TOKYO/MOSCOW — Japan has scrambled jets to monitor Russian and Chinese air forces conducting joint patrols around the country, the Japanese defense ministry said late on Tuesday, amid rising tensions between Tokyo and Beijing.

Two Russian Tu-95 nuclear-capable strategic bombers flew from the Sea of Japan toward the East China Sea to rendezvous with two Chinese H-6 bombers and performed a “long-distance joint flight” in the Pacific, the ministry said.

Four Chinese J-16 fighter jets joined the bombers as they made a round-trip flight between Japan’s Okinawa and Miyako islands, it added. The Miyako Strait between the two islands is classified as international waters.

Japan also detected simultaneous Russian air force activity in the Sea of Japan, consisting of one early-warning aircraft A-50 and two Su-30 fighters, the ministry said.

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said in a post on X on Wednesday that the Russian and Chinese joint operations were “clearly intended as a show of force against our nation, which is a serious concern for our nation-al security.”

Japan’s fighter jets “strictly implemented air defense identification measures,” Mr. Koizumi added.

Russian news agencies reported that the Russian-Chinese joint flight near Japan lasted for eight hours, citing Moscow’s defense ministry.

South Korea’s military also said on Tuesday that seven Russian planes and two Chinese planes had entered its air defense zone.

Japan said on Sunday that Chinese carrier-launched fighter jets aimed radar at Japanese military aircraft a day earlier, an account Beijing disputed.

Beijing’s rising military actions near Japan follow Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comment last month that Tokyo could respond to any Chinese military action against Taiwan that also threatened Japan’s security.

China and Russia have been ramping up military cooperation in recent years elsewhere, conducting joint operations such as an anti-missile training on Russian territory and live-fire naval exercises in the South China Sea. — Reuters

BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH — Thailand and Cambodia accused each other of targeting civilians in border attacks on Wednesday, as US President Donald J. Trump said he would make a phone call to stop the fighting and salvage a ceasefire he brokered in July.

The two Southeast Asian nations have each blamed the other for the clashes that started on Monday and remain at odds on a diplomatic solution to the border tensions that have been simmering for months.

Thailand’s foreign minister said in an interview on Tuesday that he saw no potential for negotiations, adding the situation was not conducive to third-party mediation, while a top adviser to Cambodia’s Prime Min-ister Hun Manet told Reuters his country was “ready to talk at any time.”

Speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday evening, Mr. Trump listed a number of wars that he claimed he helped stop, including between Pakistan and India, and Israel and Iran, before commenting on the renewed conflict in Southeast Asia.

“I hate to say this one, named Cambodia-Thailand and it started up today and tomorrow I am going to have to make a phone call. Who else could say I’m going to make a phone call and stop a war of two very powerful countries, Thailand and Cambodia.”

Asked about the prospect of Mr. Trump intervening again, Cambodian government spokesperson Pen Bona said Phnom Penh’s position remained the same, that it wanted only peace. A Thai government spokesperson said he did not know if the prime minister had spoken to Mr. Trump, as he was in parliament.

CLAIMS CIVILIAN AREAS HIT
Cambodia on Wednesday withdrew its athletes from the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, citing safety reasons and serious concerns from the team’s families.

Thailand’s military said BM-21 rockets fired by Cambodian forces landed near the Phanom Dong Rak Hospital in Surin district on Wednesday morning, forcing the evacuation of patients and staff to a shelter. It also said drones and BM-21 rockets and tanks were used at other border points, including near the contested Preah Vihear temple complex.

“Our forces destroyed an anti-drone position to the south of Chong Chom in order to support operations to clear Cambodian elements in a mango plantation that has been planted across the line of operations,” the military said in a situation update.

Cambodia’s military said Thailand had used artillery fire and armed drones to launch attacks in Pursat province, fired mortars into civilian residences in Battambang province, and Thai F-16 fighter jets had entered Cambodian airspace and dropped bombs near civilian areas.

LANDMINE ALLEGATIONS
Mr. Trump has previously spoken to leaders of both countries and been central to the fragile truce between them during five days of fighting in July, which killed at least 48 people and was the heaviest clashes between the two in recent history.

In July, Mr. Trump used the leverage of trade negotiations to broker a ceasefire. Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow told Reuters on Tuesday he did not think the threat of tariffs should be used to pressure his country into talks.

Thailand last month suspended de-escalation measures that were agreed at an October summit in Mr. Trump’s presence, after a Thai soldier was maimed by a landmine that Bangkok said was newly laid by Cambodia, which re-jects the allegation.

Both countries have said they have evacuated hundreds of thousands of people from border areas.

As of Tuesday night, Cambodia’s defense ministry said nine civilians had been killed since Monday and 20 seriously injured, while Thai officials said four soldiers had been killed and 68 had been injured. — Reuters

SYDNEY — Australian teenagers have taken to social media for the last time to farewell their followers and mourn the loss of the platforms that shaped much of their lives before a world-first ban took effect on Wednesday.

In the hours leading up to the ban’s midnight start (1 p.m. GMT on Tuesday), a flurry of goodbye messages came from teenagers — as well as adults — on platforms including TikTok, Instagram and Reddit.

“I’ll miss you guys,” posted 29-year-old Melbourne creator Josh Partington, who makes comedy sketches about Australian life for more than 75,000 TikTok followers.

Australia has ordered 10 major platforms including TikTok, Alphabet’s YouTube and Meta’s Instagram and Facebook to block around one million users under the age of 16 or face massive fines.

Some 200,000 accounts have already been deactivated on TikTok alone, the government said, with “hundreds of thousands” to be blocked in the coming days.

Young Australians, who have grown up using social media, faced the prospect of losing access to their favorite apps with a mix of sadness, humor and disbelief.

“I’m going to miss you so much and especially the funny content,” one TikTok user wrote to their followers. “See you in a few years, but I don’t know if my account will still be standing.”

“Goodbye, see you on the other side,” another said.

There were edits posted of users’ favorite memes, while many urged their followers to join alternative platforms such as Yope, Lemon8 and Coverstar, which are not yet covered by the law.

On Reddit, users posted their goodbye notes to subreddits such as r/teenagers.

“As an autistic 13-year-old I am devastated,” one popular post said.

“My playlist of 1,400+ songs on YouTube will be deleted and Reddit too, I have zero friends… I will be completely alone for the next three years until I am 16.”

Some stayed online until midnight on Tuesday, posting clips of clocks counting down set to Adele’s “Skyfall” and its lyrics, “this is the end.”

Others took their frustration out on center-left Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has lost 6,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram since Tuesday.

“Just wait until we’re able to vote,” one person commented on Mr. Albanese’s TikTok account.

Not all teenagers were against the ban. “Ngl (not going to lie), social media ban is probably for the best of us,” a TikTok user said. “All we do is sit behind a screen for hours.” — Reuters