International
Taiwan registers the highest number of Chinese incursions in a day since October 2021
A total of 56 Chinese Army aircraft crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait or entered the self-proclaimed Taiwanese Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), the highest number of raids in a single day since October 2021, the Island Government reported.
In its latest daily report, the Ministry of National Defense (MDN) of Taiwan reported that 17 of those aircraft crossed the dividing line of the strait, an unofficial border that was respected by Taipei and Beijing for decades.
Another 39 flew over the southwest and southeast regions of the self-proclaimed ADIZ between 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday (10:00 p.m. GMT on Tuesday) and 6:00 a.m. on Thursday (22:00 GMT on Wednesday).
The 56 incursions reported today equal the record recorded on October 4, 2021, when another 56 Chinese aircraft violated the island ADIZ, although on that occasion they passed at a greater distance from the main island of Taiwan.
During these last maneuvers, Chinese Army planes and drones passed 133 kilometers from the northern city of Keelung, where a military base is located, and approached only 61 kilometers from Cape Eluanbi, at the southern end of Taiwan, according to the DND report.
“The Armed Forces of the Republic of China (official name of Taiwan) have monitored the situation and have used fighter jets, Navy ships and coastal missile systems in response to the detected activities,” the official text said.
The military portfolio said in a separate statement that it had detected the presence of 37 Chinese aircraft, including J-16 fighters and H-6 bombers, operating with the aircraft carrier Shandong in the vicinity of the island early in the morning of that day.
The Taiwanese Minister of Defense, Wellington Koo, said that the Government had “complete control” of the situation, adding that the aircraft carrier did not pass through the Bashi Strait, which separates Taiwan from the Philippines, but traveled through the Balintang Canal, located between the Philippine islands of Batanes and Babuyan.
Tensions between Taipei and Beijing have increased since the inauguration of sovereignist William Lai (Lai Ching-te), considered an “independent” and a “rioter” by the Chinese authorities, as the new Taiwanese president on May 20.
Since then, the Ministry of National Defense has discovered a total of 939 Chinese Army aircraft operating around the island, of which 701 crossed the dividing line of the strait or violated the self-proclaimed Taiwanese ADIZ, which yields an average of almost 15 incursions per day.
The island president has offered dialogue to the Chinese Government on several occasions, on the basis that the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China “are not subordinate to each other”; an approach categorically rejected by Beijing, which considers the island as part of its territory.
International
Police investigate deaths of Rob Reiner and wife as apparent homicide
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is investigating the deaths of Hollywood actor and filmmaker Rob Reinerand his wife as an “apparent homicide,” amid a wave of tributes to the director of classics such as When Harry Met Sally.
According to U.S. media reports on Sunday, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were found dead at their Los Angeles mansion with what appeared to be stab wounds.
Several political figures shared messages of condolence following the reported deaths of the director of A Few Good Menand his wife.
While the LAPD did not officially confirm the identities of the victims, it stated that homicide detectives were dispatched to the Reiner residence.
“At this time, no additional details are available and the investigation into an apparent homicide is ongoing,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement posted on social media.
LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told reporters that no arrests have been made and that no individuals are currently being questioned as suspects.
“I’m not going to confirm whether anyone is being questioned at this moment or not. We are going to try to speak with as many family members as we can,” Hamilton said.
CNN reported that a family spokesperson confirmed the deaths of Reiner and his wife.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, former U.S. President Barack Obama, and former Vice President Kamala Harrisissued statements expressing their condolences.
International
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
International
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
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