China Opposes New Philippine Maritime Law, Vows to Protect South China Sea ‘Sovereignty’https://english.aawsat.com/world/5080126-china-opposes-new-philippine-maritime-law-vows-protect-south-china-sea-%E2%80%98sovereignty%E2%80%99
China Opposes New Philippine Maritime Law, Vows to Protect South China Sea ‘Sovereignty’
A floating barrier is placed at the entrance of Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, February 22, 2024. (Maxar Technologies/Handout via Reuters)
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China Opposes New Philippine Maritime Law, Vows to Protect South China Sea ‘Sovereignty’
A floating barrier is placed at the entrance of Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, February 22, 2024. (Maxar Technologies/Handout via Reuters)
China firmly opposes the Philippines' Maritime Zones Act, which it says "severely infringes on" its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Sunday in a statement.
This follows China's release of a statement on the baseline of "territorial waters" around the disputed Scarborough Shoal, which China claims as its territory.
China will continue to take all necessary legal measures to protect its sovereignty and maritime rights, the foreign ministry said.
The Scarborough Shoal, known in China as Huangyan Island, is a major point of contention over sovereignty and fishing rights.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky gestures as he attends a joint press conference following his meeting with Nordic and Baltic states leaders in Kyiv on February 24, 2026, as Ukraine marks the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion. (AFP)
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Zelensky Announces Ukraine-US Talks in Geneva Thursday
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky gestures as he attends a joint press conference following his meeting with Nordic and Baltic states leaders in Kyiv on February 24, 2026, as Ukraine marks the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion. (AFP)
Lead Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov will meet with US envoy Steve Witkoff in Geneva on Thursday, Kyiv has announced, ahead of fresh trilateral talks with Russia expected in early March.
The meetings are the latest round of negotiations spearheaded by US President Donald Trump that so far have failed to make meaningful progress on ending the Kremlin's four-year invasion of Ukraine.
"Tomorrow he will meet with American negotiators Witkoff and (Jared) Kushner," Ukrainian President Zelensky told a group of reporters, including from AFP.
He added that the meeting was part of "preparations for a trilateral meeting with Russia, which we believe will take place in early March".
Umerov's adviser told reporters separately that the meeting on Thursday will be in Geneva, which hosted talks with Russian, Ukrainian, and US officials earlier this month.
Other issues on the agenda for Thursday are prisoner-of-war exchanges and a "prosperity package" for the reconstruction of Ukraine, Zelensky said.
Witkoff confirmed the talks earlier this week saying the aim was to "explore different iterations about how we might get to a peace deal."
United States has been pushing for an end to the war that has entered its fifth year and which has killed tens of thousands and destroyed much of eastern and southern Ukraine.
Moscow and Kyiv remain at odds over who gets what land in a post-war settlement.
Russia is pushing for full control of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, and has threatened to take it by force if Kyiv does not cave at the negotiating table.
But Ukraine has rejected the demand and signaled it would not sign a deal without security guarantees that deter Russia from invading again.
Israel Committed Two-Thirds of Record Press Killings in 2025, Says CPJ https://english.aawsat.com/world/5244616-israel-committed-two-thirds-record-press-killings-2025-says-cpj%C2%A0
Tents of displaced Palestinian families at sunset as they prepare to break their fast during the holy month of Ramadan, near the beach in Gaza City, 24 February 2026. (EPA)
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Israel Committed Two-Thirds of Record Press Killings in 2025, Says CPJ
Tents of displaced Palestinian families at sunset as they prepare to break their fast during the holy month of Ramadan, near the beach in Gaza City, 24 February 2026. (EPA)
A record 129 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2025, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday, blaming Israel for two-thirds of the deaths.
It was the second consecutive annual record for press deaths and the deadliest year since the CPJ began collecting data more than three decades ago.
"Journalists are being killed in record numbers at a time when access to information is more important than ever," CEO Jodie Ginsberg said in a statement.
"We are all at risk when journalists are killed for reporting the news."
Over three-quarters of all the fatalities in 2025 were in conflict settings, the CPJ said in its report.
More than 60 percent of the 86 members of the press killed by Israeli fire in 2025 were Palestinians reporting from Gaza, it added.
The Israeli military maintains that it never deliberately targets journalists.
The number of journalists killed in Ukraine and Sudan also increased in 2025 compared to a year earlier.
The CPJ highlighted a rise in drones being used, with 39 cases documented, including 28 killings by Israel in Gaza and five by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Sudan.
In Ukraine, four journalists were killed by Russian military drones, the highest annual number of journalist deaths in the war since 15 were killed in 2022.
Journalists are increasingly vulnerable due to a persistent culture of impunity, the CPJ said, noting a lack of transparent investigations into killings.
In Mexico, six journalists were killed in 2025 and all the cases remain unsolved. The Philippines saw three journalists shot dead.
Others were killed following their reporting on corruption, such as a Bangladeshi reporter hacked to death by suspects linked to a fraud ring, according to the CPJ report.
Similar organized crime-related deaths were recorded in India and Peru.
Bomb Threat Against Australia PM Linked to Banned Chinese Dance Grouphttps://english.aawsat.com/world/5244611-bomb-threat-against-australia-pm-linked-banned-chinese-dance-group
FILE PHOTO: The Lodge, the official Canberra residence of the Australian Prime Minster, stands in Canberra, Australia, January 25, 2016. MICK TSIKAS/AAP/via REUTERS/File Photo
Bomb Threat Against Australia PM Linked to Banned Chinese Dance Group
FILE PHOTO: The Lodge, the official Canberra residence of the Australian Prime Minster, stands in Canberra, Australia, January 25, 2016. MICK TSIKAS/AAP/via REUTERS/File Photo
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday he did not take his security for granted, after he was evacuated from his residence for several hours following a bomb threat sent to a Chinese dance group.
Albanese was evacuated from his residence in Canberra late on Tuesday following the threat, and returned a few hours later after nothing suspicious was found. According to Reuters, police said there was no ongoing risk.
The bomb scare was among several emails threatening Albanese sent to a representative of Shen Yun, a classical Chinese dance troupe banned in China that is due to perform in Australia this month, a spokesperson for the group said in a statement.
25 February 2026, Australia, Melbourne: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks during the Future Victoria Summit in Melbourne. Photo: Michael Currie/AAP/dpa
The email sent to the group's local organizers and originally written in Chinese, claimed that explosives had been placed around Albanese's residence, and would detonate if the group performed in the country.
"If you insist on proceeding with the performance, then the prime minister's residence will be reduced to a blood-soaked ruin," read one of the emails, seen by Reuters and dated Sunday.
The group reported the threats to Australian national security and law enforcement authorities, the spokesperson said.
"We appreciate the steps taken to ensure public safety and to protect elected officials, including the prime minister."
Police declined to comment on the source of the threat.
"I think it's just a reminder, take every opportunity to tell people, turn the heat down for goodness sake," Albanese said at an event in Melbourne on Wednesday.
"We can't take these things for granted."
Earlier on Wednesday, Albanese posted a photo on Instagram of his dog standing by a door at The Lodge, his official residence in Canberra, with a caption thanking police for their work.
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