Philippine fighter jet carrying 2 pilots goes missing during mission against insurgents in southern province
The FA-50 jet lost communication during the tactical mission around midnight on Monday before reaching a target area. A search for the jet is underway.
"We are hopeful of locating them and the aircraft soon and ask you to join us in prayer during this critical time," Philippine air force spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo said.
The other aircraft involved in the mission returned safely to an air base in central Cebu province, the air force said, without offering further details due to security reasons.
The incident happened in a southern Philippine province during an anti-insurgency mission against communist guerrillas, a Philippine military official told The Associated Press.
It was not immediately clear if the other FA-50s would be grounded after the incident.
The Philippines acquired 12 FA-50s multi-purpose fighter jets from South Korea's Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. for 18.9 billion pesos, or $331 million, beginning in 2015. The acquisition was viewed at the time as the biggest deal under a military modernization program that had been repeatedly stalled by a lack of funds.
In addition to anti-insurgency missions, the jets have been used for various other activities, including major national ceremonies and patrolling the disputed South China Sea.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
4 hours ago
- Newsweek
North Korea's Kim Gives Nuclear Order
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stressed his order of a quick expansion of his forces' nuclear capabilities, citing the annual U.S.-South Korea military exercises, according to the country's state media. Kim said the "security environment" around North Korea is "getting more serious day by day" and "requires us to make a radical and swift change in the existing military theory and practice and rapid expansion of nuclearization," the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported, paraphrasing his remarks. He accused the U.S. and South Korea of intensifying their exercises and demonstrating "their will to ignite a war". The military exercises "have always been provocative and dangerous in their nature but the gravity is increasing from the characteristics that they are recently plotting military nexus with the nuclear element involved," Kim said, per Rodong Sinmun. The Korean Peninsula remains in a technical state of war, divided by the Demilitarized Zone into North Korea and South Korea. Kim was inspecting the warship Choe Hyon, a 5,000-ton-class destroyer first unveiled in April, during a visit to the western port of Nampo on Monday, August 18. It came as the South Korean and U.S. militaries kicked off their annual large-scale summertime exercise to bolster readiness against growing North Korean threats. The 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield, which the allies describe as defensive, will mobilize 21,000 troops, including 18,000 South Koreans, for computer-simulated command post operations and field training. This is a developing article. Updates to follow. This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
The Hill
15 hours ago
- The Hill
Fewer Americans than ever confident in food safety regulations: Gallup
Confidence in the government's ability to ensure food safety in the U.S. has hit a new low — a drop driven largely by distrust among Democrats, according to a poll released Monday. Gallup's latest survey of consumer habits found that 53 percent of Americans said they have at least a 'fair amount' of faith in federal regulators maintaining a safe food supply. Confidence had hovered around 70 percent from 2007 to 2019, based on Gallup's previous findings, but it fell below 60 percent for the first time last year and continued to drop. The latest poll found that confidence among Republicans in the government's ability to maintain food safety held steady at 41 percent from last year to this year after President Trump's return to the White House, but confidence fell off among Democrats. About 74 percent of Democrats expressed confidence in federal food safety oversight in 2024, compared to 48 percent this year. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has heavily emphasized food as part of his overhaul of federal health care initiatives, but sweeping budget cuts across the federal government and has raised additional concerns at the FDA. Officials have maintained that none of the cuts impacted the number of inspectors or other food regulators. The Associated Press reported in April that the FDA had been struggling for years to ramp up inspections after the COVID-19 pandemic and that outside contractors were being hired to fill some inspector roles. The FDA, which has issued about 100 safety alerts and food recalls this year based on the agency's active database, penned a letter to food industry leaders last month urging better communication about product safety concerns. 'At the FDA, we believe that radical transparency in food safety and nutrition actions is key to reducing foodborne illness and chronic disease, setting a strong foundation for lifelong health,' FDA Commissioner Marty Makary wrote in the memo, specifically highlighting concerns about chemical contaminants in foods for infants and toddlers. The Gallup poll surveyed 1,002 adults July 7-21 across all U.S. states and the District of Columbia. It has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.
Boston Globe
17 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Hamas accepts an Arab ceasefire proposal on Gaza as Palestinian death toll passes 62,000
Advertisement Plans to expand the offensive, in part aimed at pressuring Hamas, have sparked international outrage and infuriated many Israelis who fear for the remaining hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that started the war. Hundreds of thousands took part in mass protests on Sunday calling for their return. 'Extensive efforts' to revive talks Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said mediators are 'exerting extensive efforts' to revive a U.S. proposal for a 60-day ceasefire, during which some of the remaining 50 hostages would be released and the sides would negotiate a lasting ceasefire and the return of the rest. Abdelatty told The Associated Press they are inviting U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff to join the ceasefire talks. Abdelatty spoke to journalists during a visit to Egypt's Rafah crossing with Gaza, which has not functioned since Israel seized the Palestinian side in May 2024. He was accompanied by Mohammad Mustafa, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, which has been largely sidelined since the war began. Advertisement Abdelatty said Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani had joined the talks, which include senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, who arrived in Cairo last week. Abdelatty said they are open to other ideas, including for a comprehensive deal that would release all the hostages at once. Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, told the AP that the militant group had accepted the proposal introduced by the mediators, without elaborating. An Egyptian official, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks, said the proposal includes changes to Israel's pullback of its forces and guarantees for negotiations on a lasting ceasefire during the initial truce. The official said it is almost identical to an earlier proposal accepted by Israel, which has not yet joined the latest talks. Diaa Rashwan, head of the Egypt State Information Service, told the AP that Egypt and Qatar have sent the Hamas-accepted proposal to Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video addressing the Israeli public that reports of Hamas' acceptance of the proposal showed that it is 'under massive pressure.' Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages are returned and Hamas has been disarmed, and to maintain lasting security control over Gaza. Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Palestinian death toll surpasses 62,000 Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people and killed around 1,200, mostly civilians, in the attack that ignited the war. Around 20 of the hostages still in Gaza are believed by Israel to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals. Advertisement Gaza's Health Ministry said the Palestinian death toll from the war had climbed to 62,004, with another 156,230 people wounded. It does not say how many were civilians or combatants, but says women and children make up around half the dead. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties. Israel disputes its toll but has not provided its own. The ministry said 1,965 people have been killed while seeking humanitarian aid since May, either in the chaos around U.N. convoys or while heading to sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed American contractor. Witnesses, health officials and the U.N. human rights office say Israeli forces have repeatedly fired toward crowds of people seeking aid. Israel says it has only fired warning shots at people who approached its forces. GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray or fired into the air on rare occasions to prevent deadly crowding. More deaths linked to malnutrition Experts have warned that Israel's ongoing offensive is pushing Gaza toward famine, even after it eased a complete 2 1/2-month blockade on the territory in May. Gaza's Health Ministry said Monday that five more people, including two children, died of malnutrition-related causes. It says at least 112 children have died of malnutrition-related causes since the war began, and 151 adults have died since the ministry started tracking adult malnutrition deaths in June. Amnesty International on Monday accused Israel of 'carrying out a deliberate campaign of starvation.' Advertisement Israel has rejected such allegations, saying it allows in enough food and accusing the U.N. of failing to promptly deliver it. U.N. agencies say they are hindered by Israeli restrictions and the breakdown of law and order in the territory, around three-quarters of which is now controlled by Israel. Israeli lawmaker denied visa to Australia In a separate development, far-right Israeli lawmaker Simcha Rothman accused Australia of antisemitism after it denied him a visa for a speaking tour. Rothman is a member of the Religious Zionism party, which supports the continuation of the war, the mass relocation of Palestinians through what it describes as voluntary migration and the reestablishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza. 'The Australian government's decision to deny me the opportunity to come and speak to my people, due to expressing simple and clear positions, is clear and blatant antisemitism that gives a boost to terrorism,' Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Rothman saying. Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke defended the move, saying: 'If you are coming to Australia to spread a message of hate and division, we don't want you here.' In response, Israel revoked the visas of Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority and told the Israeli Embassy in Australia to 'carefully examine' any official visa applications from Australia to Israel, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar wrote on X. Australia joined 27 other Western-allied nations in a joint statement last month calling for an end to the war and joined a smaller circle of countries in sanctioning two far-right Israeli government ministers accused of inciting violence against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. ___ Magdy reported from Cairo and Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writer Rod McGuirk contributed from Canberra, Australia. Advertisement
