Chinese spy balloons seen over Asia: BBC

June 26, 2023 20:48

File image

The British media on Monday reported new evidence of China's spy balloon programme, including flights over Japan and Taiwan, months after US-China relations were derailed when one such airship was shot down off the US coast.

Working with Synthetaic, an artificial intelligence company which sifted through huge amounts of data captured by satellites, the BBC has found multiple images of balloons crossing East Asia.

The company's founder, Corey Jaskolski, found evidence of one balloon crossing northern Japan in early September 2021.

These images have not been published before, the BBC reported.

Jaskolski also believes the evidence points to this balloon having been launched from deep inside China, south of Mongolia.

US-China relations were thrown into turmoil in February this year, when a Chinese spy balloon, said to be the size of three buses, was shot down by American fighter jets over the Atlantic Ocean off the Eastern Seaboard of the United States.

China has repeatedly claimed the balloon seen over the US airspace was a civilian airship, used for scientific research such as meteorology -- and that it was an unintended and isolated event. -- PTI

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

Fadnavis asked me to implicate Uddhav, Sharad Pawar: Anil Deshmukh

If false accusations are levelled against me, I will have no choice but to make audio-visual evidence public, Fadnavis said.

Ex-Agniveers to get 10% reservation, age relaxation in CAPFs

A provision has been made for relaxation in the upper age limit and exemption from the Physical Efficiency Test in the recruitment to the post of constable (general duty) and rifleman in the CAPFs and Assam Rifles for ex-Agniveers,...

Kharge takes 'mataji', 'pakoda-jalebi' jibe at Sitharaman

Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday questioned Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over the Union Budget and claimed that the plates of all states except Bihar and Andhra...

Football, Rugby kick-off Paris Olympic games

The sporting action at the Paris Olympics kicked off with two soccer matches on Wednesday.

Right to be forgotten goes before SC, Madras HC order stayed

"How can a court order this? To say that the judgment, a public document, be pulled down will have very serious ramifications," said a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra after taking...