Moves (Page 24)

US President Joe Biden has warned China that the US will defend the Philippines in case of any attack in the disputed South China Sea.

The comments come days after two collisions between Filipino and Chinese vessels in the contested waters.

Mr Biden reiterated his “ironclad” defence commitment to the Philippines.

Manila has contested Chinese claims to the waters, cutting floating barriers and inviting media to film what it calls Beijing’s dangerous moves at sea.

Mr Biden’s statement on the South China Sea on Wednesday was his strongest since tensions between Beijing and Manila heated up in recent months.

“I want to be clear — I want to be very clear: The United States’ defence commitment to the Philippines is ironclad. The United States defence agreement with the Philippines is ironclad,” he said.

Signed in 1951, the Mutual Defense Treaty binds the US and the Philippines, its former colony, into defending each other in the event of an armed attack.

“Any attack on the Filipino aircraft, vessels, or armed forces will invoke our Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines,” he added in his speech an the White House on Wednesday, as he welcomed Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

On Sunday, the Philippines said China’s “dangerous manoeuvres” had led to a collision between a China coast guard ship and a Filipino supply boat in an area that falls inside the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). In a separate incident, Manila said a Chinese militia boat “bumped” a Philippine coast guard vessel.

The Filipino boats were on their way to a crumbling navy warship that Manila has marooned at the Second Thomas Shoal to reinforce its claims.

The Philippines’ defence minister, Gilberto Teodoro Jr, said the Chinese boats “intentionally hit” the Philippine vessels and accused China of “distorting the story to fit its own ends”.

Mr Biden echoed these claims, saying the Chinese vessels had “acted dangerously and unlawfully” when the collisions happened.

The Philippines is an important strategic ally of the US as it borders two potential flashpoints in the Pacific – the South China Sea and Taiwan.

Since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr took office in June 2022 and revived the Philippines’ alliance with the US, Filipino authorities have become more aggressive in contesting China’s actions in the South China Sea.

Mr Marcos’ foreign policy is a reversal of the pro-China stand taken by his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, who was criticised for not doing enough to counter Beijing’s aggression in the South China Sea.

Duterte refused to invoke Manila’s legal victory against China in an international tribunal, that said Beijing’s vast claims to almost the entire South China Sea is unfounded.

Tai chi may help slow down the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease for several years, a Chinese study suggests.

Those who practised the martial art twice a week had fewer complications and better quality of life than those who didn’t, the researchers say.

Parkinson’s is a progressive brain disease which leads to tremors and slow movement, and there is no cure.

Experts say the findings back up previous studies on the benefits of exercise for those with Parkinson’s.

The study, from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, monitored the health of hundreds of Parkinson’s patients for up to five years.

One group of 147 people practised regular tai chi while another group of 187 did not.

The traditional Chinese exercise combines slow, gentle movements with deep breathing and relaxation.

The charity Parkinson’s UK describes tai chi as a low-intensity physical activity that can “help to lift your mood and help you live well”.

The researchers found that the disease progressed more slowly in the tai chi group on measurements of symptoms, movement and balance.

This group also saw fewer falls, less back pain and dizziness, with memory and concentration problems also lower than in the other group.

At the same time, sleep and quality of life continuously improved.

A previous trial of people with Parkinson’s who practised tai chi for six months found greater improvements in walking, posture and balance than those not on the programme.

Writing in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, Dr Gen Li and co-authors say their study shows “that tai chi retains the long-term beneficial effect on Parkinson’s disease”.

They say tai chi could be used to manage Parkinson’s on a long-term basis and prolong quality of life, while still helping to keep patients active.

But they also acknowledge that the study is relatively small and could not prove that tai chi was the reason for the positive outcomes experienced by one group.

Prof K Ray Chaudhuri, professor of movement disorders and neurology at King’s College London, said: “It is too early to claim any neuroprotection based on this study, although the positive effects on aspects of motor and non-motor functions are impressive.”

He said ballet had also been found to have similar effects on Parkinson’s.

Prof Alastair Noyce, professor in neurology and neuroepidemiology at Queen Mary University of London, called it “an important study” but said there were limitations in its design, and more trials were needed.

“We already recommend tai chi, as well as other forms of exercise, but understanding which forms of exercise are most beneficial is an important goal to enhance the long-term management of patients,” he said.

Stray, unlicensed, and” large” dogs are the target of a crackdown by Chinese authorities.

However, the action has drawn harsh criticism after reports that canines without users are being rounded up and occasionally put to sleep.

It comes after a violent Rottweiler attack last week that left the nation in shock. The girl was two years old.

The young child had her kidneys ruptured, her ribs broken, and her brain covered in wounds. She is said to be secure.

The mother of the child is seen in the incident’s film primarily putting herself between her child and the dog, but the Rottweiler circles the lady and snatches the kid.

The family makes a valiant effort to keep her daughter alive. Armed with a broom and another sizable stick, an employee and cleaner jump to the scene to help with the rescue.

The Rottweiler is finally chased away.

Its user was taken into custody.

However, after some surprising stories came to light, the assault prompted by the battering has been questioned on social media and by puppy owners.

In one instance, security personnel and a tenant killed both of their dogs after breaking into an office without the tenant’s consent.

A school in Liaoning Province reportedly let go of a security guard after he recently brutally attacked and killed an on-campus dog.

Another incident, which has garnered a lot of attention electronically, involved the death of the little, stray dog after it was captured being net-caught in Chongqing. The dog’s” smiling” appearance has sparked a hashtag on social media with the hashtag # XiaoHuang. The dog allegedly pursued a scholar, according to school authorities.

Chinese superstars have also joined the social media debate, claiming that despite how bad the first attack was, the assault across the nation was not necessary.

There are about 40 million errant dogs in the nation, according to the 2021 China Pet Industry White Paper, and this has been viewed as a problem for some time.

The Rottweiler that attacked the kid in Chongzhou, Sichuan Province, was hardly a stray, though. It was let loose and walked up to the mummy inside their housing complex as she was escorting her child to school.

To pay for the boy’s cure, the family has launched a campaign to solicit donations from the general public.

According to statements made by authorities in the Shandong, Jiangxi, and Hubei Provinces, captured stray dogs may be put down if their landlord could not be located.

To quell the growing protest against what some have referred to as unjustified violence against creatures, the town of Hohhot in Inner Mongolia made its own statement, stating that stray dogs may be rounded up but never killed.

Free ropes are being distributed by local governments in some regions as a means of addressing the issue.

Dogs discovered in the capital without documentation would be impounded, according to an immediate notice from a Beijing voluntary dog rescue group to its supporters. It even advised owners of choice or big dogs who are able to emigrate them to designated boarding services and reminded people to be aware of the designated time for dog walking.

Additionally, the statement urged owners to” have a joint mindset” and refrain from” engaging in disputes with legislation enforcement.”

In China, animal ownership laws differ from one local government area to another, and sometimes they are not strictly enforced.

Solid animal cruelty laws that might provide shelter for pets are also absent from the nation.

A 3m-long salt snake had been resting in the crater last September when Sariah went to fetch liquid in a crater close to her house in Bangka Island, Indonesia, and was watching her fill one of her containers.

I made the decision to take a shower because the water was quiet and there were no crocodile signs. The 54-year-old claims that it instantly materialized, bit me, and dragged me by my left shoulder into the water.

The world’s most saline reptile attacks occur in Indonesia. There have been roughly 1,000 problems over the last ten years, which have claimed the lives of more than 450 people. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature( IUCN ), nearly 90 of these attacks occurred on Bangka and the nearby island of Belitung.

One of the richest tin-mining regions in the world is Bangka beach.

One million people live on the island, which is nearly the size of Hawaii, and roughly 80 % of them work as workers. According to wildlife conservation organization Walhi, more than 60 % of the region’s property has already been turned into iron mines. These mine are many of the improper ones.

The island’s woodland has been cleared by decades of tin mining, leaving behind thousands of enormous pits and craters that resemble celestial landscapes. Additionally, as area reserves decline, miners are moving to the water.

This results in the eviction of seawater crocodiles from their natural habitats, despite the fact that they can even survive in water. They are currently residing in lively mine pits close to people’s homes, which is why attacks are on the increase.

The well in front of Sariah’s home dried up last year due to the protracted dry winter brought on by climate change. After she ran up on payments for three weeks, her water source was shut off. Therefore, for her home and many others, the abandoned mines were the only source of water.

A worker on the island was washing can metal in another pit five days after the assault on Sariah when he was nearly killed by a crocodile. His mind, back, and arm were all broken.

Adult male saltwater crocodiles can grow to lengths of more than 7 meters( 23 feet ), making them the largest living snake. Worldwide, there are between 20,000 and 30,000 salt alligators, with Indonesia being one of the most significant habitats. There are no formal estimates of the number in Indonesia, though.

Although turtles are a species that is protected in Indonesia, on Bangka Island, they are typically killed after an assault rather than being given to the local conservation organization.

Many visitors choose to kill the animals and immerse them in a ritual because they think that allowing the snake to be saved and moving it to another site is bad sign for the community.

The single animals save and conservation center on the island, Alobi, is run by Endi Riadi, who claims that his crew frequently debates with citizens about how to save the crocodiles.

Alobi, which was established in 2014, is home to a variety of wildlife, including animals and crocodiles. Officials either took these animals in trafficking cases or captured them after encounters with people.

Alobi is home to 34 crocodiles that have been saved and are confined to a volleyball court-sized water. To stop them from straying and attacking other species, an iron gate has been constructed.

The water appears quiet for the majority of the day, and many crocodiles can be seen floating like enormous rocks. However, when the team was feeding, they had sprint toward the top and compete for the beef chunks that were thrown.

According to Mr. Riadi, it is expensive to keep all the turtles in the recovery facility. Alobi depends on funds and doesn’t receive direct federal funding. The sanctuary collaborates with local cattle farmers to provide more affordable meals to feed the gleeful animals.

We can supply them with one complete cattle once a month. According to Mr. Riadi, if the farmers have dying animals, we also feed them.

However, he claims that they might not be able to keep transporting turtles up to the already crowded center. It’s also not an opportunity to let them go back into the wild.

However, unless the crocodiles’ environments are protected, attacks on humans will continue, and professionals claim that illegal mining is the cause of the issue. Crocodiles will be evicted from their natural habitats as people move farther away to sea in search of iron.

By legalizing improper mining, the Indian government has adopted an uncommon strategy to combat it. According to Amir Syahbana, a local official in charge of managing power and metal resources, the government permits miners to operate in these illegal mines in exchange for their commitment to habitat restoration.

This includes everything from planting a tree to managing spend. However, many people are dubious about the plan, doubting whether laborers will really work to protect the environment. They will probably get away with it either means due to the island’s inadequate law enforcement.

” Everyone in this room mines can.” Sariah, who has not visited the pits since the invasion, claims that they don’t give a damn about the environment. Other household members offer to go if her home runs out of water.

She claims to be fortunate to still be dead, but moving her left palm or fingers still hurts.

She claims that occasionally while I sleep, the strike recurs in my dreams.