2 h. ago China and Philippines raise flags on tiny South China Sea sandbank as tensions mount

Tiny Sandy Cay is strategically vital due to proximity to largest island occupied by Philippines in Spratly archipelago

Events

4 h. ago Beijing seizes disputed reef with troops raising flag near military base... before Filipino troops unfurl their own banner on another island amid growing South China Sea tensions

Chinese coast guard officers 'implemented maritime control' over Tiexian Reef, part of the Sandy Cay reef, in mid-April. The Philippine Coast Guard responded with its own photograph Monday.

Events

13 h. ago China and Philippines display competing flags on disputed South China Sea sandbank

Beijing and Manila accuse eachother of illegal activities around Sandy Cay near the Spratly Isles, as joint US-Filipino military drills get underway in regionChina and the Philippines have displayed their national flags in competing photo opportunities on a disputed sandbank in the South China sea, ratcheting up longstanding regional tensions between the two countries.The dispute played out at Sandy Cay, which is part of the disputed Spratly Islands, and comes days after the US and the Philippines launched their annual joint military drills called “Balikatan”, or “shoulder to shoulder”, which this year will include an integrated air and missile defence simulation for the first time. Continue reading...

Politics

26 h. ago China seizes control of disputed reef and plants national flag near Philippine military base

Chinese media says coastguard units entered remote sandbank, known in China as Tiexian Reef, ‘to exercise sovereignty’

Events

5 d. ago Father and son who drowned on dream holiday to Australia's Great Barrier Reef after being swept out to sea are named

Robin Reed, 46, and his son Owen, 17, from Caerphilly, South Wales, were swept out to sea on April 13 while swimming at Round Hill Head in Seventeen Seventy, Queensland.

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7 d. ago US and Philippines launch ‘Super Bowl’ of military exercises around South China Sea

Biggest edition of annual Balikatan drills sets off protests against presence of foreign troops and ‘militarisation’

Events

7 d. ago China and Indonesia agree to boost maritime security cooperation in South China Sea despite tensions

Indonesia and China say they have committed to maritime cooperation promoting safety and security in the South China Sea

Events

1 week ago From a powerful Moroccan equestrian performance to a female Peruvian prison: The breathtaking winners of the 2025 Sony World Photography Awards revealed

The winners of the 2025 Sony World Photography Awards have been revealed in the 18th annual competition. The images are currently on display at Somerset House in London.

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1 week ago Sea Containers London, a Chic Design Hotel on the River Thames' South Bank, Now Has New Suites Inspired by 1920s Transatlantic Cruising

Sea Containers London, a Chic Design Hotel on the River Thames' South Bank, Now Has New Suites Inspired by 1920s Transatlantic Cruising  AOL.com

Politics

3 w. ago Living Nostradamus says China's 'war tool' is everything he predicted two years ago

EXCLUSIVE: The 'Living Nostradamus' warned his vision of a large-scale cyber attack in the South China Sea could come true after Beijing unveiled a new tool capable of cutting submarine cables

Events