Trade and Security on Agenda as India’s Modi Visits Japan
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Japan on Thursday to meet his Japanese counterpart, Shigeru Ishiba, with trade and security high on the...
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) pilots, monitoring a Chinese navy warship as it navigated Australian waters, were alerted to a live-fire exercise via a civilian radio broadcast, defense officials revealed on Tuesday.
In February, a People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) frigate conducted an unprecedented live-fire exercise in the Tasman Sea, located between Australia and New Zealand, prompting 49 commercial flights to be rerouted. The exercise marked a significant escalation in Chinese naval activity in the region.
China maintained that it had provided adequate warning about the drill in accordance with international law, but both Australian and New Zealand authorities criticized the notification process, noting it did not meet best practice standards.
Commercial airline pilots were the first to hear about the live-fire drill when a Virgin Australia pilot picked up a broadcast from the Chinese navy on the emergency radio channel, 121.5 MHz.
Ahead of a national election set for May, opposition leader Peter Dutton of the Liberal Party criticized the government, stating that it was unacceptable for Australia’s maritime surveillance to be "outsourced to a Virgin airline pilot."
At the Australian International Airshow in Avalon on Tuesday, RAAF maritime surveillance pilots disclosed that their P-8A Poseidon aircraft, which were conducting high-duration surveillance missions, had been monitoring the Chinese warship's communications on UHF and VHF frequencies.
P-8A Poseidon officer Patrick Makeham confirmed that the Chinese navy's transmissions were warnings about their live-fire exercises and operational positions. "The transmissions that came through are just standard warnings of their positions as well as their intent of live-fire exercises," Makeham said, adding that the warning was similar to an announcement of a live-fire drill in a specified area.
Air Commodore Gus Porter, the director-general of RAAF air combat capability, said the P-8A aircraft are regularly deployed for anti-submarine warfare and deterrence operations. "You don't need to be on top of a task group 24 hours a day to be tracking exactly what they are doing," he added.
RAAF P-8A aircraft routinely patrol international waters in the South China Sea, a region where China has criticized Australian presence. Last month, Australia lodged a formal complaint with China after a Chinese fighter jet released flares within 30 meters (100 feet) of an Australian P-8A aircraft, calling the actions "unsafe and unprofessional."
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
The UK is gearing up for Exercise Pegasus 2025, its largest pandemic readiness test since COVID-19. Running from September to November, this full-scale simulation will challenge the country's response to a fast-moving respiratory outbreak.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
China’s largest city and global financial hub, Shanghai, has set a new heat record, state media reported on Saturday. Temperatures in the city exceeded 35°C (95°F) for 25 consecutive days, breaking the previous record set in 1926.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Japan on Thursday to meet his Japanese counterpart, Shigeru Ishiba, with trade and security high on the agenda.
Spain has condemned the U.S. decision to revoke visas for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and 80 other officials, calling it “unacceptable” and urging the European Union to take a leading role in defending Palestinian representation at the UN.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is holding a series of high-level meetings with world leaders in Tianjin today, ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit.
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