MANILA: The Philippines accused the China Coast Guard of blocking a Filipino supply vessel and damaging it with water cannon Saturday morning off a remote and contested South China Sea reef.
The Philippine military said the nearly hour-long attack occurred off Second Thomas Shoal, where Chinese ships have unleashed water cannon and collided with Filipino vessels in similar stand-offs in recent months.
The military released video clips that showed a white ship repeatedly dousing another vessel sailing alongside it with a water cannon. One clip showed two white ships simultaneously firing water at the same vessel.
It also released another clip showing a white ship marked “China Coast Guard” crossing the bow of a grey vessel it identified as the Philippine supply boat Unaizah May 4.
It said the videos were taken Saturday morning while the Unaizah May 4 was on its way to Ayungin Shoal — the Filipino name for the outcrop garrisoned by a small unit of Philippine troops that is also claimed by Beijing.
“The UM4 supply boat sustained heavy damages at around 08:52 (am) due to the continued blasting of water cannons from the CCG vessels,” the military said in a statement, without describing the nature of the damage or whether there were any casualties.
A Philippine coast guard escort vessel later reached the damaged boat “to provide assistance,” the military said.
China Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu said in a statement that the Philippine convoy “forcibly intruded into the area despite the Chinese side’s repeated warnings and route controls,” adding the Chinese carried out “control, obstruction and eviction in accordance with law.”
“We sternly warn the Philippine side: those who play with fire will bring shame on themselves. The Chinese Coast Guard is ready at all times to resolutely safeguard our country’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests,” Gan added.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, brushing off rival claims from countries including the Philippines and an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
The latest confrontation came four days after visiting Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States stood by its “ironclad” commitments to defend longtime ally Manila against armed attack in the South China Sea.
Two days after Blinken’s visit to Manila, the China Coast Guard also tried to drive away Filipino scientists who landed on two cays near Scarborough Shoal, another contested South China Sea outcrop.
The Unaizah May 4, which was also damaged in a China Coast Guard water cannon attack off Second Thomas Shoal earlier this month, had returned to the area on Saturday escorted by two Filipino coast guard vessels and two Philippine Navy ships, a Philippine military statement said.
The Philippine soldiers stationed on the shoal live on a derelict navy ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, and require frequent resupplies for food, water and other necessities.
“This particular mission was set up to ensure a full troop complement on board BRP Sierra Madre after one personnel needing serious medical attention was recently evacuated,” the military added.
Four crew members had been hurt by broken glass during the previous water cannon attack on the Unaizah May 4.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, a Philippine coast guard spokesman for South China Sea issues, said in a separate statement that its escort vessel, the BRP Cabra, was “impeded and encircled” by three Chinese coast guard and other vessels early Saturday.
As a result, Cabra was “isolated from the resupply boat due to the irresponsible and provocative behavior of the Chinese maritime forces,” he added.
Philippines accuses China of water cannon attack on supply vessel
https://arab.news/2h46p
Philippines accuses China of water cannon attack on supply vessel
- Philippine military say the nearly hour-long attack occurred off Second Thomas Shoal
Moving heaven and earth to make bread in Gaza
- Residents resort to increasingly desperate measures to feed themselves
NUSEIRAT: In Gaza, where hunger gnaws and hope runs thin, flour and bread are so scarce that they are carefully divided by families clinging to survival.
“Because the crossing points are closed, there’s no more gas and no flour, and no firewood coming in,” said Umm Mohammed Issa, a volunteer helping to make bread with the few available resources.
Israel resumed military operations in the Palestinian territory in mid-March, shattering weeks of relative calm brought by a fragile ceasefire.
The UN has warned of a growing humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the besieged territory, where Israel’s blockade on aid since March 2 has cut off food, fuel, and other essentials to Gaza’s 2.4 million people.
Once again, residents have had to resort to increasingly desperate measures to feed themselves.
Issa said the volunteers have resorted to burning pieces of cardboard to cook a thin flatbread called “saj,” named after the convex hotplate on which it is made.
“There’s going to be famine,” the Palestinian woman said, a warning international aid groups have previously issued over 18 months of war.
“We’ll be in the situation where we can no longer feed our children.”
Until the end of March, Gazans gathered outside the few bakeries still operating each morning, hoping to get some bread.
But one by one, the ovens cooled as ingredients — flour, water, salt, and yeast — ran out.
Larger industrial bakeries central to the UN’s World Food Programme operations also closed due to a lack of flour and fuel to power their generators.
On Wednesday, World Central Kitchen, or WCK, sounded the alarm about a humanitarian crisis “growing more dire each day.”
The organization’s bakery is the only one still operating in Gaza, producing 87,000 loaves of bread daily.
“Bread is precious, often substituting for meals where cooking has stopped,” it said.
“I built a clay oven to bake bread to sell,” said Baqer Deeb, a 35-year-old father from Beit Lahia in northern Gaza.
He has been displaced by the fighting, like almost the entire population of the territory, and is now in Gaza City.
“But now there’s a severe shortage of flour,” he said, “and that is making the bread crisis even worse.”
There is no longer much food for sale at makeshift roadside stalls, and prices are climbing, making many products unaffordable for most people.
Fidaa Abu Ummayra thought she had found a real bargain when she bought a large sack of flour for €90 at Al-Shati refugee camp in the north of the territory.
“If only I hadn’t bought it,” the 55-year-old said. “It was full of mold and worms. The bread was disgusting.”
Before the war, a typical 25-kilo sack like the one she bought would have gone for less than €10,
“We are literally dying of hunger,” said Tasnim Abu Matar in Gaza City.
“We count and calculate everything our children eat, and divide up the bread to make it last for days,” the 50-year-old added.
“We can’t take it anymore.”
People rummage through debris searching for something to eat as others walk for kilometers (miles) to aid distribution points, hoping to find food for their families.
Germany, France, and Britain on Wednesday called on Israel to stop blocking humanitarian aid into Gaza, warning of “an acute risk of starvation, epidemic disease and death.”
According to the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, displaced people at more than 250 shelters in Gaza had no or limited access to enough food last month.
Hamas, whose unprecedented Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel ignited the war, accuses Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war.
Film review: ‘My Driver & I’
The winner of the Best Feature Film at the 11th Saudi Film Festival, which concluded earlier this month, “My Driver & I” (Salma and Gamar), directed by Saudi Arabia’s own Ahd Kamel, is a poignant coming-of-age story set in 1980s and 1990s Jeddah.
The film follows Salma, raised as an only child in a villa. Her globe-trotting father (played by legendary Saudi hip-hop artist Qusai “Don Legend” Kheder) indulges her with stacks of music cassette tapes from his international travels. Salma’s Palestinian mother (Rana Alamuddin) initially appears overly-strict but a soft undercurrent eventually reveals itself.
The heart of the film lies in Salma’s bond with Gamar (Mustafa Shahata), a newly hired Sudanese driver and father to a one-year-old child back in Sudan. Though tasked with taking Salma to school, Gamar becomes her protector, confidant and quiet guide through life.
Salma is portrayed as a very young girl by Tarah Al-Hakeem and later, as a teenager, by Roula Dakheelallah.
Gamar, too, has a relationship with cassette tapes — but for a very different reason. His wife back home cannot read, so he sends her audio recordings filled with updates and declarations of love for her and their child. Despite the distance and longing, he makes the difficult decision to stay in Jeddah until Salma graduates high school, sacrificing his own time with his family in the process.
One might be reminded of the classic 1989 American film “Driving Miss Daisy,” which followed the decades-long relationship between an elderly white Southern woman and her Black driver in mid-20th-century Atlanta. But while parallels can be drawn in terms of companionship and class, “My Driver & I” is a distinctly Saudi story — rooted in a different era, place and dynamic.
Kamel has said in interviews that the film is inspired by her own relationship with her childhood driver.
As Salma matures, the innocence of her world begins to fray. Still in high school, a shy flirtation with a teen boy (played by pop star Mishaal Tamer) causes tension between her and Gamar.
While some parts of the story may seem stretched or lengthy, it feels like a road — meandering, unfolding in its own time.
Kamel is no stranger to the screen. Best known for her acting role in the BAFTA-nominated “Wadjda” (2012), Saudi Arabia’s first feature film, “My Driver & I” marks her directorial debut.
While “Wadjda” centered on a girl longing to ride a bicycle, this film replaces the bike with a car — and, at one point, even a jet ski. In both films, the story is rooted in a Saudi girl’s perspective.
Raised in Jeddah, Kamel moved to New York City for higher education; she studied law at Columbia University and then animation and communication at Parsons, and obtained a directing degree from New York Film Academy. It was while in the US that she learned of her childhood driver’s passing and began writing “My Driver & I” as a homage — to him, and to the city they shared.
Gamar, which translates to “moon,” can be seen as reflecting Salma’s ball of sunshine.
He does not just drive her from place to place, he shows her the road — both literal and emotional. And she provides the soundtrack.
UAE, French foreign ministers hold talks in Abu Dhabi
- Diplomats discuss ways to boost strategic relations, cooperation
- Developments in Middle East also on agenda
LONDON: UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan held talks with his French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot, in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
The pair discussed strategic relations between France and the UAE and ways to enhance them in various fields, the Emirates News Agency reported.
Al-Nahyan emphasized the deep ties between Paris and Abu Dhabi and noted the growing cooperation between the two countries.
The ministers also reviewed developments in the Middle East and discussed ways to promote peace and stability and safeguard international security, the report said.
UAE Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Economic and Trade Affairs Saeed Mubarak Al-Hajeri also attended the meeting.
Environment minister leads meeting on Saudi Irrigation Organization’s progress
- The board looked at a report on the institution which included performance indicators, achievement rates, and the progress of ongoing projects in various regions of the Kingdom
RIYADH: The Saudi Irrigation Organization’s board of directors held its 24th meeting on Thursday in Riyadh.
The meeting was chaired by the Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadli.
The board looked at a report on the institution which included performance indicators, achievement rates, and the progress of ongoing projects in various regions of the Kingdom.
It also looked into updates on activities and initiatives aimed at improving the efficiency of water resource use and boosting agricultural sustainability.
Board members spoke of their appreciation of the wise leadership’s ongoing support, affirming that the significant attention given to the water sector consolidated sustainability factors, and enhanced the institution’s ability to effectively contribute to achieving Saudi Vision 2030.
The meeting concluded with a series of decisions and directives which aim to enhance institutional performance efficiency, and expand partnership possibilities with the relevant entities.
US names lead for technical talks with Iran, Politico reports
- Expert-level Iran-US talks will take place on Saturday in Oman
WASHINGTON: Department of State policy planning director Michael Anton will lead a team of about a dozen US government officials to negotiate with Iran in upcoming nuclear talks, a US official said on Thursday.
Expert-level Iran-US talks will take place on Saturday, Tehran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said, with a third round of high-level nuclear talks due on the same day in Oman.
Iran and the US agreed last Saturday to begin drawing up a framework for a potential nuclear deal, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said after the talks in Rome that a US official described as yielding very good progress.
Politico first reported the choice of Anton.
Anton was a spokesman for the White House National Security Council during Trump’s first term from 2017-2021. He also worked for former President George W. Bush’s NSC and is a former BlackRock managing director
