MANILA: A US navy ship has rescued 11 Filipino fishermen after monsoon rains caused their boat to capsize in the South China Sea, the American Embassy and provincial officials in the Philippines said.
A photograph of Sunday’s rescue released by the US embassy showed several of the fishermen on the upper deck of their boat with just the bow and tail still visible above water.
The USNS Impeccable, an ocean surveillance ship, was sailing to the northern Philippine port of Subic Bay when its crew saw the partially submerged boat in the water, a US embassy statement said.
The fishermen had sailed from the northern coastal town of Infanta on July 14 before bad weather struck on Sunday morning, leading their boat to capsize, Juvin Solis of the provincial disaster office said.
“They were drifting to the southwest when the US vessel arrived and rescued them a few hours later,” Solis added.
Days of monsoon rains have left five people dead and forced about 4,000 people to flee their homes due to flooding and landslides in the northern Philippines, civil defense officers said.
US Navy rescues 11 Philippine fishermen
US Navy rescues 11 Philippine fishermen
Germany plays down threat of US invading Greenland after talks
WASHINGTON: Germany’s top diplomat on Monday played down the risk of a US attack on Greenland, after President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to seize the island from NATO ally Denmark.
Asked after meeting Secretary of State Marco Rubio about a unilateral military move by Trump, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said: “I have no indication that this is being seriously considered.”
“Rather, I believe there is a common interest in addressing the security issues that arise in the Arctic region, and that we should and will do so,” he told reporters.
“NATO is only now in the process of developing more concrete plans on this, and these will then be discussed jointly with our US partners.”
Wadephul’s visit comes ahead of talks this week in Washington between Rubio and the top diplomats of Denmark and Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark.
Trump in recent days has vowed that the United States will take Greenland “one way or the other” and said he can do it “the nice way or the more difficult way.”
Greenland’s government on Monday repeated that it would not accept a US takeover under “any circumstance.”
Greenland and NATO also said Monday that they were working on bolstering defense of the Arctic territory, a key concern cited by Trump.
Trump has repeatedly pointed to growing Arctic activity by Russia and China as a reason why the United States needs to take over Greenland.
But he has also spoken more broadly of his desire to expand the land mass controlled by the United States.
