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☆ How a Decaying Warship Beached on a Tiny Shoal Provoked China’s Ire
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Camille Elemia | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

For more than two decades, it has been an unlikely flashpoint in the South China Sea: a rusty, World War II-era ship beached on a tiny reef that has become a symbol of Philippine resistance against Beijing. The Philippine government ran the vessel aground in 1999 on the Second Thomas Shoal, a contested reef 120 miles off the coast of the western province of Palawan. The dilapidated warship, known as the Sierra Madre, will never sail again. But it has remained there ever since, a marker of the Philippines’ claim to the shoal and an effort to prevent China from seizing more of the disputed waters. On Friday, a reporter for The New York Times was among a group given rare access to a Philippine resupply mission, first boarding a Coast Guard ship — the BRP Cabra — and then an inflatable dinghy to get within 1,000 yards of the Sierra Madre.

Persons: Thomas Organizations: Beijing, Philippine, The New York Times, Coast Guard, BRP, — Locations: South China, Palawan, Sierra Madre, Philippines, China, Philippine

☆ Philippines accuses Chinese vessels of firing water cannon on ships resupplying South China Sea military outpost
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | Larry Register | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Manila accused Chinese ships of firing water cannons and making “dangerous maneuvers” toward Philippine vessels resupplying a remote military outpost on Friday, in the latest of a string of incidents between the two countries in the disputed South China Sea. The Philippines also claimed that vessels belonging to a Chinese maritime militia were involved in the harassment and that two Philippine boats were subjected to “reckless” and “dangerous” harassment by inflatable boats belonging to the Chinese coast guard. That claim is hotly disputed by China and the two countries have been involved in increasingly frequent run-ins in the highly contested waterway. The Philippine Embassy in Beijing has protested to the Chinese Foreign Ministry over the latest incident. The South China Sea is widely seen as a potential flashpoint for global conflict.

Persons: Thomas, Thomas Shoal, Beijing –, Gan Yu, Philippines “, Shoal, “, China’s, ” Organizations: CNN, BRP, BRP Sierra Madre, US Navy, ”, Philippine Embassy, Chinese Foreign Ministry Locations: Manila, China, Chinese, “, BRP Sierra, Philippines, Beijing, China’s Nansha, Philippine, Spratly, South China

☆ An Epic Pilgrimage Across Three Great Religions
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Aatish Taseer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +111 min

Before there was tourism, there was pilgrimage: a trip of endurance, hardship and ecstasy in celebration of one’s faith. On an epic pilgrimage of his own, one writer ventures into the heart of three great religions in Bolivia, Mongolia and Iraq. The Imam Hussein shrine in Karbala the day after Ashura. “They’re poor, but they come thousands of kilometers for the love of Imam Hussein.” PILGRIMAGE WAS A great equalizer. “Labaik ya Hussein,” came the solemn chorus of surrounding voices.

Persons: Eduardo Quintela Gonzáles, ” Quintela, JAN, “, ”, Quintela, Victor, Edith Turner, Chaucer, ferne, sondry londes, Vaishno Devi, Lyra Skinner, Lyra, Victoria Preston’s, —, Prophet Muhammad, Virgin Mary, Bath, Naipaul, Augustus, Ryan, garret, Virgin, Monica Machicao, Nicholas Casey, ” Monica, Casey, Evo Morales, sloughing, Columbus, Cortés, Francisco Pizarro, Monica, glitzy cholets, Peru —, Viracocha, it’s, Pablo Quisbert, Leandro Chitarroni, Eichmann, Father Chitarroni, Father Chitarroni’s, Conquistadores ”, Fernando Cervantes, Bernabé Cobo, Quisbert, Edgar Quispe, Tatiana Huayhua, Francisco Tito Yupanqui, Mary, Yupanqui’s, su, Yupanqui, Chitarroni, she’s, Friar Abelino Yeguaori, Friar Yeguaori, Friar Yeguaori’s, Irene, Juana, hajji, Waka, Aracely Alcón, Santiago, Alcón, ‘, don’t, ” Alcón, Tito Yupanqui, Uma Marka, Pachamama, haggard, Amaru Fiorilo Barrios, he’d, ” Fiorilo, Fiorilo, who’d, Valeria Alcón, Laureano Jose Quisbert, Elena Ticona Flores, Eduardo Quintela’s, Ensamble, pang, padre, consolations, Sincrético, El, Rodrigo Paz Pereira, Axel, amauta, strode, La, Aatish Taseer, Saint Helena —, Constantine I, La Paz, Orgilbaatar Tsolmon, Orgil, Genghis Khan, Edward Gibbon, ” Orgil, Araniko’s, Kublai Khan, Genghis Khan’s, Kubla Khan, Coleridge, Kublai, Stalin, sybarite, Khamar, Dalai Lama, Lama, Christopher Kaplonski, ger, I’d, banshtai tsai, Prim, Egi, Munkhdul, Gandantegchinlen, Haidav, herder, “ Um sain, boltugai, Danzanravjaa, Zanabazar’s, Erdene, Mandakhtsog Monkhbaatar, Monkhbaatar’s, Dalai Lamas, prostrated, He’d, Zuu, she’d, Santiago de, L.K, Advani, Emperor Babur, Ram, kar sevaks, Ayodhya, Narendra Modi, Munkhbaatar Batchuluun, Henry Wallace, Franklin D, Potemkin, Munkhbaatar, Gerelmaa, Giimaa, She’d, Eduardo Quintela, Aracely, Santiago’s, Joseph Brodsky’s, Muhammad’s, Hussein, William Keo, ” Khuder, pillion, Labaik, Hussein ”, O Hussein, hearkened, Prophet, Ali —, Ali, Yazid, Imam, crackling, chickpeas, Imam Ali, Imam Hussein, Saddam Hussein, Tusi, Qasim, Imam Hussein’s, Khuder, “ Will, Najaf, prestes, — I, Yasir Yaseen, Ashura, Ali Akbar, Abbas, Ali Asghar, “ We’re, Francisco Goya’s, Hussein’s, Groom, Joseph, ” Wissam, Turfi, Saddam —, Arbaeen, Saddam, “ Imam Hussein, WE, Muhammad, Barnaby Rogerson, Prophet Muhammad ”, ” Ali, Muhammad — Muhammad, formlessness, Muqtada al, Abrams, chiding, Abu Musab Al, Zarqawi, Al Qaeda, William, “ They’re, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, flagellants, ruddy, stylishly, Hussein — shahid —, Farman Ahsan, Syed Salman Raza —, Saddam’s, ” Raza, William “, Ali Zayn al, Abidin, Labaik ya Hussein, thrall —, Lloyd, Susanne Rudolph — Organizations: CITY LA, LA, LA PAZ, Virgin, Crusaders, Dolorosa, Sun, The New York Times, Bolivian, Spain, La, Cordillera, Universidad Mayor de, Catholic, Good, La Paz, Dominican, Pakistan, Caesars, Nissan, Coke, Communists, Communism, ardor, Communist, Hyundai, flails, sacra, Apache, Mahdi Army, Al, ISIS, Karachi —, Princeton Locations: Bolivia, Mongolia, Iraq, Aatish Taseer Bolivia Mongolia Iraq, CITY LA PAZ, BOLIVIA, NAJAF, IRAQ, ULAANBAATAR, MONGOLIA, LA PAZ, La Paz, Bolivian, Copacabana, Lake Titicaca, New York, Christian, British, sondry, India, Delhi, Varanasi, Europe, American, Mecca, Arabia, Long, Vino Tinto, Chile, Peru, Monica, Plurinational State, Bolivia —, Americas, Spain, Columbian, Aztec Mexico, Inca Peru, Calvary Hill, Virgen del Cerro, South America, Puerto Rico, Huatajata, ”, Argentine, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Mexican, revelry, Spanish, “, morena, La, “ India, multilayered, Potosí, Argentina, Warisata, Scotch, Santiago de Compostela, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Nepal, Nations, El Alto, Buenos Aires, Bombay, Tibet, Bolivia’s, Yamuna Rivers, United States, Buddhist Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolian, Istanbul, Asia, Islam, China, Beijing, Dadu, Erdene Zuu, Soviet, Gobi, Los Angeles, gers, Qing China, Karnataka, Töv Province, Karakorum, Khamar, Erdene, Ukraine, Korea, Golden, Bayankhongor, Lhasa, Dalai, Inner Mongolia, Mongol, Nalaikh, Santiago, Santiago de Compostela and Canterbury, Bulgan Province, Somnath, Gujarat, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, ger, East German, Uvs Province, Pakistani, Indian, Tennessee, Najaf, Baghdad, Khuder, —, abayas, KARBALA, Kufa, Medina, Saudi Arabia, Karbala, Imam Ali, Bab, Kuwaiti, Bohras, South Asia, Tajikistan, Zaydis, Yemen, Alawites, Anatolia, Syria, Iran, Bahrain, Azerbaijan, Sadr, U.S, Jordanian, Al Qaeda, Mesopotamia, Al, Multan, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan’s, Islamabad, Lahore, Kuwait, Karachi, Doha, Qatar

☆ China, a U.S. Ally and the Fight Over an Old Rusty Ship
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Niharika Mandhana | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Located near Taiwan and the South China Sea, the Philippines has found itself at the center of a global effort to counter China. WSJ’s Shelby Holliday traveled there to learn about the nation’s strategic importance and its growing ties with the U.S. Photo: David FangSINGAPORE—A dispute between China and the Philippines, a U.S. ally, is rapidly escalating over an unusual military outpost: a World War-II era ship that is leaky, riddled with holes, covered in rust and sitting atop a reef in the South China Sea. The decrepit ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, and the small detachment of marines aboard are defending the Philippines’ claim to Second Thomas Shoal, located about 100 miles off its west coast. The country grounded the ship on the reef 2½ decades ago to stave off China’s expanding control over the South China Sea.

Persons: WSJ’s Shelby Holliday, David Fang SINGAPORE, Thomas Organizations: U.S, BRP, BRP Sierra Madre Locations: Taiwan, South China, Philippines, China, U.S, BRP Sierra

A Philippine flagged boat is blocked by a China Coast Guard vessel during an incident that resulted in a collision between the two vessels, in the disputed waters of the South China Sea in this screen grab obtained from handout video released October 22, 2023. China Coast Guard/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsMANILA, Oct 23 (Reuters) - The Philippines repeated its call for China to stop "provocative actions", warning that its attempts to block Manila's resupply missions to a disputed atoll in the South China Sea could have "disastrous results". NSC's Malaya accused China of "increasing tensions" in the South China Sea and maintained it was China's actions that caused Sunday's collision. But we are concerned by the escalation and provocations by Chinese vessels who have no business being in the West Philippine Sea," Malaya said. Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz and Karen Lema; Editing by Kanupriya KapoorOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jonathan Malaya, Thomas, Jay Tarriela, Enrico dela Cruz, Karen Lema, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: China Coast Guard, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, National Security Council, China's coastguard, coastguard, BRP, BRP Sierra Madre, Philippine Coast Guard, Thomson Locations: Philippine, South, Rights MANILA, Philippines, China, BRP Sierra, Manila, NSC's Malaya, West Philippine, Malaya

☆ China, Philippines trade accusations over collision in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The two countries have had numerous run-ins in areas of the South China Sea in recent months, especially the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands. The Pentagon said in May it would protect the Philippines if its coast guard came under attack "anywhere in the South China Sea". Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including parts of the exclusive economic zones of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. "The provocative, irresponsible, and illegal action" of the Chinese coast guard vessel "imperilled the safety of the crew" of the Philippine boat, the task force said. "The Philippines behaviour seriously violates the international rules on avoiding collisions at sea and threatens the navigation safety of our vessels," the coast guard said.

Persons: Thomas Shoal, Erik De Castro, China's, Philippines MaryKay Carlson, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Thomas, Ethan Wang, Bernard Orr, Enrico Dela Cruz, William Mallard Organizations: BRP, BRP Sierra Madre, Philippine Navy, REUTERS, Manila, Manila's, Force, West Philippine, Washington, Pentagon, BRP Sierra, Thomson Locations: BRP Sierra, Philippine, Spratly, South, China, Philippines, Manila, Manila BEIJING, MANILA, South China, States, Beijing, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, China's

☆ China says it 'lawfully' blocked Philippine ships going to disputed shoal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO: A Philippine flag flutters from BRP Sierra Madre, a dilapidated Philippine Navy ship that has been aground since 1999 and became a Philippine military detachment on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands, in the South China Sea March 29, 2014. REUTERS/Erik De Castro/File Photo/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Oct 22 (Reuters) - China's coast guard said on Sunday it "lawfully" blocked Philippine vessels transporting "illegal construction materials" to a warship at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. Over the past few months, China and the Philippines have had numerous run-ins in areas of the South China Sea, most notable the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands. China had warned the Philippines against further "provocations", saying such acts violated its territorial sovereignty. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, pointing to a dotted line on its maps that cuts into the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.

Persons: Thomas Shoal, Erik De Castro, China's, Ethan Wang, Bernard Orr, William Mallard Organizations: BRP, BRP Sierra Madre, Philippine Navy, REUTERS, Rights, China Coast Guard, Thomson Locations: BRP Sierra, Philippine, Spratly, South, Rights BEIJING, South China, China, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia

☆ Philippines Tells China to Stop Provocative Actions in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Enrico Dela Cruz and Karen LemaMANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines repeated its call for China to stop "provocative actions", warning that its attempts to block Manila's resupply missions to a disputed atoll in the South China Sea could have "disastrous results". The shoal is in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. It has also summoned the Chinese ambassador and has filed a diplomatic protest, its foreign ministry said. NSC's Malaya accused China of "increasing tensions" in the South China Sea and maintained it was China's actions that caused Sunday's collision. But we are concerned by the escalation and provocations by Chinese vessels who have no business being in the West Philippine Sea," Malaya said.

Persons: Enrico Dela Cruz, Karen Lema MANILA, Jonathan Malaya, Thomas, Jay Tarriela, Enrico dela Cruz, Karen Lema, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: National Security Council, China's coastguard, coastguard, BRP, BRP Sierra Madre, Philippine Coast Guard Locations: Philippines, China, South, Philippine, BRP Sierra, Manila, NSC's Malaya, West Philippine, Malaya

Hong Kong CNN —China and the Philippines on Sunday accused each other of causing collisions in a disputed area of the South China Sea, the latest in a string of maritime confrontations between the two countries that have heightened regional tensions. In a statement Sunday, the Chinese Coast Guard accused the Philippines of violating international marine law and threatening the navigation safety of Chinese ships. In 2016, an international tribunal in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines in a landmark maritime dispute, which concluded that China has no legal basis to claim historic rights to the bulk of the South China Sea. In September, the Philippine Coast Guard released video of a Filipino diver cutting a Chinese-installed floating barrier in a disputed area of the waterway that had prevented Filipino boats from entering. It came just days after after the Philippine Coast Guard accused China’s maritime militia of turning vast patches of coral near the Palawan island chain into a bleached and broken wasteland.

Persons: Thomas, “, Thomas Shoal Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Coast Guard, National Task Force, West Philippine, BRP, Chinese Coast Guard, Philippine Coast Guard Locations: Hong Kong, China, Philippines, South China, Philippine, Ayungin, Spratly, BRP Sierra Madre, Manila, Beijing, China’s, The Hague, Palawan

☆ Near collision, tense encounter as Beijing flexes muscles in the South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Adrian Portugal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] A Chinese maritime militia vessel is seen sailing in the South China Sea, October 4, 2023. REUTERS/Adrian Portugal/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEAR THE SECOND THOMAS SHOAL, South China Sea, Oct 6 (Reuters) - The crew of the Philippine coastguard boat watch anxiously as an imposing Chinese vessel draws near and cuts off its path, coming within a metre of collision in a vast stretch of open water in the South China Sea. Tense encounters like this, about 100 miles (185 km) off the Philippines and witnessed by a Reuters journalist, are becoming more frequent in Asia's most contested waters as China presses its claim of ownership over almost the entire South China Sea. China condemned the resupply mission, saying Philippine vessels had "intruded" in its waters in the Spratly Islands without its permission. The stakes are high if this brinkmanship turns to miscalculation in the South China Sea.

Persons: Adrian Portugal, Thomas, Jay Tarriela, Karen Lema, Martin Petty Organizations: REUTERS, THOMAS, Philippine coastguard, BRP, coastguard, Philippine, Reuters, Beijing, Mutual Defense Treaty, Pentagon, Thomson Locations: South China, Philippines, China, Philippine, Beijing, Sierra Madre, Spratly, Manila, Washington, United States, South

☆ China condemns Philippine re-supply mission to disputed atoll
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Erik De Castro/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING/MANILA, Oct 5 (Reuters) - China has condemned a mission by four Philippine ships to re-supply Philippine troops on a disputed South China Sea atoll, saying the vessels had entered its waters in the Spratly Islands without its permission. "Philippine supply ships and two coast guard ships entered the waters ... in China's Nansha Islands without permission from the Chinese government," China Coast Guard spokesperson Gan Yu said a post on its website, using China's name for the Spratly Islands. The atoll in the area is known as Ayungin in the Philippines, while China calls it the Renai Reef. read moreThe Philippine National Security Council (NSC) said its re-supply and rotation mission was completed despite attempts by a significant number of China Coast Guard and Chinese Maritime Militia to "harass and interfere" with it. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, pointing to a line on its maps that cuts into the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.

Persons: Thomas Shoal, Erik De Castro, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Gan Yu, Thomas, Philippe, Ryan Woo, Karen Lema, Engen Tham, Kaiwen Xu, Robert Birsel Organizations: BRP, BRP Sierra Madre, Philippine Navy, REUTERS, Rights, China Coast Guard, Philippine National Security Council, Chinese Maritime Militia, Thomson Locations: BRP Sierra, Philippine, Spratly, South, Rights BEIJING, MANILA, China, Philippines, South China, China's Nansha, Palawan, United States, Manila, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia

☆ South China Sea: Philippines accuses Chinese maritime militia of destroying coral reefs near Palawan
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Philippine Coast Guard/FacebookTarriela said between August 9 and September 11, the coast guard monitored 33 Chinese vessels within the vicinity of Rozul Reef and around 15 Chinese ships near Escoda Shoal. The UP Marine Science Institute found vibrant corals in the Rozul (Iroquios) Reef in the South China Sea in May 2021. At least two foreign ambassadors in Manila have expressed alarm over reports of destruction of marine resources in the South China Sea. The grounded Philippine navy ship Sierra Madre, which Manila uses to stake its territorial claims at Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands in the disputed South China Sea, as pictured on April 23, 2023. Under current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the country’s National Security Team began to publicize its findings about what was actually happening in the West Philippine Sea and the South China Sea more regularly, Powell said.

Persons: Jay Tarriela, ” Tarriela, Facebook Tarriela, Tarriela, Mao Ning, “, ”, Gerry Arances, Arances, Ray Powell, SeaLight, Powell, Philippines MaryKay Carlson, Kazuhiko Koshikawa, Rodrigo Duterte, Shoal, Ted Aljibe, Thomas Shoal, Ferdinand Marcos Jr Organizations: CNN, Philippine Coast Guard, Chinese Maritime Militia, Facebook, Philippine, Spratly Islands, Philippine coastguard, University of, Philippines Marine Science Institute, country’s National Security Council, Scientific, UP Marine Science Institute, Marine Science, CNN Philippines, Center for Energy, coastguard, National Security, Stanford University, The, United, Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, Asia, Transparency Initiative, BRP, BRP Sierra Madre, National Security Team, West Philippine, South China Locations: South, Philippines, China, Sabina, South China, Palawan, Beijing, Philippine, Rozul, Escoda Shoal, ” Beijing, China’s, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, The Hague, West Philippine, United States, Indonesia, Vietnam, The Philippines, Manila, Sierra, Spratly, AFP, BRP Sierra, Sierra Madre, West

☆ Column: TransWest line to recast Wyoming from coal villain to energy hero
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LITTLETON, Colorado, Sept 11 (Reuters) - A 728-mile (1,172-km) transmission line connecting wind farms in rural Wyoming to power consumers in California and Nevada looks set to reshape Wyoming's reputation from coal stalwart to energy transition lynchpin. Wyoming is by far the largest coal producing state in the United States, accounting for more than 40% of total U.S. coal output in 2021, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Reuters Image Acquire Licensing RightsAs a result, Wyoming has the potential to generate large amounts of wind power that can be exported to more populous areas which lack their own clean energy supplies. RECORD DRIVERThe main engine behind the clean energy that will flow through the TransWest line will be the Chokecherry and Sierra Madre wind energy project, which when completed will be the largest wind farm in the United States. But if the TransWest line can deliver on its promise of efficiently channelling surplus clean power to distant, needy consumers, there is a good chance more such projects will gain the necessary backing.

Persons: Gavin Maguire, Tom Hogue Organizations: U.S . Energy Information Administration, U.S, Reuters, TransWest, U.S . Department of Energy, TransWest Express, Thomson Locations: LITTLETON , Colorado, Wyoming, California, Nevada, . Wyoming, United States, Texas, U.S, California , Arizona, Sierra Madre

CNN —The Philippines has accused Chinese vessels of carrying out “dangerous maneuvers” in a disputed area of the South China Sea in the latest maritime flare-up between the two neighbors. It claimed the Chinese boats “jeopardized” the safety of the crew members aboard the Philippine vessels, but did not detail how. It claimed the incident had involved four Chinese coast guard vessels and four Chinese “maritime militia” boats. Western marine security experts believe Beijing controls a maritime militia hundreds of vessels strong that acts as an unofficial – and officially deniable – force to push its territorial claims both in the South China Sea and beyond. In response to the latest confrontation, the Chinese coast guard issued a statement on Friday, accusing the Philippines of unauthorized entry into the area.

Persons: Thomas, “, Thomas Shoal, Ferdinand Marcos Jr Organizations: CNN, BRP, BRP Sierra Madre, Court Locations: Philippines, South, Philippine, Ayungin, China, Spratly, Beijing, Thomas Shoal . China, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, Manila, BRP Sierra, China’s Nansha, Hague, South China

☆ In cat and mouse game, Philippines resupplies troops in South China Sea atoll
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Jay Ereno | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Journalists onboard a Philippines Coast Guard ship take photos of a China Coast Guard vessel, during a resupply mission for troops stationed at a grounded Philippines ship, in the South China Sea, September 8, 2023. NO ARCHIVES Acquire Licensing RightsSOUTH CHINA SEA, Sept 9 (Reuters) - The Philippines has completed a supply mission for troops stationed in a rusty World War Two-era ship, but not without a usual cat and mouse chase with Chinese vessels in the South China Sea. In another instance, a Philippine ship was surrounded by a Chinese coast guard vessel and three maritime militia vessels. One of the Chinese ships was also seen heading dangerously close to the Philippine vessel which Reuters was onboard, while several Chinese militia vessels tried to block its path. "We always encounter dangerous manoeuvres, shadowing activities, blocking not only from China coast guard vessels, but also from China militia vessels," Philippine Coast Guard commanding officer Emmanuel Dangate told reporters after the mission.

Persons: Jay Ereno, Thomas Shoal, Emmanuel Dangate, Jay Ereño, Neil Jerome Morales, Clelia Organizations: Journalists, Philippines Coast Guard, China Coast Guard, REUTERS, CHINA SEA, Reuters, Chinese Coast Guard, Philippine Coast Guard, BRP, BRP Sierra Madre, U.S . Navy, China, Thomson Locations: Philippines, South China, Philippine, China, BRP Sierra, U.S, China's, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan

☆ Philippines says South China Sea outpost resupplied despite Chinese harassment
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The Philippines on Tuesday said it had successfully delivered supplies to marines aboard the BRP Sierra Madre, a dilapidated military outpost in the contested South China Sea, despite attempts by Chinese vessels to block the mission. Liu said two Philippine supply vessels and two marine police vessels entered the waters “without the permission of the Chinese government.”The South China Sea has long been a source of tension between Manila and Beijing. Beijing claims “indisputable sovereignty” over almost all of the 1.3 million square mile South China Sea, as well as most of the islands within it, even those hundreds of miles from the Chinese mainland. The Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and Taiwan also lay claim to various atolls, sandbars and islands of the sprawling South China Sea. Manila’s territorial claims are backed by the international Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, which ruled in 2016 that China has no legal basis to claim historic rights to the bulk of the South China Sea.

Persons: Thomas, Renai, Liu Dejun, Liu, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, ” Marcos Jr Organizations: CNN, BRP, BRP Sierra Madre, National Task Force, West Philippine, China Coast Guard, Chinese Maritime Militia, Philippine Coast Guard, China, China’s, Guard, “, Court Locations: Philippines, BRP Sierra, China, Beijing, South, United States, BRP Sierra Madre, Philippine, Manila, The Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, Taiwan, Hague, South China

☆ Philippines to resupply South China Sea troops after Beijing's block
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Erik De Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreMANILA, Aug 19 (Reuters) - The Philippine armed forces said on Saturday it would again seek to resupply troops stationed in a rusty World War 2-era ship on a reef in the South China Sea, after China blocked a previous attempt with water cannons. China claims almost all the South China Sea, an assertion rejected internationally, while Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan and the Philippines have various claims to certain areas. The planned resupply mission "is a clear demonstration of our resolve to stand up against threats and coercion, and our commitment in upholding the rule of law", the armed forces said. In 2016, an international arbitration award invalidated China's sweeping claim to almost the entire South China Sea. China, which does not recognise the ruling, has built man-made islands with airstrips and surface-to-air missiles in the South China Sea.

Persons: Thomas Shoal, Erik De, Medel Aguilar, Thomas, Aguilar, Neil Jerome Morales, William Mallard Organizations: Philippine Marines, BRP Sierra Madre, Philippine Navy, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Philippine, Spratly, South, MANILA, South China, China, Manila, Beijing, Philippines, Thomas Shoal, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan

☆ Mess at Chef's Table: How claims of theft, embezzlement, and abuse shut down Brooklyn Fare's legendary Michelin-starred restaurant
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Anna Silman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +25 min

Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare, the iconic three-Michelin-star tasting restaurant by chef César Ramirez, quietly ceased operations in July. Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare is one of New York's most hallowed culinary institutions. A former employee at Chef's Table at Brooklyn FareBut beneath the restaurant's pristine stainless-steel surface, chaos was brewing. By 2011, Chef's Table had become one of only 138 restaurants worldwide to boast three Michelin stars. This year, Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare was the highest-ranked US restaurant on the 2023 World's 50 Best Restaurants' list.

Persons: César Ramirez, hasn't, Ramirez, Moneer, Moe, Issa, I'd, Ramirez's, Conti, David Bouley's, Le Bernardin, Per, Chef César Ramirez, Jamie McCarthy, WireImage, Joshua David Stein, Grub, Ramirez freaked, he'd, didn't, Pete Wells, Issa didn't, Adriana, Issa's, Heidi, —, Domaine, disrespected, Spencer Platt, Cesar, Issa wouldn't, commenter Organizations: Brooklyn, Brooklyn Fare, Manhattan Fare Corp, Chef's, Pepsi, GQ, Michelin, Madison, New York Press, Guardian, Staff, New York Times, York, Madison Park Locations: Hokkaido, Los Angeles, New York, Brooklyn, Burgundy, Israeli, Hill, Mexican, Chicago, West, Madison, Masa, Kaluga Queen, Russia, Asia, Kings County, Clinton Hill, Taiwan, York

☆ Ecuador lucha contra la peor ola de violencia generada por el narcotráfico
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Genevieve Glatsky | José María León Cabrera | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Victor Moriyama para The New York TimesVictor Moriyama para The New York TimesCredit... Victor Moriyama para The New York TimesPolicías deteniendo a un hombre en mayo en Durán, en Ecuador. Durante la detención, la madre del hombre, Ana, insistía en que su hijo era un consumidor de drogas, no un traficante. Policías deteniendo a un hombre en mayo en Durán, en Ecuador. Durante la detención, la madre del hombre, Ana, insistía en que su hijo era un consumidor de drogas, no un traficante.Credit...Victor Moriyama para The New York Times

☆ China asks Philippines to jointly work on defusing South China Sea tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the Philippines to work with China to seek an effective way to defuse tensions in the South China Sea, the official Xinhua news agency said on Saturday. The comments come amid rising tensions between the two countries over the location of a grounded warship that serves as a military outpost in the South China Sea. The comments were made by Wang during a visit to Singapore and Malaysia which took place on Thursday and Friday, said Xinhua. The Philippines won an international arbitration award in 2016 against China's claim over almost all of the South China Sea, after a tribunal ruled Beijing's sweeping claim had no legal basis, including at the Second Thomas Shoal. China, which does not recognize the ruling, has built militarized, man-made islands in the South China Sea and its claim of historic sovereignty overlaps with the EEZs of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.

Persons: Wang Yi, Wang, Thomas Organizations: Xinhua, Philippines, China's Locations: Philippines, China, South China, Singapore, Malaysia, Xinhua, Philippine, Sierra, Thomas Shoal . China, South, Vietnam, Brunei, Indonesia

☆ China-Philippines tensions: Is a maritime militia Beijing says doesn't exist causing chaos in the South China Sea?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Most of the Chinese ships involved are marked “China Coast Guard,” but among the flotilla are also at least two blue-hulled vessels that resemble fishing boats. After the confrontation last weekend, China claimed the Philippines had violated its sovereignty by grounding the ship on the shoal. That symbiotic relationship became even clearer in 2021 when the China Coast Guard came under the jurisdiction of the Chinese Central Military Commission effectively making it part of Beijing’s military. The Chinese vessels “physically blockaded the supply ship. Ted Aljibe/AFP/Getty ImagesChina’s waiting gameAnalysts say they don’t see any appetite in Beijing for actual combat over Second Thomas Shoal, but they also say China can afford to play a waiting game.

Persons: Thomas Shoal, Jay Tarriela, Thomas, “, ”, China’s, People’s Liberation Army –, Lyle Morris, CNN ‘, doesn’t, Ray Powell, SeaLight, Powell, Morris, ” Powell, Shoal, Ted Aljibe, Lionel Fatton, ” Washington Organizations: CNN, China Coast Guard, United, “, Philippine Coast Guard, Hague, People’s Liberation Army, PLA Navy, Chinese Central Military Commission, Asia Society, Center for China, National Security, Stanford University, Central Military Commission, US Navy, US Coast Guard, Getty, Webster University Locations: Philippine, South, Philippines, Spratly, United States, Beijing, China, Palawan, Sierra Madre, ”, South China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan, Washington, Manila, Sierra, AFP, Switzerland

☆ Philippines says refurbishing grounded ship an option to strengthen hold on disputed shoal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Karen Lema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A Philippine flag flutters onboard the BRP Sierra Madre, a marooned transport ship which Philippine Marines used as a military outpost, in the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea March 30, 2014. REUTERS/Erik De Castro/File PhotoPUERTO PRINCESA, Philippines Aug 11 (Reuters) - The Philippines is looking at several options to strengthen its hold on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea including refurbishing a grounded and rusting warship it uses as a military outpost, a move that would likely anger Beijing. The Philippines intentionally grounded the World War Two-era warship Sierra Madre in 1999 as part of its sovereignty claim to the Second Thomas Shoal, which lies within its exclusive economic zone, and rotates a handful of troops through the ship. China has urged the Philippines to fulfill a "promise" to tow away the grounded vessel, but Manila denied striking any agreement to abandon the shoal, which it calls Ayungin. The Philippines won an international arbitration award in 2016 against China's South China Sea sovereignty claim, after a tribunal ruled Beijing's sweeping claim had no legal basis, including at the Second Thomas Shoal.

Persons: Thomas Shoal, Erik De Castro, Alberto Carlos, Romeo Brawner, Thomas, Ayungin, Carlos, Ramsey Gutierrez, Gutierrez, Karen Lema, Michael Perry Organizations: flutters, BRP, BRP Sierra Madre, Philippine Marines, REUTERS, Philippine Western Command, Chinese Coast Guard, Philippines, China's, Thomson Locations: BRP Sierra, Spratly, South, PRINCESA, Philippines, South China, Beijing, Sierra, China, Manila, Japan, France, South Korea, United States, Philippine, Thomas Shoal . China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia

☆ The shipwreck at the center of a battle between China and the Philippines
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Lilian Manansala | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

The Sierra Madre is a warship turned military outpost intentionally grounded by the Philippines. Last week, the Chinese coast guard shot water cannons on a supply boat in an escalating battle over the former World War II ship.

Locations: Sierra, Philippines

☆ This massive, crumbling shipwreck-turned-military station has become the latest flashpoint in tense US-China relations. Take a look inside.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Philippine Coast Guard said the ship was carrying supplies to a Filipino military outpost. A massive, crumbling shipwreck that was repurposed by the Philippines and turned into a garrison in the South China Sea. Troops stationed aboard the Sierra Madre, take part in a flag retreat, March 29, 2014. Loresto told The Times that he preferred combat over being stationed on the Sierra Madre. Although the US has no territorial claims in the South China Sea, it has carried out regular naval operations in the region.

Persons: Matthew Miller, Thomas Shoal, Ritchie, Erik De Castro, Joey Loresto, Loresto, Jay Tarriela Organizations: Service, State Department, US State Department, Coast Guard, Philippine Coast Guard, Reuters, US Naval Magazine, LST, Troops, New York Times, Times, Embassy, China Coast Guard, US Navy Locations: Philippines, South China, China, Wall, Silicon, Philippine, Sierra, Spratly, Madre, Harnett County, Vietnam, Sierra Madre, United States

China Coast Guard/Handout via REUTERSMANILA, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Wednesday denied making an agreement with China to remove a grounded warship that serves as a military outpost in South China Sea, and said if there ever were such a deal, it should be considered rescinded. China on Monday accused the Philippines of reneging on a promise made "explicitly" to remove the ship, which was grounded in 1999 to bolster its territorial claims in one of the world's most contested areas. Jonathan Malaya, National Security Council assistant director general, earlier challenged China to produce evidence of the promise. China and the Philippines have been embroiled for years in on-off confrontations at the shoal, the latest on Saturday. China has built militarised, manmade islands in the South China Sea and its claim of historic sovereignty overlaps with the EEZs of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Thomas Shoal, I'm, Marcos, Jonathan Malaya, Thomas, Jay Batongbacal, Neil Jerome Morales, Karen Lema, Martin Petty Organizations: Coast Guard, China Coast Guard, REUTERS, National Security Council, Philippines, China, South China, University of the, Thomson Locations: Philippine, REUTERS MANILA, China, South China, Philippines, Sierra, Manila, reneging, China's, Sierra Madre, Malaya, South, Thomas Shoal . China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, University of the Philippines

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