12 missing after cargo ships collide off south China

A cargo ship waits to be loaded with shipping containers at a port in Qingdao, Shandong province, China, on September 1, 2015. (File photo by Reuters)
Updated 27 November 2017
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12 missing after cargo ships collide off south China

BEIJING: Chinese authorities searched Monday for 12 crew members who disappeared after two cargo ships collided before dawn off the coast of southern Guangdong province, according to state media.
A ship carrying 5,000 tons of sand sank after the collision, the Guangzhou maritime search and rescue center said.
But the second ship carrying over 5,000 tons of steel managed to make it to shore, the state-run China National Radio reported.
Two crew members from the sunken ship and eleven sailors from the steel ship have been rescued, the Guangzhou center said.
The collision occurred at about 3:00 am on Monday near the Pearl River estuary.
Some 30 rescue ships, one helicopter and other ships that happened to be nearby were participating in search efforts.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the accident, according to the official Xinhua news agency.


NATO chief talks Arctic security with Rubio amid US Greenland push

Updated 11 sec ago
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NATO chief talks Arctic security with Rubio amid US Greenland push

Trump says controlling the mineral-rich island is crucial for US national security
NATO has sought to deflect Washington’s interest in Greenland

BRUSSELS: NATO chief Mark Rutte on Friday discussed efforts to bolster Arctic security with US top diplomat Marco Rubio, after President Donald Trump insisted he wants to take control of Greenland.
The US leader has rattled allies by refusing to rule out using military force to take over the autonomous territory of fellow NATO member Denmark.
Trump says controlling the mineral-rich island is crucial for US national security given the rising threat of Russia and China in the Arctic.
NATO has sought to deflect Washington’s interest in Greenland by emphasising steps it is taking to bolster security in the region.
A NATO spokeswoman said Rutte spoke with Rubio “on the importance of the Arctic to our shared security and how NATO is working to enhance our capabilities in the High North.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that an armed US attack to take Greenland could spell the end for the 76-year-old Western military alliance.
But the head of NATO’s forces in Europe, US General Alexus Grynkewich, said Friday the alliance was far from being in “a crisis,” following President Donald Trump’s threats.