Category Opinion

BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi Explained has warned the Philippines against the deployment of medium-range missiles by the US, saying such a move could escalate regional tensions and trigger an arms race.

The United States deployed its Typhon missile system to the Philippines earlier this year as part of a joint military exercise. A Philippine military official later said it was not fired during the exercise, but did not say how long it would remain in the country.

China-Philippines relations are now at a crossroads and dialogue and consultation are the right way forward, Wang said on Friday when he met Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo in the Laotian capital Vientiane, where top diplomats from world powers have gathered ahead of two summits.

According to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Wang said relations between the two countries were facing challenges as the Philippines had “repeatedly violated the consensus of the two sides and its own commitments.”

“If the Philippines deploys the US medium-range missile system, it will cause tension and confrontation in the region and trigger an arms race, which is completely in line with the interests and wishes of the Filipino people,” Wang said.

The Philippines’ military and its foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wang’s remarks.

China and the Philippines are embroiled in a confrontation in the South China Sea, and the standoff has grown more tense as Beijing asserts its claim to disputed waters within Manila’s exclusive economic zone.

Referring to the Second Thomas Shoal, Wang said China recently reached a temporary arrangement with the Philippines on transporting and replenishing humanitarian supplies to Ren’an Jiao to maintain maritime stability.

On Saturday, Philippine ships successfully completed their latest mission without any obstacles, the Philippine Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

(Reporting by Kevin Yao; Additional reporting by Neil Jerome Morales in Manila; Editing by Himani Sarkar)

In a statement released on Friday evening, SNCF said traffic on the affected lines would “recover” on Saturday thanks to the work of thousands of railway workers.

It said:

The company said customers whose trains are delayed or cancelled will be contacted via email or text message.

Eurostar said it expected around a fifth of services to be cancelled over the weekend, while all trains would face delays of around 1.5 hours. Eurostar services use the Northern High-Speed ​​Line.

SNCF said monitoring of the rail network had been strengthened “on the ground and in the air” using 1,000 workers and 50 drones.

Junior transport minister Patrice Vergriete said about 250,000 people were affected on Friday, while up to 800,000 could face delays or cancellations by Monday.

He said the most likely motive for the saboteurs was to disrupt travel during the holiday season, rather than Friday’s Olympic opening ceremony.

“This has nothing to do with the Olympics,” he said in an interview.

The last weekend in July is traditionally a busy day for travel during the holidays.

No group has so far claimed it was behind the attacks. A source close to the investigation told AFP news agency the operation was “well-prepared” and organised by “the same structure”.

Mr Attal said security forces were searching for those responsible.

Government officials reported that at around 04:00 on Friday, saboteurs cut and set fire to special fibre optic cables needed for the safe operation of the rail network.

One site was in Courtelain, 150 km (93 miles) southwest of Paris. A photo posted online reportedly showed burnt cables in a shallow ditch and its protective SNCF paving stones thrown away.

The SNCF spoke of “massive heavy strikes” aimed at disrupting its services, not just at Courtalaina but also at Pagny-sur-Moselle, a village outside the eastern city of Metz and Croisilles, not far from the northern city of Arras.

Another attempted attack in Verginny, southeast of Paris, was foiled by SNCF workers who were carrying out maintenance work at the site on Friday morning.

Prosecutors have opened investigations into attacks on “the fundamental interests of the nation”.

“The plane is not allowed to take off from Tocumen as long as they are on board,” Mr. Mulino wrote on X, referring to the Panama City airport.

Former Mexican President Vicente Fox posted a video on social media from the airport, in which he said: “All Copa flights to Caracas and Venezuela have been suspended because of Nicolas Maduro.”

“This is a bad sign for Sunday. We were taken off the plane through blackmail and pressure from Venezuela,” he said separately in a radio interview.

Others on board included Miguel Ángel Rodríguez of Costa Rica, Jorge Quiroga of Bolivia and former Vice President Marta Lucía Ramírez of Colombia.

Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha said Venezuela had “blocked its country’s airspace for several hours to Copa Airlines” – although Venezuelan authorities have denied this claim.

Last year, Mr. Maduro agreed to allow international observers to attend the election, resulting in a temporary easing of US sanctions.

However last week Venezuela issued an order banning travel across the country’s border from Friday, a move it said was taken to protect the elections.

But there have been a number of similar repressive actions, raising concerns that Venezuela is blocking access to international observers.

The president of the National Electoral Council, government ally Elvis Amoroso, arrested uninvited European Union officials who came to observe the vote.

And Colombian officials, Spanish lawmakers and Chilean senators reported they were denied entry at Caracas airport.

Alberto Núñez Feijóo, president of the Spanish People’s Party, said the Venezuelan government “does not want the eyes and ears of the international community to be on Venezuela this weekend”.

Mr Maduro’s PSUV party has ruled for 25 years, but opposition activists hope to oust the president from power on Sunday.

The main opposition parties have united behind a single candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez,

Most opinion polls show he has a huge lead over Mr Maduro, but he fears the vote will not be free and fair and that the government will not concede defeat.

It’s impossible for someone to carry so much equipment into a presidential rally, much less onto an unguarded rooftop with a direct view to the stage. But that’s exactly what happened at Butler.

Testimony by Pennsylvania Police Commissioner Christopher Parisi to the House Homeland Security Committee reveals numerous failures in law enforcement.

The venue had two layers of security – an outdoor area patrolled by state police, and an indoor area monitored by Secret Service agents, including an anti-sniper team on the roof behind the stage.

Members of various agencies were present at an operations center. But on that day, communications were chaotic and areas of responsibility were unclear.

Mr. Paris pointed out at his hearing that the state police were responsible for the area around the A.G.R. International warehouse, the building from which Crooks fired, which was about 400 feet (122 m) from the stage, from where the scene was clearly visible.

He revealed that his people had raised the threat before the rally and the Secret Service had told them that since it was on the outskirts, it was a state police matter.

As a result, a local SWAT-style Emergency Service Unit (ESU) team was deployed inside the building complex, Mr Paris said.

The New York Times reported that the team had two people who stayed indoors because of the heat. The newspaper’s source said the plan was approved by the Secret Service.

Kimberly Cheatle, who was Secret Service director until stepping down this week, told lawmakers she could not explain why no one was stationed on the roof.

Wigan: Eckersley; Miskiw, Farrell, Wardle, Marshall; Farrimond, Smith; Byrne, O’Neill, Thompson, Nsemba, Walters, Ellis.

Interchange: Howard, Mago, Dupree, Hill, Hampshire.

Warrington: Dufty; J. Thewlis, Tai, Lindop, Ashton; Williams, Drinkwater; Yates, Powell, Vaughan, Nicholson, Holroyd, Currie.

Interchange: Musgrove, Crowther, Walker, Wood, Whitehead.

sin bin: Dufty (71)

Ref: Liam Moore.

It was a horrific crime, the brutal murder of a church choir director at an ATM near M-6 and South Division Avenue. Now, one of the men convicted of killing Joseph Wilder in the 2022 crime has argued that his sentence of mandatory life imprisonment without parole is unconstitutional. (July 26, 2024)

This might seem obvious, but if possible, travel with hand luggage only and check-in online before arriving at the airport to avoid queues.

But make sure your carry-on baggage conforms to the specific dimensions allowed by your airline, says Jane Hawkes, a consumer expert specialising in the travel industry, because they aren’t generic.

Other advice while flying includes:

Ms Hawkes said holidaymakers should be prepared for delays due to the high numbers of people travelling at this time of year, and should pack enough provisions.

“Know your consumer rights before you travel, so you don’t have to think on the fly in the event of an unavoidable delay or cancellation.”

Travel editor Rory Boland says: “If you find yourself stuck in a queue and your flight is due to leave soon, make a noise and ask a member of staff to move you to the front.

“If it looks like you will miss your flight, through no fault of your own, it’s important you let your airline know as soon as possible.”

However, campaigners complained that less than a tenth of the homes would be classed as ‘affordable’.

This means that the rent for these houses will be fixed at 80% of the market price. The rest of the houses will be rented out at market price.

John Lewis said last year that 35% of homes in its Bromley development would be affordable, in line with targets set by Bromley Council and the London Mayor.

It then pulled out, citing profitability issues.

Local Liberal Democrat councillor Julie Ireland described the number of affordable homes in the development project as “frankly ridiculous”.

Ms Ireland also criticised the height of the John Lewis scheme and said the extra residents would cause road traffic to get worse and clog the rail network.

John Lewis has said it expects the development to raise council tax and “local spending” by £70 million over the first decade.

It said it had received 147 letters in support of the plan, which was more than the number of letters received against it.

Investment firm Aberdeen, which is working with John Lewis on the development, said the housing would be “a cornerstone for the regeneration of the town centre and wider community investment”.

Ultimately, John Lewis and Aberdeen plan to build 1,000 new homes across three sites, including Bromley.

John Lewis first revealed plans to start building homes in 2020 in a bid to diversify its revenue.

Like other traditional retailers, the company has also Faced with shop closures and job cuts Due to the increasing trend of online shopping.

He wants 40% of profits to come from outside the retail business by 2030.

Chonda Pierce is known as comedy’s “Queen of Clean.” The stand-up comedian is also an actress and author, whose latest book is a memoir titled Life’s Funny Until It’s Not: A Comic Tale of Love, Loss, and Madness.

CBN’s Ephraim Graham caught up with Chonda on Studio 5 to learn more about the project and his journey of Christian faith through life’s ups and downs.

“I think the madness is always there, 24 hours a day,” he said. “The losses and the laughter come and go.”

Watch the full story with Chonda Pierce below:

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WATCH Veteran comedian warns about the real dangers of cancel culture and censorship: ‘The world is… so crazy’

A church in Colorado is suing the city of Castle Rock to allow it to continue serving its homeless population after local officials tried to shut it down. The church recently scored an early win with a federal judge, who ruled that the city must allow the humanitarian aid to continue while the case moves forward in court.

Rock Church has provided shelter for the homeless using an RV and a trailer behind its building.

Last year, the city council ordered the church to cease its activities, claiming it was in violation of zoning regulations.

The church responded by filing a suit, citing Biblical commands to help those in need and calling it an issue of religious freedom.

“The Holy Bible specifically and repeatedly instructs faithful Christians such as members of the Church to care for the poor and needy with mercy and compassion, who are facing grave misfortune and hardship,” the church argued in its application filed with the court.

Pastor Mike Polhemus added, “Our mission is to transform society by loving others as Christ loved us. This includes providing such support and outreach to the surrounding community that if we were to ever close our doors, the entire community would feel the absence of our church. It is shocking that the city is preventing us from providing temporary shelter and comprehensive assistance to those who need it most, thus helping to reduce the number of homeless in our community.”

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Now US District Judge Daniel Domenico The court has ruled that the homeless ministry can continue while the case moves forward.

“As the Church has asserted, and the City has not disputed, ‘the Church has never experienced any public-safety or other related issues in the course of carrying out this ministry, even though it has temporarily housed many individuals and small families,’” Judge Domenico explained. “Rather, the City is concerned about the precedent that would be set, suggesting that the Church may be allowed to attempt either very large housing projects or other institutions or individuals on its property.”
Mobile homes should be used in a similar way.”

Lawyers from the First Liberty Institute are defending the church in court, arguing that the city also interfered with the church’s ability to serve as a Red Cross emergency shelter. They say Castle Rock took it to the next level by retaliating against the church and even threatening the business license of a coffee service located at the church.

“Churches that step up to care for the homeless should be encouraged and supported, not vilified and retaliated against,” said Jeremy Dees, senior attorney for First Liberty. “It’s not enough for the city to prevent churches from using their property to provide temporary shelter for displaced single mothers and their children. The city is also trying to prevent churches from partnering with the Red Cross in times of emergency.”

CBN News contacted the City of Castle Rock for comment. The spokesperson responded, “Since this litigation is pending, we have no information to provide at this time other than what is publicly available in the court file.”