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Taiwan general warns China’s military drills could be preparation for blockade or war, vows to resist
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FIRST ON FOX: Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said China has been conducting training missions in the western Pacific aimed at limiting U.S. and allied military access. The exercises reflect Beijing’s effort to expand its anti-access/area-denial, or A2/AD, capabilities – a strategy meant to keep opposing forces from entering or operating freely in nearby regions.
The military spokesman for Taiwan – officially known as the Republic of China (ROC) – Lt. Gen. Sun Li-fang, told Fox News Digital in exclusive comments that the armed forces of the independently governed island fully understand the threats posed by China’s expanding military might.
Sun said Taiwan has prepared a series of responses if the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) provocations escalate into acts of war and has detailed plans to counter and survive a potential Chinese naval blockade.
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Soldiers pose for group photos with a Taiwan flag after a preparedness enhancement drill simulating the defense against Beijing’s military intrusions, in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan on Jan. 11, 2023. (Daniel Ceng/AP Photo)
Taiwan’s military is on alert for the possibility that Communist China could turn «training» or an exercise into an actual war. Some analysts warn that a Chinese blockade would be difficult to break, but Sun said Taiwan has «holistic plans to breach [any] blockade.» He added that Taipei would «urge its allies and like-minded partners to treat any blockade as an act of war that should trigger a coordinated international response,» noting that shipping disruptions in the seas near Taiwan would have serious effects on the global economy.
Sun said Taiwan expects the PLA to continue its campaign of «hybrid warfare» or «gray-zone operations,» a mix of nonmilitary and paramilitary actions designed to pressure and harass Taiwan without formally declaring war. He warned that the PLA seeks to «exhaust [Taiwan’s] defense capability and blur the battlespace.»
In this undated file photo released by the Taiwan Ministry of Defense, a Chinese PLA J-16 fighter jet flies in an undisclosed location. (Taiwan Ministry of Defense via AP/File)
An example of this can be seen in the near-daily incursions by Chinese warplanes into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, resulting in Taiwanese air force jets scrambling to intercept them. The tactic, analysts say, is deliberate – part of a broader effort to wear down Taiwan’s air force, degrade equipment and exhaust Taiwan’s personnel.
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Beijing has never ruled Taiwan for even a single day, and Taiwan’s military insists it will not allow China to dictate the rules of any future conflict. Instead, the island democracy is prioritizing the development of asymmetric warfare, a strategy in which, as Sun put it, «the weaker party strikes at the weak point of the stronger party with appropriate tactics and weapons in order to gain advantages on the battlefield and change the outcome of the war.»
The spokesperson for the Taiwanese military, Lt. Gen. Sun Li-fang, addresses the media. (Taiwanese Armed Forces)
The general said Taiwan’s top priorities are to build asymmetric capabilities, strengthen operational resilience, expand reserve force capacity and improve defenses against gray-zone harassment. To achieve these goals, he said, Taiwan is expanding production and deployment of unmanned and AI-driven systems while dispersing command-and-control networks to make a knockout punch much more difficult. He also noted that Taiwan’s surveillance and reconnaissance units are «vigilant» and that they «exchange intelligence and perspectives on PLA activities with our allies and partners.»
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Sun also rejected the idea that Taiwan lacks the will to defend itself and believes people here would strongly resist any attempt by the PRC to take Taiwan by force. Taiwan’s military wants the world to know it is committed to its own defense, Sun said, pointing to the proposed 2026 defense budget, which will exceed 3% of GDP. Furthermore, he said, the government is actively pursuing reforms to make training «as realistic as possible,» is expanding reserve forces, and has already extended mandatory military service to one year.
Chinese military helicopters fly past Pingtan island, one of mainland China’s closest points to Taiwan, on Aug. 4, 2022, ahead of massive military drills off Taiwan following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the self-ruled island. (Hector Retamal /AFP via Getty Images)
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Taiwan’s government is stressing that an attack or blockade by Beijing would not just be a local confrontation but a global crisis. Government and military leaders of democratic Taiwan hope their statements and actions will convince China – and the world – that Taiwan will fight back with everything it’s got.
taiwan,china,conflicts,asia,national security
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Tragedia en Filipinas: asciende a 93 el número de muertos y a 26 el de desaparecidos por el paso del tifón Kalmaegi
Al menos 93 muertos y 26 personas que aún siguen siendo buscadas en Filipinas fueron víctimas del tifón Kalmaegi. La mayoría de los afectados por el fenómeno natural sufrieron las inundaciones que arrastraron vehículos y obligaron a los residentes a refugiarse en los techos de sus casas.
Según informaron autoridades locales, entre las víctimas también se cuentan seis personas fallecidas en un accidente de helicóptero de la Fuerza Aérea filipina, ocurrido el martes en Agusan del Sur mientras se dirigía a entregar ayuda humanitaria en las zonas afectadas por Kalmaegi.
El tifón, con vientos sostenidos de hasta 130 km/h y ráfagas de 180 km/h, se desplazó el miércoles hacia el Mar de China Meridional tras causar estragos principalmente en la provincia de Cebú, donde el fenómeno provocó el desbordamiento de ríos y sumergió casas por completo. Numerosos habitantes tuvieron que ser rescatados de los tejados, algunos tras horas de espera y llamados desesperados.
El gobierno de Cebú, que aún se recuperaba de un sismo de magnitud 6,9 ocurrido el 30 de septiembre y que dejó al menos 73 muertos y miles de desplazados, declaró el estado de calamidad para agilizar la liberación de fondos de emergencia. Muchos de los ya desplazados por el terremoto debieron ser evacuados nuevamente a refugios más sólidos ante la llegada del tifón.
Rhon Ramos, portavoz de Cebú, informó este miércoles a AFP que se recuperaron 35 cuerpos en las zonas inundadas de Liloan, llevando el saldo provincial a 76 muertos. La oficina de Defensa Civil nacional confirmó 17 decesos en otras regiones, con lo que el total de fallecidos alcanzó la trágica cifra de 93 muertos.
Se confirmaron muertes en la provincia de Leyte del Sur —donde un anciano se ahogó— y en Bohol, donde un residente murió tras la caída de un árbol. “Las ciudades grandes fueron las más golpeadas (por inundaciones), las zonas más urbanizadas”, dijo el subdirector de la Defensa Civil, Rafaelito Alejandro, a una radio local. “Nuestro desafío ahora es despejar los escombros que bloquean nuestras carreteras”.
La gobernadora provincial de Cebú, Pamela Baricuatro, calificó la situación como “sin precedentes”. “Esperábamos vientos peligrosos, pero el agua es lo que realmente está poniendo a la gente en peligro”, afirmó ante periodistas locales.
“La inundación aquí fue muy severa ayer”, relató Reynaldo Vergara, de 53 años, quien señaló que el agua arrasó con todo lo que había en su pequeña tienda. “Alrededor de las cuatro o cinco de la mañana, el agua era tan fuerte que no podías salir Nada así ha pasado antes”, agregó.
Antes de que Kalmaegi tocara tierra, más de 387.000 personas fueron evacuadas de zonas vulnerables del este y centro del país. El tifón obligó también a suspender la salida de transbordadores y pesqueros, dejando más de 3.500 pasajeros y camioneros varados en cerca de 100 puertos, y al menos 186 vuelos nacionales fueron cancelados.
Más de 200.000 personas fueron evacuadas en la región de Bisayas, así como en zonas del sur de Luzón y norte de Mindanao, debido a las inundaciones, cortes de energía y viviendas anegadas provocadas por la tormenta.
Kalmaegi, la vigésima tormenta que impacta Filipinas este año, se intensificó ligeramente al cruzar el Mar de China Meridional en dirección a Vietnam, donde ya se preparan ante la llegada prevista del tifón este viernes.
En septiembre, el supertifón Ragasa azotó el norte de Luzón y obligó al cierre de escuelas y oficinas gubernamentales por los fuertes vientos y lluvias torrenciales.
(Con información de AFP)
Accidents,Disasters,Natural Catastrophes,Asia / Pacific,Disasters / Accidents
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Minneapolis mayor’s race advances to ranked choice voting after no candidate reaches 50%
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The Minneapolis mayor’s race will advance to ranked choice voting after none of the candidates received at least 50% of the vote in Tuesday’s election, The Associated Press has reported.
Minneapolis allows voters to rank up to three candidates in its municipal races. The field for mayor included more than a dozen candidates. As of 10:41 p.m. EST Tuesday, Jacob Frey and Omar Fateh had received the most first-choice results.
Fateh made waves on the national political stage this year, drawing comparisons to Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral campaign in New York City after The Minnesota Star Tribune dubbed him the «Mamdani of Minneapolis.»
The 35-year-old son of Somali immigrants who became the first Somali-American elected to the Minnesota state Senate in 2020 challenged incumbent Frey head-on this year, criticizing the comparatively moderate Democrat for failing to «meet the needs of our changing society.»
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Minneapolis mayoral candidate Omar Fateh takes a phone call at the University of Minnesota Oct. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Fateh was endorsed by Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor party this summer, the first endorsement of a Minneapolis mayoral candidate in 16 years, before DFL Chairman Richard Carlbom rescinded the coveted endorsement a month later.
«I am incredibly honored to be the DFL endorsed candidate for Minneapolis Mayor. This endorsement is a message that Minneapolis residents are done with broken promises, vetoes, and politics as usual. It’s a mandate to build a city that works for all of us,» Fateh said on X in July.
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«After a thoughtful and transparent review of the challenges, the Constitution, Bylaws & Rules Committee found substantial failures in the Minneapolis Convention’s voting process on July 19th, including an acknowledgment that a mayoral candidate was errantly eliminated from contention. As a result, the Constitution, Bylaws & Rules Committee has vacated the mayoral endorsement,» Carlbom said the following month.
But with the backing of the Twin Cities’ chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and «Squad» member Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who represents Minneapolis in the U.S. House of Representatives, Fateh’s progressive campaign maintained momentum.
There were 15 mayoral candidates on the ballot in Minneapolis Tuesday after the city did not hold a mayoral primary. And while candidates can still identify politically, city races in Minneapolis are officially nonpartisan.
In an attempt to consolidate support against the incumbent frontrunner Frey, Fateh urged his supporters to rank pastor DeWayne Davis and attorney Jazz Hampton as their second and third choices.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey speaks during a press conference at City Hall after a mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School Aug. 28, 2025, in Minneapolis. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
In Minneapolis, if a candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, that candidate wins outright.
But if no one gets a majority, counting moves to additional rounds. After each round, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and those ballots are redistributed to the next-ranked candidate on each voter’s ballot. The process continues until one candidate has a majority and can be declared the winner.
According to The Associated Press, every mayoral race in Minneapolis since 2013 has gone to at least a second round of ranked-choice voting.
Frey ousted an incumbent in 2017 after six rounds of tabulation. Then, in 2021, Frey won re-election after two rounds.
A campaign sign for Omar Fateh is displayed near Riverside Plaza in Minneapolis’ Cedar–Riverside neighborhood. (Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital)
The last mayor’s race took the national stage after the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis in 2020, triggering national and international protests rejecting police brutality amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., who was former Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate last year and is up for re-election next year, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., endorsed Frey’s campaign this year.
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And Minneapolis was once again in the national spotlight this year.
The city is still reeling from a massacre at a back-to-school Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church in August, where two children were killed and 17 others were injured when a shooter opened fire before committing suicide.
Associated Press contributed to this report
2025 2026 elections coverage,elections,politics,minneapolis st paul,socialism
INTERNACIONAL
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