FILE – A house sits in Rock Creek after floodwaters washed away a road and a bridge in Red Lodge, Mont., Wednesday, June 15, 2022. After three nasty years, the…
LOS ANGELES (AP) — California saw no relief from drenching rains early Tuesday as the latest in a relentless string of storms continued to swamp roads and batter coastlines with high surf,…
The city of Buffalo continues to dig out of what many are calling the storm of the century. At least 32 people have died. CBS2’s Vanessa Murdock has more on…
This photo provided by the Twitter page of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, snow from this weekends blizzard covers downtown Buffalo on Monday, Dec. 26, 2022. The blizzard roared through…
This satellite image taken at 15:30 UTC and provided by NOAA shows Hurricane Roslyn approaching the Pacific coast of Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. Roslyn grew to Category 4 force…
A man hauls debris away from a pizza restaurant that was badly damaged by Hurricane Ian at Fort Myers Beach, Fla., on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022. (AP Photo) FORT MYERS,…
This image provided by FLDOT shows an emergency vehicle traveling on the Sunshine Skyway over Tampa Bay, Fla., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. Hurricane Ian rapidly intensified off Florida’s southwest…
Theresa Haske sorts through debris from what was her garage after a tornado tore through Gaylord, Mich., Friday, May 20, 2022. (AP Photo) GAYLORD, Mich. (AP) — A second person…
A stranded motorist, at right, gets help shoveling out their car from a passerby with a shovel in Providence, R.I., Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022. A powerful nor’easter swept up the…
Volunteers, mostly from the Mayfield Consumer Products factory, help salvage possessions from the destroyed home of Martha Thomas, in the aftermath of tornadoes that tore through the region several days…
The Amazon distribution center is partially collapsed after being hit by a tornado on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021 in Edwardsville, Ill. (Robert Cohen/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP) EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (AP)…
People shield their faces from wind and sand ahead of Tropical Storm Nicholas, Monday, Sept. 13, 2021, on the North Packery Channel Jetty in Corpus Christi, Texas. Lifeguards paroled the…
Damage to the side of a building from the remnants of Hurricane Ida is shown on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021 in the Queens borough of New York. Three people were…
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Hurricane Ida rapidly grew in strength early Sunday, becoming a dangerous Category 4 hurricane just hours before hitting the Louisiana coast as emergency officials in the…
A resident takes home sandbags from a city run sandbag distribution location at the Dryades YMCA along Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., Friday, Aug. 27, 2021, in New Orleans, as residents…
A regional train sits in the flood waters at the local station in Kordel, Germany, Thursday July 15, 2021, © AP German authorities said late Thursday that at least 81 people had…
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A close-up of a heliport under construction in Rutog County.
On volatile border between India and China, a high-altitude military buildup is underway
Construction crews are now scattered around Ladakh as Indian authorities speed up their infrastructure race with China.
An overview of a heliport under construction near Aksai Chin Lake, in a region administered by China but contested by India, on May 28.
An overview of a heliport under construction in Rutog County in the Ngari Prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, on Nov. 28.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Runway
China is expanding the construction of its facilities on Fiery Cross Reef. Provided by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), this June 28, 2015 photo reveals Beijing has nearly completed a 3,000 meter (9,800-foot) airstrip, long enough to accommodate most Chinese military aircraft. Two h...
Expansion
Reclamation on Fiery Cross Reef, which lies on the west side of the Spratly Islands, began in August of 2014 and its principal landmass was finished by November. Dredgers have created a land mass that spans the entire existing reef and is approximately 3,000 meters long and 200-300 meters wide.
Facilities
This picture taken last November shows construction work being carried out on Fiery Cross Reef. The reef reportedly already houses a helicopter landing pad, a 300-meter-long wharf, a harbor large enough to dock military tankers, barracks and artillery emplacements.
South Johnson Reef
This reef was one of the first facilities to finish principal land reclamation. This recent picture shows that a radar tower is nearing completion at the north end of the land mass. According to AMTI, a new large multi-level military facility has been built in the center of the island. Up to six sur...
A naval base?
Beginning in early 2015, Mischief Reef - also located in the Spratlys - has undergone extensive reclamation activity. Experts say that the recent widening of the southern entrance to the reef, coupled with sightings of Chinese navy vessels, may suggest a future role for the reclaimed reef as a naval...
From reef to island
Significant construction on Gaven Reef began in 2014, with a total of 114,000 square meters of land already created. Satellite pictures show just how fast construction has progressed on the reef. A new artificial island was created between March (left) and August (right) 2014.
Troop garrison
According to AMTI, China has had a troop garrison on Gaven Reef since 2003, which has included a large supply platform where ships can dock. Experts say a new main square building in the reef appears to be an anti-aircraft tower.
A standardized process
As seen in this image, the basic process of expanding these features involves dredging sand from the seafloor and dumping it onto the reefs. The structure is raised above the high water line, hiding the status of the bank or reef beneath. The sand is then smoothed out and workers surround the island...
'Historic rights'
China claims most of the potentially energy-rich waterway, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The US Pacific Fleet commander recently said China was "creating a great wall of sand" in the South China Sea, causing serious concerns about its territorial intentions. Beijin...
Territorial disputes
The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims, which have led to territorial disputes in the area. Last summer, China's deployment of a massive oil rig in waters also claimed by Hanoi escalated tensions in the region, sparking a standoff at sea and violent anti-C...
US concerns
Washington is concerned China's efforts carry a military dimension that could undermine the US' naval and economic power in the Pacific, and has weighed sending warships and surveillance aircraft within 12 nautical miles of the new artificial islands. Washington has repeatedly called on Beijing and ...
Ecological impact
The Philippines filed a formal plea at the UN last year, challenging Beijing's territorial claims. Manila said China's reclamation activities are causing "irreversible and widespread damage to the biodiversity and ecological balance of the South China Sea." It also claimed that the destruction of co...
|
|
|
|
|
|
