MANILA: Forty days after it ran aground, the salvors who will remove the USS Guardian from the Tubbataha Reef will begin cutting the US Navy warship into pieces, an official of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “We are scheduling the cutting and lifting of major parts of the ship like the mast tomorrow, and the funnel on Wednesday,” PCG Palawan district commander Commodore Enrico Efren Evangelista said. “But all of these activities are subject to the weather condition. Safety is our primary consideration.”
China gets new stealth frigate
BEIJING: China’s navy has taken delivery of a new type of stealth frigate that is expected to bolster the country’s maritime defences amid territorial disputes, state media reported yesterday. The ship, identified by the official Xinhua news agency as a “Type 056 stealth frigate”, was delivered to the navy in Shanghai. Navy commander Wu Shengli emphasised the importance of mastering its equipment and capabilities amid ongoing maritime disputes, according to a front-page article yesterday in the PLA Daily, published by the People’s Liberation Army.
Cambodia reports 8th bird flu death
PHNOM PENH: A 35-year-old man has become Cambodia’s eighth bird flu fatality this year. The victim, from the northeastern province of Kampong Cham, died in a Phnom Penh hospital, said Ly Sovann, Deputy Head of the health ministry’s disease surveillance bureau. The victim had eaten two ducks before he fell sick earlier this month.
Sein in Oslo to forge ties with West
OSLO: Myanmar President Thein Sein arrived in Oslo yesterday, beginning his first trip to Europe to forge stronger ties between the former pariah state and the West. The reformist leader landed at Oslo’s international airport for a three-day stay in the Scandinavian country to be followed by visits to Finland, Austria, Belgium and Italy before he returns to Myanmar on March 8.
Agencies
