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China covered up sinking of newest submarine: US official

China covered up sinking of newest submarine: US official
China sought to cover up the sinking of its newest nuclear-powered submarine, a senior US defense official said on Thursday. (X/@brentdsadler)
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Updated 26 September 2024
AFP
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China covered up sinking of newest submarine: US official

China covered up sinking of newest submarine: US official
  • The sinking at a shipyard earlier this year was first reported by The Wall Street Journal
  • “It’s not surprising that the PLA Navy would try to conceal the fact that their new first-in-class nuclear-powered attack submarine sank pierside,” the official said
Updated 26 September 2024
AFP
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WASHINGTON: China sought to cover up the sinking of its newest nuclear-powered submarine, a senior US defense official said on Thursday.
The sinking at a shipyard earlier this year was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, which also said that satellite imagery later showed large floating cranes arriving to salvage it.
“It’s not surprising that the PLA Navy would try to conceal the fact that their new first-in-class nuclear-powered attack submarine sank pierside,” the senior US defense official said on condition of anonymity, referring to Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army Navy.
“In addition to the obvious questions about training standards and equipment quality, the incident raises deeper questions about the PLA’s internal accountability and oversight of China’s defense industry — which has long been plagued by corruption,” the official said.
The incident is a setback for China, which is seeking to modernize its navy — the largest in the world, but which includes many smaller warships such as frigates and corvettes.
The United States and Britain are meanwhile working to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines — a move that would expand the pool of countries with the advanced undersea vessels.
Beijing has been critical of the effort, which also envisages jointly developing advanced warfighting capabilities and is seen as a strategic answer to Chinese military ambitions in the Pacific region.

Topics: China PLA Navy US defense official submarine

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Indonesia, Philippines agree on repatriation of Filipino on death row

Indonesia, Philippines agree on repatriation of Filipino on death row
Updated 50 sec ago
AFP
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Indonesia, Philippines agree on repatriation of Filipino on death row

Indonesia, Philippines agree on repatriation of Filipino on death row
  • Indonesian authorities will discuss further details with the Philippines’ embassy in Jakarta on Mary Jane Veloso’s transfer
  • Veloso was arrested in Indonesia in 2010 carrying a suitcase lined with 2.6 kilograms of heroin and later sentenced to death
Updated 50 sec ago
AFP
JAKARTA: Manila and Jakarta signed an agreement Friday to repatriate Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipino on death row for drug charges in Indonesia since 2015, with officials saying she could return to the Philippines before Christmas.
The announcement came following the Philippines’ Department of Justice undersecretary Raul Vasquez meeting with Indonesia’s senior law and human rights minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra in Jakarta Friday, where both ministers signed the agreement.
Following the signing, Indonesian authorities will discuss further details with the Philippines’ embassy in Jakarta on Veloso’s transfer, Yusril said.
“We agree to return the person concerned to the Philippines and furthermore the obligation to provide guidance to prisoner Mary Jane Veloso becomes the responsibility of the Philippine government,” Yusril Ihza Mahendra said Friday.
He added that they are hoping the transfer “will be carried out before Christmas, 25 December.”
Yusril also said Indonesia will respect the Philippines’ government decision if Manila decide to grant clemency to Veloso.
Veloso was arrested in Indonesia in 2010 carrying a suitcase lined with 2.6 kilograms (5.7 pounds) of heroin and later sentenced to death.
She was due to face the firing squad in 2015 but the Philippine government won a last-minute reprieve for her after a woman suspected of recruiting her was arrested and put on trial for human trafficking in which Veloso was named as a prosecution witness.
The mother-of-two’s case sparked an uproar in the Philippines, with her family and supporters saying she was innocent and had been set up by an international drug syndicate.
Vasquez on Friday expressed the Philippine government’s “heartfelt gratitude” for Jakarta over Veloso’s transfer, adding that Manila respected the Indonesian court’s decision on her case.
“We do understand and we respect the decision of the Indonesian courts with respect to the sentence that was meted on our citizen Mary Jane Veloso,” he said.
“Once transferred to the country, she will serve her sentence in accordance, as agreed upon, in accordance with Philippine laws and regulations with respect to the Penal Code.”
Indonesia has some of the world’s toughest drug laws including the death penalty for traffickers.
At least 530 people were on death row in the Southeast Asian nation, mostly for drug-related crimes, according to data from rights group KontraS, citing official figures.
As of early November, 96 foreigners were on death row in Indonesia, all on drugs charges, according to data from the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections.
Indonesia is also in talks with Australia and France after President Prabowo Subianto had agreed to fulfil their requests to hand back some prisoners who were sentenced on drug charges.
The prisoners include the five remaining members of Australia’s “Bali Nine” — namely Matthew Norman, Si Yi Chen, Michael Czugaj, Scott Rush and Martin Stephens — who are in jail on life sentences.
The Indonesian government also received a letter from the French government requesting the transfer of Serge Atlaoui, who has been jailed in the Southeast Asian archipelago since his 2005 arrest.
Despite the ongoing negotiation for prisoner transfers, the Indonesian government gave the signal Thursday that it will resume execution — on hiatus since 2016 — of drug convicts who are on death row.
“The government will... study the acceleration of the execution of the death penalty for drug convicts that are legally binding and have no more legal remedies,” Coordinating Political and Security Minister Budi Gunawan said Thursday.

Modi’s party says US State Department targeting India

Modi’s party says US State Department targeting India
Updated 3 min 34 sec ago
Reuters
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Modi’s party says US State Department targeting India

Modi’s party says US State Department targeting India
  • New Delhi and Washington have forged a strong relationship in last two decades
  • Both have vowed to further strengthen ties despite some differences and irritants
Updated 3 min 34 sec ago
Reuters

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the State Department and “deep state” elements in the US of trying to destabilize India in conjunction with a group of investigative journalists and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi.
The accusation comes as a surprise as New Delhi and Washington have forged a strong relationship in the last two decades and both have vowed to further strengthen ties despite some differences and irritants.
Gandhi’s Congress party used the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)’s articles that “singularly focused” on the Adani Group and its alleged closeness to the government to undermine Modi, the ruling party said on Thursday.
Group chair Gautam Adani and seven others were indicted last month in the US for being part of a $265 billion scheme to bribe Indian officials — allegations the group has termed “baseless.”
OCCRP’s articles have also accused state-sponsored hackers in India of using Israeli-made Pegasus spyware to target government critics.
The government has previously denied both allegations.
The BJP has previously accused Gandhi, the OCCRP and 92-year-old billionaire financier-philanthropist George Soros of attacking Modi.
On Thursday, it cited a French media report that said that OCCRP was funded by the US Agency for International Development and “other deep state figures” like Soros.
“The Deep State had a clear objective to destabilize India by targeting Prime Minister Modi,” the BJP said in a series of messages on X.


“It has always been the US State Department behind this agenda...OCCRP has served as a media tool for carrying out a deep state agenda,” it said.
Sambit Patra, a BJP national spokesperson and lawmaker, repeated the accusations at an official media briefing by the party on Thursday.
“A French investigative media group...has revealed that... 50 percent of OCCRP’s funding comes directly from the US State Department,” Patra said. “OCCRP has served as a media tool for carrying out a deep state agenda.”
The State Department, US AID, Soros and the Congress party did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Indian foreign ministry also did not respond to a request for comment on the ruling party’s accusation against the State Department.
OCCRP said in a statement it was an independent media outlet and not associated with any political party.
“The US government, while providing some funding to OCCRP, has no say in our editorial processes and no control over our reporting,” it said.
The government has lately been facing heat over the US indictment of Gautam Adani, who opposition leaders say Modi has always protected, and the country’s parliament was suspended multiple times last week as opposition lawmakers demanded a discussion on the issue.
Modi’s BJP and Adani have denied the accusations.

Topics: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi US State Department Bhartiya Janata Party

China warns Taiwan relying on US for independence will ‘inevitably hit a wall’

China warns Taiwan relying on US for independence will ‘inevitably hit a wall’
Updated 21 min 27 sec ago
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China warns Taiwan relying on US for independence will ‘inevitably hit a wall’

China warns Taiwan relying on US for independence will ‘inevitably hit a wall’
  • Beijing takes aim at a Pacific tour by the self-ruled island’s President Lai Ching-te
  • Lai’s trip, which has included two stops on US soil, draws criticism from China
Updated 21 min 27 sec ago
AFP

BEIJING: China warned Taiwan Friday that relying on the United States to help it seek independence “will inevitably hit a wall,” as Beijing took aim at a Pacific tour by the self-ruled island’s President Lai Ching-te this week.
Lai’s trip, which has included two stops on US soil, has drawn a barrage of criticism from China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory and opposes any international recognition of the island.
Lai this week held a phone call with US Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, which also angered Beijing.
“Seeking independence with the help of the United States will inevitably hit a wall, and using Taiwan to contain China is doomed to fail,” foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters on Friday.
He added that China has “lodged solemn representations” with Washington and urged it to “stop emptying and gutting the one-China principle.”
Asked about Lai’s comment on Friday that he was “confident” that Taiwan would deepen cooperation with incoming US president Donald Trump, Lin warned the United States to “cease meddling in Taiwan-related affairs.”
During a Friday press conference, Lai also urged democracies to be “more united” to counter growing authoritarianism.
He also insisted that Taiwan and China were “not subordinate to each other.”
Asked to respond to the latter, Lin said that “separatist activities... are the biggest threats to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
“No matter what they say or do, they cannot change the objective fact that Taiwan is part of China, nor can they stop the historical trend that China... will inevitably reunify,” he added.

Topics: Taiwan China US

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Hong Kong court rejects first legal challenge to new security law

Hong Kong court rejects first legal challenge to new security law
Updated 32 min 23 sec ago
AFP
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Hong Kong court rejects first legal challenge to new security law

Hong Kong court rejects first legal challenge to new security law
  • First legal challenge to the city’s newly enacted national security law brought by a jailed protester
  • Ma Chun-man, known as ‘Captain America 2.0, was imprisoned under the national security law
Updated 32 min 23 sec ago
AFP

HONG KONG: A senior Hong Kong judge sided with the government on Friday and dismissed the first legal challenge to the city’s newly enacted national security law, which had been brought by a jailed protester.
Ma Chun-man — known as “Captain America 2.0” for carrying a replica of the Marvel superhero’s shield during democracy rallies in 2019 — was imprisoned for “inciting secession” under a national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020.
He had hoped to receive a one-third sentence remission — typically granted to inmates for good behavior — and be released in March.
But the passage of another national security law this year effectively banned remission for people convicted of national security crimes, and Ma’s request for early release was denied.
Ma challenged the decision, but on Friday the court said the new system was “sufficiently precise and certain” for prisoners to know how to earn an early release.
“There is no question of Mr. Ma being subject to any additional or heavier penalty by operation” of the new rules, High Court judge Alex Lee ruled.
“The applicant’s substantive judicial review is dismissed,” said Lee, who is among a pool of jurists selected by Hong Kong’s leader to hear security cases.

Topics: Hong Kong

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US, Japan and Philippine forces jointly patrol in South China Sea after hostilities involving China

US, Japan and Philippine forces jointly patrol in South China Sea after hostilities involving China
Updated 06 December 2024
AP
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US, Japan and Philippine forces jointly patrol in South China Sea after hostilities involving China

US, Japan and Philippine forces jointly patrol in South China Sea after hostilities involving China
  • Two Philippine security officials said the patrol was staged about 74 kilometers from Scarborough Shoal
  • Scarborough Shoal is a fishing area hotly disputed by Beijing and Manila off the northwestern Philippines
Updated 06 December 2024
AP

MANILA: The United States deployed a reconnaissance aircraft while Japan and the Philippines sent navy ships in a joint patrol in the disputed South China Sea on Friday, two days after the allied forces condemned actions by Chinese coast guard vessels against Philippine patrol ships.
The US Indo-Pacific Command said the joint patrol was conducted in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone by allies and partners to “uphold the right to freedom of navigation and overflight” and “other lawful uses of the sea and international airspace.”
Those phrases are used by the US, Japan and the Philippines to oppose China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the disputed waters.
Two Philippine security officials said the patrol was staged about 40 nautical miles (74 kilometers) from Scarborough Shoal, a fishing area hotly disputed by Beijing and Manila off the northwestern Philippines. The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they didn’t have authority to discuss such details publicly.
China claims the South China Sea virtually in its entirety and has guarded it assertively with its coast guard, navy and suspected militia fleets. They have confronted forces from rival claimant states including the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.
Indonesia also has had faceoffs with Chinese coast guard ships escorting fishermen in the gas-rich Natuna waters in the southern fringes of the South China Sea.
The joint naval patrol, the latest in recent months by the Philippines, the US and their security partners, was delayed by several typhoons that battered the region and was not in reaction to a confrontation on Wednesday that involved Chinese and Philippine ships off Scarborough Shoal, the two Philippine officials said.
The Philippine coast guard said Chinese coast guard vessels, backed by navy ships, fired powerful water cannons and blocked and sideswiped a much smaller Philippine bureau of fisheries vessel escorted by coast guard ships off Scarborough Shoal.
The Philippine vessels were delivering fuel, food and other aid to Filipino fishermen in the shoal, which has been closely guarded by the Chinese coast guard since a tense 2012 territorial standoff with Philippine ships.
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs protested the Chinese actions.
The Chinese coast guard provided another account of the incident. It said the Philippine vessels encroached on China’s territory, prompting it to take action. It said, without offering proof, that a Philippine vessel maneuvered in a way that led to a collision.
The United States, Japan, the European Union and other Western allies expressed alarm over the hostilities, which have increased in frequency since last year.
Japan, which also has territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East China Sea, said the “use of water cannon and obstructive maneuvers undermine the safety of ship and crew.” It’s ambassador to Manila, Endo Kazuya, said “Japan upholds the rule of law and opposes any actions which increase tensions.”
Japan is providing 1.6 billion yen ($10.6 million) in security assistance this year to provide the Philippine navy with coastal radars, inflatable boats and other defense equipment to strengthen surveillance of Philippine sea lanes, including in the South China Sea. Japan has also helped improve the Philippine air force’s aerial surveillance radar, the two countries said Thursday.
The US has warned that it is obligated to defend the Philippines, a treaty ally, if Filipino forces come under attack in the South China Sea.
The US defense commitment to the Philippines has received strong bipartisan support in Washington, which Philippine officials say they expect will continue under the incoming Trump administration.

Topics: Philippines US Japan China South China Sea

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