INTERNACIONAL
Australian PM Albanese disputes China’s claim that Australia was responsible for dangerous aircraft encounter
- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has rejected China’s claim blaming Australia for a dangerous military encounter over the Yellow Sea.
- Both countries lodged protests after China’s Chengdu J-10 fighter dropped flares near an Australian navy helicopter.
- Australia accused China of unprofessional behavior, while China claimed the Seahawk provoked the incident.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday rejected China’s argument that Australia was responsible for a dangerous weekend encounter between their military aircraft in international airspace over the Yellow Sea.
Both China and Australia lodged official protests and blamed each other for a Chinese warplane’s extraordinary use of flares against an Australian navy helicopter on Saturday.
The Seahawk’s pilot had to «take evasive action» to avoid the flares, which were dropped in the helicopter’s flightpath by a Chinese Chengdu J-10 fighter jet, Australian officials said.
AUSTRALIA ACCUSES CHINA OF RECKLESS BEHAVIOR AFTER FIGHTER JET DROPPED FLARES IN FRONT OF HELICOPTER
There were no injuries or damage, although experts warned the helicopter could have been forced to ditch at sea if an engine had been struck by a flare.
A Seahawk helicopter prepares to take off from the deck of HMAS Hobart during flying operations while on a regional presence deployment off northern Australia. Australia has protested to Beijing through multiple channels that a Chinese fighter jet endangered an Australian navy helicopter with flares over international waters, the prime minister said on May 7, 2024. (LSIS Matthew Lyall/Australian Defence Force via AP)
Australia accused China of unprofessional and unacceptable behavior, while China retorted that the Seahawk deliberately flew close to China’s airspace in a «provocative move.»
Albanese said he rejected China’s argument that the Australians had been at fault.
He highlighted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian’s statement that the helicopter «flew within close range of China’s airspace.»
«That’s a confirmation that this chopper was in international air space,» Albanese told Perth Radio 6PR.
Albanese also noted the helicopter had been upholding international law at the time as part of the crew of an Australian air warfare destroyer that was enforcing U.N. Security Council sanctions against North Korea.
«This was unprofessional and unacceptable. And the Chinese spokesperson’s comments do nothing to undermine or to question what is the Australian Defense Force’s assessment of the P.L.A.’s unsafe behavior,» Albanese said, referring to China’s People’s Liberation Army.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
China’s Ministry of National Defense added an accusation that the Australian destroyer had sent helicopter missions to carry out «close-in reconnaissance and disturbance» of a Chinese navy training exercise.
China issued warnings and forced them to leave, ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said. He called the steps legitimate and in accordance with international law.
«We firmly oppose the Australian side’s statement confusing black and white and making unfounded countercharges,» Zhang said in a statement.
The Australian government did not immediately respond to the Chinese suggestion of spying.
It was the most serious encounter between the two nations’ forces since Australia accused the Chinese destroyer CNS Ningbo of injuring Australian navy divers with sonar pulses in Japanese waters in November.
Albanese said the weekend encounter would be raised with Chinese Premier Li Qiang when he visits Australia next month.
INTERNACIONAL
Was a beloved whale suspected of being a Russian ‘spy’ killed in Norway?
Havldimir quickly became a celebrity in Norway, swimming his way into their Nordic hearts.
But this beluga whale’s odd story started in 2019 when he was discovered in northern Norway near the island of Ingoya wearing a harness with «Equipment St Petersburg» written in English connected to a mount for a small camera.
Hvaldimir, as Norwegians dubbed him – mixing together the Norwegian word for whale and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s name – was intelligent, friendly and responded to hand signals, leading Norway’s spy agency to believe he had been held in captivity by Russia and used for research purposes.
Once Hvaldimir was freed from his harness, though, his friendly personality made him beloved in the country.
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED WHALE SEEN OFF CALIFORNIA COAST: ‘EVERY SIGHTING IS INCREDIBLE VALUABLE TO US’
Hvaldimir was found in 2019 wearing a harness with a camera mount on it. (Jorgen Ree Wiig/Sea Surveillance Service/Handout/NTB Scanpix via Reuters/File Photo)
He was fed and monitored by the Norwegian government and dubbed a «free-swimming whale» by the Norwegian Orca Survey, venturing as far as Sweden but always returning home, according to The Telegraph.
Hvaldimir was found dead off southern Norway last weekend.
«It’s absolutely horrible,» marine biologist Sebastian Strand, who worked with Marine Mind, told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK. «He was apparently in good condition as of (Friday), so we just have to figure out what might have happened here.»
BREACHING WHALE CAPSIZES BOAT AFTER LANDING ON TOP OF IT OFF NEW HAMPSHIRE, SHOCKING VIDEO SHOWS
Hvaldimir, being fed here, became beloved in Norway. (orgen Ree Wiig, Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries via AP)
Hvaldimir may have died of natural causes, but conservation groups NOAH and One Whale have filed police reports claiming he was shot, according to the Telegraph.
The Oceanic Preservation Society said that a necropsy will be done on Hvaldimir to determine his cause of death in the next few weeks.
«We’ve been absolutely devastated over the news, and are deeply saddened that humanity failed this beloved whale,» the organization said on social media.
He was fed and monitored by the Norwegian government and dubbed a «free-swimming whale» by the Norwegian Orca Survey, venturing as far as Sweden but always returning home. (Jorgen Ree Wiig, Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries via AP)
Nonprofit Marine Mind said on Facebook that Hvaldimir «bridged the gap» between humans and wild animals in a way «few can.»
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
«Hvaldimir was not just a beluga whale; he was a beacon of hope, a symbol of connection, and a reminder of the deep bond between humans and the natural world,» the organization said. «Over the past five years, he touched the lives of tens of thousands, bringing people together in awe of the wonders of nature. His presence taught us about the importance of ocean conservation, and in doing so, he also taught us more about ourselves.»
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
-
POLITICA2 días ago
La represión a los jubilados, un espejo en el que duele reconocerse
-
POLITICA1 día ago
“Estúpido” y “exlibertario”: reapareció Cristina Kirchner y cruzó muy duro a Javier Milei
-
POLITICA1 día ago
Milei versus Cristina: el Presidente le responde a la exvicepresidenta en el Congreso del IAEF y habla sobre el dólar y el cepo
-
POLITICA2 días ago
Javier Milei planea exponer el Presupuesto en el recinto de Diputados y ya genera polémica con la oposición
-
POLITICA2 días ago
Argentina – Chile, en vivo
-
CHIMENTOS2 días ago
La versión de Victoria Onetto sobre su «aventura» con Alberto Fernández