Is US Navy Spratly sail-by threatening China's Sovereignty?

Beijing has strongly criticised the sailing of a US navy warship close to its man-made islands in the South China Sea, saying the move posed a "threat to China's sovereignty".

Foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Tuesday that the USS Lassen, a guided missile destroyer, entered the waters near the islands "illegally" and "without receiving permission from the Chinese government".

The patrol by the USS Lassen was the most significant US challenge yet to a 22-nautical-kilometre zone China asserts around the Spratly archipelago, a disputed group of hundreds of reefs, islets, atolls and islands in the South China.

One US defence official said the US warship sailed within 22 nautical kilometres of Subi Reef. A second defence official said the mission, which lasted a few hours, also included a sail-by at Mischief Reef and would be the first in a series of freedom-of-navigation exercises aimed at testing China's territorial claims, Reuters news agency reported.

In an angry response, officials in Beijing said that "China will resolutely respond to any country's deliberate provocations.

"We will continue to closely monitor the relevant seas and airspace, and take all necessary steps in accordance with the need," the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement, without giving any details on precisely where the US ship sailed.

"China strongly urges the US side to conscientiously handle China's serious representations, immediately correct its mistake and not take any dangerous or provocative acts that threaten China's sovereignty and security interests," the statement continued.

Strategic waterway

Beijing insists it has sovereign rights to nearly all of the South China Sea, even waters close to the coasts of other states.

The sea is a strategically vital waterway with shipping lanes through which about a third of all the world's traded oil passes, and the dispute has raised fears of clashes.

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Interactive: Islands row around China

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The second US defence official told Reuters that more patrols would follow in the coming weeks and could also be conducted around features that Vietnam and the Philippines have built up in the Spratlys.

"This is something that will be a regular occurrence, not a one-off event," said the official. "It's not something that's unique to China."

White House spokesman Josh Earnest referred questions on any specific operations to the Pentagon but said the US had made clear to China the importance of free flow of commerce in the South China Sea.

Washington has repeatedly said it does not recognise Chinese claims to territorial waters around the artificial islands.

"We operate routinely in the South China Sea and we'll sail in international waters at a time of our choosing," an official told AFP news agency.

'Strong message'

The decision to go ahead with the patrol follows months of deliberation and risks upsetting the already strained US-China ties.

"By using a guided-missile destroyer, rather than smaller vessels ... they are sending a strong message," Ian Storey, a South China Sea expert at Singapore's Institute of South East Asian Studies, told Reuters.

"They have also said, significantly, that there will be more patrols - so it really now is up to China how it will respond."

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam - members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations - also claim parts of the sea. Taiwan is a sixth claimant.

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It is clear that in the article, the author is biased against the United States, through its claims of the U.S breaking rules, and strongly detailing the military ship that the breach was. There is a strong vibe that goes throughout the read, that makes one feel angry toward the United States. When reading, the thought, "Why would you do that U.S" Constantly approached my mind. I feel the publisher feels the same way, for it is the publisher's final call to say that this is ok. However, no matter how many times i read this, i can still look back and notice all the little biased. The article states constantly states that the ship that went into the naval waters was military, when in reality, many ships out on the ocean these days have to be military. It is also key to know that the U.S has many navy bases in the Pacific near China. It could be by accident, or chance, yet this article goes on to blame the U.S. 

My opinion, really is that the U.S is in the wrong yes, but i believe that in no way that is this a strong message. In the past few months, even weeks, the U.S has made lots of military mistakes, like bombing a neutral hospital, and lying about it. It would not be a shock to me that the U.S make another mistake by sailing through China's borders. However as a representative of china, i can understand the fear and suprise to find a U.S missle cruiser in my waters, but i feel that it is a mistake to retaliate immediatly and state that "We are ready to relatiate."

"US Navy Spratly Sail-by Threatens China's Sovereignty." Aljazeera News. Aljazeera, 26 Oct. 2015. Web. 27 Oct. 2015. <http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/10/navy-spratly-sail-threatens-china-sovereignty-151027062513637.html>.

Police Brutality in Israel?

One Israeli soldier has died of his wounds and at least 11 people, including four soldiers, have been injured in an attack on a bus station in southern Israel, police said, describing the incident as a shooting and stabbing attack.

After the attack on Sunday evening, police opened fire on two people at the station in the city of Beersheba, killing an alleged Palestinian attacker and injuring a man of Eritrean origin.

It was not immediately clear whether both of those shot were involved in the attack. Israeli media reported that security forces mistook the Eritrean for an attacker and shot him. He is believed to be in a critical condition.

Israel to widen police stop-and-frisk powers

According to the police, the attacker stabbed a soldier and stole his weapon, opening fire on the crowds at the bus terminal. The soldier died at the hospital.

The Israeli IBA network  posted   footage purportedly recorded by a surveillance camera of the attack. 

In other video circulated online, a man, said to be the Eritrean, is seen being kicked by several people as he lied bleeding on the ground. [The graphic footage - which could be disturbing to some viewers - can be found here  .]

The identity of the assailant was not immediately known, and there was no claim of responsibility for the attack.

But it was praised by Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip, with Hamas calling it a "natural response" and Islamic Jihad saying it was a "normal answer to Israeli crimes".

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Palestinians clash with Israeli forces across West Bank

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Sunday's attack brings the total number of people killed in the violence that erupted at the beginning of the month to 52 - 44 Palestinian and eight Israelis.

The incident comes just a day after five Palestinians were shot dead during alleged stabbing attacks - three of them in Hebron in the occupied West Bank. Palestinians have disputed the police version of events in at least some of the cases.

Triggered by Israeli incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound last month, violence and protests against Israel's occupation have increased in frequency across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.

Diplomatic moves to halt the more than two weeks of unrelenting violence has gained steam, with US Secretary of State John Kerry saying he planned to meet both the Israeli and Palestinian leaders in the coming days.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, rejected an idea from France that would see international observers sent to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound .

Israeli forces have responded with a crackdown on protesters, using tear gas, stun grenades, rubber-coated steel bullets and live ammunition.

Checkpoints have been set up in the occupied East Jerusalem, where some of the attackers have come from, and about 300 soldiers on Sunday began reinforcing police.

On Sunday afternoon, Palestinians in Hebron marched from a local university to an Israeli settlement, where they were confronted by the army. 

Issa Amro, director of the Youth Against Settlements group said at least ten Palestinians were arrested.

More protests were held across the West Bank, including in the city of Nablus, and in the Gaza Strip.

Through this article, it seems that the author is sympathizing with the rebels, as he describes the culprits as "alleged"  attackers. The author seems to have the vibe of the police being brutal, and unfair, and rash. The author continues to describe each attack as being not completely factual, as again, the author makes the point of the rebels as "alleged." As a reader, i totally disagree with the author's biased. I believe that no matter what, whether it is the police being rash and shooting anything that moves, or it being the radical rebels that attack the law, people are dying. No matter whose fault it is, there are eleven people that lost their lives due to ridiculous violence and hate. There is no reason that these attacks happen. I truly believe that it is the government's fault. Now, pointing the finger at the government is the oldest thing in the book but, the rebels are angry, and the police are trigger happy. Somthing needs to be done, and the government sits back and sends more troops into the city. Do you really believe that sending more people to crack down the rebels would stop anything? If anything it would increase the violence, and spread the gap between the two.  

Syrian rebels seek unity against Russian attacks

Dozens of Syrian rebel groups have called for unity in response to Russian air strikes and vowed to attack Russian forces in Syria.

Forty-one groups, including the powerful Ahrar al-Sham faction and some units fighting under the Free Syrian Army, condemned "the Russian-Iranian alliance occupying Syria" in a statement released on Monday.

The rebels called on regional states to form an alliance against Russian and Iranian forces fighting on behalf of President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Russia began to strike Syria last Wednesday, saying it targeted the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.

But the Syrian opposition is concerned the Russian objective is not just to target ISIL but to weaken opponents of the Assad government.

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The 41 groups which signed the statement did not include al-Qaeda's Syria wing, the Nusra Front, which has joined Ahrar al-Sham in a fighting force that has captured most of Idlib province in the northwest.

The opposition says Nusra’s allegiance to al-Qaeda is being used by the Syrian and Russian governments to justify their attacks.

Mahmoud al-Louz, a media activist in Homs province, where Russia has launched strikes since the first day of its operation, said Nusra has good relations with other brigades and the people because it is fighting the regime.

"They are using Nusra’s presence as an excuse to kill civilians and fight the opposition," he told Al Jazeera.

While Russian strikes have targeted some ISIL positions, the majority have hit anti-government rebels advancing towards the state-controlled Latakia province.

The biased against Russia is clearly presented throughout the whole article. The audience, or common first world news readers, could easily tell that not only the author of the article, but the publisher have against Russia. Throughout the piece, there are many pictures that show Russia's brutality on not only ISIL, but throughout the civilians and the anti Assad forces, and if that's not enough the author goes on to share that Russia might be doing these attacks to "weaken the opponents on the Assad forces." Not only is that a blatantly obvious accusation on Russia, but calling them cold hearted and cruel at the same time. It is clear that the author wanted to urge and push the idea of Russia being the bad guy through this article. The author seems to have a vibe of peace, in which he continually uses the death of civilians over and over again, to make the reader feel sad, and want the bloodshed to end. 

Source: Al Jazeera

Aljazeera. "Syrian Rebels Seek Unity against Russia." Aljazeera News. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2015. <http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/10/syria-rebels-russia-151006003223222.html>.