplanes. President Joe Biden's administration has said it supports the sale and has been in touch for months with Congress to win its approval. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Turkey on Tuesday to immediately finalize Sweden's accession to NATO, and rejected the suggestion that the Biden administration is linking Turkey's approval of Sweden's NATO accession to the F-16 sale.

Persons: Bektas, Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, he's, Bob Menendez, we've, I've, Menendez, Joe Biden's, Biden, Washington, Sweden's, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Patricia Zengerle, Stephen Coates Organizations: Turkish Air Force, . Air Force, REUTERS, NATO, Senate Foreign Relations, Turkey, Lockheed Martin Corp, House Foreign, Thomson Locations: Adana, Turkey, Bektas WASHINGTON, Turkish, Sweden, Ankara

☆ Biden administration OKs boost in Chinese airline flights to US
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

USDOT's order said its goal was "a gradual, broader reopening of the U.S.-China air services market." U.S. carriers American Airlines (AAL.O), Delta Air Lines (DAL.N), and United Airlines (UAL.O) operate scheduled passenger services between the countries, as do Chinese operators Xiamen Airlines, Air China (601111.SS), China Southern Airlines (600029.SS) and China Eastern Airlines (600115.SS). USDOT noted American began operating two additional roundtrip weekly flights to Shanghai from Texas in March after Chinese pandemic restrictions were dropped. USDOT said in its order that Chinese restrictions on air travel "had, and continue to have, a devastating effect on the U.S.-China air transport market." In February, two key senators issued a letter urging the Biden administration to halt Chinese airlines and other non-American carriers from flying over Russia on U.S. routes, which gives them an advantage in fuel burn and flying time.

Strikes have rolled through France, Portugal, Britain and Germany in recent weeks and could cause air travel disruption in parts of Europe through the Easter holidays, officials at airlines, airports and air traffic authorities told Reuters. There's no doubt about it," said Steven Moore, who is in charge of air traffic management operations at Eurocontrol. Airlines say they have to pay compensation without themselves getting compensated for air traffic delays. Consumer groups say air traffic control strikes are not new and airlines should be quicker to react and pay compensation. He called last week on the European Commission to do more to stop such strikes hitting overflights, by introducing minimum service rules, though industry experts say strikes are a national issue.

WASHINGTON, March 8 (Reuters) - China will maintain its cooperation with Russia to continue trying to challenge the United States despite international concerns about the invasion of Ukraine, U.S. intelligence agencies said on Wednesday. "Despite global backlash over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, China will maintain its diplomatic, defense, economic, and technology cooperation with Russia to continue trying to challenge the United States, even as it will limit public support," they said in a report released as the Senate Intelligence Committee held its annual hearing on worldwide threats to U.S. security. "The next few years are critical as strategic competition with China and Russia intensifies in particular how the world will evolve, and whether the rise of authoritarianism can be checked and reversed," Haines added. Haines described "a grinding, attritional war" in Ukraine and said U.S. intelligence does not foresee the Russian military recovering enough this year to make major territorial gains. Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, Jonathan Landay, Michael Martina; Editing by Doina Chiacu;Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Senators urge halt to Chinese carriers overflying Russia on U.S. flights
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Al Drago/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoFeb 23 (Reuters) - The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the committee's top Republican urged the Biden administration to halt Chinese airlines and other non-American carriers from flying over Russia on U.S. routes. U.S. airlines and other foreign carriers are barred from flying over Russia. Russia banned airlines from the United States from overflights after the U.S. barred Russia flights in March 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine. U.S. air carriers currently serve Shanghai from the United States through a stop in Incheon, South Korea, while Chinese carriers serve the United States directly, flying through Russian airspace. The senators want the Biden administration to prohibit U.S. government personnel on official travel from taking flights known to use Russian airspace.

Beijing condemned the shooting down of the balloon as an "obvious overreaction" and urged Washington to show restraint. Some U.S. Republicans have questioned why the balloon was not shot down before it was allowed to travel across the United States. Senior U.S. officials have offered to brief former Trump administration officials on the details of what the White House said were three China balloon overflights when Donald Trump was president. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China learned its balloon had drifted over the United States after being notified by Washington. On Sunday, Colombia's military said it sighted an airborne object similar to a balloon after the Pentagon said on Friday another Chinese balloon was flying over Latin America.

WASHINGTON, Feb 6 (Reuters) - A senior U.S. general responsible for bringing down a Chinese spy balloon said on Monday the military had not detected previous spy balloons before the one that appeared on Jan. 28 over the United States and called it an "awareness gap." The Pentagon said over the weekend that Chinese spy balloons had briefly flown over the United States at least three times during President Donald Trump's administration and one previously under President Joe Biden. He did not provide details on previous balloons, including where over the United States they flew. Senior U.S. officials have offered to brief individuals from the previous administration on the details of previous balloons overflights when Trump was president. A U.S. Air Force fighter jet shot down the suspected Chinese spy balloon off the South Carolina coast on Saturday, a week after it first entered U.S. airspace and triggered a dramatic -- and public -- spying saga that worsened Sino-U.S. relations.

☆ Philippines coast guard chief says boosts South China Sea presence
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Karen Lema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We're making sure that the presence of coast guard vessels is felt by the fishermen in the area," Admiral Artemio Abu, Commandant of the Philippines Coast Guard (PCG), said in an interview. "At a moment's notice, the coast guard vessels we will be there because they are exclusively and primarily dedicated for that purpose," said Abu. The 26,000-strong coast guard has 25 primary ships that can be used for deployment and patrols. Since 2002, the Philippines has filed 200 diplomatic notes and protests against China's actions in the South China Sea. The Pentagon also said separately the United States and the Philippines had "agreed to restart joint maritime patrols in the South China Sea to help address these challenges."

☆ U.S. fines Virgin Atlantic $1.05 million for flying over Iraq
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. Transportation Department (USDOT) said Tuesday it had fined Virgin Atlantic $1.05 million for flying in restricted airspace over Iraq on numerous occasions. Virgin Atlantic said Tuesday that "as soon as we were made aware of this compliance issue by the DOT, our code share flight routings were immediately corrected." At the time, other foreign governments permitted flying over Iraqi airspace at high altitudes, with numerous flights over Iraq daily. Virgin Atlantic must pay $525,000 in three installments while the remaining $525,000 is payable only if Virgin Atlantic violates the order’s cease and desist or payment provisions. USDOT said Virgin Atlantic had told the agency the "prohibited overflights were inadvertent, caused by operational disruptions and loss of personnel due to the COVID-19 pandemic."

☆ Analysis: EU unity over Russia sanctions falters as Europe's economy wilts
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( John O'Donnell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Some, such as Belgium and Greece, as well as Hungary which still relies heavily on Russian energy imports, pushed back against further sweeping measures, EU diplomats told Reuters. Russia says sanctions have boomeranged against the West, driving up inflation as energy prices have rocketed higher. Meanwhile, existing EU measures are not always watertight. Others are more discrete, while some have half an eye on a future relationship with Russia after the war ends. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said this month that the EU would "tighten the sanctions against Russia for as long as Putin continues his war".

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest news: Putin backs evacuation of civilians from occupied region
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nov 4 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly endorsed the evacuation of civilians from parts of Ukraine's southern Kherson region on Friday, the latest sign of Russia's retreat in one of the most bitterly contested areas in Ukraine. FIGHTING, SECURITY* The Russian-installed deputy governor of Ukraine's Kherson region said a 24 hour curfew had been imposed in Kherson city, amid what he said was a likely Ukrainian offensive against the city. * Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier that civilians in the Kherson region should be evacuated from the conflict zone, the Kremlin chief's first acknowledgement of a deteriorating situation in a region he claims to have annexed. * Putin said Russia had mobilised 318,000 people into its armed forces, Interfax news agency reported. * Germany will install better air defence protection over Defence Ministry office buildings in response to a series of suspect drone overflights, Der Spiegel reported.

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