The Chinese military will from now on conduct “regular” drills on the eastern side of the median line of the Taiwan Strait, Chinese state television reported on Sunday, citing a commentator.
The median line in the narrow strait between the island of Taiwan and mainland China is an unofficial line of control that military aircraft and battleships from either side normally do not cross.
The median line has never been legally recognised, and is an “imaginary” line drawn up by the U.S. military for their combat requirements in the previous century, according to the state television commentator.
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After Sri Lanka, massive protests erupt in Bangladesh over fuel price hike
After Sri Lanka’s devastating crisis, thousands of protesters took to streets in several cities in Bangladesh after the Sheikh Hasina government hiked fuel prices by nearly 52 per cent, the highest since the neighbouring country got its independence. The Bangladesh government has blamed the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war for the hike in fuel prices. Bangladesh raised fuel prices will trim the country’s subsidy burden, the government expects.
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Over 42,000 troops, 1,805 tanks: Ukraine estimates Russia’s combat losses
Even as Kyiv and Moscow are accusing each other of striking Europe’s largest nuclear site, with the war between the two nations entering the 164th day on Sunday, the latest data released by Ukraine’s armed forces shows as many as 42,200 Russian troops have been killed so far. The Kyiv Independent, citing Ukraine’s armed forces, reported that Russia has lost 223 planes, 1,805 tanks, 191 helicopters since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
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_1659843337276_1659843341839_1659843341839.png "Chinese \"ship killer\" Dong Feng missiles are designed to create havoc in Indo-Pacific")
Pelosi’s Taiwan visit redefines Indo-Pacific for posterity
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei last Tuesday has caused tectonic shifts in the Indo-Pacific with Washington’s relations sharpened with China and even Japan and ASEAN countries taking the collateral hit in the process. A reaction from China, which is already in wolf-warrior mode, on the US-Australia-Japan joint statement on August 5 exemplifies the turmoil caused by Pelosi’s visit and will define relations in the Indo-Pacific.
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Authorities launch manhunt after 4 people fatally shot in Ohio
Four people were fatally shot in an Ohio neighborhood, authorities said Saturday as they searched for a man who is believed to be armed and dangerous. Police in Montgomery County’s Butler Township said officers were called to the area shortly before noon Friday on a report of shots fired. Chief John Porter said four victims with gunshot wounds were found at “multiple crime scenes.” He said it wasn’t immediately clear what led to the shooting.
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121 injured, 17 missing in fire set off by lightning strikes in Cuba
A fire set off by a lightning strike at an oil storage facility raged uncontrolled Saturday in the city of Matanzas, where four explosions and flames injured 121 people and left 17 firefighters missing, Cuban authorities said. Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio said the U.S. government had offered technical help to quell the blaze. Minutes later, President Miguel Diaz-Canel thanked Mexico , Venezuela, Russia, Nicaragua, Argentina and Chile for their offers of help.