China a maritime bully, Esper says
HANOI, Vietnam -- U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Wednesday accused China of using coercion and intimidation against smaller Asian nations to impose its will in the South China Sea. He urged Vietnam and others in the region to push back.
"We will not accept attempts to assert unlawful maritime claims at the expense of law-abiding nations," Esper said in a speech to the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, a government university.
Vietnam is one of the region's most vocal critics of China's sweeping territorial claims in the South China Sea and has accused Beijing of encroaching into its waters.
"The United States firmly opposes intimidation by any claimant to assert its territorial or maritime claims, and we call for an end to the bullying and unlawful activities," Esper said.
Later, in remarks at Vietnam's Communist Party headquarters, Esper said, "We strongly oppose violations of international law by China and excessive claims in the South China Sea."
As part of a long-term effort to forge closer relations with Vietnam, Esper announced that the U.S. will provide Vietnam's coast guard with a surplus American ship. He said it would be provided next year, but he gave no details on payment or exact timing.
U.S. carrier transits Strait of Hormuz
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- A U.S. aircraft carrier ordered by the White House to rapidly deploy to the Mideast over a perceived threat from Iran has transited the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since its deployment.
The U.S. Navy says the USS Abraham Lincoln transited the strait on Tuesday, making its way to the Persian Gulf. The carrier left Norfolk, Va., in April and was diverted to the Middle East in May, but it had remained in the Arabian Sea, avoiding passage through the strait that borders Iran.
American aircraft carriers have for decades sailed through the international oil shipping route in what the U.S. describes as "defensive" operations aimed at keeping the strait open.
The Trump administration deployed the Lincoln to the Persian Gulf amid a spike in tensions with Iran.
Cubans claim diplomat-dissident ties
HAVANA -- Cuba on Wednesday accused the top U.S. diplomat in the country of working closely with José Daniel Ferrer, the detained head of one of the country's largest opposition groups.
The accusations against charge d'affaires Mara Tekach were a break from Cuba's normal language on U.S. relations, which had remained measured despite an escalating Trump administration campaign to cut off revenue and oil to Cuba.
Tekach and the U.S. Embassy in Cuba have tried to foment division among Cubans, "identifying areas of the economy where they can direct coercive measures, and trying to slander and discredit the performance of the Cuban government and Cuban revolution," a Cuban government statement said.
The U.S. Embassy in Cuba reopened in 2015 during President Barack Obama's normalization of relations with the island. It has been operating with a skeleton staff since the withdrawal of most personnel in 2017 due to concerns about mysterious health symptoms whose cause has still not been publicly determined.
Ferrer was detained last month on charges that remained unclear until this week. The U.S., opposition groups and human rights organizations demanded his release.
Ferrer's supporters said that he had been charged with assault and called the case a fabrication. The statement Wednesday in Granma, the Communist Party's official newspaper, said Ferrer was detained Oct. 1 with three other people on suspicion of kidnapping and assaulting another man.
Farmers' fires lead to pollution arrests
LUCKNOW, India -- Twenty-two farmers were arrested in northern India on Wednesday for setting fires to clear their fields and contributing to some of the worst air pollution in the country, a government official said.
Those arrested in Uttar Pradesh state's Pilibhit district face charges of disobeying a ban on burning crop waste and making the atmosphere noxious, said state government spokesman Awanish Awasthi.
India's supreme court last week ordered a fine of up to $1,420 for those polluting the air.
Air pollution in northern India peaks in the winter due to smoke from agricultural fires. The smoke mixes with vehicle emissions and construction dust.
The air quality index in New Delhi exceeded 500, about 10 times the recommended maximum, early this month, but strong winds bought the level down to 250 this week.
On Tuesday, several opposition lawmakers in India's Parliament demanded that the government give incentives to farmers and provide machines to remove crop waste to stop the practice of burning fields before planting new crops.
Pollution controls have been imposed in the Indian capital region, home to 48 million people, such as banning some construction to avoid dust, reducing traffic and prohibiting the use of diesel generators. But experts say the steps have had little effect because state governments have failed to cooperate in tackling pollution.
A Section on 11/21/2019