From Chinese incursion of Taiwan to Taliban raid in Kabul: 5 overnight developments from around the globe

1) Taiwan reports largest ever incursion by Chinese air force

The largest incursion to date happened in June, involving 28 Chinese air force aircraft.

Taiwan has reported the largest ever incursion by the Chinese air force into its air defence zone, with 38 aircraft flying in two waves on Friday as Beijing marked the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Chinese-claimed Taiwan has complained for a year or more of repeated missions by China’s air force near the democratically governed island, often in the southwestern part of its air defence zone close to the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands.

2) Taliban say they have raided IS hideout north of Kabul

Taliban fighters raided a hideout of the Islamic State group north of the Afghan capital on Friday, killing and arresting an unspecified number of militants, a Taliban spokesman said. Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in mid-August, there has been an increase in attacks by IS militants targeting Taliban members. The Taliban and IS are enemies, and the attacks have raised the specter of a wider conflict between the long-time rivals.

Taliban fighters patrol a market in Kabul’s Old City. (AP)

Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi told The Associated Press that Friday’s raid took place in the city of Charikar in Parwan province. The raid followed an arrest by the Taliban of two IS members linked to a roadside bombing that targeted their vehicle in the city, wounding four fighters, Karimi said. The two were questioned and the information they provided helped the Taliban identify the hideout, he added.

3) US hits 700,000 COVID deaths just as cases begin to fall

The United States reached its latest heartbreaking pandemic milestone Friday, eclipsing 700,000 deaths from COVID-19 just as the surge from the delta variant is starting to slow down and give overwhelmed hospitals some relief. It took 3 months for the US to go from 600,000 to 700,000 deaths, driven by the variant’s rampant spread through unvaccinated Americans. The death toll is larger than the population of Boston.

4) Helicopter and plane collide midair in Arizona; 2 killed

A helicopter and a single-engine plane collided in midair Friday near a suburban Phoenix airport, sending the helicopter crashing into a field and killing both people on board. The plane landed safely, and the flight instructor and a student inside were not hurt. The collision happened in the city of Chandler near its municipal airport, said police Sgt. Jason McClimans. He said no one on the ground was hurt but the airport would remain closed for several hours.

5) Japanese princess to wed commoner next month despite dispute

In this Sept. 3, 2017, file photo, Japan’s Princess Mako and her fiance Kei Komuro look at each other during a press conference at Akasaka East Residence in Tokyo. (AP)

Japanese Princess Mako and her fiancé are tying the knot next month but no wedding ceremonies are planned. Their marriage is not fully supported by the public because of a financial dispute involving her future mother-in-law, the palace announced Friday. The controversy involving Mako fiancé Kei Komuro’s mother is an embarrassment for the imperial family and led to public rebuke that delayed their marriage for more than three years.