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China Conducts Naval, Air Patrols Around Disputed Shoal in South China Sea

In this photo taken from video provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, a member of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on board the BRP Malapascua (MRRV-4403) continues its search and rescue operations in the vicinity waters off a Chinese-occupied shoal in the South China Sea, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, following the reported sinking of Vietnamese cargo vessel Khoi Nguyen 18. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP)
In this photo taken from video provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, a member of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on board the BRP Malapascua (MRRV-4403) continues its search and rescue operations in the vicinity waters off a Chinese-occupied shoal in the South China Sea, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, following the reported sinking of Vietnamese cargo vessel Khoi Nguyen 18. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP)
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China Conducts Naval, Air Patrols Around Disputed Shoal in South China Sea

In this photo taken from video provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, a member of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on board the BRP Malapascua (MRRV-4403) continues its search and rescue operations in the vicinity waters off a Chinese-occupied shoal in the South China Sea, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, following the reported sinking of Vietnamese cargo vessel Khoi Nguyen 18. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP)
In this photo taken from video provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, a member of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on board the BRP Malapascua (MRRV-4403) continues its search and rescue operations in the vicinity waters off a Chinese-occupied shoal in the South China Sea, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, following the reported sinking of Vietnamese cargo vessel Khoi Nguyen 18. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP)

China's military conducted joint air and naval combat drills around the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, the People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command said in a statement on Saturday.

Here are some key details:

The drills were held in the airspace and waters around the shoal, which China calls Huangyan Dao.

The Chinese military described the drills as a necessary response to actions ⁠by "certain countries" it ⁠said were undermining regional peace and stability. It did not name any countries, but the Scarborough Shoal is also claimed by the Philippines, where it is known as Bajo de Masinloc.

The Philippine embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request ⁠for comment about the Chinese military drills around the shoal.

The drills were to test and improve the combat readiness of China's forces to defend national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, the Chinese military said.

China issued a new policy on Saturday for the administration of the Huangyan Island National Nature Reserve — established in September 2025 — and said unauthorized fishing, mining, coral or giant clam extraction, and other harmful activities would be ⁠banned, ⁠according to the Xinhua news agency.

Violators of the ban will be held legally accountable, Xinhua said.

China Coast Guard will set up regular patrols around the reserve to deal with any illegal activities, Xinhua said.

China Coast Guard conducted on Saturday a rights-protection and law enforcement drill near Huangyan Island, according to China state broadcaster CCTV.

China Coast Guard said it will strengthen law enforcement and control measures in the waters near Huangyan Island, according to CCTV.

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World

US Military Says It Destroyed 2 Small Iranian Boats Trying to Steal a Drone

A US Navy sailor walks across the flight deck of the USS George Washington in the Arabian Sea, September 11, 2026. (Reuters)
A US Navy sailor walks across the flight deck of the USS George Washington in the Arabian Sea, September 11, 2026. (Reuters)
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US Military Says It Destroyed 2 Small Iranian Boats Trying to Steal a Drone

A US Navy sailor walks across the flight deck of the USS George Washington in the Arabian Sea, September 11, 2026. (Reuters)
A US Navy sailor walks across the flight deck of the USS George Washington in the Arabian Sea, September 11, 2026. (Reuters)

The US military said Tuesday that it opened fire and destroyed two small Iranian boats this week trying to steal a drone ship in the waters off Iran.

Capt. Tim Hawkins, US Central Command spokesman said that “Iranian small boats recently attempted to take possession of a US unmanned surface vessel, but they were unsuccessful after CENTCOM forcefully responded."

Iranian state media reported Monday that a pair of fishing boats came under attack in Hormozgan province on Iran’s southern coast and that several fishermen were reported missing, citing a provincial official.

It is the latest volley of fire in the more than six-month-old war as both sides seek control over the Strait of Hormuz, where the US has succeeded in recent weeks in loosening Iran’s grip over the critical energy shipping corridor. But the impact of the unpopular conflict has driven up the cost of oil and gasoline prices, posing political problems for President Donald Trump and his Republican Party.

Hawkins said Tuesday that the drone involved is a “Saildrone” — a small, roughly 25-foot (8-meter) craft — that can operate by itself. US Central Command has been using them in the region for several years to surveil maritime traffic.

Hawkins said all of the command’s surface drones “remain fully accounted for.” The military has long asserted that the technology on the Saildrones is commercially available and not sensitive in nature.

The latest drone incident, which was reported earlier by Axios, comes a week after Iranian state television reported that the country's navy captured one of the US military’s underwater drones at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.

Hawkins said then that an Anduril Dive-LD drone had malfunctioned while it was surveying the waters in the region and that the US military no longer had possession of it.

He stressed that the drone was defective and noted that it was also an “older model that neither collected sensitive data no carried any classified sonar or radar equipment.”

World

UK, US and Netherlands Issue Advisory on Iran-Linked Spyware

Iranians walk past a wall decorated with the image of assassinated Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei and the national flag, in central of Tehran on September 14, 2026. (AFP)
Iranians walk past a wall decorated with the image of assassinated Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei and the national flag, in central of Tehran on September 14, 2026. (AFP)
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UK, US and Netherlands Issue Advisory on Iran-Linked Spyware

Iranians walk past a wall decorated with the image of assassinated Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei and the national flag, in central of Tehran on September 14, 2026. (AFP)
Iranians walk past a wall decorated with the image of assassinated Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei and the national flag, in central of Tehran on September 14, 2026. (AFP)

Britain, the United States and the Netherlands on Tuesday issued a joint cybersecurity advisory detailing spyware they say is used by Iranian state-linked actors to target dissidents, activists and journalists.

Britain's National Cyber Security Centre said Iranian state-linked cyber actors had used a spyware family known as "CHOSEN ‌BRICK" to steal ‌emails, messages and other ‌sensitive information ⁠through "spear-phishing" campaigns on ⁠messaging platforms including WhatsApp and Telegram.

"The details of this cyber campaign reveal how Iran ruthlessly uses digital surveillance in pursuit of its aim to repress critics of the regime, stealing emails and messages and accessing ⁠devices," Paul Chichester, NCSC Director of Operations, ‌said in ‌a statement.

Iran's embassy in London did not immediately ‌respond to a request for comment.

The malware, ‌according to the advisory, can collect information from contact lists, emails and social media accounts, capture screen content and access a device's microphone. ‌The NCSC said some victims' personal details had later appeared on pro-Iranian ⁠leak ⁠sites.

The NCSC said the attackers often posed as trusted contacts on messaging apps and tailored their approach to individual targets. In some cases, it said, they used fake documents, including fabricated MRI test results, to persuade victims to download the malware.

The NCSC, alongside the FBI and the Netherlands' AIVD intelligence service, said Iran "almost certainly" uses cyber operations to help suppress people it sees as threats.

World

EU Must Impose ‘Greater Cost’ on Russia to Curb ‘Hybrid Attacks’, Says Kallas

High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas speaks during a debate on the "Urgent need for EU support to Ukraine against Russia’s escalation of its war of aggression" at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, 15 September 2026. (EPA)
High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas speaks during a debate on the "Urgent need for EU support to Ukraine against Russia’s escalation of its war of aggression" at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, 15 September 2026. (EPA)
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EU Must Impose ‘Greater Cost’ on Russia to Curb ‘Hybrid Attacks’, Says Kallas

High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas speaks during a debate on the "Urgent need for EU support to Ukraine against Russia’s escalation of its war of aggression" at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, 15 September 2026. (EPA)
High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas speaks during a debate on the "Urgent need for EU support to Ukraine against Russia’s escalation of its war of aggression" at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, 15 September 2026. (EPA)

The European Union must ramp up measures against the Kremlin, including reviewing the issuance of tourist visas to Russians, to counter Moscow's "hybrid attacks", foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Tuesday.

"Despite international efforts to end the war, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin chooses to intensify his war of aggression against Ukraine and hostilities against Europe, and one thing is very clear: Putin will not stop unless he is stopped," Kallas told the European Parliament.

"So, as Russia is willing to take greater risks, Europe must impose a greater cost."

Europe is grappling with what Kallas called a "steady increase in hybrid attacks" by Russia designed to weaken support for Ukraine.

Fears rose over the summer when an explosive-laden drone was discovered at a German airport in an incident Berlin blamed on Moscow.

Beyond ramping up support for Kyiv and sanctioning the Kremlin, Kallas said the EU should look to increase controls on Russians coming into the bloc.

"We can tighten control further over the movement of Russian diplomats within Schengen. We can ban issuing visas for Russian ex-combatants, and we should review the issuance of tourist fissures to Russian citizens," she said.

"We must reduce the pool of people conducting attacks on European soil."

Kallas also urged EU states to better share intelligence and step up the use of artificial intelligence to tackle Russian disinformation.

While the EU eyes more measures, officials admit that the West is struggling to halt actions from Moscow that float in a grey zone beneath open conflict.

"We have all the response options we need when it comes to hybrid. It will not always be visible and public, what we do," NATO chief Mark Rutte said Monday.

"The most important one, of course, is making sure that Ukraine has what it needs to stay in the fight."