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    Taiwan coast guard says deploys vessels in response to China operation

    TAIPEI — Taiwan's coast guard said Sunday it has deployed vessels "to respond appropriately" to a Chinese operation in waters east of the island democracy, which it said "violates international law". It comes after Chinese state media reported Saturday that the "law enforcement operation" was in response to talks between Japan and the Philippines to draw a boundary in the affected waters. China, which asserts Taiwan is part of its territory, called the talks "illegal" and has claimed exclusive control over the waters. The Chinese ships have been monitored "throughout the entire process" and Taiwan "has deployed the necessary vessels to respond appropriately," the Taiwanese coast guard said in a statement. Taiwan said it had detected four Chinese government vessels departing from Xiamen port which had sailed outside Taiwanese restricted waters southwest of the island. Taiwan's coast guard dispatched more than five vessels "to assist with surveillance". The Chinese vessels were expected to arrive "in the relevant waters" on Sunday, the statement said, adding that "China does not enjoy any

    2 MIN READBy AFP
    Taiwan coast guard says deploys vessels in response to China operation
  • World

    Zelenskyy accuses Russia of deliberate strike on Chernobyl facility

    2 MIN READBy DPA
    Zelenskyy accuses Russia of deliberate strike on Chernobyl facility
  • World

    US plan to use Iranian assets for Gulf reconstruction: reports

    1 MIN READBy DPA
    US plan to use Iranian assets for Gulf reconstruction: reports
  • World

    Is the dream over? Mainland students rethink Hong Kong over costs and cultural fit

    4 MIN READBy SCMP
    Is the dream over? Mainland students rethink Hong Kong over costs and cultural fit
  • World

    Iran FM urges Lebanon president to save country from 'real foe'

    1 MIN READBy AFP
    Iran FM urges Lebanon president to save country from 'real foe'
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World

Why does China portray India as an elephant? Decoding politics of animal analogy

In December 2010, on the final day of his three-day India visit, Chinese premier Wen Jiabao offered a metaphorical vision for bilateral ties, suggesting that "the dragon and the elephant should tango." The analogy — dragon for China, elephant for India — had already circulated in Western academic and media circles as a comparative frame. With Wen's remark, it formally entered China's diplomatic lexicon. Over the past 15 years, through cycles of border tensions and uneasy resets, China's aspirational animal analogy has remained a peacetime constant: leaders float it, state media amplifies it and the pattern repeats with clockwork regularity. India, however, has declined to take up the rhetorical offer — on the dance floor or off it. Some Indian experts say New Delhi's reluctance to embrace Beijing's poetic flourish reflects its own view of China, shaped less by symbolism than by a lived history of military confrontation and accumulated distrust. But Chinese analysts argue the phrase underscores the two countries as development partners rather than rivals, and signals Beijing's respec

May 4, 2026By SCMP
Why does China portray India as an elephant? Decoding politics of animal analogy
World

Iran courts Korea to break diplomatic isolation amid US conflict

Iran is aggressively courting Korea to break its global isolation amid the U.S.-Iran conflict, publicly praising Seoul for separating humanitarian engagement from Washington's military pressure. The diplomatic push follows a direct phone call between the nations' foreign ministers regarding the safe passage of 26 Korean vessels currently stranded in the Strait of Hormuz. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke Saturday. Cho emphasized that safe passage must be guaranteed for ships from various countries, including the Korean vessels unable to exit the strait. During the call — the third between the foreign ministers since the conflict escalated in February — Araghchi updated Cho on the status of peace talks with the United States. The phone call, requested by Tehran, underscores Iran's strategic focus on communicating with Korea. Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency published an editorial Wednesday lauding the Korean government's pragmatic approach. "In this crisis, South Korea, unlike some of Washington’s Western allies, did not confine itself

May 4, 2026By Hankookilbo
Iran courts Korea to break diplomatic isolation amid US conflict
World

Any US 'interference' in Hormuz would be ceasefire violation: Iran

TEHRAN — A senior Iranian official warned on Monday that Tehran would consider any US attempt to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz a breach of the ceasefire. "Any American interference in the new maritime regime of the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a violation of the ceasefire," Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security commission in Iran's parliament, posted on X. The comment came after President Donald Trump announced a plan for U.S. forces to escort ships through the blocked Strait of Hormuz beginning Monday.

May 4, 2026By AFP
Any US 'interference' in Hormuz would be ceasefire violation: Iran
World

Trump says US will 'guide' stranded ships from Strait of Hormuz, starting on Monday

DUBAI — The United States will launch an effort on Monday to “guide” stranded ships from the Iran-gripped Strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump said, giving few details about what could be a sweeping effort to help hundreds of vessels and some 20,000 seafarers. Trump said in a social media post on Sunday that “neutral and innocent” countries have been affected by the Iran war , and “we have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business.” “Project Freedom” would begin on Monday morning in the Middle East, Trump said, adding that his representatives are having discussions with Iran that could lead to something “very positive for all.” Iran’s effective closure of the strait, imposed after the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28, has shaken global markets. Ships and seafarers, many on oil and gas tankers and cargo ships, have been stuck in the Persian Gulf since the war began. Crew members have described to The Associated Press watching intercepted dr

May 4, 2026By AP
Trump says US will 'guide' stranded ships from Strait of Hormuz, starting on Monday
World

Austrian police detain suspect in case of rat poison found in baby food jars on supermarket shelves

VIENNA — Police in eastern Austria say a 39-year-old suspect has been arrested after rat poison turned up in some HiPP baby food jars on supermarket shelves in central Europe. HiPP, which recalled some of its baby food jars in Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic after the case came to light last month, said in a statement Saturday it was “greatly relieved” by the arrest, and would provide a further updates as verified details come in. The Burgenland State Criminal Police Office, under the direction of prosecutors, said a probe was launched after poison turned up in a baby food jar purchased at a supermarket in the city of Eisenstadt on April 18. It said the suspect was being questioned, and that no further details would be immediately provided. The Burgenland public prosecutors’ office has announced an investigation into suspected “intentional endangerment of the public.” In an email to The Associated Press on Sunday, the Burgenland police office said the suspect was arrested in Salzburg state, to the west. The Austrian Press Agency reported that an expert report on the t

May 3, 2026By AP
Austrian police detain suspect in case of rat poison found in baby food jars on supermarket shelves
World

Iran presses for end to war within 30 days as Trump expresses doubts

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s latest proposal to the United States calls for issues between the two countries to be resolved within 30 days and aims to end the war rather than extend the ceasefire, according to Iran’s state-linked media. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he was reviewing a new Iranian proposal to end the war but also expressed doubt it would lead to a deal. Iran’s 14-point proposal calls for an end to the war, rather than just an extension of the truce. The proposal, a rebuttal to the U.S. nine-point plan, also calls for the U.S. lifting sanctions on Iran, ending the naval blockade, withdrawing forces from the region, and ceasing all hostilities, including Israel’s operations in Lebanon, according to the semi-official Nour News agency, which has close ties to the country’s security organizations. Iran sent its reply via a Pakistani intermediary, the news agency reported. Pakistan has hosted previous negotiations between Iran and the United States. Trump rejected a previous Iranian proposal this week. However, conversations have continue

May 3, 2026By AP
Iran presses for end to war within 30 days as Trump expresses doubts
World

Top US diplomat Rubio to meet with Pope Leo on Thursday, source says

VATICAN CITY — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to travel to Italy this week to meet with Pope Leo, a Vatican source said Sunday, as President Donald Trump's attacks against the Catholic pontiff have drawn criticism across the political spectrum. The meeting, the first known in-person encounter between Leo and a U.S. cabinet official in nearly a year, is expected to take place on Thursday, said a senior source familiar with the pope's plans, who asked not to be named as they were not authorised to speak on the matter. The pope, who has taken on a forceful new speaking style, emerged in recent weeks as an outspoken critic of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, after previously criticising the Trump administration's hard-line anti-immigration policies. Trump sharply criticised Leo on social media several times in April, at one point calling the pontiff "terrible," in attacks that drew wide attention while Leo was on a four-nation Africa tour. Rubio last met Leo, the first U.S. pope, in May 2025, alongside Vice President JD Vance. The two U.S. officials attended the new pope's i

May 3, 2026By Reuters
Top US diplomat Rubio to meet with Pope Leo on Thursday, source says
World

2 US service members missing after military exercises in Morocco

LAGOS, Nigeria — Two U.S. service members are missing in southwestern Morocco after taking part in annual multinational military exercises in the North African country, the United States African Command (AFRICOM) said Sunday. The U.S., Morocco and other countries participating in the African Lion exercise has a search and rescue operation, AFRICOM said. “The incident remains under investigation and the search is on-going,” it said in a statement. The incident happened on May 2 near the Cap Draa Training Area near Tan Tan, close to the Atlantic Ocean. The exercise started in April and is billed to end early May. African Lion, a war games exercise, is the U.S. largest annual joint military exercise on the continent and usually features high-ranking military officials from the U.S. and its top African allies. U.S. military officials have said the annual multinational engagement serves as a venue for strengthening regional security cooperation and refining the readiness of participating forces for global crises.

May 3, 2026By AP
2 US service members missing after military exercises in Morocco
World

OPEC+ agrees third oil output quota hike since Hormuz closure

LONDON — OPEC+ agreed on Sunday a modest oil output hike for June, an increase that will remain largely on paper as long as the Iran war continues to disrupt Gulf oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. Seven OPEC+ countries will raise oil output targets by 188,000 barrels per day in June, the third consecutive monthly increase, OPEC+ said in a statement after an online meeting. The increase is the same as that agreed for May minus the share of the United Arab Emirates, which left the group on May 1. The move is designed to show the group is ready to raise supplies once the war stops and signals that OPEC+ is pressing on with a business-as-usual approach despite the departure of the UAE from OPEC+, OPEC+ sources and analysts said. “OPEC+ is sending a two-layer message to the market: continuity despite the UAE’s exit, and control despite limited physical impact," said Jorge Leon, an analyst at Rystad and former OPEC official. “While output is increasing on paper, the real impact on physical supply remains very limited given the Strait of Hormuz constraints. This is less about a

May 3, 2026By Reuters
OPEC+ agrees third oil output quota hike since Hormuz closure
World

Israel approves deal to buy fighter jets from US

JERUSALEM — Israel on Sunday approved a multi-billion-dollar deal to acquire two combat squadrons of fighter jets from the United States, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying it would "reinforce" its air superiority. The purchase includes a squadron of F-35 multi-role stealth fighters from Lockheed Martin and another of F-15IA warplanes from Boeing, Israel's defence ministry said. The plan aims to "ensure Israel's air superiority for decades to come," Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement. "The F-35 and F-15IA acquisitions are central to the 'Shield of Israel' plan, which is designed to give the IDF (Israeli military) a lasting qualitative edge," he said. The F-35, a joint project between the United States and a number of allies, is one of the world's most advanced military aircraft. Israel already operates several dozen of the jets. Netanyahu said it would bolster Israel's "overwhelming air superiority" but pledged to start building its own weapons and fighter planes. "Our pilots can reach anywhere in the skies of Iran and are ready to do so, if needed," he said. "Ove

May 3, 2026By AFP
Israel approves deal to buy fighter jets from US
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