PHILIPPINES
Joint drills with US on
The US and Manila are conducting joint air and maritime patrols in the South China Sea. The air force yesterday said that its aircraft had taken part in joint patrols on Tuesday in the vicinity of Batanes, which is about 200km from Taiwan. The patrols run through today and also include the US and Philippine navies. In announcing the start of the joint patrols, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr wrote on X that they were “testament to our commitment to bolster the interoperability of our military forces.”
Photo: AP
THAILAND
Rogue iguanas captured
Officers have captured more than 150 rogue iguanas that were raiding farms, officials said on Tuesday. The lizards are not native to the kingdom, hailing originally from Central and South America, but are increasingly popular as pets. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation said that 134 iguanas had been captured in Lopburi. A further six were discovered in Udon Thani and 23 more elsewhere in the nation, it said. The animals are to be kept at wildlife centers.
AUSTRALIA
Pacific cyberteam to form
Canberra yesterday said that it would spend A$26.2 million (US$17 million) to establish “rapid assistance” teams to respond to cybercrises in the Pacific region, and another A$16.7 million to identify cybervulnerabilities in the Pacific islands. The cybersecurity boost comes after Canberra and the US last month committed to funding two new undersea cables to be rolled out by Google in the Pacific islands to increase connectivity for eight remote countries. Minister for International Development and the Pacific Pat Conroy said that the rapid response teams would “build long-term resilience in the Pacific” and provide critical support.
AUSTRALIA
Hitchhiker gets long ride
A man confessed to having “a bit to drink” before stashing himself in the undercarriage of a freight truck to hitch a quick ride home. By the time he climbed out about five hours later, the 43-year-old was disoriented, disheveled and stranded about 400km from his intended stop. A Queensland police officer summed up the man’s predicament in footage released to the media after finding him on the side of the road late last week. “You had a big session, you’ve lost all control, and you’ve ended up here somehow trying to work your way back?” he asked. “Pretty much,” said the stowaway, who was clad in a soiled blue shirt. Police said the “intoxicated” man climbed onto metal racks underneath the B-Double freight truck — which can weigh upward of 50 tonnes — when it stopped in Nambucca Heads, New South Wales. He planned to clamber out when the truck stopped at a red light about 40 minutes away in Coffs Harbour, police said. However, the plan went awry when the truck sailed through a string of green lights, finally stopping to refuel in Queensland. “I’m really stressed out. I had a bit to drink,” the man told police. “I jumped in the undercarriage thinking he was going to stop in Coffs Harbour, and he got a green light the whole way through and never stopped until here.” The police officer suggested it must have an uncomfortable ride. “I didn’t have to worry about the air con, there was a pretty breeze through there,” the man said. “It was just stupidity to be honest with you.” Queensland police said the man had been fined A$288 for riding in a “part of a motor vehicle not designed for passengers or goods.”
The Philippines yesterday said its coast guard would acquire 40 fast patrol craft from France, with plans to deploy some of them in disputed areas of the South China Sea. The deal is the “largest so far single purchase” in Manila’s ongoing effort to modernize its coast guard, with deliveries set to start in four years, Philippine Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan told a news conference. He declined to provide specifications for the vessels, which Manila said would cost 25.8 billion pesos (US$440 million), to be funded by development aid from the French government. He said some of the vessels would
Hundreds of thousands of Guyana citizens living at home and abroad would receive a payout of about US$478 each after the country announced it was distributing its “mind-boggling” oil wealth. The grant of 100,000 Guyanese dollars would be available to any citizen of the South American country aged 18 and older with a valid passport or identification card. Guyanese citizens who normally live abroad would be eligible, but must be in Guyana to collect the payment. The payout was originally planned as a 200,000 Guyanese dollar grant for each household in the country, but was reframed after concerns that some citizens, including
Airlines in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia and Singapore yesterday canceled flights to and from the Indonesian island of Bali, after a nearby volcano catapulted an ash tower into the sky. Australia’s Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin Australia all grounded flights after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on Flores island spewed a 9km tower a day earlier. Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, India’s IndiGo and Singapore’s Scoot also listed flights as canceled. “Volcanic ash poses a significant threat to safe operations of the aircraft in the vicinity of volcanic clouds,” AirAsia said as it announced several cancelations. Multiple eruptions from the 1,703m twin-peaked volcano in
A plane bringing Israeli soccer supporters home from Amsterdam landed at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport on Friday after a night of violence that Israeli and Dutch officials condemned as “anti-Semitic.” Dutch police said 62 arrests were made in connection with the violence, which erupted after a UEFA Europa League soccer tie between Amsterdam club Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv. Israeli flag carrier El Al said it was sending six planes to the Netherlands to bring the fans home, after the first flight carrying evacuees landed on Friday afternoon, the Israeli Airports Authority said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also ordered
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