BEIJING (Reuters) - The Philippines said a Chinese ship deliberately rammed one of its government vessels in the disputed South China Sea on Sunday, though Beijing blamed Manila for the incident. Confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels occur frequently in the contested waterway, which Beijing claims nearly in its entirety despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis. The Philippines said a Chinese coast guard ship “fired its water cannon” at the BRP Datu Pagbuaya, a vessel belonging to Manila’s fisheries bureau, at 9:15am (0115 GMT) on Sunday. “Just three minutes later... the same (Chinese) vessel deliberately rammed the stern” of the Philippine boat, “causing minor structural damage but no injuries to the crew”, the statement said.

 

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 BRUSSELS (AFP) - European Union member countries began rolling out a new entry and exit system on Sunday at the bloc’s external borders, electronically registering non-EU nationals’ data. The Entry/Exit System (EES), an automated system that requires travellers to register at the border by scanning their passport and having their fingerprints and photograph taken, will be introduced over six months. The move is aimed at detecting overstayers, tackling identity fraud and preventing illegal migration amid political pressure in some EU countries to take a tougher stance. “The Entry/Exit System is the digital backbone of our new common European migration and asylum framework,” European Internal Affairs and Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner said in a statement.

 

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WASHINGTON (AP) - A nor’easter churned its way up the East Coast on Sunday, with New Jersey declaring a state of emergency and some airports posting delays and cancellations in advance of anticipated coastal flooding, and strong winds, as another storm system struck farther south with heavy rain and flooding. “The greatest effects are going to be the coastal flooding potential, especially for areas from northeastern North Carolina northward to much of the New Jersey coast,” said meteorologist Bob Oravec with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland. Heavy rain also was forecast for southeast New England, the New York City area, and some has fallen in coastal sections of South Carolina, Oravec said. All of New Jersey has been under a state of emergency since Saturday night. It’s expected to last into Monday, authorizing the state’s emergency services personnel to be activated as necessary.

 

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SEOUL (Reuters) - China says it is ready to develop its relationship with North Korea to strengthen strategic cooperation in international and regional affairs, North Korea’s state media KCNA reported. Chinese President Xi Jinping made the comment in a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Thursday, KCNA said, adding that this was a reply to Kim’s message celebrating China’s anniversary of the foundation of the Communist Party. China and North Korea are “good neighbors, good friends”, sharing destiny and helping each other, and the friendship is growing stronger, Xi was quoted as saying. The two leaders prepared “a blueprint” for the development of relations at the meeting during Kim’s visit to China in September, Xi said in the letter quoted by KCNA.

 

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LONDON (The Guardian) - A race and gender pay gap among parliamentary staff means people of color earn on average £2,000 less each year than their white counterparts, research seen by the Guardian suggests. A study due to be released this week will say that parliamentary employees who have a range of protected characteristics under equality legislation are more likely to suffer disparities in pay. The research claims women earn on average £1,000 less each year than men working in similar jobs and disabled employees £646 less than able-bodied colleagues. The findings are outlined in a report that will be published by the GMB union  and are based on data collected after the 2024 general election. The union will say that “multiple” staffers have described parliament as a “very white and middle-class” environment.