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☆ Taiwan Says Chinese Carrier Group in Western Pacific for Training
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

TAIPEI (Reuters) - A Chinese naval formation led by the aircraft carrier Shandong passed 60 nautical miles (111km) to Taiwan's southeast on Monday and entered the western Pacific for training, the island's defence ministry said. The ministry said that beginning at 5:40 a.m., it also spotted 11 Chinese military aircraft, including J-16 fighters, in Taiwan's air defence identification zone and that its forces had made an "appropriate response". The Shandong, commissioned in 2019, participated in Chinese military drills around Taiwan in April, operating in the western Pacific. It also sailed through the Taiwan Strait in June. A U.S. and a Canadian warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Saturday, marking the second such joint mission since June and coinciding with the leaders of both countries attending the G20 summit in India.

Persons: Ben Blanchard, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Gerry Doyle Locations: TAIPEI, Shandong, Pacific, Taiwan, Taiwan Strait, U.S, Canadian, India, China, United States

☆ Rich, poor countries split over costs of pandemic prevention
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

REUTERS/Bruno Kelly/StringerSince early in the COVID-19 pandemic, global health officials have sought to create a “pandemic treaty” to better prepare for future outbreaks. The governing body of the World Health Organization, or WHO, chose delegates from each of its six administrative regions worldwide to lead the negotiations. Ahead of next week’s meeting, according to officials interviewed by Reuters, the biggest sticking point remains financing for poor countries. The United States and the European Union have both said they support the inclusion of “One Health” provisions in a pandemic treaty. But as a far-reaching and sometimes abstract concept, “One Health” measures could be costly to put into practice.

Persons: ”, Chadia Wannous, zoonotic spillover, Bruno Kelly, Stringer, Lawrence Gostin, ” Gostin, –, Maria Van Kerkhove, “, Deborah J, Nelson, Ryan McNeill, Helen Reid, Sam Hart, Simon Newman, Edgar Su, Paulo Prada, Janet Roberts, Feilding Organizations: LONDON Health, World Health Organization, Organisation for Animal Health, Reuters, REUTERS, WHO, European Union, Center, National, Global Health Law, “, Pacific, Brazilian, South Locations: Geneva, France, United States, Asia, Africa, Latin America, Americas, Southeast Asia, Brazil

The Chinese military regularly sends ships and aircraft through the channel, Taiwan's defence ministry has said. The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the proposed port in Basco. Cayco confirmed the visit, saying they came "one time to assess" the proposed alternative port. Marcos has said the bases under the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) could prove useful if China attacked Taiwan. Jay Batongbacal, maritime affairs expert at the University of the Philippines, said the proposed port "would certainly be needed for the island’s defence in a worst case scenario."

Persons: Marvin Licudine, Andres Centino, Heather Variava, Noel Beleran, Eric Austin, Marilou Cayco, Batanes, Cayco, Kanishka, MARCOS, Rodrigo Duterte, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Marcos, Jay Batongbacal, Poppy McPherson, Karen Lema, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Philippine Military, Embassy, Staff, Education, U.S, Reuters, China, Washington, U.S . Army, ., Enhanced, Security, University of the, Thomson Locations: Philippines, Philippine, U.S, MANILA, Taiwan . U.S, Taiwan, China, Washington, Pacific, Manila, Basco, Asia, Beijing, Batanes, South China, University of the Philippines, Luzon

☆ US Marines gearing up to defend 'key' terrain near China are about to get a first-of-its-kind ship-hunting missile
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

NMESIS, a ground-based anti-ship missile, is set to be fielded for the first time later this year. "NMESIS is the solution for the ground-based anti-ship missile capability," Staff Sgt. It emerged from the force redesign initiated by Gen. David Berger in 2019, shortly after taking over as Marine Corps commandant. We're shaping Marine Corps missile artillery and everything going forward" with the force-design plan, Reddy said. I think the learning begins this fall when we put it in the hands of a Marine unit."

Persons: NMESIS, Derek Reddy, Reddy, Earik Barton NMESIS, David Berger, Berger, Melanye Martinez, MCS2 Malcolm Kelley, Fielding, Nick Mannweiler, —, Eric Smith, We've, Smith Organizations: Navy - Marine Expeditionary Ship, Service, Corps, US Navy, Western Pacific, Marines, 1st Marine Division, Staff, Naval Air, US Marine Corps, Marine, Naval, Unit, Expeditionary, Tactical, Marine Littoral Regiment, Washington DC, Navy, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Tomahawk Locations: Wall, Silicon, California, Hawaii, Western, Southern California, Mugu, Philippines, Tripoli, San Diego, NMESIS, Taiwan, US, Okinawa —

☆ Insurer AIG profit beats estimates on gains in life and retirement unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File PhotoAug 1 (Reuters) - American International Group (AIG.N) exceeded second-quarter profit expectations on Tuesday, driven by growth at its life and retirement unit and lower-than-expected catastrophe losses in what was a very expensive quarter for the industry. AIG, one of the world's biggest commercial insurers, said net premiums written in its general insurance arm for the quarter ended June grew 10% to $7.5 billion. AIG's life and retirement unit saw a 42% jump in premiums and deposits, partly helped by record sales in fixed index annuities. AIG's general insurance accident year combined ratio was 88%, compared with 88.5%, a year earlier. The metric excludes catastrophe losses and a ratio below 100 signifies that the insurer earns more from premiums than it pays out in claims.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Mawar, Gallagher, Noor Zainab Hussain Organizations: AIG, REUTERS, American International, Companies, Thomson Locations: New, New York, Guam, United States, Bengaluru

In his address, Xi said the military must broaden its combat capability and readiness, the official Xinhua news agency reported. "We need to push for new equipment and new forces to accelerate forming combat capabilities and integrate into the combat system," Xi told the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force's western theatre command during a visit last Wednesday, Xinhua reported on Sunday. Marking the anniversary on Tuesday, an editorial in the official PLA Daily newspaper said the military had "enhanced its ability to carry out diversified military tasks in a wider space". "When the Chinese military conducts an exercise, it is showing force - it is bestowing or sending a message to other countries," he said. At sea, China is readying its aircraft carriers to extend and assert its power beyond its home waters.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Florence, HONG KONG, Xi, Song Zhongping, Drew Thompson, National University of Singapore's Lee, Thompson, Tsai Ing, Kevin McCarthy, China's J, Shi Yunjia, Greg Torode, Albee Zhang Organizations: Communist Party of China, Military Museum of, REUTERS, People's Liberation Army, PLA, Xinhua, Peoples Liberation Army Air, PLA Daily, National University of Singapore's, National University of Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew, of Public, Reuters, People's, of Army, U.S, House, China Morning Post, Western, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, HONG, Tuesday's, Russia, United States, U.S, Washington, Taiwan, Japan, Shandong, Fujian, South Korea, Guam

A powerful tropical cyclone was approaching islands in southern Japan on Tuesday, days after another one slammed into mainland China and the Philippines and left dozens of people dead or injured across the region. The new storm, Typhoon Khanun, was less than 200 miles southeast of a major United States military base in southern Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture on Tuesday, according to the United States military’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Hawaii. (Tropical cyclones are called hurricanes in the Atlantic and typhoons in the northwestern Pacific.) Japan’s official forecast showed the storm heading northwest toward mainland China later in the week. But the meteorological authorities in China said that it might turn further north and head for Japan’s major islands instead.

Persons: Khanun Organizations: United Locations: Japan, China, Philippines, United States, Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture, Hawaii, Atlantic, Pacific

☆ War with China would be an 'onslaught' like the US hasn't faced in decades
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Jake Epstein | Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

War would also have severe consequences for China and US allies in the Western Pacific. Any war with China would be fought on multiple fronts — from the air and sea to the web and financial markets. The US maintained this capacity for decades, but America's manufacturing prowess has atrophied since the end of the Cold War. Control of the Pacific would be a crucial part of any war with China, and Beijing boasts the world's largest navy. Cash warsWhile a military conflict between the US and China is only a hypothetical, the two countries are already competing on the economic battlefield.

Persons: Joe Biden, Mark Milley, Dan Blumenthal, it's, Blumenthal, Ujian, didn't, Glenn O'Donnell, Forrester, stymie, Ann Wang, William Alan Reinsch, Reinsch, Russia —, Scott Kennedy, Kennedy, aren't, Ramping, Jake Epstein, Jacob Zinkula Organizations: US, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Armed, US Navy, American Enterprise Institute, US Department of Defense, US Marine Corps, Pentagon, Navigation Plan, Ford, Nimitz, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Beijing, Russia, Columbia University, Marine Locations: China, Western, Beijing, Pacific, Taiwan, South China, America, Nebraska, Pearl, Normandy, Mongolia, Ukraine, Russian, Nanchang, Liaoning, Shandong, Fujian, wean, Washington, United States, Japan, Philippines, Netherlands

Hong Kong CNN —A growing typhoon is sweeping across the Pacific Ocean toward the Philippines, with forecasters warning it could strengthen into a supertyphoon and press on towards Taiwan, Hong Kong or mainland China later this week. Typhoon Doksuri began as a tropical storm in the Western Pacific on Sunday morning, according to the United States’ Joint Typhoon Warning Center. That could increase to about 18 inches of rainfall by Wednesday as the typhoon intensifies and heads toward the northern part of the South China Sea – spelling potential trouble for Taiwan, Hong Kong, and parts of southern China. The Hong Kong Observatory has asked the public to monitor weather announcements, warning the typhoon will bring high heat and thunderstorms ahead of its arrival. The city has just experienced another storm, Typhoon Talim, a week ago, which prompted authorities to close schools and the stock market.

Persons: Doksuri, Ferdinand R, Marcos Jr, Talim Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Pacific, Warning, Pagasa, South China, Hong, Philippine, Hong Kong Observatory Locations: Hong Kong, Philippines, Taiwan, China, United States, Luzon, South, Taiwan Strait, China’s Guangdong, “

☆ Avi Loeb’s Deep Dive for Alien Life Is Making Other Scientists Gasp
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Katrina Miller | More About Katrina Miller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Its location, velocity and brightness were recorded by U.S. government sensors and quietly tucked away in a database of similar events. Based on its logged speed and direction, Mr. Siraj identified the fireball as an extreme outlier. Last month, Dr. Loeb led an expedition to retrieve fragments of the fireball off the western Pacific seafloor. And that, he says to the chagrin of many of his colleagues, may be evidence of extraterrestrial life. “Not biological creatures, the way you see in science fiction movies,” Dr. Loeb said.

Persons: Avi Loeb, Amir Siraj, Siraj, Loeb, ” Dr, “, ” Organizations: U.S, Harvard University Locations: Manus Island, Papua New Guinea

In June, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared that an El Nino is now under way. Meteorologists expect that this El Nino, coupled with excess warming from climate change, will see the world grapple with record-high temperatures. Here is how El Nino will unfold and some of the weather we might expect:WHAT CAUSES AN EL NINO? El Nino could offer a reprieve to the Horn of Africa, which recently suffered five consecutive failed rainy seasons. Historically, both El Nino and La Nina have occurred about every two to seven years on average, with El Nino lasting 9 to 12 months.

Persons: Kim Hong, heatwaves, El, El Nino, Michelle L'Heureux, Tom DiLiberto, DiLiberto, La Nina, Nina, Gloria Dickie, Jake Spring, Angus MacSwan, Sandra Maler Organizations: REUTERS, Nino, Reuters, El Nino, U.S . National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, El, Graphics, el nino, NINO, U.S . West, La, Sao Paulo, Thomson Locations: Cheongju, South Korea, China, United States, Beijing, Rome, Americas, Asia, El, Pacific, Peru, Philippines, Canada, Central, South America, Australia, of Africa, Eastern Pacific, El Nino, London, Sao

☆ A showdown with one senator over hundreds of generals and admirals is set to ripple through the US military
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Waiting to replacing him is Gen. Eric Smith, and he will continue waiting until one senator lifts holds on the promotions of more than 250 generals and admirals. Tuberville's hold targets uniformed military officers over a policy set by the US military's civilian leadership, diverging from the longstanding manner in which members of Congress have expressed displeasure with such policies. Kelsey Dornfeld"Uniformed military officers do not set policy. 'We will lose talent'Maj. Gen. Eric Smith receives his three-star rank insignia during a ceremony in Okinawa in August 2018. "It is the personal development, it is the family understanding and predictability" that will be affected, Adm. John Aquilino, head of US Indo-Pacific Command, told senators in April.

Persons: Sen, Tommy Tuberville, Tuberville, David Berger, Eric Smith, Biden, —, Katherine Kuzminski, Sergeant, Marine Corps Troy Black, Kelsey Dornfeld, They're, Kuzminski, Berger, It's, Defense Lloyd Austin III, Austin, that's, Smith, Olivia G, Ortiz, Benjamin Northcutt, Christopher Cavoli, Michael Gilday, Lisa Franchetti, MCS2 La’Cordrick Wilson, John Aquilino, James McConville, McConville, Frank Kendall, Charles Brown Jr, Kendall, Brown, Drew Angerer, Mitch McConnell, Jack Reed's, Defense Lloyd Austin, Mark Milley, Alex Wong, Reed, Elizabeth Warren Organizations: Service, US Marine Corps, Pentagon, Department, US, Military, Veterans, Center, New, New American Security, Marine Corps, Staff, Uniformed, Defense, United States, Washington DC, Senate Armed Services Committee, US Army Europe, US Army, US European Command, NATO's Military, Naval Reactors, US Navy, Pacific Command, " Air Force, Savannah, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Capitol, Republican, CNN, Joint Chiefs Locations: Wall, Silicon, New American, Okinawa, Germany, Cavoli, Pacific, California, South Korea, Alabama

☆ In Guam, a US territory, the last doctor who performed abortions left in 2018. The closest option is an 8-hour flight to Hawaii.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

While abortion is legal in the US territory of Guam, it can be almost impossible to get. There are no doctors left on the island to perform abortions, so patients rely on telemedicine. If a pregnant person can't use abortion pills, their next best option is an 8-hour flight to Hawaii. Just two doctors are licensed and willing to provide care in Guam, though they are both based in Hawaii, The Times reported. On the island, anti-abortion sentiment persists among citizens, many of whom are Catholic, and within the local government, The Times reported.

Persons: —, Republican Douglas Moylan, Moylan, Lou Leon Guerrero, Guerrero, Guam's Organizations: Service, New York Times, The Times, Republican, Times, Democratic Gov, Associated Press Locations: Guam, Hawaii, Guam —, Japan, Guamanians, United States, Guam's

☆ Mariana Trench and Challenger Deep: 6 facts about the oceanic chasm
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Jackie Wattles | Amaya Mcdonald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

‘Titanic’ director James Cameron is one of the few people who have visitedFew human expeditions have ventured to the Challenger Deep. Explorer and Texas investor Victor Vescovo said he saw a plastic bag and candy wrappers at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. A trip to the Challenger Deep can put a vessel under pressure that is “equivalent to 50 jumbo jets,” Feldman noted. In 2005, tiny single-celled organisms called foraminifera, a type of plankton, were discovered in the Challenger Deep,” according to NOAA. Given high interest in the Mariana Trench, however, researchers have made several efforts to give increasingly detailed pictures of its features.

Persons: CNN —, Trench, James Cameron, Jacques Piccard, Don Walsh, Gene Feldman, Saeed Khan, ”, Victor Vescovo, Vescovo, Mariana Trench, Mariana, ” Feldman, That’s Organizations: CNN, NASA, Getty, Mariana Trench, Atlantic Productions, Discovery Channel, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Marianas Trench Locations: Everest, Trieste, Sydney, AFP, Texas, Chamorro, Mariana

☆ What James Cameron has said about diving to the Titanic wreckage
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —James Cameron isn’t just one of Hollywood’s most successful directors ever, he’s also a lover of deep sea exploration. Here’s what the director has said in the past about the deep sea exploration. Cameron took cameras to document the entire trek in the western Pacific. The sub’s just going like a bat out of hell.”Quickly, he said, he went past Titanic depth. I get to bear witness to a miracle that’s down there all the time,” Cameron told 60 Minutes Australia in 2018 of his deep sea explorations.

Persons: James Cameron isn’t, he’s, ”, Cameron, ’ Cameron, Playboy, “, ‘, ” Cameron, Jacques Cousteau’s, Joe MacInnis, MacInnis, Mariana Trench, Suzy Amis Cameron, Lizzy Calvert, you’ve Organizations: CNN, National Geographic, Royal Ontario Museum, Geographic, Australia Locations: Ontario, Canada, Toronto, Pacific, “

To help address that, Tokyo in April said it would offer like-minded countries military aid, including radars, that the officials said would help the Philippines plug defensive gaps. One, however, said the aid effort was a Japanese initiative and not anything the United States had pressed for. The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs said it was not immediately able to comment on security aid from Japan or hosting Japanese troops. LOOSENING THE RULESThe scope of Japanese military aid is limited by a self-imposed ban on lethal equipment exports. But he said Japan and the United States are treading carefully in trilateral talks with the Philippines.

Persons: Read, Fumio, Katsutoshi Kawano, Joe Biden's, Jake Sullivan, Takeo Akiba, Eduardo Ano, Fumio Kishida, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Kishida, Kawano, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Marcos, Yusuke Ishihara, Tim Kelly, Sakura Murakami, Yukiko Toyoda, Neil Jerome Morales, Gerry Doyle Organizations: U.S, Marines, Warriors, Philippine Marine Corps, Japanese, Reuters, Washington, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs, Ukraine, Group, Seven, Self - Defence Forces, Staff, Japan's National Institute for Defense Studies, Thomson Locations: Philippine, Japan, South Korea, ”, Taguig City, Metro Manila, Philippines, TOKYO, Indonesia, Taiwan, Ukraine, East Asia, Tokyo, Pacific, China, Japanese, United States, Kyiv, Manila, Yonaguni, Britain, Australia

☆ China holds live-fire drills in East China Sea north of Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, June 13 (Reuters) - China began military exercises in the East China sea to the north of Taiwan on Tuesday, including live-fire exercises from warships, as the U.S and its allies conduct their drills in the Western Pacific. China routinely conducts exercises along its coast, though the ones near Chinese-claimed Taiwan often attract the most attention. The drills are near the Dachen islands, which Taiwan controlled until 1955 until being evacuated after other nearby islands were seized by Chinese forces in a bloody battle. China will hold separate exercises in another northern part of the East China Sea until late Wednesday afternoon, the maritime safety agency said. China's East China Sea exercises coincide with a quadrilateral naval exercise in the Philippine Sea that started on Friday involving the United States, Japan, Canada and France.

Persons: Mao Zedong's, Ronald Reagan, Ryan Woo, Albee Zhang, Ben Blanchard, Robert Birsel Organizations: U.S, Safety Administration, East China, China, U.S . 7th Fleet, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, East China, Taiwan, Western Pacific, Zhejiang, China's Fujian, Republic of China, Taipei, East, Philippine, United States, Japan, Canada, France

☆ China aircraft monitored US, France, Canada, Japan navy drill - media
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, June 12 (Reuters) - China deployed a reconnaissance aircraft over Pacific waters east of Taiwan last week that Chinese media said monitored and gathered intelligence on an exercise involving the navies of the United States, Japan, France and Canada. The islands separate the East China Sea from the Philippine Sea, and dot the West Pacific between Japan and Taiwan, which China claims as its territory. The Japanese defence ministry reported a sighting of a Y-9 reconnaissance variant in the Pacific on Thursday. A spokesperson for the Japanese ministry said on Monday it was analysing a piece of equipment attached to the undercarriage of the Y-9 variant that had not been seen before. Days before the quadrilateral exercise, the coast guards of the Philippines, United States and Japan held their first trilateral exercise off the coast of a western Philippine province.

Persons: USS Nimitz, Ronald Reagan, Albee Zhang, Ryan Woo, Tim Kelly, Gerry Doyle, Robeert Organizations: Global Times, U.S, USS, U.S ., U.S . 7th Fleet, Military, South China, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Taiwan, United States, Japan, France, Canada, Ryukyu, Philippine, Beijing, East, Pacific, U.S, South, Philippines, Tokyo

☆ Taiwan scrambles fighter jets after 10 Chinese warplanes fly across the sensitive median line
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Taiwan deployed fighter jets after 10 Chinese planes crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait. Earlier this week, 37 Chinese military planes also flew into Taiwan's air-defense system. This is not the first instance of Chinese military activity around Taiwan this week. Reuters reported that 37 Chinese military planes flew into Taiwan's air-defense system before some headed to the western Pacific. China views Taiwan as part of its own territory, claiming that it is a breakaway province.

Persons: —, USS Chung, Xi Jinping Organizations: Service, People's Liberation Army Navy, Reuters, US, Fleet, 052D, Suzhou, Pacific Command, USS Locations: Taiwan, Taiwan Strait, American, China, Pacific

☆ Taiwan sends up fighters as Chinese warplanes cross strait's median line
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TAIPEI, June 11 (Reuters) - Taiwan's air force scrambled into action on Sunday after spotting 10 Chinese warplanes crossing the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait, as the island's defence ministry said four Chinese warships also carried out combat patrols. In a short statement, Taiwan's defence ministry said that as of 2 p.m. (0600 GMT) on Sunday it had detected 24 Chinese air force planes, including J-10, J-11, J-16 and Su-30 fighters, as well as H-6 bombers. It did not specify where the aircraft flew but said 10 had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which separates the two sides and had previously served as an unofficial barrier. China's defence ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In April, China held war games around Taiwan following a trip to the United States by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.

Persons: Tsai Ing, William Lai, Lai, Tsai, Laura Rosenberger, Ben Blanchard, Martin Pollard, Michael Perry, William Mallard Organizations: Taiwan, Democratic Progressive, American Institute, Thomson Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan, Pacific, China, Taiwan Strait, United States, Beijing, Washington, Taipei

☆ Meet Waltine Nauta, Trump's 'Diet Coke valet' who's now his co-defendant on federal charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Kelly Mclaughlin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

One of Trump's aides has been named as a co-defendant in Trump's recent federal indictment. Waltine Nauta, Trump's body man who brought him Diet Coke, has been charged with six counts. New York Magazine's Intelligencer reported that Nauta was Trump's "Diet Coke valet," the person who brought Trump a soda whenever he needed one in the White House's Oval Office. According to the Washington Post, Nauta would also bring Trump anything else he needed. He worked in the White House mess hall before becoming a valet, The Post reported.

Persons: Waltine, Coke, Trump, —, Donald Trump, Nauta, FBI Trump's, Trump's Organizations: Prosecutors, Service, FBI, Lago, New, New York Magazine's Intelligencer, Trump, Washington Post, Navy, The Post, Post, White, New York Times, Justice Department, Times Locations: White, New York, Guam, Pacific, Bedminster , New Jersey, Lago, Florida, Mar

On Thursday, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared that an El Nino is now underway. The last time a strong El Nino was in full swing, in 2016, the world saw its hottest year on record. Meteorologists expect that this El Nino, coupled with excess warming from climate change, will see the world grapple with record-high temperatures. Here is how El Nino will unfold and some of the weather we might expect:WHAT CAUSES AN EL NINO? Historically, both El Nino and La Nina have occurred about every two to seven years on average, with El Nino lasting 9 to 12 months.

Persons: El Nino, Michelle L'Heureux, El, Tom DiLiberto, DiLiberto, La Nina, Nina, Gloria Dickie, Angus MacSwan Organizations: El Nino, U.S . National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, El, Graphics, el nino, NINO, U.S . West, Nino, La, El Ninos, Thomson Locations: Americas, El, Pacific, Peru, Philippines, United States, Canada, Central, South America, Australia, of Africa, Eastern Pacific, El Nino, London

☆ Taiwan activates air defence as China aircraft enter zone
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, June 8 (Reuters) - Taiwan activated its defence systems on Thursday after reporting 37 Chinese military aircraft flying into the island's air defence zone, some of which then flew into the western Pacific, in Beijing's latest mass air incursion. Taiwan's defence ministry said that from 5 a.m. (2100 GMT on Wednesday) it had detected 37 Chinese air force planes, including J-11 and J-16 fighters as well as nuclear-capable H-6 bombers, flying into the southwestern corner of its air defence identification zone, or ADIZ. China's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On Monday, she told Taiwan media that the United States had an enduring interest in preserving stability in the Taiwan Strait and the United States would continue to arm the island, a source of constant friction in Sino-U.S. ties. In April, China held war games around Taiwan following a trip to the United States by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.

Persons: Laura Rosenberger, Tsai Ing, Ben Blanchard, Tom Hogue, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Pacific, American Institute, Taiwan, Thomson Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan, Pacific, China, Russia, Japan, East China, Washington, Taipei, United States, Taiwan Strait, U.S

☆ Video shows cockpit of US reconnaissance plane rattling as Chinese fighter jet cuts in front of it
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Chinese fighter jet recently intercepted an American spy plane, the US military said Tuesday. The jet flew right in front of the US aircraft's nose, forcing it to fly through rough turbulence. A video captured from the RC-135's cockpit shows the Chinese fighter jet streak across the sky just ahead of the aircraft before it hits the turbulence. For example, a Chinese J-11 fighter jet in December flew within 20 feet of an American RC-135, forcing it to take evasive actions to avoid crashing. Before that, both Australia and Canada had accused Chinese pilots of cutting in front of surveillance planes and making risky intercepts of aircraft.

Persons: —, Washington Organizations: Western Pacific, Service, Pacific Command, Pentagon, Pacific Joint Force, China Locations: American, Western, South, United States, Beijing, Australia, Canada

☆ Taiwan reports Chinese aircraft carrier sailed through strait
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A ship sails in the Taiwan Strait, as seen from Pingtan island, the closest point to Taiwan, in China's southeast Fujian province on April 8, 2023. The Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Saturday accompanied by two other ships, Taiwan's defense ministry said, in the latest uptick in military tensions over the island Beijing claims as its own territory. Taiwan's military closely monitored the group using its own ships and aircraft and "responded appropriately", the ministry said in a short statement. The Shandong participated in Chinese military drills around Taiwan last month, operating in the western Pacific. In March of last year, the Shandong sailed through the Taiwan Strait, just hours before the Chinese and U.S. presidents were due to talk.

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