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Philippines to File Protest With China over South China Sea Air Incident

File photo of a Chinese Coast Guard vessel seen patrolling in the South China Sea. (AP)
File photo of a Chinese Coast Guard vessel seen patrolling in the South China Sea. (AP)
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Philippines to File Protest With China over South China Sea Air Incident

File photo of a Chinese Coast Guard vessel seen patrolling in the South China Sea. (AP)
File photo of a Chinese Coast Guard vessel seen patrolling in the South China Sea. (AP)

The Philippines will file a diplomatic protest with China over a recent incident involving Air Force planes in airspace over a South China Sea shoal, Manila's Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo said on Monday.
The Southeast Asian nation will continue maritime patrols in South China Sea despite the "dangerous and provocative" actions of China's Air Force last week, military chief Romeo Brawner told reporters.
The Philippines' military has complained of dangerous actions by two Chinese aircraft that dropped flares in the path of a Philippine Air Force aircraft conducting a routine patrol over the Scarborough Shoal on Aug. 8, reported Reuters.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said he hoped China would comply with international law and on the need to de-escalate tensions.
On Sunday, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos said China's actions were "
unjustified, illegal and reckless".
China's embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On Saturday, Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army said the Philippine aircraft had illegally intruded despite repeated warnings.

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Ukraine Asks UN, ICRC to Join Humanitarian Effort in Russia’s Kursk Region

In this photo taken from video released by the Russian Defense Ministry on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, a Russian soldier fires Msta-B howitzer toward a Ukrainian position in the Russian - Ukrainian border area in ​​the Kursk region, Russia. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service photo via AP)
In this photo taken from video released by the Russian Defense Ministry on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, a Russian soldier fires Msta-B howitzer toward a Ukrainian position in the Russian - Ukrainian border area in ​​the Kursk region, Russia. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service photo via AP)
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Ukraine Asks UN, ICRC to Join Humanitarian Effort in Russia’s Kursk Region

In this photo taken from video released by the Russian Defense Ministry on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, a Russian soldier fires Msta-B howitzer toward a Ukrainian position in the Russian - Ukrainian border area in ​​the Kursk region, Russia. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service photo via AP)
In this photo taken from video released by the Russian Defense Ministry on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, a Russian soldier fires Msta-B howitzer toward a Ukrainian position in the Russian - Ukrainian border area in ​​the Kursk region, Russia. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service photo via AP)

Ukraine said on Monday it had asked the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to join humanitarian efforts in Russia's Kursk region following a cross-border incursion by Ukrainian forces.

Ukraine's army remains in the Kursk region more than a month after launching the assault, in which President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says Kyiv has taken control of about 100 settlements.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said he had instructed his ministry to formally invite the UN and ICRC to work in the Kursk region when he visited the northeast Ukrainian region of Sumy on Sunday. The ministry confirmed that it had issued the requests.

"Ukraine is ready to facilitate their work and prove its adherence to international humanitarian law," Sybiha said on X after the visit to Sumy, from where Ukrainian forces launched the cross-border attack.

He said the Ukrainian army was ensuring humanitarian assistance and safe passage to civilians in the Kursk region.

The Foreign Ministry said in a written statement that the invitations had been issued to the ICRC and UN, "taking into account the humanitarian situation and the need to properly ensure basic human rights in the territory of the Kursk region."

The ministry said it had asked the ICRC to monitor Ukraine's compliance with the principles of international humanitarian law in accordance with the Geneva Conventions, which cover the protection of victims of international armed conflicts.

Moscow, which invaded Ukraine in 2022, did not immediately comment on the invitations. It was not immediately clear how or whether the UN or ICRC had responded.

Russia's state-run RIA news agency reported on Monday that ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric had arrived on a visit to Moscow and planned to meet Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Last week, Russian shelling killed three Ukrainians working for the ICRC and wounded two others in a village in the frontline Donetsk region, Ukrainian officials said. Spoljaric has condemned the attacks.