In the disputed South China Sea, India and the Philippines conducted their first joint sail and naval exercises.
China, which has separate territorial disputes with the two Asian nations and claims nearly the entire key waterway, is likely to be enraged by the two-day joint military deployment that began on Sunday.
Romeo Brawner, the country’s exclusive economic zone, was the subject of the joint sail, according to the Philippine Chief of Staff on Monday.
Without mentioning China, Brawner told reporters, “We did not have any unfunny incidents, but there are still those shadowing us as we had anticipated.”
The Philippine military claims that the Chinese navy and coastguard ships have monitored from a distance during joint patrols with other foreign navies.
Among the participating Indian navy ships were the corvette INS Kiltan, the tanker INS Shakti, and the guided missile destroyer INS Delhi. BRP Miguel Malvar and BRP Jose Rizal, two frigates, were deployed by the Philippines.
President Ferdinand Marcos’ five-day visit to India coincided with the exercise, which he said would look to strengthen maritime ties and encourage cooperation in areas like agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and defense.
Brawner expressed hope that future joint operations with India’s military could be carried out by Filipino forces.
According to him, the drill “sends a powerful signal of solidarity, strength in partnership, and the energy of cooperation between two vibrant democracies in the Indo-Pacific.”
Territorial and maritime disputes should be resolved between the countries directly involved, according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and no outside party should interfere.
The Chinese Ministry of National Defense referred to the Philippines as a “troublemaker” who has aligned itself with foreign forces to create trouble in what China views as its own territorial waters in response to a question last week regarding its plans to increase military cooperation.
China “never wavers in its resolve,” according to spokesman Zhang Xiaogang, who stated to reporters that the country would protect its national territorial sovereignty, maritime rights, and interests, and would take steadfast measures to stop any provocations from the Philippine side.
A strategic shipping route leads to the South China Sea, where shipborne commerce totals $3 trillion annually.
Badeggi FM, a radio station in the governor’s state of Nigeria, has rejected Governor Umar Bago’s request to stop operating, calling for “concrete evidence” of any wrongdoing and questioning the legality of the action.
Aisha Shuaibu, the general manager of Badeggi FM, claimed that the accusations of inciting public unrest and promoting anti-government sentiments were politically motivated and baseless on Channels Television’s The MorningBrief program.
Where is the proof, if he claims that Badeggi FM has been unethical and that we are inciting people against the government? The evidence must be seen. The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) should be in charge of weighing all the available data. NBC will punish us if we are found guilty, Shuaibu said on Tuesday.
She claims that the station had neither been issued any formal sanctions nor served any formal notice of wrongdoing.
The General Manager revealed that Badeggi FM is still broadcasting and has not stopped working despite the governor’s closure order and a visit from Niger State Urban Development Board officials who had visited the premises.
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The state government issued the order to close the station a few days ago in response to concerns over what it called unethical journalism and incitement.
The station believes that political unease may have resulted from its editorial focus on local issues, particularly insecurity, banditry, and community challenges.
“From our end, we make sure to speak with residents, farmers, youth leaders, and vigilantes who are directly affected by insecurity. They show up on our live television programs and reveal what’s actually happening in their neighborhoods. According to me, the governor doesn’t want the truth to be revealed. He opposes bringing up these details, Shuaibu said.
She further claimed that tensions may have gotten worse as a result of the station’s recent interview with former FIRS chairman Muhammad Nami, who is widely believed to have endorsed a 2027 gubernatorial candidate.
“I believe the only thing we did recently was to speak with Muhammad Nami, who is well-known for his interest in 2027. The governor seems threatened, in my opinion. She stated that, especially now that the APC has supported him for a second term, he doesn’t want criticism or other political options in the state.
The governor allegedly called the station’s managing director a treasoner in a more grave accusation.
Shuaibu characterized this as defamatory and revealed that station management is considering seeking legal redress.
The managing director’s accusation of treason is completely unacceptable. She stated that she intends to bring legal action against him for defamation of character.
After revealing she was pregnant, Katie Price kept her fans informed about her cat Doris’ condition. However, Katie revealed some shocking news to her.
Katie Price updated followers on her cat(Image: Getty Images)
Katie Price took to social media to reveal her latest pet tragedy. It comes just days after the former glamour model, 47, told her Instagram followers that her pet sphynx cat was pregnant.
Now, however, she’s had to reveal that while Doris gave birth to “so many” kittens, one sadly died. The news comes after Katie was blasted by animal charities for welcoming three of the bald cats to her home in October last year.
The mother-of-five explained that she had missed a trip to the Isle of Wight to look after the new children in a recent Snapchat. She acknowledged using electric blankets and following regular feeding schedules.
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Katie Price’s cat has given birth but has faced heartbreak(Image: katieprice/Instagram )
Katie added four emotional emojis to the update and described the “sad news” she encountered. One of the kittens, she explained, unfortunately passed away. After two hours, we fed it, that is the one that was wrapped in tissue.
Two of the kittens are just about to latch on to the mother, but I have to put them on because they are so premature, luckily.
She continued, “Every two and a half hours throughout the day and at night, I feed them for the mother,” pointing out how sluggish I am.
She said, “She is a good mother, and then she keeps bringing one to bed with her, which she did earlier. One had passed away, so I believe that was a sign to go inside and check the box.
Katie also revealed that she believes Doris has faith in the family’s actions. So that’s the update because I’ve got two people latching on to her right now.
Katie is reportedly heard yelling, “Hey Doris good girl,” as she circles the camera to Doris.
Katie Price revealed the latest news on her cat’s condition(Image: Getty Images for The Cambridge Union)
Just days earlier, Katie had told her sister Sophie on their podcast that she was “scared” of what might happen during her pet’s pregnancy. She had said: “Doris is pregnant, and I don’t know how many weeks she is but her belly has gotten bigger and bigger. I’ve noticed she’s been nesting and she keeps wanting to get on me.
I’ve purchased additional bed, cat litter, and everything else. Because I have the other cats and worry that if she goes into labor, she might eat the kittens, so I’m going to put it up in my room and leave it there.
She later said, “I know the kids want me to keep one, but I don’t know how many.” And then, I realize how difficult I am.
Katie’s previous critics included Peta’s Elisa Allen, who claimed the actress had repeatedly disregarded pet care advice. For all she seems to care, Katie should be screaming into the wind if she warns her against harming the animals she takes in.
As a single mother raising her fifth child, Charlie Rogers, the youngest lottery winner in the UK, has split from her ex, engineer Lee Matthews, and started a new relationship.
Callie Rogers, Britain’s youngest ever lottery winner, has split from her former partner and is now in a new relationship.
Rogers scored a massive £1.8million jackpot in 2003 aged 16, while working as a checkout girl for minimum wage, famously becoming the UK’s youngest National Lottery winner.
The teenager hit national headlines at the time and became a local celebrity in Cumbria, where she grew up on a council estate with her foster parents. It comes after a family of 10 ‘barged out’ of pub in brazen dine and dash after £320 meal.
The 38-year-old mother-of-five recently shared cozy photos with her new partner, 35-year-old gas engineer Todd Eilbeck.
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Britain’s youngest lottery winner Callie Rogers has given an update on her love life (Image: Andy Commins / Daily Mirror)
In one post, she referred to Todd as her “world” and “best friend”. He also shared a picture of the couple looking happy as they cuddled up together.
Callie had previously been in a relationship with engineer Lee Matthews, and last year it was reported that the pair had welcomed her fifth child.
A photo of Callie and her new partner was shared.
However, Callie made it clear that she was raising the child alone in a social media update to celebrate Navie-Nicola’s first birthday.
Without giving details about the child’s father, she wrote, “The majority of people would describe the first year as tiring and challenging, but for me, it’s been the most magical, rewarding year of my life.” No evidence that she was speaking about Matthews.
Callie had previously been in a relationship with engineer Lee Matthews(Image: Facebook/)
Despite her past financial struggles, Callie still holds the title of the UK’s youngest lottery winner – a record unlikely to be broken since the minimum age to play the National Lottery has since been raised to 18.
After allegedly spending her entire £1.8 million jackpot on plastic surgery, cocaine, clothing, and gift-giving to friends and family, Rogers demanded that the age be increased.
She won the lottery aged 16 (Image: Press Association)
She battled the celebrity and the attacks on her own. In 2019, she told the Mirror, “I still get abuse because of who I am.” People don’t even know me, they say. She lavished hundreds of thousands of dollars on friends and family, giving up almost all of the money. Years later, “fake pals” who had borrowed from her still owed her at least £200, 000.
Continue reading the article.
Camelot continued, “Callie received a lot of support from us, which lasted for many years,” after winning. She declined to listen to the independent financial and legal advice we provided. Our winner’s team, however, stood by her and assisted her in attracting media attention.
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When 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded in Beirut’s port on August 4, 2020, it ripped through the city, killing more than 218 people. Among them was three-year-old Alexandra Naggear.
Five years later, the investigation into who is at fault for the blast has been delayed, and at times derailed, by political interference.
“The most important thing for us is not for the decision, but for full justice to happen,” Tracy Naggear, Alexandra’s mother and a key activist advocating for the blast’s victims, told Al Jazeera by phone. “And we won’t accept a half-truth or half-justice.”
As the fifth anniversary of the tragedy approaches, there is some optimism that the judicial investigation is finally moving in the right direction after facing obstacles, mostly from well-connected politicians refusing to answer questions and the former public prosecutor blocking the investigation.
A decision from the lead prosecutor is expected soon, activists and legal sources familiar with the matter told Al Jazeera. And while the road to justice is still long, for the first time, there is a feeling that momentum is building.
Justice derailed
“You can feel a positive atmosphere [this time],” lawyer Tania Daou-Alam told Al Jazeera.
Daou-Alam now lives in the United States, but is in Lebanon for the annual commemoration of the blast, which includes protests and a memorial.
A protester holds up a picture of three-year-old Alexandra Naggear, who was killed in the Beirut port explosion [Kareem Chehayeb/Al Jazeera]
Her husband of 20 years, Jean-Frederic Alam, was killed by the blast, which was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in modern history.
Daou-Alam is also one of nine victims suing the US-based company TGS in a Texas court for $250m, claiming it was involved in chartering the Rhosus, a Moldovan-flagged ship that carried the ammonium nitrate into Beirut’s port in 2013.
She told Al Jazeera that the case is more about “demanding accountability and access to documents that would shed more light on the broader chain of responsibility” than it is about compensation.
The population of Beirut is used to facing crises without government help. Numerous bombings and assassinations have occurred, with the state rarely, if ever, holding anyone accountable.
Frustration and a sense of abandonment by the state, the political system, and the individuals who benefit from it already boiled over into an uprising in October 2019, less than a year before the blast.
In the immediate aftermath of the explosion, residents cleaned up the city themselves. Politicians who came for photo opportunities were chased out by angry citizens, and mutual aid filled the gap left by the state.
The end of Lebanon’s 15-year civil war in 1990 set the tone for the impunity that has plagued the country ever since. Experts and historians say militia leaders traded their fatigues for suits, pardoned each other, awarded themselves ministries and began rerouting the country’s resources to their personal coffers.
Preliminary investigations found that the explosion was caused by ammonium nitrate stored at Beirut port in improper conditions for six years.
They also found that many top officials, including then-President Michel Aoun, had been informed of the ammonium nitrate’s presence, but chose not to act.
Judge Fadi Sawan was chosen to lead the full investigation in August 2020, but found himself sidelined after calling some notable politicians for questioning. Two ministers he charged with negligence asked that the case be transferred to another judge.
A court decision, seen by Reuters, claimed that because Sawan’s house had been damaged in the blast, he would not be impartial.
Replacing him in February 2021 was Judge Tarek Bitar. Like Sawan, Judge Bitar called major political figures in for questioning and later issued arrest warrants for them. Among them are Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zeiter, close allies of Lebanon’s Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, who still refuse to respond to Judge Bitar’s requests and claim they have parliamentary immunity.
Despite much popular support, many of Judge Bitar’s efforts were impeded, with Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces at times refusing to execute warrants and the former Court of Cassation public prosecutor, Ghassan Oueidat, ordering his investigation halted.
A man stands near graffiti at the damaged port after the explosion. In Beirut on August 11, 2020 [Hannah McKay/Reuters]
A new era
In early 2025, Lebanon elected a new president, Joseph Aoun, and a new prime minister, Nawaf Salam.
In their inaugural addresses, both spoke about the importance of finding justice for the victims of the port explosion.
“The current justice minister seems determined to go all the way, and he has promised that the judge will no longer face any hurdles and that the ministry will provide all help required,” Karim Emile Bitar, a Lebanese political analyst with no relation to the judge investigating the port explosion, told Al Jazeera.
Human Rights Watch reported in January 2025 that Judge Bitar had resumed his investigation, “after two years of being stymied by Lebanese authorities”.
On July 29, Salam issued a memorandum declaring August 4 a day of national mourning. On July 17, Aoun met with the families of victims killed in the explosion.
“My commitment is clear: We must uncover the whole truth and hold accountable those who caused this catastrophe,” Aoun said.
Oueidat, the former public prosecutor, was replaced by Judge Jamal Hajjar in an acting capacity in 2024, before being confirmed as his successor in April 2025.
In March 2025, Hajjar reversed Oueidat’s decisions and allowed Judge Bitar to continue his investigation.
Legal experts and activists have been pleased by the progress.
“Actual individuals implicated in the case are showing up to interrogations,” Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch, told Al Jazeera. Among them are Tony Saliba, the former director-general of State Security, Abbas Ibrahim, former director-general of the General Directorate of General Security, and Hassan Diab, prime minister at the time of the explosion.
But this is still not enough for those wanting justice to be served after five years of battles, activists and experts note.
“We are asking for laws that are able to protect and support the judiciary and the appointments of vacant judge [posts], so these things will show the government is on our side this time,” Daou-Alam said.
Even with the new government pushing for accountability, some are still trying to disrupt the process.
Hassan Khalil and Zeiter still refuse to appear before Judge Bitar, and a fight has emerged over the country’s judicial independence.
“We can only get justice if the judiciary acts independently so that they can go after individuals and so the security services can act independently without political interference,” Kaiss said.
Protesters lift placards depicting the victims of the 2020 Beirut port blast during a march near the Lebanese capital’s harbour on August 4, 2023, marking the third anniversary of the deadly explosion [Joseph Eid/AFP]
Time for accountability
The last few years have been a turbulent period of myriad crises for Lebanon.
A banking collapse robbed many people of their savings and left the country in a historic economic crisis. Amid that and the COVID-19 pandemic came the blast, and international organisations and experts hold the Lebanese political establishment responsible.
“The time has come to send a signal to Lebanese public opinion that some of those responsible, even if they are in high positions, will be held accountable,” political analyst Bitar said.
“Accountability would be the first step for the Lebanese in Lebanon and the diaspora to regain trust,” he said, “and without trust, Lebanon will not be able to recover.”
Still, Bitar maintained, progress on the port blast dossier doesn’t mean every answer will come to the forefront.
“This crime was so huge that, like many similar crimes in other countries, sometimes it takes years and decades, and we never find out what really happened,” he said.
Blast victim Tracy Naggear noted that “[our] fight… is mainly for our daughter, for Alexandra, of course”.
A Palestinian boy’s stepmother, who was spotted by an American contractor at a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid facility, has informed Al Jazeera that her body is still missing. Before whistleblower Anthony Aguilar posted photos of “Amir,” she wasn’t aware what had happened to Abdul Rahim after he fled to retrieve food.
