Global report

Headlines from the last seven days

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1 UNITED STATES

China accuses Washington of spy balloon 'overreaction'

China accused the US of “overreaction” and the “indiscriminate use of military force” in shooting down a Chinese balloon that traversed US airspace, saying that the move has damaged bilateral relations.

The Pentagon described the high-altitude balloon as a surveillance aircraft able to manoeuvre and a US warplane shot it down on last Saturday over the Atlantic Ocean after it had crossed the entire US. China said it was a weather balloon that had been blown off course.

China’s vice-foreign minister, Xie Feng, lodged a formal complaint with the US embassy over the incident, accusing Washington of overreacting to an accident “caused by force majeure”, according to a statement . He accused Washington of “dealing a serious blow” to progress in stabilising China-US relations since Joe Biden’s summit with Xi Jinping in November.

The incident came amid tensions in US-China relations over issues including Taiwan, trade and human rights. It also prompted Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, to postpone a visit to Beijing. 

2 UNITED STATES

Blast from Arctic pushes mercury to record -78C

Arctic air in the north-east last Saturday brought dangerously cold temperatures and wind chills, including a record-setting -78C on the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire.