China Deploys Three ‘Navigation’ Beacons in the South China Sea 

This photo taken on April 21, 2023 shows a Chinese coast guard ship patrolling before Subi reef (R) near the Philippine-occupied Thitu island in the disputed South China Sea. (AFP)
This photo taken on April 21, 2023 shows a Chinese coast guard ship patrolling before Subi reef (R) near the Philippine-occupied Thitu island in the disputed South China Sea. (AFP)
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China Deploys Three ‘Navigation’ Beacons in the South China Sea 

This photo taken on April 21, 2023 shows a Chinese coast guard ship patrolling before Subi reef (R) near the Philippine-occupied Thitu island in the disputed South China Sea. (AFP)
This photo taken on April 21, 2023 shows a Chinese coast guard ship patrolling before Subi reef (R) near the Philippine-occupied Thitu island in the disputed South China Sea. (AFP)

China deployed three navigation beacons around the contested Spratly islands of the South China Sea, following similar marker placements by the Philippines earlier this month, as both sides try to fortify their claims to the area.

China's Transport Ministry on Wednesday said its South China Sea maritime security center placed the three beacons close to Irving Reef, Whitson Reef, and Gaven Reef of the Spratly islands, which is consisted of many islets, reef banks and shoals.

The beacon placement is to "ensure the safety of ships' navigation and operations," it said.

Earlier this month, the Philippines also placed navigational buoys carrying the country's national flags within its exclusive economic zone, including at the Whitsun Reef, and where hundreds of Chinese ships moored in 2021.

Tensions have heightened recently in contested parts of the South China Sea, one of the world's most important trade routes.

China has claimed nearly the entire South China Sea as its territory. It is also claimed by Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines.



Greece Blocks Asylum Claims for Migrants on Crete after Surge in Arrivals

Migrants get off a bus at the port of Heraklion, Crete, Greece, 08 July 2025. EPA/NIKOS CHALKIADAKIS
Migrants get off a bus at the port of Heraklion, Crete, Greece, 08 July 2025. EPA/NIKOS CHALKIADAKIS
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Greece Blocks Asylum Claims for Migrants on Crete after Surge in Arrivals

Migrants get off a bus at the port of Heraklion, Crete, Greece, 08 July 2025. EPA/NIKOS CHALKIADAKIS
Migrants get off a bus at the port of Heraklion, Crete, Greece, 08 July 2025. EPA/NIKOS CHALKIADAKIS

Greece's government said Wednesday it is temporarily suspending asylum applications for migrants arriving on the island of Crete, following a spike in arrivals from Libya.

More than 2,000 migrants have landed on the island since the weekend, according to coast guard figures, bringing the total number of arrivals this year to over 10,000.

Speaking in parliament, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the government also planned to build a detention site on Crete for migrants and was seeking direct collaboration between the Libya and Greek coast guards to turn back boats leaving the North African country.

“This emergency situation clearly demands emergency measures,” Mitsotakis told parliament Wednesday. “The Greek government has decided to inform the European Commission that ... it will suspend the processing of asylum applications — for an initial period of three months — for those arriving by sea from North Africa.”

According to The Associated Press, the suspension will apply only to migrants reaching Crete by sea. Migrants entering illegally will be detained, Mitsotakis said. “The Greek government is sending a firm message: the route to Greece is closing, and that message is directed at all human traffickers,” he said.

Overnight, a fishing trawler carrying 520 migrants from Libya was intercepted south of Crete. A bulk carrier that took all of the migrants onboard was rerouted to the port of Lavrio, near Athens, so that the migrants could be detained on a mainland facility, authorities said.