Philippines says three Chinese ships spotted near islets close to Taiwan
MANILA (AFP): Three Chinese coast guard vessels were being monitored in the waters off remote islands in the northern Philippines near Taiwan, maritime officials in Manila said on Friday.
The vessels were first spotted on Thursday, a day after a YouTube video appeared in which Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said there was no way Manila could stay out of conflict if China invaded Taiwan.
China considers self-ruled Taiwan to be part of its territory and has threatened to seize it by force.
The three Chinese vessels were spotted near Batanes province, a remote group of sparsely populated islets north of the Philippines' largest island, Luzon.
An aircraft was deployed on Friday to monitor the "irregular movements" of the three Chinese ships near the Batanes islands, the Philippine Coast Guard said in a statement.
China Coast Guard ship 4304 was located about 140 kilometres (85 miles) west of Sabtang town but bad weather prevented authorities from getting close to the locations of the other two vessels, it said.
Marcos said in an interview with Indian news agency Firstpost that, in the event of a confrontation between China and the United States over Taiwan, "there is no way that the Philippines can stay out of it simply because of our physical geographic location".
"If there is an all-out war, then we will be drawn into it," he said in the interview, which was uploaded on YouTube on Wednesday.
He also said many Filipinos living in Taiwan would need to be rescued and repatriated.
China has lodged a protest with the Philippines over Marcos's remarks.
"We urge the Philippines to earnestly abide by the one-China principle... and refrain from playing (with) fire on issues concerning China's core interests," a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday. - AFP
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The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
How a CIA hit on al Qaeda ensnared a US citizen in Afghanistan
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That is contradicted by the witness accounts and other evidence, including data monitored from Habibi's cellphone, described to Reuters by a U.S. official and a former U.S. official familiar with the matter. The Taliban denials present a conundrum for the FBI, which is leading the U.S. government effort to gain his release; and for the State Department, which describes Habibi's detention a major impediment to exploring increased engagement with Afghanistan, three years after his August 10, 2022 arrest. U.S. President Donald Trump has made freeing Americans held abroad a top priority and already has secured the release of dozens, including from Afghanistan, Russia and Venezuela. The case of Habibi - the only publicly identified American held in the country - has been harder to resolve. This story is the most comprehensive account to date of the circumstances of Habibi's capture and includes previously unreported details. Among them, interviews with the U.S. official and a former U.S. official with knowledge of the case reveal that the Taliban likely detained Habibi because the CIAhadpenetrated the companywherehe sources say the U.S. spy agency had accessed one of the company's security cameras, helping it pinpoint the al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a Kabul guesthouse. Habibi's detention came 10 days after Zawahiri - the last of the top plotters of the September 11, 2001, attack on the United States - was dramatically assassinated by a U.S. drone strike on the guesthouse, ordered by Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden. At the time, U.S. officials briefed journalists that it was a CIA operation. The U.S. sources told Reuters that Habibi was unaware of the CIA plot and was wrongly detained after returning to Kabul from a work trip to Dubai after the assassination, oblivious of the danger he was in. 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Habibi flew from Dubai to Kabul on August 4, 2022, after stopping in Qatar to check on his family and parents who were housed on a U.S. military base there waiting for final processing of U.S. immigration visas, said Ahmad. A week later Habibi was arrested. His wife, daughter and parents, who waited in Qatar until October for their visas before flying to the United States and settling in California, have not seen or heard from him since. Resolving Habibi's case would be the easiest way for the Taliban, who crave international recognition as Afghanistan's legitimate rulers, to explore improving ties with the U.S., the current U.S. official said. Since Habibi's detention, four other Americans have been arrested and released by the Taliban. (Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Additional reporting by Saeed Shah in Islamabad; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)
The Star
an hour ago
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Trump-backed peace push leaves Azerbaijan and Armenia one step from final accord, top diplomat says
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New Straits Times
3 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Kedah MIC hits back at Umno over PN cooperation criticism
ALOR STAR: Kedah MIC has hit back at Kedah Umno over claims that its motion to cooperate with Perikatan Nasional (PN) signals the party's intention to quit Barisan Nasional (BN). Kedah MIC chairman S.K. Suresh said MIC does not need anyone's permission to make decisions regarding its political future. "The future of the nation and the Indian community is our priority, and we always welcome cooperation with all parties for the benefit of the party and the community," he said in a statement today. Earlier, Kedah Umno information chief Datuk Shaiful Hazizy Zainol Abidin said Kedah MIC's move was a clear indication that it no longer wished to be part of BN's efforts to rebuild its political strength. He said Kedah BN had never been intimidated by changes in the political landscape, including parting ways with any component party. Suresh, however, questioned Kedah Umno's stance on loyalty, pointing to its cooperation with DAP. "The message from Umno grassroots to your leadership is that they do not like Umno working together with DAP. Yet you are happy to enjoy all the privileges from the federal government and continue embracing them," he added. He also took aim at recent defections from the party, including Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, who joined PKR. "Tengku Zafrul left the party, and even Umno members themselves have left BN and Umno. You could do nothing about it, so what is there for you to say? Suresh cautioned Kedah Umno against provoking MIC further. "It would be better for you to remain silent before we start revealing past incidents that will only worsen the situation and when that happens, do not regret it," he said. Yesterday, Suresh announced that the party had approved the motion to work with PN and did not rule out the possibility of leaving BN. He said the final decision on the matter would be determined by the MIC central leadership, led by its president, Tan Sri S A. Vigneswaran.
