- Asian markets track Wall St rally on US jobs data
- Pakistan 122-1 at lunch in first England Test
- Kazakhs approve plan for first nuclear power plant
- World marks anniversary of Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- 'Second family': tennis stars hunt winning formula with new coaches
- Philippines, South Korea agree to deepen maritime cooperation
- Mexico mayor murdered days after taking office
- Sardinia's sheep farmers battle bluetongue as climate warms
- Japan govt admits doctoring 'untidy' cabinet photo
- Israel marks first anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack
- Darvish tames Ohtani as Padres thrash Dodgers
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on jobs data
- Family affair as LeBron, Bronny James make Lakers bow
- Cancer, cardiovascular drugs tipped for Nobel as prize week opens
- As Great Salt Lake dries, Utah Republicans pardon Trump climate skepticism
- Amazon activist warns of 'critical situation' ahead of UN forum
- Mourners pay tribute to latest victims of deadly Channel crossing
- Tunisia incumbent Saied set to win presidential vote: exit polls
- Phillies win thriller to level Mets series
- Yu bags first PGA Tour win with playoff win
- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea's penalty heroics
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- Maresca hails Chelsea's 'fighting' spirit after draw with 10-man Forest
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Vikings hold off Jets in London to stay unbeaten
- Ahead of attack anniversary, Netanyahu says: 'We will win'
- West Indies cruise to T20 World Cup win over Scotland
- Arshdeep, Chakravarthy help India hammer Bangladesh in T20 opener
- Lewandowski's quickfire hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Man Utd fire another blank in Aston Villa stalemate
- Lewandowski treble powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
Taiwan grounds Mirage fighters for safety checks after night crash
Taiwan's air force said Wednesday it had grounded its fleet of Mirage 2000 fighters for safety checks, after a jet crashed during a night training flight the day before.
Under the administration of new President Lai Ching-te, Taiwan revamped training for its armed forces to include more nighttime drills and exercises as the democratic island faces greater pressures from China, which claims it as part of its territory.
On Tuesday night, Captain Hsieh Pei-hsun was forced to eject from his single-seat Mirage 2000 fighter after it apparently lost power, the defence ministry said.
The jet crashed into the sea, while Hsieh was rescued about two hours later and transported to a hospital in central Taichung city.
The air force's chief of staff said it had implemented a Tien An -- or "safe skies" -- inspection of its 60-plane Mirage-2000 fleet, which would mean grounding them.
"A special inspection will be carried out for the whole Mirage fleet," Lieutenant General Wang Te-yang said during a news conference. "We also set up a task force immediately to investigate the incident."
Despite the grounding, he said "there will be no pressure or impact on the air force's combat capabilities in the short term".
Taiwan's Mirage-2000 fighters were purchased in 1992 from France in an arms deal that angered China.
They are still a core component of the island's ageing fleet, which also includes F16 fighter jets from the United States, and locally built Indigenous Defence Fighters.
Taiwan's air force and military are up against increasing pressures from China, which has in recent years ramped up incursions by fighter jets and drones around the island -- actions that military experts dub as grey-zone tactics that serve to exhaust the island's armed forces.
In a 24-hour window ending 6:00 am Wednesday (2200 GMT Tuesday), 21 Chinese military aircraft, nine naval vessels and an official ship were detected around the island, Taiwan's defence ministry said.
A subsequent statement said a further 19 Chinese fighter jets, patrol aircraft and drones were tracked around Taiwan, and the defence ministry was monitoring the situation.
Lai visited Hsieh in hospital and said the pilot's condition was stable.
"The people should also know that in order to protect the country, the armed forces not only stick to their posts but also train day and night," the president told reporters after his visit.
"I ask the people to fully support the military and be the backing of the military. This way the military will have more strength to protect the country. Only by defending the country can we have a stable society," he said.
Beijing, which regards Lai as a "dangerous separatist", launched war games simulating a blockade around Taiwan three days after he was sworn in as president in May.
China has said it would never renounce the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.
A.Rodriguezv--AMWN