Comment on US Ambassador to China stepping down as tensions with Beijing rise

Chinese and Philippine ships collided again in the disputed South China Sea on Monday, ratcheting up tensions and prompting the U. S. to condemn Beijing for “irresponsible actions” causing bodily injury. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] China’s navy, coast guard and maritime militia vessels engaged in “dangerous maneuvers, including ramming and towing” while Philippine ships conducted a routine resupply mission to its military outpost in Second Thomas Shoal, according to Manila’s task force on the contested sea. STATEMENT OF THENATIONAL TASK FORCE FOR THE WEST PHILIPPINE SEA17 June 2024 | ManilaToday, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) conducted a routine rotation and resupply (RoRe) mission to BRP SIERRA MADRE (LS 57) at Ayungin Shoal.… pic.twitter.com/wXEEuZZ4DV— Jay Tarriela (@jaytaryela) June 17, 2024 For its part, the China Coast Guard said the Philippine supply ship “deliberately collided” with Chinese vessels and it took “control measures” such as warning and interception, boarding and inspection, and forced eviction against Philippine vessels “in accordance with the law.” China’s actions “caused bodily injury, damaged Philippine vessels and hindered lawful maritime operations,” U.

Former Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra was formally charged in a royal insult case Tuesday, part of a series of legal cases that threaten to plunge the Southeast Asian country into political turmoil. Thaksin, a two-time former prime minister and the de facto leader of the ruling Pheu Thai party, was arraigned under Thailand’s stringent lèse-majesté law that protects the royal family from criticism, according to a spokesman with the attorney general’s office. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] While the outcome of the case is far from certain, the litigation pose risks to the less than a year old government that was formed after a messy general election last year.

The U. S. suspended some new avocado shipments from Mexico after an incident that reportedly threatened the safety of American agricultural inspectors. The U. S. Department of Agriculture notified the Avocado Exporting Producers and Packers of Mexico (APEAM) of the decision to halt new exports out of Michoacan late on June 14, according to a notice from the trade group seen by Bloomberg News.

London — Actor Ian McKellen was hospitalized Monday after toppling off a London stage during a fight scene in a play. The 85-year-old known for playing Gandalf in the “Lord of the Rings” films and many stage roles over a six decade career cried out in pain after the fall, according to a BBC journalist at the theater. McKellen was playing John Falstaff in “Player Kings,” a production of Henry IV, parts one and two, adapted and directed by Robert Icke, at the Noel Coward Theatre. He lost his footing and fell off the stage in a scene with the Prince of Wales and Henry Percy.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissolved Israel’s war cabinet on Monday, after two key members quit last week amid disagreement over the direction of the war in Gaza. The cabinet had been made up of six political leaders including Netanyahu and has been responsible for making most major decisions in regards to how Israel conducts the war in Gaza. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Netanyahu cited the resignation of Benny Gantz, leader of the centrist Israel Resilience Party, for his decision to dissolve the war cabinet.

NEW DELHI — A cargo train rammed into a passenger train in India’s eastern state of West Bengal on Monday, killing at least eight people and injuring several others, officials said. Doctors, disaster-response teams and ambulances were engaged in rescue work, the state’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said in a post on social media platform X.