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Philippines Says China Has No Right to Object or Interfere with Its ‘Lawful’ Activities in South China Sea 

In this handout photo grabbed from video provided by the Philippine Coast Guard/Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (PCG/BFAR), a Chinese Coast Guard ship, left, uses a water cannon and sideswiped a Philippine fisheries vessel on a research mission near one of three sandbars called Sandy Cay in the disputed South China Sea on Wednesday May 21, 2025. (PCG/BFAR via AP)
In this handout photo grabbed from video provided by the Philippine Coast Guard/Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (PCG/BFAR), a Chinese Coast Guard ship, left, uses a water cannon and sideswiped a Philippine fisheries vessel on a research mission near one of three sandbars called Sandy Cay in the disputed South China Sea on Wednesday May 21, 2025. (PCG/BFAR via AP)
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Philippines Says China Has No Right to Object or Interfere with Its ‘Lawful’ Activities in South China Sea 

In this handout photo grabbed from video provided by the Philippine Coast Guard/Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (PCG/BFAR), a Chinese Coast Guard ship, left, uses a water cannon and sideswiped a Philippine fisheries vessel on a research mission near one of three sandbars called Sandy Cay in the disputed South China Sea on Wednesday May 21, 2025. (PCG/BFAR via AP)
In this handout photo grabbed from video provided by the Philippine Coast Guard/Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (PCG/BFAR), a Chinese Coast Guard ship, left, uses a water cannon and sideswiped a Philippine fisheries vessel on a research mission near one of three sandbars called Sandy Cay in the disputed South China Sea on Wednesday May 21, 2025. (PCG/BFAR via AP)

The Philippine foreign ministry said on Thursday that China has no right to object to or interfere with its lawful and routine activities in the South China Sea.

The ministry said it also "rejects and refutes" recent statements of the Chinese embassy in Manila that Beijing has indisputable sovereignty over the Spratly islands.

The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and China between them have claims and a presence on dozens of features in the Spratly archipelago, ranging from reefs and rocks to islands, natural and artificial. China's manmade islands there include runways, radar towers, ports and missile systems.

"We urge China to respect the Philippines' sovereignty and jurisdiction, even as we continue to pursue peaceful and legal means to manage differences and the situation at sea," foreign ministry spokesperson Teresita Daza said in a statement.

China and the Philippines traded accusations last week following a confrontation between two of their vessels in contested waters of the South China Sea, the latest incident in a long-running row in the strategic waterway.

The Philippines' fisheries bureau said the lives of a civilian crew were put at risk when the Chinese coast guard fired water cannons and sideswiped a vessel as it conducted marine research around a disputed reef.

The Chinese coast guard said two Philippine vessels had illegally entered waters near Subi Reef, a Chinese-built artificial island, and organized personnel to land on the unoccupied sandbars of Sandy Cay.

"The Philippines is clearly within its rights to conduct routine maritime operations and scientific research in and around these features, and will continue to do so," Daza said. "China has no right to object much less interfere with these lawful and routine activities."

China claims sovereignty over nearly all the South China Sea, including parts of the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. An international arbitral tribunal in 2016 said Beijing's expansive claim has no basis under international law.

The Chinese embassy in its statement sent to media on Monday said the Philippines had since January made 27 "unauthorized landings" on features, despite a 2002 agreement among Southeast Asian countries and China to refrain from doing so.

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World

Powerful 7.6-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Japan’s Northeast

A tsunami warning flashes over live footage of a waterfront area, on a television screen in Sapporo, in Japan's northern Hokkaido prefecture on December 9, 2025. (AFP)
A tsunami warning flashes over live footage of a waterfront area, on a television screen in Sapporo, in Japan's northern Hokkaido prefecture on December 9, 2025. (AFP)
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Powerful 7.6-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Japan’s Northeast

A tsunami warning flashes over live footage of a waterfront area, on a television screen in Sapporo, in Japan's northern Hokkaido prefecture on December 9, 2025. (AFP)
A tsunami warning flashes over live footage of a waterfront area, on a television screen in Sapporo, in Japan's northern Hokkaido prefecture on December 9, 2025. (AFP)

A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake shook northeastern Japan late on Monday, prompting tsunami warnings and orders for about 90,000 residents to evacuate. 

The Japan Meteorological Agency said a tsunami as high as 3 meters (10 feet) could hit Japan's northeastern coast after the earthquake struck off the coast at 11:15 p.m. (1415 GMT). 

Tsunami warnings were issued for the prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate, and tsunamis from 20 to 70 cm (7 to 27 inches) high were observed at several ports, JMA said. 

The epicenter of the quake was 80 km (50 miles) off the coast of Aomori prefecture, at a depth of 50 km, the agency added. 

On Japan's 1-7 scale of seismic intensity, the tremor registered as an "upper 6" in Aomori prefecture -- a quake strong enough to make it impossible to keep standing or move without crawling. In such tremors, most heavy furniture can collapse and wall tiles and windowpanes are damaged in many buildings. 

East Japan Railway suspended some services in the area, which was also hit by the massive 9.0-magnitude quake in March 2011. As of 1600 GMT, there was little information of major damage from public broadcaster NHK. 

"There is a possibility that further powerful and stronger earthquakes could occur over the next several days," a JMA official said at a briefing. 

No irregularities were reported at nuclear power plants in the region run by Tohoku Electric Power and Hokkaido Electric Power, the utilities said. Tohoku Electric initially said thousands of households had lost power but later lowered that number to the hundreds. 

The yen weakened against major currencies after news of the tremor, before regaining some ground. The dollar touched a session high and was trading at around 155.81 yen around 1533 GMT, while the euro also hit a session high. 

Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, with a tremor occurring at least every five minutes. Located in the "Ring of Fire" of volcanoes and oceanic trenches partly encircling the Pacific Basin, Japan accounts for about 20% of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or greater.  

The northeastern region suffered one of the country's deadliest earthquakes on March 11, 2011, when a 9.0-magnitude tremor struck under the ocean off the coast of the northern city of Sendai.  

It was the most powerful ever recorded in Japan and set off a series of massive tsunami that devastated a wide swathe of the Pacific coastline and killed nearly 20,000 people. 

The 2011 tsunami also damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, leading to a series of explosions and meltdowns in the world's worst nuclear disaster for 25 years. 

World

Iran Opens Trial of Dual National Accused of Spying for Israel 

Iranians go shopping in Tajrish Bazaar in Tehran, Iran, 08 December 2025. (EPA)
Iranians go shopping in Tajrish Bazaar in Tehran, Iran, 08 December 2025. (EPA)
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Iran Opens Trial of Dual National Accused of Spying for Israel 

Iranians go shopping in Tajrish Bazaar in Tehran, Iran, 08 December 2025. (EPA)
Iranians go shopping in Tajrish Bazaar in Tehran, Iran, 08 December 2025. (EPA)

The trial of a dual national holding European citizenship has begun in Iran, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Monday, saying they were indicted for "intelligence cooperation and espionage in favor of the Zionist regime (Israel)."

According to the Alborz provincial attorney general, the defendant - whose identity has not been disclosed - entered Iran about a month before the 12-day war in June, during which Israel and the US struck Iranian nuclear facilities.

They were arrested on the fourth day of the conflict by the elite Revolutionary Guards.

"Sophisticated spy and intelligence items and equipment were discovered in their villa in Karaj," the attorney general said, adding that the charges under investigation carry penalties for "waging war against God" and "corruption on earth" - offences often punishable by death.

In recent years, the Revolutionary Guards have detained dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, mostly on espionage and security-related charges.

Rights groups and some Western countries have accused Tehran of using such arrests to gain leverage in negotiations. Tehran denies arresting people for political reasons.

World

China Vows to Defend Sovereignty Over Taiwan as Trump Unveils Security Strategy 

08 December 2025, China, Beijing: Guo Jiakun, China's Foreign Office spokesperson, speaks to journalists. (dpa)
08 December 2025, China, Beijing: Guo Jiakun, China's Foreign Office spokesperson, speaks to journalists. (dpa)
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China Vows to Defend Sovereignty Over Taiwan as Trump Unveils Security Strategy 

08 December 2025, China, Beijing: Guo Jiakun, China's Foreign Office spokesperson, speaks to journalists. (dpa)
08 December 2025, China, Beijing: Guo Jiakun, China's Foreign Office spokesperson, speaks to journalists. (dpa)

China on Monday pledged to defend its sovereignty and warned against "external interference" after the US unveiled a new security strategy aimed at building up military power to deter conflict with Beijing over Taiwan.

Washington laid out its approach to one of the world's most sensitive diplomatic issues in its official National Security Strategy released on Friday.

The document came as Beijing last week deployed a large number of naval and coast guard vessels across East Asian waters in its largest show of maritime force to date.

Taiwan is the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations and China brooks no external interference, Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, told reporters in Beijing when asked about the document.

"The US side should ... handle the Taiwan question with the utmost prudence, and stop indulging and supporting 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces in seeking independence by force or resisting reunification by force," he said.

Guo added that China was willing to work with Washington to promote stable ties while safeguarding its sovereignty, security and development interests.

China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has never renounced the use of force to take control of the island. Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims.

The new US document has been warmly welcomed in Taiwan, whose President Lai Ching-te wrote on X on Saturday: "Greatly appreciate that the US National Security Strategy prioritizes deterring a conflict over Taiwan."

Taiwan Defense Minister Wellington Koo told reporters on the same day that the United States still regards maintaining peace and stability in the region as its highest core interest.

"The United States is vigorously promoting that the countries in the Indo-Pacific region work together to establish an effective form of collective deterrence," he said.

"We in Taiwan must also strengthen our self-defense capabilities."

Lai has said Taiwan aims to spend 5% of its GDP on defense by 2030 and last month unveiled $40 billion in extra defense spending to run from 2026-2033.