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Chinese Carrier Sails Through Northeast Taiwan Waters 

The Liaoning seen in Hong Kong waters in 2017. (AFP)
The Liaoning seen in Hong Kong waters in 2017. (AFP)
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Chinese Carrier Sails Through Northeast Taiwan Waters 

The Liaoning seen in Hong Kong waters in 2017. (AFP)
The Liaoning seen in Hong Kong waters in 2017. (AFP)

A Chinese naval formation led by the Liaoning aircraft carrier sailed through waters northeast of Taiwan on Wednesday and continued towards the southeast of Japan's Yonaguni Island, Taipei's government said.

"During this period, the armed forces have monitored the situation and responded accordingly," Taiwan's defense ministry said in a statement.

The voyage came after the Chinese military tailed a US aircraft that flew through the politically sensitive Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, Beijing's army said, vowing to "resolutely defend national sovereignty".

"On September 17, a US P-8A anti-submarine patrol aircraft flew through the Taiwan Strait," Li Xi, a senior captain and spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), said in a statement.

"Theater troops are on constant high alert to resolutely defend national sovereignty and security and regional peace and stability."

Beijing views self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory and claims jurisdiction over the waterway that separates the island from the Chinese mainland.

The Chinese aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong have sailed through the Taiwan Strait several times in recent years as Beijing intensified military and political pressure on the island.

Taiwan's military has reported near daily sightings of Chinese warplanes, drones and naval vessels around the island.

On Wednesday, the defense ministry said nine Chinese military aircraft, 13 naval vessels and one official ship were detected in a 24-hour window ending at 6:00 am (2200 GMT Tuesday).

It said in a second statement that a further 15 Chinese warplanes were detected on Wednesday, of which 12 crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait "in conducting air-sea joint training" with Chinese naval vessels.

"The People's Liberation Army also fired multiple launched rockets in the inland Gansu area," it added.

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World

UN: Ebola Killing a Victim Every 30 Minutes in DR Congo

Volunteers of the Democratic Republic of Congo Red Cross wearing personal protective equipment carry the body of an Ebola virus disease victim from the morgue of the Rwampara health centre, Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo, on June 8, 2026 before loading it into a vehicle for transfer to a cemetery as part of safe and dignified burial operations aimed at preventing the spread of the virus. (Photo by Jospin Mwisha / AFP)
Volunteers of the Democratic Republic of Congo Red Cross wearing personal protective equipment carry the body of an Ebola virus disease victim from the morgue of the Rwampara health centre, Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo, on June 8, 2026 before loading it into a vehicle for transfer to a cemetery as part of safe and dignified burial operations aimed at preventing the spread of the virus. (Photo by Jospin Mwisha / AFP)
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UN: Ebola Killing a Victim Every 30 Minutes in DR Congo

Volunteers of the Democratic Republic of Congo Red Cross wearing personal protective equipment carry the body of an Ebola virus disease victim from the morgue of the Rwampara health centre, Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo, on June 8, 2026 before loading it into a vehicle for transfer to a cemetery as part of safe and dignified burial operations aimed at preventing the spread of the virus. (Photo by Jospin Mwisha / AFP)
Volunteers of the Democratic Republic of Congo Red Cross wearing personal protective equipment carry the body of an Ebola virus disease victim from the morgue of the Rwampara health centre, Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo, on June 8, 2026 before loading it into a vehicle for transfer to a cemetery as part of safe and dignified burial operations aimed at preventing the spread of the virus. (Photo by Jospin Mwisha / AFP)

The Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo is now killing a victim every 30 minutes, a top UN humanitarian official said Friday, calling for greater international action.

“The outbreak is the fastest growing on record,” Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said in a statement. “We need speed, scale and solidarity before this virus gets even further ahead of us.”

The outbreak has killed at least 2,128 people out of more than 4,500 confirmed cases since being declared in the DRC on May 15 and the UN has already said it is on course to become the deadliest Ebola eruption ever.

“Ebola is winning in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We cannot let the virus outrun our response,” Fletcher said as he outlined the latest efforts to contain the virus, which spreads through contact with bodily fluids and causes a hemorrhagic fever.

“The epidemic is killing someone every 30 minutes,” he said, also warning that “many more people are at risk.”

Staff carry a coffin for a victim of Ebola at the hospital in Mongbwalu, Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo, 26 June 2026 (issued 30 June 2026). EPA/DIEUDONNE DIROLE

Fletcher said countries had now donated nearly $300 million to a fund to combat the outbreak.

After a meeting of UN agencies, he said he had allocated another $30.5 million from an emergency UN fund, which would be added to $24 million already allocated to help the DRC and four other countries to tackle the outbreak.

Cases have been reported in six DRC provinces, as well as Uganda. Cases have also been reported near the border with South Sudan. Fletcher said 20 extra staff had been sent to the Ebola “frontlines” but that more was required.

“We need to double the number of teams ensuring safe and dignified burials, triple the treatment capacity, improve contact tracing, and deploy more experienced managers,” said Fletcher. “Crucially, we must meet the immense needs for water, hygiene, health care and other basic services in the region.”

He said: “The world needs to wake up, and show up.”

This 17th outbreak of Ebola is caused by the Bundibugyo strain for which there is no known treatment or vaccine. Ebola has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years. The deadliest Ebola outbreak from 2018 to 2020 killed nearly 2,300 people out of 3,500 recorded cases.

World

South Korea Urges Talks with North Korea to Replace Armistice with Peace

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a ceremony to celebrate the 81st anniversary of the Korean Liberation Day in Seoul, South Korea, 15 August 2026. EPA/LEE JIN-MAN
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a ceremony to celebrate the 81st anniversary of the Korean Liberation Day in Seoul, South Korea, 15 August 2026. EPA/LEE JIN-MAN
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South Korea Urges Talks with North Korea to Replace Armistice with Peace

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a ceremony to celebrate the 81st anniversary of the Korean Liberation Day in Seoul, South Korea, 15 August 2026. EPA/LEE JIN-MAN
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a ceremony to celebrate the 81st anniversary of the Korean Liberation Day in Seoul, South Korea, 15 August 2026. EPA/LEE JIN-MAN

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called on Saturday for talks with North Korea to pursue peaceful coexistence, saying Seoul would seek safeguards to prevent conflict and noting the need to replace the peninsula's armistice with a "peace regime."

In a speech marking the anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule, Lee said the two Koreas should hold a sit-down for coexistence.

He ⁠urged dialogue between ⁠North Korea and concerned parties to end the 1950-53 Korean War, which was stopped by a ceasefire, not a peace treaty, and said discussions could also explore effective measures to curb Pyongyang's nuclear ⁠capabilities.

According to Reuters, Lee said Seoul would take preemptive and sustained steps to ease tensions and build layered safeguards to contain escalation.

Lee's call largely builds on his pledge last year to respect North Korea's system and seek peaceful coexistence with Pyongyang.

Ties between North and South Korea remain frozen. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has abandoned Pyongyang's reunification policy, has described the ⁠South ⁠as its most hostile state and ordered stronger frontline defenses.

North Korea has rebuffed Lee's engagement offers, criticized Seoul's plan for nuclear-powered submarines and denounced joint US-South Korean military drills as provocations.

On relations with Japan, Lee called for confronting the past while leaving open the future, and said he hoped to launch a new 60 years of peace and prosperity with Japan as a "close neighbor.”

World

Magnitude 7.7 Quake Strikes Off Indonesia's Coast, Toppling Buildings and Killing at Least 5

A handout photo made available by the National Search and Rescue Agency of Indonesia (BASARNAS) shows rescuers evacuating a victim after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, 15 August 2026. EPA/BASARNAS
A handout photo made available by the National Search and Rescue Agency of Indonesia (BASARNAS) shows rescuers evacuating a victim after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, 15 August 2026. EPA/BASARNAS
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Magnitude 7.7 Quake Strikes Off Indonesia's Coast, Toppling Buildings and Killing at Least 5

A handout photo made available by the National Search and Rescue Agency of Indonesia (BASARNAS) shows rescuers evacuating a victim after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, 15 August 2026. EPA/BASARNAS
A handout photo made available by the National Search and Rescue Agency of Indonesia (BASARNAS) shows rescuers evacuating a victim after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, 15 August 2026. EPA/BASARNAS

A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia early Saturday, collapsing buildings and homes, killing at least five people and causing panic in a region prone to deadly quakes.

Authorities issued a tsunami warning and urged coastal residents to move to higher ground, but later lifted the warning when Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said monitoring showed no significant sea-level changes that would pose a threat to coastal communities.

The US Geological Survey said the quake hit Indonesia's Flores region with a depth of 10 kilometers at 5:58 a.m. local time. Its epicenter was 68 km (42 miles) north-northwest of the city of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province.

The initial quake was followed by several aftershocks.

East Nusa Tenggara police chief Rudi Darmoko said preliminary reports indicate two fatalities in Sikka Regency and three in Manggarai Regency as the earthquake caused severe damage and collapsed buildings. He said power outages in cities and villages have hampered the flow of information and complicated search and rescue efforts.

“We are continuing to collect reports of damages and casualties, but there are communication disruptions,” The Associated Press quoted Darmoko as saying.

Footage on local television showed patients at several hospitals being evacuated from buildings as a precaution following the quake. Hospital staff moved equipment outdoors, including beds, IV stands and oxygen cylinders, and set up temporary treatment areas to adapt to emergency conditions.

Rescuers inspect a heavily-damaged building at L. Say port following an earthquake in Sikka, Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, August 15, 2026. Indonesian Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas)/ Handout via REUTERS

The quake was felt across much of Flores island with initial reports indicating heavy damage.

Yohanna Embu, a resident of Sikka regency, said a number of buildings were damaged by the strong shaking and panicked people ran to higher ground.

“Many buildings here were damaged ... I saw that the waiting room at the port terminal in Maumere had collapsed,” she said.

The quake also reportedly caused panic in Bima, a city in neighboring West Nusa Tenggara province. There were also damages reported in some part of southern Sulawesi island.

Indonesian authorities initially issued a tsunami warning for parts of East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi provinces, and urged residents to stay away from beaches and riverbanks. The agency located the shallow undersea quake near Flores island.

Indonesia prone to earthquakes Indonesia, a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity because of its location on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.