Author: Darren Leonard

PLA says the USS Milius’s intrusion into its territorial waters undermined regional peace and stability. China’s military says it tracked and warned away a United States warship that had illegally entered waters it claims in the South China Sea. The US Navy denied China’s claims, stating that the ship was on a routine operation and left the area of its own accord. In a statement on Thursday, the Southern Theatre Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said the USS Milius, a guided missile destroyer, intruded into waters around the disputed Paracel Islands. The PLA “organised sea and air forces to track…

The US Senate has passed a $1.7tr (£1.4tr) government funding bill – most likely avoiding a partial government shutdown during the holiday season. The House of Representatives now needs to pass it so President Joe Biden can sign it before midnight on Friday. The package will fund the US government all through the next fiscal year, to 30 September. The 4,155-page budget contains measures to help Ukraine, bolster US defence, and funds for US domestic priorities. The Senate passed the bill on Thursday afternoon by 68 to 29 in a cross-party vote. The bumper package contains $772bn for domestic programmes…