Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr today said the presence of a Russian submarine in the nation’s waters is “very concerning,” as its military vowed to continue safeguarding its maritime sovereignty.
“Any intrusion into the West Philippine Sea, of our EEZ [exclusive economic zone], of our baselines is very worrisome,” Marcos told reporters.
Photo: Armed Forces of the Philippines / AFP
The country’s military said a Russian submarine, identified as UFA 490, was sighted 80 nautical miles (148km) west of Occidental Mindoro Province in the western Philippines on Thursday last week.
The Philippine Navy immediately deployed assets to monitor the situation, and a warship established radio communications with the submarine, the military said in a statement.
“The Russian vessel stated it was awaiting improved weather conditions before proceeding to Vladivostok,” it said.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer first reported on the sighting earlier today, citing unidentified sources.
The military said it would continue to protect the country’s sovereignty, adding that its “operations remain consistent with international maritime laws.”
The sighting of a Russian submarine comes against the backdrop of lingering tensions between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea.
The Russian submarine was spotted on the same day that the Philippine Coast Guard received video footage and images that it said “captured the harassment of Filipino fishing vessels” by a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy helicopter in a disputed reef.
The Marcos administration has been pushing back against China’s sweeping claims over the waterway, and the US last month said its forces are supporting their Philippine military allies in their operations in the South China Sea.
Archeologists in Peru on Thursday said they found the 5,000-year-old remains of a noblewoman at the sacred city of Caral, revealing the important role played by women in the oldest center of civilization in the Americas. “What has been discovered corresponds to a woman who apparently had elevated status, an elite woman,” archeologist David Palomino said. The mummy was found in Aspero, a sacred site within the city of Caral that was a garbage dump for more than 30 years until becoming an archeological site in the 1990s. Palomino said the carefully preserved remains, dating to 3,000BC, contained skin, part of the
‘WATER WARFARE’: A Pakistani official called India’s suspension of a 65-year-old treaty on the sharing of waters from the Indus River ‘a cowardly, illegal move’ Pakistan yesterday canceled visas for Indian nationals, closed its airspace for all Indian-owned or operated airlines, and suspended all trade with India, including to and from any third country. The retaliatory measures follow India’s decision to suspend visas for Pakistani nationals in the aftermath of a deadly attack by shooters in Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. The rare attack on civilians shocked and outraged India and prompted calls for action against their country’s archenemy, Pakistan. New Delhi did not publicly produce evidence connecting the attack to its neighbor, but said it had “cross-border” links to Pakistan. Pakistan denied any connection to
TRUMP EFFECT: The win capped one of the most dramatic turnarounds in Canadian political history after the Conservatives had led the Liberals by more than 20 points Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney yesterday pledged to win US President Donald Trump’s trade war after winning Canada’s election and leading his Liberal Party to another term in power. Following a campaign dominated by Trump’s tariffs and annexation threats, Carney promised to chart “a new path forward” in a world “fundamentally changed” by a US that is newly hostile to free trade. “We are over the shock of the American betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons,” said Carney, who led the central banks of Canada and the UK before entering politics earlier this year. “We will win this trade war and
Armed with 4,000 eggs and a truckload of sugar and cream, French pastry chefs on Wednesday completed a 121.8m-long strawberry cake that they have claimed is the world’s longest ever made. Youssef El Gatou brought together 20 chefs to make the 1.2 tonne masterpiece that took a week to complete and was set out on tables in an ice rink in the Paris suburb town of Argenteuil for residents to inspect. The effort overtook a 100.48m-long strawberry cake made in the Italian town of San Mauro Torinese in 2019. El Gatou’s cake also used 350kg of strawberries, 150kg of sugar and 415kg of
RSS