Page 10 - AHATA

A6 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 22 February 2025
China issued ‘disconcerting’ warning of live-fire exercises to

planes flying above, Australia says

By ROD McGUIRK and low airlines time to properly
CHARLOTTE GRAHAM- plan around it.
MCLAY But he said all flights were
Associated Press able to divert and no one
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) was put in danger.
— Airliners were over the The warships frigate Heng-
Tasman Sea crossing be- yang, cruiser Zunyi and
tween Australia and New replenishment vessel Weis-
Zealand when the Chinese hanhu are exercising a
navy warned they were fly- freedom of navigation in
ing over a secret live-fire ex- international waters off the
ercise, Australian Defense Australian east coast of
Minister Richard Marles said a kind that angers Beijing
on Friday. when exercised by the Aus-
Regulator Airservices Aus- tralian military in the disput-
tralia warned commercial ed South China Sea.
pilots of a potential hazard During a regular Chinese
in airspace between the foreign ministry briefing on
countries as three Chinese Friday, spokesperson Guo
warships conducted exer- Jiakun said China’s military
cises off the Australian east had organized its fleet to
coast. conduct high seas exer-
But Marles said Australian cises.
authorities only learned In this photo provided by the Australian Defense Force, the People’s Liberation Army-Navy “The drill was carried out in
about China’s live-firing Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang travels in the Torres Strait off Australia’s coast, on Feb. 11, 2025. a safe, standard and pro-
plans in international wa- Associated Press fessional manner in compli-
ters midway between Aus- ance with relevant interna-
tralia and New Zealand live firing. By that, I mean a Three flights from Sydney All changed course. The tional law and international
from the airlines. broadcast that was picked bound for the New Zealand three airlines involved, practice” Guo said.
“To be clear, we weren’t up by airlines or literally ... cities of Christchurch and Emirates, Qantas and Vir- Australian defense officials
notified by China,” Marles commercial planes that Queenstown were in the gin Australia, did not com- were uncertain whether
told Australian Broadcast- were flying across the Tas- air on Friday morning be- ment. any live fire of weapons
ing Corp. radio in Perth. man,” Marles said. fore they were first warned Marles said the Australian had occurred. The risk had
“What China did was put “This was very disconcert- by a Chinese warship of a navy would typically give since passed, Australian
out a notification that it ing for the planes that were live-fire exercise, media re- 12 to 24 hours’ notice of Prime Minister Anthony Al-
was intending to engage in flying,” he added. ported. a live-firing exercise to al- banese said.q

Following U.S. lead, Canada designates 7 Latin American

criminal groups as terrorist entities

By JIM MORRIS tering the United States,” flow of fentanyl and illegal Trump has paused the im- the subject of seizure, re-
Associated Press McGuinty told a news con- immigration into the U.S. plementation of those tar- straint or forfeiture,” said
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) ference. were behind his threats of iffs until at least March 4. McGuinty.
— Canada is designat- The announcement was imposing a 25% tariff on U.S. border patrol statistics It is also an offense to
ing seven Latin American Canada’s latest response all Canadian goods – with show that less than 1% of knowingly participate in,
criminal organizations as to U.S. President Donald the exception of 10% on all fentanyl seized is found or contribute to, any activi-
terrorist entities under the Trump ‘s claim that the energy. at the northern border. But ty of a listed terrorist group.
country’s Criminal Code, Canadian officials have The listing process begins
giving Canadian law en- expressed a willingness to with intelligence reports
forcement another tool in do more to combat the that indicate whether an
the fight against fentanyl deadly synthetic opioid. organization has knowing-
trafficking, Public Safety The other organizations ly carried out, attempted
Minister David McGuinty designated as terror- to carry out, participated
said Thursday. ist groups are Cartel del in or facilitated a terrorist
The list includes Mexico’s Golfo and Carteles Unidos, activity.
Sinaloa Cartel, Jalisco also from Mexico; Tren de McGuinty said listing a
New Generation Cartel Aragua, in Venezuela, and group as a terrorist entity
and La Nueva Familia Mi- the Mara Salvatrucha, or follows a rigorous process
choacana, and was an- MS-13, which started in that “must meet a legal
nounced a day after the California but became a threshold.”
U.S. government formally dominant criminal force in If the public safety minis-
designated eight Latin El Salvador. ter believes that threshold
American organized crime Canada’s fentanyl czar Kevin Brosseau, center, looks on as The designation effectively has been met, the minister
groups as “foreign terrorist Minister of Public Safety David McGuinty, left, speaks during a freezes a group’s assets may recommend to the
organizations.” press conference following a tour of the Canada Border Services and property. federal cabinet that the
“The measures will help Agency Lansdowne port of entry in Lansdowne, Ontario, Feb. 12, “Banks and brokerages will organization be added to
keep fentanyl off Cana- 2025. freeze these entities’ as- the list.q
dian streets and from en- Associated Press sets, which can then be