Taiwan Reports Second Large-Scale China Air Force Incursion This Week

A Taiwanese soldier holds a Taiwan national flag near a group of soldiers with red markings on their helmets to play the role of an enemy during the annual Han Kuang military exercises simulating an attack on an airfield at Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan, Northern Taiwan, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (AP)
A Taiwanese soldier holds a Taiwan national flag near a group of soldiers with red markings on their helmets to play the role of an enemy during the annual Han Kuang military exercises simulating an attack on an airfield at Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan, Northern Taiwan, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (AP)
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Taiwan Reports Second Large-Scale China Air Force Incursion This Week

A Taiwanese soldier holds a Taiwan national flag near a group of soldiers with red markings on their helmets to play the role of an enemy during the annual Han Kuang military exercises simulating an attack on an airfield at Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan, Northern Taiwan, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (AP)
A Taiwanese soldier holds a Taiwan national flag near a group of soldiers with red markings on their helmets to play the role of an enemy during the annual Han Kuang military exercises simulating an attack on an airfield at Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan, Northern Taiwan, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (AP)

Ten Chinese air force aircraft entered Taiwan's air defense zone on Wednesday accompanying five Chinese warships engaged in "combat readiness" patrols, the island's defense ministry said, the second such incursion this week.

Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, has repeatedly complained of Chinese military activity near it over the past three years, as Beijing steps up pressure to try to force the island to accept its sovereignty.

Taiwan's defense ministry said that starting at around 9 a.m. (0100 GMT), it detected a total of 25 Chinese aircraft engaging in operations out at sea, including J-10 and J-16 fighters, as well as H-6 bombers.

Of those aircraft, the ministry said 10 had either crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which previously served as an unofficial barrier between the two sides, or entered the southwestern part of Taiwan's air defense identification zone, or ADIZ.

Those aircraft were acting in coordination with five Chinese warships engaging in "combat readiness" patrols, it said.

Taiwan's military dispatched ships and aircraft to keep watch, the ministry said.

The ADIZ is a broad area Taiwan monitors and patrols to give its forces more time to respond to threats, and Chinese aircraft have not entered territorial Taiwanese air space.

On Sunday, Taiwan reported a similar level of activity by Chinese warplanes and warships near the island.

China staged war games around Taiwan in April after President Tsai Ing-wen returned home from a visit to the United States where she met US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Last August, it also held war games around Taiwan to protest against a trip to Taipei by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Taiwan Vice President William Lai leaves for the United States this week on his way to Paraguay on what is officially only a transit but which has angered China.

It was China's "priority" to stop Lai from visiting the United States, Beijing's ambassador to the US said last month.

Taiwan's democratically elected government rejects China's sovereignty claim and says only the island's people can decide their future.



10 Dead, 30 Injured after Car Plows into New Orleans Crowd

New Orleans police officer John Mciver dismantles a firearm handed over as part of a city-supported initiative exchanging guns for PlayStations, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Jack Brook)
New Orleans police officer John Mciver dismantles a firearm handed over as part of a city-supported initiative exchanging guns for PlayStations, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Jack Brook)
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10 Dead, 30 Injured after Car Plows into New Orleans Crowd

New Orleans police officer John Mciver dismantles a firearm handed over as part of a city-supported initiative exchanging guns for PlayStations, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Jack Brook)
New Orleans police officer John Mciver dismantles a firearm handed over as part of a city-supported initiative exchanging guns for PlayStations, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Jack Brook)

Ten people were killed and 30 injured after a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon Street on Wednesday, according to NOLA Ready, the city’s emergency preparedness agency.
New Orleans police earlier said they were responding to a mass casualty incident, including fatalities. NOLA Ready advised people to stay away from the area.

A truck crashed into the crowd at high speed, and then the driver got out and started firing a weapon, with police returning fire, CBS News said, citing witnesses.