Page 11 - ARUBA TODAY

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WORLD NEWS Thursday 19 december 2019

China commissions first home-built aircraft carrier

Associated Press is engaged in an increas- American carriers and sub-
BEIJING (AP) — President Xi ingly heated dispute over marines use.
Jinping attended the com- territory and undersea oil The 50,000-ton Shandong
missioning of China's first and gas resources. China's completed sea trials last
entirely home-built aircraft claim to virtually the en- year before returning to
carrier, underscoring the tire strategic waterway, its construction yard in the
country's rise as a regional through which passes an northern port of Dalian. Fol-
naval power at a time of estimated $5 trillion in trade lowing the arrival of its air
tensions with the U.S. and annually, overlaps partially complement Chinese J-15
others over trade, Taiwan or in whole with five other fighter jets, it was due to be
and the South China Sea. governments. Countries in commissioned before 2020.
The Shandong is the sec- the region, along with U.S. It sailed through the Taiwan
ond Chinese aircraft carrier treaty allies including Ja- Strait on its way to Hainan
to enter service after the pan and Australia, are also last month, prompting the
Liaoning, which was origi- beefing up their navies and In this photo provided by China's Xinhua News Agency, Chinese island's military to scramble
nally purchased as a hulk maritime law enforcement President Xi Jinping, center, meets with representatives of the ships and planes to monitor
from Ukraine and entirely capabilities in response to aircraft carrier unit and the manufacturer at a naval port in its passage.
refurbished . Chinese actions such as Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019. China is seen as striving to
Associated Press
State media reported that the construction of man- overtake the U.S. as the
about 5,000 representatives made islands that Beijing tion operations center. dong is named after a dominant naval power in
from the naval forces and has equipped with airfields "Commending China's northern province and is Asia and already boasts
aircraft carrier construction and missile batteries. achievements in aircraft based on a Soviet design the world's largest navy in
groups attended the com- State television footage carrier construction, Xi en- with a "ski jump" style flight numbers of vessels.
missioning ceremony Tues- showed Xi being applaud- couraged them to con- deck for takeoffs rather Beijing says aircraft carriers
day at a naval base near ed as he boarded the ship tinue their efforts to make than the flat decks used are needed to protect its
the city of Sanya. to present a flag and certif- new contributions in the by much larger U.S. aircraft coastline and trade routes,
The base in the southern icate, sign the log and visit service of the party and the carriers. It is powered by but they are also seen as
island province of Hain- with sailors. He also inspect- people," the official Xinhua a conventional oil-fueled backing up Beijing's claims
an opens onto the South ed aircraft and toured the News Agency reported. steam turbine power plant, to self-governing Taiwan
China Sea, where China bridge and flight coordina- Like the Liaoning, the Shan- rather than the nuclear fuel and the South China Sea.q

Indonesia parades 6 foreigners arrested for drugs on Bali

By FIRDIA LISNAWATI Nusatenggara regional of- caine inside her passport,
Associated Press fice, Wachid Kurniawan, while the Chilean man was
DENPASAR, Indonesia (AP) said the suspects were ar- nabbed two weeks later
— Indonesian authorities rested separately since with 77.26 grams (2.7 ounc-
said Wednesday that they last month upon arrival at es) of liquid methamphet-
have arrested six foreign- the airport. Kurniawan said amine in his black suitcase.
ers for allegedly trying to the Swiss man was arrested The Hong Kong man was
smuggle drugs onto the Nov. 4 with a total of 30.04 arrested Dec. 4 with 3.2 kilo-
tourist island of Bali. grams (1.06 ounces) of mar- grams (7 pounds) of crystal
A Swiss man, a Thai man, ijuana in his luggage. Two methamphetamine in his
a Singaporean woman, days later, customs officers luggage, and his 19-year-
a Chilean man and two nabbed the Thai man with old fellow Hong Kong na-
Hong Kong men wear- 17.76 grams (0.6 ounce) of tional was captured last
ing orange detainee uni- marijuana concealed in week with 4 kilograms (8.8
forms were paraded with his underwear. He said the pounds) of crystal meth-
their feet and hands tied Singaporean woman was amphetamine wrapped Foreign suspects detained for drugs charges sit during a press
at a news conference in captured Nov. 14 after im- in four branded pet food conference in Bali, Indonesia, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019.
Associated Press
Denpasar, the capital of migration officer found a packaging in his luggage,
Bali province. The customs small plastic bag with 0.35 Kurniawan said. strict drug laws, and con- times executed by firing
spokesman for the Bali and gram (0.01 ounce) of co- Indonesia has extremely victed smugglers are some- squad.q