Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
News on disease control, CCP, Taiwan, Ukraine, Russia, Solomon Islands, U.S.
News (1) to (3) / Reporter : Li Enzhen / Editor: Zhu Xinrui / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2022/08/30/a103514187.html
A group of Russian troops have been blown up by their own mines after responding to a prank call from Ukrainians leading them to a booby-trapped home, officials claimed.
The soldiers on patrol in Mariupol received reports that Azov fighters were hiding out in a home on the outskirts of the city, the Mariupol mayor's office said on Telegram.
The troops quickly raced to the house hoping to find the paramilitary fighters, whose comrades fiercely defended the city and its steelworks earlier in the war until they were eventually captured by Putin's forces.
However, the naive Russians arrived at the property there were no enemy soldiers to be found, with pro-Ukrainian partisans behind the fake call.
News (8)
Mines spotted by Ukrainians who used them to their advantage
They were then blown up by mines that their own soldiers had set, which had been forgotten about but spotted by Ukrainians who then used them to their advantage.
According to the mayor's office, one soldier was killed and another lost his leg and remains in a Donetsk hospital after the attack early yesterday morning.
It marks a rare victory for Ukraine in Mariupol which has been captured by Russians and was subjected to devastating bombardment throughout the war, with its residents forced to hide underground without food, water or electricity for months.
News (9)
4 Ukrainians killed in Kharkiv
Elsewhere today, at least four people have been killed as Russian shelling hit the centre of Ukraine's second city of Kharkiv, the regional governor said.
"The Russian occupiers shelled the central districts of Kharkiv," Oleg Synegubov said on Telegram, giving a toll of four dead and another four injured and warning residents to "stay inside the shelters".
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Russian troops to flee for their lives as his forces launched their offensive, though Russia said the assault had failed.
News (10)
Zelenskyy: Ukraine is taking back its own
In his nightly address late on Monday, he vowed that Ukrainian troops would chase the Russian army 'to the border'.
"If they want to survive - it's time for the Russian military to run away. Go home," he said.
"'Ukraine is taking back its own," Zelenskyy said.
Oleksiy Arestovych, a senior adviser to Zelenskyy, commenting on the offensive in the Kherson region, said Russian defences had been 'broken through in a few hours'.
Ukrainian forces were shelling ferries that Russia was using to supply a pocket of territory on the west bank of the Dnipro river in the Kherson region, he added.
Britain's defence ministry said Ukrainian forces had increased their artillery fire across the south and their long-range precision strikes were disrupting Russian resupplies.
News (11)
Explosions in Kherson, culprits unidentified
Ukraine's Suspilne public broadcaster reported explosions in the Kherson area on Tuesday and city residents reported in social media posts gunfire and explosions but said it was not clear who was firing.
Ukraine's military general staff, in an early Tuesday update, reported clashes in various parts of the country but gave no information on the Kherson offensive.
Russia's defence ministry said Ukrainian troops had attempted an offensive in the Mykolaiv and Kherson regions but sustained significant casualties, RIA news agency reported.
The "enemy's offensive attempt failed miserably", it said.
However, a Ukrainian barrage of rockets left the Russian-occupied town of Nova Kakhovka without water or power, officials at the Russian-appointed authority told RIA news agency.
Reuters could not verify the battlefield reports.
News (12)
At least 2 killed, 24 wounded in Mykolaiv
Russian shelling of the port city of Mykolaiv, which has remained in Ukrainian hands despite repeated Russian bombardments, killed at least two people, wounded some 24 and wiped out homes, city officials and witnesses said on Monday.
A Reuters correspondent reported a strike hit a family home directly next to a school, killing one woman.
The owner of the property, Olexandr Shulga, said he had lived there his entire life and that his wife died when she was buried in debris. 'It hit and the shockwave came. It destroyed everything,' he said.
News (13)
IAEA mission to inspect and assess damage at Zaporizhzhia, Kremlin refused to give it up
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine's south, captured by Russian troops in March but still manned by Ukrainian staff, has been a hotspot in the conflict with both sides trading blame for shelling in the vicinity.
Russian-installed authorities accused Ukrainian troops of firing two shells that exploded near a spent fuel storage building at the plant, TASS news agency reported. There was no immediate comment from the Ukrainian side.
A mission from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is headed to the facility, Europe's largest nuclear plant, and is due later this week to inspect and assess any damage.
Led by IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, the mission will evaluate working conditions and check safety and security systems, the Vienna-based organisation said.
It will also 'perform urgent safeguards activities', a reference to keeping track of nuclear material.
A top Russian diplomat said Moscow hoped the mission would dispel misconceptions about the plant's allegedly poor state.
The Kremlin said the IAEA mission was "necessary" and urged the international community to press Ukraine to reduce military tension at the plant. The mission must do its work in a politically neutral manner, Russia's foreign ministry said.
The United Nations, United States and Ukraine have called for the withdrawal of military equipment and personnel from the complex to ensure it is not a target.
The Kremlin has ruled out abandoning the site.
News (14)
The Solomon Islands has suspended all visits from the United States Navy, heightening concerns over the growing influence of China in the region.
The prime minister's office announced the suspension on Tuesday, in what he said is a bid to better police the country's exclusive economic zones. It comes after the country signed a security pact with China this year.
The suspension follows an incident last week when a U.S. Coast Guard vessel, the Oliver Henry, was unable to make a routine port call because the government did not respond to a request for it to refuel and provision.
"The United States received formal notification from the Government of Solomon Islands regarding a moratorium on all naval visits, pending updates in protocol procedures," a spokeswoman from the US embassy in Australia said in a statement.
Prime Minister Manesseh Sogavare said in a statement, "We have requested our partners to give us time to review, and put in place our new processes, before sending further requests for military vessels to enter the country.
"These will universally apply to all visiting naval vessels," he added, in the statement sent to Reuters news agency. Sogavare added that he wanted to build national capacity to police the Pacific island nation's exclusive economic zones.
News (18)
U.S. hospital ship allowed to dock before the US embassy in Canberra was given 'formal notification'
In a speech on Tuesday afternoon to welcome the visiting U.S. hospital ship Mercy, Sogavare said last week's delay over the Oliver Henry was because the information had not been sent to his office on time.
The Mercy had been allowed to dock Monday as part of a humanitarian mission to the country - but the embassy noted it had received clearance before the moratorium was put in place.
Sogavare also confirmed delays in approving entry for the British navy ship Spey, which also aborted its planned port call, the statement said. As a result of the two incidents, the Solomon Islands is reviewing the approval procedures, it said.
Washington expressed its disappointment after the Oliver Henry was denied permission to refuel in the Solomons capital of Honiara
'The United States is disappointed that the US Coast Guard ship was not able to make this planned stop in Honiara,' the statement said.
'We will continue to closely monitor the situation.'
Earlier, the United States embassy in Canberra, the Australian capital, had said the Solomon Islands had notified it of a moratorium on navy vessels entering its ports.
"On 29 August, the United States received formal notification from the government of Solomon Islands regarding a moratorium on all naval visits, pending updates in protocol procedures," the embassy said in a statement.
The Mercy had arrived before the moratorium, the embassy said, adding that it was monitoring the situation.
The Solomon Islands has had a tense relationship with the United States and its allies since striking a security pact with China this year.
The Oliver Henry was on patrol for illegal fishing in the South Pacific for a regional fisheries agency at the time it sought entry to refuel at Honiara, the Solomons' capital.
On Monday, a U.S. State Department spokesperson called the lack of clearance for the Oliver Henry "regrettable", saying the United States was pleased the Mercy had received clearance.
Separately, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said it was regrettable that 'we've seen the Chinese try to bully and coerce nations throughout the Indo-Pacific to do their bidding and to serve what they believe their selfish national security interests are, rather than the broader interests of a free and open Indo-Pacific'.
It was unclear whether the suspension also applied to other navies, including close partner Australia.
News (19) to (21) / Editor : Chen Beichen / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2022/08/29/a103513804.html
News (19)
The CCP's drones frequently enter Kinmen, Taiwan: Uninvited parties are thieves
Image : File photo of Ou Jiangan, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China. (Epoch Times)
Chinese drones flew over Taiwan's Kinmen for ten consecutive days. The Chinese Foreign Ministry tried to confuse the territorial topic with ridicule, which was severely refuted by Taiwan.
At a regular press conference on Monday (29 August 2022), a Japanese reporter asked a question about a mainland civilian drone taking pictures over Kinmen. After a pause for a few seconds, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that flying on its own territory, the outside world will not be surprised.
"I also saw the relevant video," Zhao Lijian said. "China's drones flew over Chinese territory. This is not something to be surprised by."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China subsequently issued a press release "targeting the claims made by the foreign affairs department of the authoritarian expansionist government of the Communist Party of China", sternly refuting Zhao Lijian.
"There is an ancient Chinese saying that 'uninvited people are called thieves'. Whether it is to break into an empty door or to peep in the air, the people of Taiwan do not welcome such thieves," said a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China.
"The Chinese Communist Party's authoritarian expansionist government has always made harassment of other countries a daily routine, and the title of 'regional troublemaker' is well-deserved," the press release added.
News (20)
Taiwan Army: Land drones will be shot down if they don't listen to warnings
After Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, visited Taiwan in early August, the CCP held large-scale military exercises around Taiwan for several days. This tension has continued to this day.
On 16 August, a video of a mainland drone flying into Kinmen and filming a defender appeared on mainland social media, showing the island guards throwing stones at the drone to expel them. The video caused an uproar in Taiwan.
In the evening of the 27th, another video of drones entering Kinmen also appeared on the Internet. The video shows that the drone flew to a post at the southern end of Guishan Beach, Lieyu Township, Kinmen County. The Taiwanese army sentry on duty at the post reported to their superiors through a wireless walkie-talkie, but did not take action against the drone. The drone also photographed the camp in the stronghold, as well as the war map hanging on the wall.
On 28 August, the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China announced that it will "appropriately counteract" flying entities such as drones in mainland China from now on. The ROC military said mainland drones would be shot down if they invaded Kinmen and flew away without heeding warnings. This is the first time the ROC military has issued a warning to shoot down an invading drone.
On 29 August, the Jinmen Defense Command of the Republic of China Army issued a statement that a civilian drone was found entering the restricted waters of the Shiyu area at a low altitude, only about 30 metres above the ground. The plane then flew towards Xiamen, China.
The Kinmen Defense Command emphasized that the Taiwan military is based on "warfare cautiously" and adheres to the basic principles of not starting a war lightly and not escalating conflicts; in the face of the Communist military's repeated provocations with drones and other reckless provocations, it has undermined regional security and stability, and it is even more important to national defense. . If the flight safety poses a major threat, the defense zone will continue to maintain vigilance and close monitoring, and take necessary countermeasures at any time.
Kinmen and Xiamen face each other across the sea, and the distance is quite close. Cheap civilian drones can easily fly over Kinmen from Xiamen.
News (21)
Netizens expect Zhao Lijian's drone to fly in Taiwan
On the other hand, recently, Chinese diplomats have frequently thrown out absurd statements such as "restaurants" and "map of Puerto Rico" to confuse the relationship between Taiwan and the mainland.
Japan's "Sankei Shimbun" Taipei branch director Akio Yaita once criticized the "restaurant talk" of the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying as a form of power arrogance. "It's ridiculous for a professional diplomat to use such absurd logic to claim territorial sovereignty for a country," he said.
Akio Yaita criticized that the statements made by CCP diplomats cannot be interpreted as jokes or inaccurate words, because things like "sovereignty" are closely related to the lives, property and national identity of thousands of residents. For many people, it is a Godly thing.
As netizens commented on Twitter, the actions of Chinese government officials are like "ignorant trolls", which is embarrassing!
There are also netizens who are looking forward to Zhao Lijian's drone to go to Taiwan for a test flight. Some netizens wrote that since Zhao Lijian claimed that Taiwan is China's territory, everyone wanted to see what would happen if Zhao Lijian's drone flew to Taiwan and promoted the CCP there.
No comments:
Post a Comment