13/10/2025

MONDAY | OCT 13, 2025

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Philippines, China trade blame

reportedly approached and used water cannon to intimidate them. An hour later, a Chinese coast guard ship allegedly fired its water cannon directly at a Philippine vessel before ramming its stern, causing minor damage but no injuries, the coast guard said. China’s coast guard said two Philippine government vessels “illegally entered” waters near Sandy Cay, a coral reef in the northern Thitu Reefs within the Spratly Islands, leading to a collision. Beijing said a Philippine vessel “dangerously approached” a Chinese coast guard ship, for which it held Manila responsible. Manila’s authorities vowed to continue operations in the area, emphasising the need to protect Filipino fishermen’s livelihood. US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson condemned what she described as China’s “dangerous ramming” of a Filipino vessel, calling the incident “aggressive actions” in the South China Sea, in a post on X.

MANILA: The Philippines and China accused each other yesterday of responsibility for a maritime confrontation near disputed islands in the South China Sea, further escalating tensions in the resource rich waterway. The Philippine Maritime Council, an inter-agency government body, blamed Chinese maritime forces for deploying water cannon and ramming a Filipino vessel near the Philippine-occupied Thitu Island, locally known as Pag-asa, “strongly condemning” the incident and vowing to pursue “appropriate diplomatic action”. According to Manila’s coast guard, three vessels were anchored near the island early yesterday as part of a government programme to protect local fishermen when Chinese ships o Coast guard vessels clash near Sandy Cay FEWER DISASTERS RECORDED IN INDONESIA JAKARTA: Indonesia recorded fewer natural disasters last month compared with a year earlier, but the death toll increased. The National Disaster Management Agency reported 176 disasters in its monthly report, marking a 46% decrease from 327 incidents in September last year. “However, 34 people were killed and 13 went missing, up from 29 deaths a year earlier,” it said. The worst tragedy struck Bali on Sept 9, when torrential rains triggered floods that killed 18 people and left four missing. Other fatalities were in Nagekeo Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, where six people died in floods and in Ogan Komering Ulu Selatan, South Sumatra, where two were killed. – Bernama TOKYO: Japanese manufacturers are finding new ways to recycle used adult diapers, transforming waste into resources to curb incineration and emissions. Used diapers are usually incinerated with general waste, but their high moisture content makes them difficult to burn. Diapers are made from materials such as high-quality pulp, resins and absorbent agents. The pulp can be extracted and reused through horizontal recycling, which transforms used products into raw materials to reproduce the original item. – Bernama MAGNITUDE 6 QUAKE HITS OFF PHILIPPINES MANILA: A magnitude-6.0 earthquake jolted just off the coast of southern Philippines late Saturday. The tremor occurred at a depth of 59km and 10km from Cagwait town in Surigao del Sur province. There were no immediate reports of casualties, said Cagwait Fire Officer Arnel Besinga. “The duration of the quake was 30 seconds but it was so sudden and so strong. Pots in the fire station kitchen fell,” Besinga said. Rescue and fire authorities were conducting a joint assessment of the damage. – AFP JAPAN DIAPER FIRMS STEP UP RECYCLING

A Chinese ship using a water cannon on a Philippines vessel. – PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD

HANDOUT/ REUTERSPIC

claims over portions of the waterway, a strategic trade route that facilitates over US$3 trillion (RM12.7 quadrillion) in annual ship-borne commerce. – Reuters

Shoal and other contested regions in the South China Sea, which China claims almost entirely. Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam also assert

The disputed area, part of the Spratly Islands, has been the site of repeated confrontations. Tensions have heightened, particularly over the Scarborough

Peace talks to end south

and Doha, and accused Pakistani troops of attacking Afghan forces early yesterday. Saudi Arabia, Iran and Qatar have urged both sides to “exercise restraint”. A military unit described Thursday’s blasts in the Afghan capital as “airstrikes”, but Mujahid instead said the incident was an “airspace violation”, adding that no damage had been found. – AFP Thailand conflict PATTANI: The Thai government under new Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is committed to finding a permanent solution for the conflict in southern Thailand. Anutin, who was elected Thailand’s 32nd prime minister after securing a parliamentary majority on Sept 5, is confident that dialogues are the best and most effective approach to bringing peace to southern Thailand. “The Foreign Ministry, the Internal Security Operations Command, the police and Thailand’s National Security Council (NSC) will be involved in the negotiations,” he told reporters after his first working visit to Pattani and Songkla on Saturday. Malaysia is a facilitator for the peace dialogue process. On July 1, former director-general of the Malaysian National Security Council, Datuk Mohd Rabin Basir, was appointed as the new Malaysian government facilitator for the southern Thailand peace dialogue. On Saturday, the Thai government appointed former NSC secretary general, General Somsak Rungsita, to head the delegation for peace talks with Barisan Revolusi Nasional. The aim is to find a solution to end the conflict which came to a head in January 1994 in Narathiwat, Yala, Pattani and Songkhla. – Bernama

BR I E F S

IN MEMORY ... Friends and relatives of victims killed in the 2002 Bali bombings scattering flower petals at a memorial in Kuta yesterday on the 23rd anniversary of the attacks. – AFPPIC

Pakistani, Afghan troops killed in border clashes KABUL: Afghanistan’s government yesterday said dozens of Pakistani troops and nine Afghan soldiers were killed in a night of heavy border clashes. conference yesterday that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed and around 30 wounded in clashes, while nine Afghan soldiers were killed.

claimed the strikes, but has repeatedly said the right to defend itself against surging militancy that it says is planned from Afghan soil. Since the change in Afghan government in 2021, the two sides have repeatedly clashed in border regions, but airspace violations deep into Afghan territory would mark a significant escalation. Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a press

Pakistan has not given any official death toll and AFP was unable to independently verify the casualty figures. Mujahid told reporters that “we stopped the retaliation at midnight” as a result of mediation by Riyadh

Afghan forces launched attacks on Pakistani soldiers along their shared border late on Saturday, in what it called “retaliation for airstrikes carried out by the Pakistani army on Kabul” on Thursday night. Islamabad has not directly