Latest news with #BBC.
Saudi Gazette
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
An island called Hope is standing up to Beijing in the South China Sea
PAGASA ISLAND — At just 37 hectares, the Philippines-controlled island of Pagasa – or "hope" – is barely big enough to live on. There is almost nothing there. The 300 or so inhabitants live in a cluster of small, wooden houses. They fish in the clear, turquoise waters, and grow what vegetables they can in the sandy ground. But they are not alone in these disputed waters: just off shore, to the west, lies an armada of ships. These are all Chinese, from the navy, the coastguard or the so-called maritime militia – large fishing vessels repurposed to maintain Chinese dominance of this sea. As our plane approached the island we counted at least 20. For the past 10 years, China has been expanding its presence in the South China Sea, taking over submerged coral reefs, building three large air bases on them, and deploying hundreds of ships, to reinforce its claim to almost all of the strategic sea lanes running south from the great exporting cities on the Chinese coast. Few of the South East Asian countries which also claim islands in the same sea have dared to push back against China; only Vietnam and the Philippines have done so. The militaries of both countries are much smaller than China's, but they are holding on to a handful of reefs and – also known as Thitu and other names, as it is claimed by several other countries – is the largest of makes it exceptional, though, is the civilian population, found nowhere else on the islands of the South China Sea. From the point of view of the Philippines this, and the fact that Pagasa is solid land, not a partially submerged reef or sandy cay, strengthens its legal claims in the area."Pagasa is very important to us," Jonathan Malaya, assistant director-general of the Philippines National Security Council, tells the BBC."It has a runway. It can support life – it has a resident Filipino community, and fishermen living there."And given the size of the island, one of the few that did not need reclaiming from the sea, under international law it generates its own territorial sea of 12 nautical miles."So it is, in a way, a linchpin for the Philippine presence."Reaching Pagasa is a two-to-three-day boat ride from the Philippines island of Palawan, or a one-hour plane ride, but both are at the mercy of frequent stormy they surfaced the runway two years ago, and lengthened it to 1,300m (4,600ft), only small planes could land. Now they can bring in big C130 transport aircraft. Traveling in them, as we did, is a bit like riding a bus in rush has to be brought from the mainland, which is why our plane was packed, floor to ceiling, with mattresses, eggs, bags of rice, a couple of motorbikes and piles of luggage – not to mention lots of military personnel, most of whom had to stand for the entire flight.A lot has changed in recent years. There is a new hangar, big enough to shelter aircraft during storms. They are building a control tower and dredging a small harbor to allow bigger boats to dock. We were driven around the island by some of the Philippines marines who are stationed there, though given its size it hardly seemed necessaryThe Philippines seized Pagasa from Taiwan in 1971, when the Taiwanese garrison left it during a typhoon. It was formally annexed by the Philippines in the government started encouraging civilians to settle there. But they need support to survive on this remote sliver of land. Families get official donations of food, water and other groceries every month. They now have electricity and mobile phone connectivity, but that only came four years from government jobs, fishing is the only viable way to make a living, and since the arrival of the Chinese flotillas even that has become Larry Hugo has lived on the island for 16 years, and has chronicled the increasing Chinese control of the area. He filmed the initial construction on Subi Reef, around 32km (20 miles) from Pagasa, which eventually became a full-size military air base. One of his videos, showing his little wooden boat being nearly rammed by a Chinese coastguard ship in 2021 made him a minor Chinese harassment has forced him to fish in a smaller area closer to home."Their ships are huge compared to ours. They threaten us, coming close and sounding their horns to chase us away. They really scare us. So I no longer go to my old fishing grounds further away. I now have to fish close to the island, but the fish stocks here are falling, and it is much harder to fill our tubs like we used to."Realyn Limbo has been a teacher on the island for 10 years, and seen the school grow from a small hut to full-size school teaching more than 100 pupils, from kindergarten to 18 years old."To me this island is like paradise," she says. "All our basic needs are taken care of. It is clean and peaceful – the children can play basketball or go swimming after school. We don't need shopping malls or all that materialism."Pagasa is really quiet. In the fierce midday heat we found most people snoozing in hammocks, or playing music on their porches. We came across Melania Alojado, a village health worker, rocking a small baby to help it sleep."The biggest challenge for us is when people, especially children, fall ill," she says."If it is serious then we need to evacuate them to the mainland. I am not a registered nurse, so I cannot perform complicated medical tasks. But planes are not always available, and sometimes the weather is too rough to travel."When that happens we just have to care for them as best we can."But she too values the tranquillity of island life. "We are free of many stresses. We get subsidized food, and we can grow some of our own. In the big city everything you do needs money."We saw a few new houses being built, but there really isn't room for Pagasa to accommodate many more people. With very few jobs, young people usually leave the island once they finish school. For all of its sleepy charm, and stunning white-sand beaches, it has the feel of a garrison community, holding the line against the overpowering Chinese presence which is clearly visible just offshore."The Chinese at the airbase on Subi Reef always challenge us when we approach Pagasa," the pilot says. "They always warn us we are entering Chinese territory without permission."Do they ever try to stop you? "No, it's a routine. We tell them this is Philippines territory. We do this every time."Jonathan Malaya says his government has made a formal diplomatic protest every week to the Chinese Embassy over the presence of its ships in what the Philippines views as the territorial waters of Pagasa. This is in marked contrast to the previous administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, which avoided confrontations with China in the hope of getting more investment in the Philippines."I think we will get more respect from China if we hold our ground, and show them we can play this game as well. But the problem of democracies like the Philippines is policies can change with new administrations. China does not have that problem." — BBC
Belfast Telegraph
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
Gerry Adams accuses BBC barrister of trying to persuade jury he has ‘no reputation whatsoever'
The former Sinn Féin leader gave seven days of evidence, as part of his defamation case against the BBC. He claims a BBC Spotlight programme, and an online story, defamed him by alleging he sanctioned a murder for which he denies any involvement. Former Sinn Fein official Denis Donaldson was shot dead in 2006, months after admitting his role as a police and MI5 agent for 20 years. In 2009 the Real IRA admitted killing Mr Donaldson – the Spotlight programme was broadcast in September 2016. Mr Adams' legal team says his reputation as a 'peacemaker' had suffered an 'unjustified' attack because of the broadcast of the BBC programme - Gerry Adams' says the allegation was made by an anonymous, unidentified person that 'we don't even know exists'. The BBC denies defaming him and says the programme was put out in good faith and during the course of discussion on a subject of public and vital interest. It argues the broadcast and the article were fair, reasonable and in the public interest. Mark Tighe, who has been covering the case for the Sunday Independent, joins Ciarán Dunbar on the latest episode of The BelTel.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former US congressmen tells BBC libel trial Adams had reputation as ‘dependable'
Gerry Adams had a reputation of 'seriousness and dependability', a US congressmen who worked with President Bill Clinton on the peace process has told the former Sinn Fein leader's libel trial against the BBC. Mr Adams is suing the BBC over accusations contained in a broadcast of the Spotlight documentary series and an accompanying online article which alleged he had sanctioned the killing of former Sinn Fein official Denis Donaldson. Mr Donaldson was shot dead in 2006, months after admitting his role as a police and MI5 agent for 20 years. Mr Adams denies any involvement. In 2009 the Real IRA admitted killing Mr Donaldson. Mr Adams describes the allegation in the programme as a 'grievous smear' and his legal team has argued that his reputation as a 'peacemaker' had suffered an 'unjustified' attack because of the broadcast and an accompanying online article. In the High Court in Dublin on Friday, the jury in the case heard that Mr Adams had engaged with Mr Clinton over the Northern Ireland peace process. One of the men who worked in the US president's administration on the matter was former congressman Bruce Morrison, who gave evidence to the court about Mr Adams' reputation. Appearing via video link from Bethesda, Maryland, Mr Morrison said he had developed a concern with the human rights situation in Northern Ireland and had travelled to the region on multiple occasions. Through his work on the peace process, he said he had met unionists and nationalists as well a variety of Irish and British government officials. Mr Morrison, who was an attorney and congressman before serving in Mr Clinton's administration, also told the court he was once held at gunpoint in Londonderry by the RUC despite having committed no crime. He said he spoke to Mr Clinton, with whom he was in law school alongside the future president's wife, Hillary, about how the US could get more involved in Northern Ireland. Taking questions from counsel for Mr Adams, Declan Doyle SC, Mr Morrison explained that Mr Adams had previously been denied visas into the US 'on ideological grounds', but was granted one by the Clinton administration in early 1994 when he was allowed to visit for 48 hours to take part in a peace conference. He said the Sinn Fein leader's reception was 'extremely positive' and that he had put forward a picture of himself as wanting a peace process. He said an IRA ceasefire followed later that year, which he described as a 'watershed moment that opened the door' for talks chaired by senator George Mitchell that resulted in the Good Friday Agreement. Mr Morrison said while Mr Adams was excluded from speaking publicly in interviews in Ireland and the UK, he was increasingly expected – along with Sinn Fein – to be part of any meaningful negotiations about the end of the Troubles. He said Mr Clinton was pursuing a 'big tent strategy' to that end, and that talks moving forward on an agreement did not happen until Sinn Fein was included. He specifically referenced a moment when the US president publicly shook hands with Mr Adams on the Falls Road in Belfast. Mr Morrison said this was symbolic as a statement of confidence from Mr Clinton that Mr Adams was important in bringing about an end to the Troubles. The former congressmen told the court that he observed that Mr Adams' increasingly received a higher level of respect in Britain and Ireland because of his commitment to he peace process. Mr Morrison said Mr Adams was a controversial figure that others may have had disagreements about, but added his reputation was one of a 'serious man on a serious mission who was committed to' the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement. He said he had a reputation of 'seriousness, dependability' and as someone whose 'word could be taken seriously and could be relied on'. Under cross-examination by Paul Gallagher SC, for the BBC, Mr Morrison said he could not speak to the truth of various allegations against Mr Adams but said his reputation from their dealings was one of reliability. 'My greatest impression of him was of his political acumen, his political commitments.' Asked about his current reputation, Mr Morrison said Mr Adams is an 'elder statesmen' who was a 'distinguished leader' who had made an 'extraordinary contribution' to change in Northern Ireland. Pressed on whether Mr Adams' previous US visa rejections were down to connections with terrorism, Mr Morrison said there was 'no question' that such a label applied to the Sinn Fein leader at the time due to the party's association with the Provisional IRA. He said he did not know about Mr Adams' own connection to the IRA but there were certainly allegations and that would be considered during a visa application. He said there was a view that Sinn Fein was 'the product of the IRA'. Asked by Mr Gallagher about the lack of a commitment to end the armed struggle during the 1994 IRA ceasefire, Mr Morrison added: 'That was all to play for at that time. 'There's no question that was the objective – and the objective was obtained. 'So, the people who helped obtain the objective deserve recognition regardless of what they said 10, 15, 20 years or before.' Mr Gallagher asked if that also applied to what they had done in those years, the congressmen added: 'Or by others, yes.' The case continues.
Powys County Times
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Powys County Times
Former US congressmen tells BBC libel trial Adams had reputation as ‘dependable'
Gerry Adams had a reputation of 'seriousness and dependability', a US congressmen who worked with President Bill Clinton on the peace process has told the former Sinn Fein leader's libel trial against the BBC. Mr Adams is suing the BBC over accusations contained in a broadcast of the Spotlight documentary series and an accompanying online article which alleged he had sanctioned the killing of former Sinn Fein official Denis Donaldson. Mr Donaldson was shot dead in 2006, months after admitting his role as a police and MI5 agent for 20 years. Mr Adams denies any involvement. In 2009 the Real IRA admitted killing Mr Donaldson. Mr Adams describes the allegation in the programme as a 'grievous smear' and his legal team has argued that his reputation as a 'peacemaker' had suffered an 'unjustified' attack because of the broadcast and an accompanying online article. In the High Court in Dublin on Friday, the jury in the case heard that Mr Adams had engaged with Mr Clinton over the Northern Ireland peace process. One of the men who worked in the US president's administration on the matter was former congressman Bruce Morrison, who gave evidence to the court about Mr Adams' reputation. Appearing via video link from Bethesda, Maryland, Mr Morrison said he had developed a concern with the human rights situation in Northern Ireland and had travelled to the region on multiple occasions. Through his work on the peace process, he said he had met unionists and nationalists as well a variety of Irish and British government officials. Mr Morrison, who was an attorney and congressman before serving in Mr Clinton's administration, also told the court he was once held at gunpoint in Londonderry by the RUC despite having committed no crime. He said he spoke to Mr Clinton, with whom he was in law school alongside the future president's wife, Hillary, about how the US could get more involved in Northern Ireland. Taking questions from counsel for Mr Adams, Declan Doyle SC, Mr Morrison explained that Mr Adams had previously been denied visas into the US 'on ideological grounds', but was granted one by the Clinton administration in early 1994 when he was allowed to visit for 48 hours to take part in a peace conference. He said the Sinn Fein leader's reception was 'extremely positive' and that he had put forward a picture of himself as wanting a peace process. He said an IRA ceasefire followed later that year, which he described as a 'watershed moment that opened the door' for talks chaired by senator George Mitchell that resulted in the Good Friday Agreement. Mr Morrison said while Mr Adams was excluded from speaking publicly in interviews in Ireland and the UK, he was increasingly expected – along with Sinn Fein – to be part of any meaningful negotiations about the end of the Troubles. He said Mr Clinton was pursuing a 'big tent strategy' to that end, and that talks moving forward on an agreement did not happen until Sinn Fein was included. He specifically referenced a moment when the US president publicly shook hands with Mr Adams on the Falls Road in Belfast. Mr Morrison said this was symbolic as a statement of confidence from Mr Clinton that Mr Adams was important in bringing about an end to the Troubles. The former congressmen told the court that he observed that Mr Adams' increasingly received a higher level of respect in Britain and Ireland because of his commitment to he peace process. Mr Morrison said Mr Adams was a controversial figure that others may have had disagreements about, but added his reputation was one of a 'serious man on a serious mission who was committed to' the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement. He said he had a reputation of 'seriousness, dependability' and as someone whose 'word could be taken seriously and could be relied on'. Under cross-examination by Paul Gallagher SC, for the BBC, Mr Morrison said he could not speak to the truth of various allegations against Mr Adams but said his reputation from their dealings was one of reliability. 'My greatest impression of him was of his political acumen, his political commitments.' Asked about his current reputation, Mr Morrison said Mr Adams is an 'elder statesmen' who was a 'distinguished leader' who had made an 'extraordinary contribution' to change in Northern Ireland. Pressed on whether Mr Adams' previous US visa rejections were down to connections with terrorism, Mr Morrison said there was 'no question' that such a label applied to the Sinn Fein leader at the time due to the party's association with the Provisional IRA. He said he did not know about Mr Adams' own connection to the IRA but there were certainly allegations and that would be considered during a visa application. He said there was a view that Sinn Fein was 'the product of the IRA'. Asked by Mr Gallagher about the lack of a commitment to end the armed struggle during the 1994 IRA ceasefire, Mr Morrison added: 'That was all to play for at that time. 'There's no question that was the objective – and the objective was obtained. 'So, the people who helped obtain the objective deserve recognition regardless of what they said 10, 15, 20 years or before.' Mr Gallagher asked if that also applied to what they had done in those years, the congressmen added: 'Or by others, yes.'
BBC News
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Solihull theatre reopens with charity gala after Raac repairs
A theatre forced to close for more than a year after dangerous concrete was found in its roof is set to reopen. A routine inspection at the Core Theatre in Solihull in 2023 led to the discovery of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), which is prone to collapse. With repair works completed, the theatre will reopen its doors on Sunday with a charity gala, including performances from local musicians, choirs and dance mayor, councillor Shahin Ashraf, said The Core was the borough's "home of culture" and had been "sorely missed". Hundreds of schools and public buildings were forced to close fully or partially when Raac was discovered during inspections in 2023, and councillor Ian Courts, the leader of Solihull Council, said it had taken a lot of work to make the theatre is Raac concrete and why is it a safety risk?"We had to repair the Raac, and we had to do work on the roof," he told the BBC."What we also took an opportunity of was to improve the studio as well." Sophia Gough, who will be singing with her group the Boogaloo Babes, said the reopening was going to be "amazing"."The theatre's a real hub for the community, and there'll be a lot of people in the audience that are so excited the theatre's reopened again."The council said tickets, priced at £25, had sold out online and that proceeds would go towards supporting Marie Curie UK, OASIS and Social Life Opportunities charities.
