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MANILA, Philippines (AP) — India and the Philippines have staged joint naval exercises in the disputed South China Sea for the first time, a high-profile military deployment that antagonized China. Beijing has separate territorial disputes with the two Asian democracies and a long-running regional rivalry with New Delhi.

Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner said Monday that the two-day joint naval sail and exercises which began Sunday went successfully, and expressed hopes that Filipino forces could engage India’s military in more joint maneuvers in the future.

Asked if Chinese forces carried out any action in response, Brawner said without elaborating that “we did not experience any untoward incident but we were still shadowed. We expected that already.”

Two Chinese navy ships, including a guided-missile destroyer, were spotted about 25 nautical miles (46 kilometers) from one of two Philippine navy frigates that participated in the joint sail on Sunday, the Philippine military said.

The Chinese military’s Southern Theater Command said it conducted routine patrols in the South China Sea on Sunday and Monday and added that it remains resolute in defending China’s territory and maritime rights and interests.

Without mentioning India by name, the Southern Theater Command accused the Philippines of drawing in outside countries to organize joint patrols that it said undermine regional peace and stability.

China’s Foreign Ministry said territorial disputes should be resolved by those directly involved without any third-party intervention.

China has a longstanding land border dispute with India in the Himalayas, which sparked a monthlong war in 1962 and a number of deadly firefights since then.

Separately, Beijing’s expansive claims to virtually the entire South China Sea, a key global trade route, have led to tense confrontations with other claimant states, particularly the Philippines and Vietnam. Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also lay claims to parts of the contested waters.

The Philippines has staged naval patrols in the disputed waters with its treaty ally, the United States, and other strategic partners including Japan, Australia, New Zealand and France to promote freedom of navigation and overflight and strengthen deterrence against China.

It has allowed journalists to join territorial sea and aerial patrols to witness China’s increasingly aggressive actions, provoking angry Chinese reactions.

In response to a question last week about Manila’s plans to build up military cooperation, China’s Ministry of National Defense called the Philippines a “troublemaker” that has aligned itself with foreign forces to stir up trouble in what China deems its own territorial waters.

Brawner said the Philippines has to boost deterrence to prevent war. “The way to do that is, number one, the Armed Forces of the Philippines has to be strengthened through modernization, and secondly, we need to partner with like-minded nations and that’s what we’re doing with India,” he said last week.

During a reception on board an Indian navy tanker, the INS Shakti, on Thursday, Brawner said the vessel’s port call in Manila was more than ceremonial. It “sends a powerful signal of solidarity, strength in partnership and the energy of cooperation between two vibrant democracies in the Indo-Pacific,” he said.

Brawner welcomed the deepening of relations between the two Asian countries and “reaffirmed the shared commitment to maritime security, regional stability and a rules-based international order in one of the world’s most geopolitically sensitive regions.”

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos left Monday for a five-day state visit to India for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top officials to boost defense, trade and investment, agriculture, tourism and pharmaceutical industry engagements.

___

Associated Press journalist Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this report.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — India and the Philippines have staged joint naval exercises in the disputed South China Sea for the first time, a high-profile military deployment that antagonized China. Beijing has separate territorial disputes with the two Asian democracies and a long-running regional rivalry with New Delhi.

Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner said Monday that the two-day joint naval sail and exercises which began Sunday went successfully, and expressed hopes that Filipino forces could engage India’s military in more joint maneuvers in the future.

Asked if Chinese forces carried out any action in response, Brawner said without elaborating that “we did not experience any untoward incident but we were still shadowed. We expected that already.”

Two Chinese navy ships, including a guided-missile destroyer, were spotted about 25 nautical miles (46 kilometers) from one of two Philippine navy frigates that participated in the joint sail on Sunday, the Philippine military said.

The Chinese military’s Southern Theater Command said it conducted routine patrols in the South China Sea on Sunday and Monday and added that it remains resolute in defending China’s territory and maritime rights and interests.

Without mentioning India by name, the Southern Theater Command accused the Philippines of drawing in outside countries to organize joint patrols that it said undermine regional peace and stability.

China’s Foreign Ministry said territorial disputes should be resolved by those directly involved without any third-party intervention.

China has a longstanding land border dispute with India in the Himalayas, which sparked a monthlong war in 1962 and a number of deadly firefights since then.

Separately, Beijing’s expansive claims to virtually the entire South China Sea, a key global trade route, have led to tense confrontations with other claimant states, particularly the Philippines and Vietnam. Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also lay claims to parts of the contested waters.

The Philippines has staged naval patrols in the disputed waters with its treaty ally, the United States, and other strategic partners including Japan, Australia, New Zealand and France to promote freedom of navigation and overflight and strengthen deterrence against China.

It has allowed journalists to join territorial sea and aerial patrols to witness China’s increasingly aggressive actions, provoking angry Chinese reactions.

In response to a question last week about Manila’s plans to build up military cooperation, China’s Ministry of National Defense called the Philippines a “troublemaker” that has aligned itself with foreign forces to stir up trouble in what China deems its own territorial waters.

Brawner said the Philippines has to boost deterrence to prevent war. “The way to do that is, number one, the Armed Forces of the Philippines has to be strengthened through modernization, and secondly, we need to partner with like-minded nations and that’s what we’re doing with India,” he said last week.

During a reception on board an Indian navy tanker, the INS Shakti, on Thursday, Brawner said the vessel’s port call in Manila was more than ceremonial. It “sends a powerful signal of solidarity, strength in partnership and the energy of cooperation between two vibrant democracies in the Indo-Pacific,” he said.

Brawner welcomed the deepening of relations between the two Asian countries and “reaffirmed the shared commitment to maritime security, regional stability and a rules-based international order in one of the world’s most geopolitically sensitive regions.”

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos left Monday for a five-day state visit to India for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top officials to boost defense, trade and investment, agriculture, tourism and pharmaceutical industry engagements.

___

Associated Press journalist Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this report.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — India and the Philippines have staged joint naval exercises in the disputed South China Sea for the first time, a high-profile military deployment that antagonized China. Beijing has separate territorial disputes with the two Asian democracies and a long-running regional rivalry with New Delhi.

Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner said Monday that the two-day joint naval sail and exercises which began Sunday went successfully, and expressed hopes that Filipino forces could engage India’s military in more joint maneuvers in the future.

Asked if Chinese forces carried out any action in response, Brawner said without elaborating that “we did not experience any untoward incident but we were still shadowed. We expected that already.”

Two Chinese navy ships, including a guided-missile destroyer, were spotted about 25 nautical miles (46 kilometers) from one of two Philippine navy frigates that participated in the joint sail on Sunday, the Philippine military said.

The Chinese military’s Southern Theater Command said it conducted routine patrols in the South China Sea on Sunday and Monday and added that it remains resolute in defending China’s territory and maritime rights and interests.

Without mentioning India by name, the Southern Theater Command accused the Philippines of drawing in outside countries to organize joint patrols that it said undermine regional peace and stability.

China’s Foreign Ministry said territorial disputes should be resolved by those directly involved without any third-party intervention.

China has a longstanding land border dispute with India in the Himalayas, which sparked a monthlong war in 1962 and a number of deadly firefights since then.

Separately, Beijing’s expansive claims to virtually the entire South China Sea, a key global trade route, have led to tense confrontations with other claimant states, particularly the Philippines and Vietnam. Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also lay claims to parts of the contested waters.

The Philippines has staged naval patrols in the disputed waters with its treaty ally, the United States, and other strategic partners including Japan, Australia, New Zealand and France to promote freedom of navigation and overflight and strengthen deterrence against China.

It has allowed journalists to join territorial sea and aerial patrols to witness China’s increasingly aggressive actions, provoking angry Chinese reactions.

In response to a question last week about Manila’s plans to build up military cooperation, China’s Ministry of National Defense called the Philippines a “troublemaker” that has aligned itself with foreign forces to stir up trouble in what China deems its own territorial waters.

Brawner said the Philippines has to boost deterrence to prevent war. “The way to do that is, number one, the Armed Forces of the Philippines has to be strengthened through modernization, and secondly, we need to partner with like-minded nations and that’s what we’re doing with India,” he said last week.

During a reception on board an Indian navy tanker, the INS Shakti, on Thursday, Brawner said the vessel’s port call in Manila was more than ceremonial. It “sends a powerful signal of solidarity, strength in partnership and the energy of cooperation between two vibrant democracies in the Indo-Pacific,” he said.

Brawner welcomed the deepening of relations between the two Asian countries and “reaffirmed the shared commitment to maritime security, regional stability and a rules-based international order in one of the world’s most geopolitically sensitive regions.”

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos left Monday for a five-day state visit to India for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top officials to boost defense, trade and investment, agriculture, tourism and pharmaceutical industry engagements.

___

Associated Press journalist Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this report.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — India and the Philippines have staged joint naval exercises in the disputed South China Sea for the first time, a high-profile military deployment that antagonized China. Beijing has separate territorial disputes with the two Asian democracies and a long-running regional rivalry with New Delhi.

Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner said Monday that the two-day joint naval sail and exercises which began Sunday went successfully, and expressed hopes that Filipino forces could engage India’s military in more joint maneuvers in the future.

Asked if Chinese forces carried out any action in response, Brawner said without elaborating that “we did not experience any untoward incident but we were still shadowed. We expected that already.”

Two Chinese navy ships, including a guided-missile destroyer, were spotted about 25 nautical miles (46 kilometers) from one of two Philippine navy frigates that participated in the joint sail on Sunday, the Philippine military said.

The Chinese military’s Southern Theater Command said it conducted routine patrols in the South China Sea on Sunday and Monday and added that it remains resolute in defending China’s territory and maritime rights and interests.

Without mentioning India by name, the Southern Theater Command accused the Philippines of drawing in outside countries to organize joint patrols that it said undermine regional peace and stability.

China’s Foreign Ministry said territorial disputes should be resolved by those directly involved without any third-party intervention.

China has a longstanding land border dispute with India in the Himalayas, which sparked a monthlong war in 1962 and a number of deadly firefights since then.

Separately, Beijing’s expansive claims to virtually the entire South China Sea, a key global trade route, have led to tense confrontations with other claimant states, particularly the Philippines and Vietnam. Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also lay claims to parts of the contested waters.

The Philippines has staged naval patrols in the disputed waters with its treaty ally, the United States, and other strategic partners including Japan, Australia, New Zealand and France to promote freedom of navigation and overflight and strengthen deterrence against China.

It has allowed journalists to join territorial sea and aerial patrols to witness China’s increasingly aggressive actions, provoking angry Chinese reactions.

In response to a question last week about Manila’s plans to build up military cooperation, China’s Ministry of National Defense called the Philippines a “troublemaker” that has aligned itself with foreign forces to stir up trouble in what China deems its own territorial waters.

Brawner said the Philippines has to boost deterrence to prevent war. “The way to do that is, number one, the Armed Forces of the Philippines has to be strengthened through modernization, and secondly, we need to partner with like-minded nations and that’s what we’re doing with India,” he said last week.

During a reception on board an Indian navy tanker, the INS Shakti, on Thursday, Brawner said the vessel’s port call in Manila was more than ceremonial. It “sends a powerful signal of solidarity, strength in partnership and the energy of cooperation between two vibrant democracies in the Indo-Pacific,” he said.

Brawner welcomed the deepening of relations between the two Asian countries and “reaffirmed the shared commitment to maritime security, regional stability and a rules-based international order in one of the world’s most geopolitically sensitive regions.”

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos left Monday for a five-day state visit to India for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top officials to boost defense, trade and investment, agriculture, tourism and pharmaceutical industry engagements.

___

Associated Press journalist Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this report.

BOGOTA, Colombia — The bodies of all five miners trapped in a collapsed shaft in the world’s biggest underground copper mine for three days have been found and identified, an official said Sunday.

Aquiles Cubillos, the lead prosecutor in Chile’s O’Higgins region, said the body of Moises Pavez, the last miner to remain missing, was found at 3:30 p.m. local time by rescue teams. They had drilled through dozens of meters (feet) of rock to reach the stranded workers.

“We deeply regret this outcome” Cubillos said.

The five miners were trapped deep inside Chile’s El Teniente mine on Thursday after a section of the mine collapsed following a 4.2 magnitude earthquake that instantly killed another miner and injured nine other workers.

The trapped miners were located by using GPS devices but rescue teams were not able to communicate with them.

Authorities are investigating whether it was a naturally occurring earthquake or whether mining activity at El Teniente caused the tremor. Chilean prosecutors also launched a criminal investigation to determine whether any safety standards were violated.

El Teniente, located in the Andes mountains in central Chile, is the world’s largest underground copper mine and is owned by Chilean state company Codelco.

Shortly after Thursday’s collapse, Codelco halted operations in the affected section of the mine and evacuated 3,000 people from the broader site to safe areas.

The company canceled a presentation of its first-half financial results, set for Friday morning, due to the rescue efforts.

Chile, the world’s biggest copper producer, lies in the seismically active “Ring of Fire” that surrounds the shores of the Pacific Ocean.

In 2010, Chile’s government rescued 33 miners trapped in a copper mine in the country’s north for two months in a dramatic operation that made global headlines and was later depicted in a Hollywood movie.

BOGOTA, Colombia — The bodies of all five miners trapped in a collapsed shaft in the world’s biggest underground copper mine for three days have been found and identified, an official said Sunday.

Aquiles Cubillos, the lead prosecutor in Chile’s O’Higgins region, said the body of Moises Pavez, the last miner to remain missing, was found at 3:30 p.m. local time by rescue teams. They had drilled through dozens of meters (feet) of rock to reach the stranded workers.

“We deeply regret this outcome” Cubillos said.

The five miners were trapped deep inside Chile’s El Teniente mine on Thursday after a section of the mine collapsed following a 4.2 magnitude earthquake that instantly killed another miner and injured nine other workers.

The trapped miners were located by using GPS devices but rescue teams were not able to communicate with them.

Authorities are investigating whether it was a naturally occurring earthquake or whether mining activity at El Teniente caused the tremor. Chilean prosecutors also launched a criminal investigation to determine whether any safety standards were violated.

El Teniente, located in the Andes mountains in central Chile, is the world’s largest underground copper mine and is owned by Chilean state company Codelco.

Shortly after Thursday’s collapse, Codelco halted operations in the affected section of the mine and evacuated 3,000 people from the broader site to safe areas.

The company canceled a presentation of its first-half financial results, set for Friday morning, due to the rescue efforts.

Chile, the world’s biggest copper producer, lies in the seismically active “Ring of Fire” that surrounds the shores of the Pacific Ocean.

In 2010, Chile’s government rescued 33 miners trapped in a copper mine in the country’s north for two months in a dramatic operation that made global headlines and was later depicted in a Hollywood movie.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A zoo in Denmark is asking for donations of small pets as food for its predators.

The Aalborg zoo said it is trying to mimic the natural food chain of the animals housed there “for the sake of both animal welfare and professional integrity” and offers assurances the pets will be “gently euthanized” by trained staff.

READ MORE: German zoo faces protests after killing 12 healthy baboons

The zoo in northern Denmark explained in a Facebook post that “if you have a healthy animal that needs to be given away for various reasons, feel free to donate it to us.”

The zoo points to guinea pigs, rabbits and chickens as possible donations. After being euthanized, the animals will be used as fodder, the zoo said.

“That way, nothing goes to waste — and we ensure natural behavior, nutrition and well-being of our predators,” the zoo said.

The online call for pet donations is accompanied by a picture of a wildcat baring its teeth with its mouth wide open and a link to the zoo’s website, noting the facility also is interested in receiving horses.

The zoo, which could not immediately be reached for additional details, does not list other pets or animals as possible donations.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A zoo in Denmark is asking for donations of small pets as food for its predators.

The Aalborg zoo said it is trying to mimic the natural food chain of the animals housed there “for the sake of both animal welfare and professional integrity” and offers assurances the pets will be “gently euthanized” by trained staff.

READ MORE: German zoo faces protests after killing 12 healthy baboons

The zoo in northern Denmark explained in a Facebook post that “if you have a healthy animal that needs to be given away for various reasons, feel free to donate it to us.”

The zoo points to guinea pigs, rabbits and chickens as possible donations. After being euthanized, the animals will be used as fodder, the zoo said.

“That way, nothing goes to waste — and we ensure natural behavior, nutrition and well-being of our predators,” the zoo said.

The online call for pet donations is accompanied by a picture of a wildcat baring its teeth with its mouth wide open and a link to the zoo’s website, noting the facility also is interested in receiving horses.

The zoo, which could not immediately be reached for additional details, does not list other pets or animals as possible donations.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A zoo in Denmark is asking for donations of small pets as food for its predators.

The Aalborg zoo said it is trying to mimic the natural food chain of the animals housed there “for the sake of both animal welfare and professional integrity” and offers assurances the pets will be “gently euthanized” by trained staff.

READ MORE: German zoo faces protests after killing 12 healthy baboons

The zoo in northern Denmark explained in a Facebook post that “if you have a healthy animal that needs to be given away for various reasons, feel free to donate it to us.”

The zoo points to guinea pigs, rabbits and chickens as possible donations. After being euthanized, the animals will be used as fodder, the zoo said.

“That way, nothing goes to waste — and we ensure natural behavior, nutrition and well-being of our predators,” the zoo said.

The online call for pet donations is accompanied by a picture of a wildcat baring its teeth with its mouth wide open and a link to the zoo’s website, noting the facility also is interested in receiving horses.

The zoo, which could not immediately be reached for additional details, does not list other pets or animals as possible donations.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A zoo in Denmark is asking for donations of small pets as food for its predators.

The Aalborg zoo said it is trying to mimic the natural food chain of the animals housed there “for the sake of both animal welfare and professional integrity” and offers assurances the pets will be “gently euthanized” by trained staff.

READ MORE: German zoo faces protests after killing 12 healthy baboons

The zoo in northern Denmark explained in a Facebook post that “if you have a healthy animal that needs to be given away for various reasons, feel free to donate it to us.”

The zoo points to guinea pigs, rabbits and chickens as possible donations. After being euthanized, the animals will be used as fodder, the zoo said.

“That way, nothing goes to waste — and we ensure natural behavior, nutrition and well-being of our predators,” the zoo said.

The online call for pet donations is accompanied by a picture of a wildcat baring its teeth with its mouth wide open and a link to the zoo’s website, noting the facility also is interested in receiving horses.

The zoo, which could not immediately be reached for additional details, does not list other pets or animals as possible donations.