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Philippine Vessels Suspend Survey after China's 'Harassment'
Deutsche Welle
25 Jan 2025, 18:16
Photo: Philippine Coast Guard/AFP
The Philippines said its fishing vessels were harassed by the Chinese coast guard and navy on Saturday, prompting the Philippine ships to suspend a scientific survey they were conducting in the South China Sea.
According to the Philippine Coast Guard, two vessels from the Bureau of Fisheries were on the way to collect sand samples from Sandy Cay, three small uninhabited sandbars in the Spratly archipelago. Their destination was located near the Thitu island controlled by the Philippines and an artificial island where China had erected a military base.
What happened to the vessels
They were met with three Chinese Coast Guard vessels, and faced "aggressive maneuvers" including four small boats that were deployed to "harass" the Philipino boats, the Philippine Coast Guard said in a statement.
A Chinese navy helicopter was also present, hovering at an "unsafe altitude," it said.
The Philippines' vessels had to maneuver to avoid collision. They decided to suspend their survey due to "this continuous harassment and the disregard for safety exhibited by the Chinese maritime forces," the Coast Guard said.
The coast guard released videos collaborating the account, with one of them showing a Chinese Coast Guard ship sailing very close to a Philippine vessel and another video showing a Chinese helicopter flying low near a boat with a Philippines' flag.
No accidents were reported from the confrontation.
Responding to the incident, Beijing said that it has "indisputable sovereignty" over the Spratly Islands. It also said the Philippine vessels had entered without permission and tried to "illegally" land on the reef to collect sand samples.
The Philippines and China often have clashes in the South China Sea. Beijing claims ownership of almost the entire sea, which is also claimed in parts by Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.
An international arbitration court in 2016 had ruled that Chinese claims over the waterway have no basis in international law.
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Plane Crash in South Korea: 179 Out of 181 Onboard Killed
A passenger plane crash-landed at Muan International Airport in South Korea, leaving 179 of the 181 people onboard dead.
The tragic accident occurred early Sunday morning (December 29) when the Jeju Air flight, carrying 175 passengers and six crew members, skidded off the runway while attempting to land. The flight was arriving from Thailand. Only two survivors—a passenger and a crew member—have been rescued.
According to South Korean news agency Yonhap, preliminary investigations suggest the crash may have been caused by a "bird strike leading to landing gear failure" as the aircraft attempted to land in the country’s southwestern airport.
Footage of the incident shows rescue teams working near the tail section of the wrecked aircraft, with flames and thick smoke visible in several parts of the plane.
The office of South Korea's Acting President, Choi Sang-mok, stated that the president has directed authorities to manage rescue operations efficiently. Choi assumed his role as the country’s interim leader last Friday.
The Guardian also reported details of the tragic incident, which has shaken the nation.
19 Pakistani Soldiers Killed in Border Clash with Afghan Forces
Following recent airstrikes by Pakistan in Afghanistan, Taliban forces launched multiple attacks on Pakistani positions, killing 19 soldiers.
According to Tolo News, citing a source from Afghanistan's Ministry of National Defense, intense clashes continue in Afghanistan's eastern border provinces of Khost and Paktia. Afghan border forces reportedly set fire to several Pakistani military outposts in the Ali Shir district of Khost and seized two posts in Paktia's Dand-e-Patan district.
Officials from both countries have confirmed ongoing sporadic fighting, involving heavy weapons, along the border between Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and Afghanistan’s Khost province.
The skirmishes erupted after Afghanistan’s Taliban administration accused Pakistan of killing 46 people, mostly women and children, in airstrikes near the southeastern border in Paktika province earlier this week.
A senior Pakistani security source stated they were targeting "terrorist hideouts," though Islamabad has not officially confirmed the airstrikes.
One Frontier Corps (FC) soldier was reported dead, and seven others injured, according to a senior security source at the border who spoke to AFP. Clashes have been reported at least in two locations in Pakistan’s border district of Kurram.
Afghanistan's Ministry of Defense posted on X (formerly Twitter) that multiple attacks were carried out across the Pakistani border. A provincial official in Khost told AFP that residents were forced to flee the border area due to the fighting, although no casualties among Afghan forces have been reported.
In the provincial capital of Khost, hundreds of Afghans protested against Pakistan on Saturday, demanding accountability for civilian deaths.
This marks the latest escalation of hostilities along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, which has seen increased tension since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021.
(Source: Firstpost)
Devastating Road Accident in Ethiopia: At Least 66 Dead
A tragic road accident in Ethiopia has claimed the lives of at least 66 people, with four others injured. The incident occurred at the Gelana Bridge in Bona Zuria Woreda, located in the southern region of the East African country.
According to separate reports on Monday (December 30) by Reuters and The Guardian, local officials confirmed the death toll. Reuters, citing AFP, reported that at least 66 people were killed, while The Guardian noted that over 60 fatalities were confirmed by local health authorities in southern Ethiopia.
The Sidama region, where the accident occurred, is approximately 300 kilometers south of the capital, Addis Ababa. The Sidama Regional Health Bureau stated on Facebook, "A total of 66 people have died in a vehicle accident." However, no further details about the incident were provided.
The bureau mentioned that the accident happened on the Gelana Bridge in Bona Zuria Woreda and added, "Four injured passengers are receiving treatment at Bona General Hospital."
Blurred images shared by the bureau showed a crowd surrounding a partially submerged vehicle, with some people appearing to assist in retrieving it from the water. Other photos depicted the bodies of the deceased, covered with blue tarpaulins and laid on the ground.
Afghanistan Taliban Targets "Several Points" in Pakistan, Tensions Increase
Afghanistan's Taliban forces targeted "several points" in Pakistan on Saturday, Taliban said, days after Pakistaircraft carried out aerial bombardments inside the country, as per Al Jazeera.
The statement, which was released by Taliban did not directly specify that Pakistan was hit, but said the attacks were conducted "beyond the "hypothetical line" - an expression used by Afghan authorities to refer to a border with Pakistan which has been in dispute since long.
"Several points beyond the hypothetical line, serving as centres and hideouts for malicious elements and their supporters who organised and coordinated attacks in Afghanistan, were targeted in retaliation from the southeastern direction of the country," Al Jazeera quoted Taliban as saying.
Asked whether the statement referred to Pakistan, Taliban spokesperson Enayatullah Khowarazmi said, "We do not consider it to be the territory of Pakistan, therefore, we cannot confirm the territory, but it was on the other side of the hypothetical line."
Afghanistan has rejected the Durand Line, a border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which was drawn by the Britishers in the 19th century, as per Al Jazeera. The Taliban sees it as a divisive line between Pashtuns on both sides of the border.
"Clarity! Several points on the other side of the virtual line "Durand" in the south-eastern direction of the country were targeted, which were hideouts and centers for evil elements and their supporters, who were organizing attacks in Afghanistan," Taliban said in a post on X.
There are no reports of casualties from either side, Al Jazeera reported.
Afghanistan has a complicated history with Pakistan. While Pakistan welcomed the Taliban in Kabul as a natural ally, the Taliban government is proving to be less cooperative than Pakistan had hoped. The current Talibani regime is trying to align itself with the nation's rhetoric as they are trying to form a 'government' as a metamorphosis from a fighting group. The regime is also trying to forge relations beyond heavy reliance on Pakistan, as per Al Jazeera.
China's Trade Tensions With US Remain High Ahead of Trump Inauguration
Trade tensions with the United States remain a top challenge for China's foreign trade, an industry association said on Friday, as the world's second-largest economy braces for new obstacles under the incoming administration of US President-elect Donald Trump.
The China-related trade and economic friction index for 19 countries and regions stood at 118 in October, remaining at a high level, and the US had the highest index for trade friction with China, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade said.
The total value of trade measures related to China implemented by the 19 countries and regions increased by 10.3 per cent year on year but decreased by 7.8 per cent month on month. The trade friction indices in the electronics, machinery, transport equipment, and light industry sectors remained high, the council said.
The global trade friction index for October stood at 102, down from 105 in September but still at a high level. It was down 10.3 per cent year on year and 7.4 per cent month on month.
Trump, who will begin his second term as US president on January 20, has threatened to impose additional tariffs of up to 60 per cent on imports from China and has raised the prospect of "an additional 10 percent" on top of that. Although it is not clear how the increases would be implemented, the looming risks have prompted importers to front-load deliveries of goods from China.
China's exports to the US have grown for seven consecutive months. In November, they surged 8 per cent year on year by value to US$47.3 billion, contributing to the highest trade surplus since September 2022, according to Chinese customs data.
"The Chinese business community is urging the US to genuinely adhere to World Trade Organization rules," said Sun Xiao, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.
The Chinese business community is urging the US to genuinely adhere to World Trade Organization rules, immediately halt unilateral restrictions, and promote industry cooperation through dialogue and negotiation
In recent years, the US has escalated export controls on semiconductor products to China, continuously adding Chinese companies to its entity list, which "has had a serious impact on Sino-US semiconductor industry cooperation and has extended to sectors such as automotive and telecommunications," council spokesman Sun Xiao said at a news conference in Beijing on Friday.
On Monday, the outgoing Biden administration in the US announced a Section 301 trade investigation into "legacy" semiconductors made by China.
"The Chinese business community is urging the US to genuinely adhere to World Trade Organization rules, immediately halt unilateral restrictions, and promote industry cooperation through dialogue and negotiation," Sun said. "This will help safeguard the stability and security of global industrial and supply chains, injecting more momentum and certainty into the world economy."
China Firing Preemptive Trade War Shots at Trump
China has heightened trade war tensions with the United States by extending existing tariffs imposed on a crucial chemical solvent, sanctioning seven American firms on security grounds and threatening to stop buying US semiconductors within a single day.
China’s Ministry of Commerce (MoC) announced on December 27 that it will continue to impose anti-dumping duties on n-butanol imports from the US, Taiwan and Malaysia for another five years, effective from December 29, 2024.
The MoC said removing the anti-dumping duties would likely lead to a resumption or continuation of dumping practices and subsequent harm to China’s domestic n-butanol industry.
N-butanol is a key organic chemical used in the production of various products including paints, adhesives and plasticizers.
On December 29, 2018, China imposed 52.2-139.3% tariffs on n-butanol imports from the US and 12.7-26.7% tariffs on those from Malaysia. A 56.1% duty was imposed on all Taiwanese firms, except Formosa Plastics Corp, which only paid 6%.
UNGA President, Dr. Khalilur Rahman Discuss 2025 Rohingya Conference
Dr. Khalilur Rahman, High Representative of the Chief Adviser on Rohingya Crisis and Priority Issues, met Ambassador Philemon Yang, the President of the UN General Assembly (PGA), in New York yesterday.
The main point of discussion was the modalities and objectives of the upcoming International Conference on the Rohingya Crisis, to be convened by the UN in 2025 as per a UN General Assembly consensus resolution adopted this year.
The idea of such a conference was initiated by the Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus during his statement in the UN General Assembly in September 2024, with a view to finding out sustainable and peaceful solution of the Rohingya issue.
During the discussion, Dr. Khalilur Rahman expressed Bangladesh’s willingness to fully assist the UN for holding the conference. He informed Ambassador Yang that keen interest is already being raised among the international community about the conference and its outcome.
He apprised the PGA about latest political developments in the region; and Bangladesh Government’s willingness and efforts towards effective engagement with and cooperation from all parties concerned for sustainable repatriation of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas.
While stressing upon the need for early repatriation of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas which is essential for ensuring peace and stability of the whole region, the discussions also highlighted the emerging need of providing humanitarian assistance to Rakhine State in view of recent developments.
PGA Ambassador Yang appreciated Bangladesh’s proactive role in the UN on critical issues. As the convenor of the International Conference, he assured of his all-out support for maximum participation and a pragmatic outcome of the conference aiming at peaceful solution of the crisis.
He thanked the High Representative for reaching out, and expressed willingness to work closely on the holding of the conference.
