Hong Kong (CNN) — China says it successfully fired an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, a rare public test that analysts said was meant to send a message to the United States and its allies amid heightened regional tensions. An ICBM carrying a dummy warhead was launched at 8:44 a.m. Beijing time and fell into a designated area in the high seas of the Pacific Ocean, the Chinese Defense Ministry said in a statement. It did not specify the missile’s flight path or landing location. The ministry said the launch, by the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, was part of its routine annual training and not directed at any country or target. It comes as China and Russia conduct joint naval exercises in nearby seas close to Japan. The launch “effectively tested the performance of weapons and equipment as well as the training level of the troops, and achieved the expected objectives,” state news agency Xinhua said in a separate report, adding that China had “notified relevant countries in advance” of the test. A Pentagon spokesperson said the US received “some advanced notification” of the test from Beijing, calling it “a step in the right direction … to preventing any misperception or miscalculation.” Wednesday’s launch marks the first time China has tested an ICBM over the Pacific Ocean in more than four decades. In 1980, China test-fired its first ICBM, the DF-5, into the South Pacific from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the country’s northwest, traversing a distance of more than 8,000 kilometres (5,000 miles). China has quietly conducted more ICBM tests since then, mostly over its own territory, with many landing in the deserts of the far western region of Xinjiang. In December 2013, a Chinese defence ministry spokesperson was asked at a regular news conference about an ICBM test launched from a submarine in the Bohai Sea, an inland sea off China’s northeast coast. “It is normal for China to conduct scientific research experiments within its territory according to plan,” the spokesperson replied. China’s defence ministry and state media offered little details about the test on Wednesday, including the type of ICBM launched. The country’s latest ICBM, known to be the DF-41, is estimated to have a range of 12,000 to 15,000 kilometres (7,400 to 9,300 miles) and is capable of reaching the US mainland. ‘A powerful signal’ Analysts said China’s rare announcement of the test was intended as a warning to the US and its allies amid rising tensions in surrounding waters, from the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait to the South China Sea. Beijing’s test was a message to Washington that “direct intervention in a conflict across the Taiwan Strait would involve the American homeland being vulnerable to attack,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha University in Seoul. “To US allies in Asia, China’s provocative test, conducted during its expansive regional military exercises, demonstrates its capabilities to fight on multiple fronts simultaneously,” he added. Drew Thompson, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, said the timing of the public test was potentially significant. “China launches a lot of missiles. They don’t announce a lot of them. It’s interesting that they would choose now,” he said. The public test comes as China adopts an increasingly assertive stance in the region. Over the past weeks, Japan has strongly protested incursions by Chinese and Russian military aircraft into its airspace; Chinese and Philippine vessels have engaged in multiple collisions near a dangerous new flashpoint; and Taiwan says China has recently been conducting intensive missile firing and other military drills near the self-ruled island. “This is quite a statement to launch a ballistic missile into the Pacific at this time when China is in conflict with many of its neighbors,” Thompson said. “This launch is a powerful signal intended to intimidate everyone.” Another key question is which countries China notified in advance of the launch, Thompson said. “There’s a long-standing global norm of notifying countries when certain long-range ballistic missiles are launched to prevent the risk of miscalculation,” he said. “China is not party to any agreement other than a bilateral agreement with Russia.” Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters Wednesday that Tokyo was not notified by Beijing before the launch of the missile, which did not cross Japanese airspace. The Japan Coast Guard told CNN it was told by China on Monday that “space debris” would fall into three areas – two locations off the Philippine island of Luzon and another in the South Pacific – between 6 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Wednesday. During the Cold War, the US and the Soviet Union agreed to notify each other of ballistic missile launches extending beyond their territories and expanded on that in 2000. In 2009, China and Russia signed an agreement to notify each other of impending ballistic missile launches. The two sides extended the pact by another decade after it expired in 2020. Military buildup Under leader Xi Jinping, China has bolstered its nuclear capabilities and revamped the PLA’s Rocket Force, an elite branch overseeing the country’s fast-expanding arsenal of nuclear and ballistic missiles. In the past few years, satellite photos have shown the construction of what appears to be hundreds of silos for ICBMs in China’s deserts, and the US Defense Department is predicting exponential growth in the number of nuclear warheads in Beijing’s arsenal in the next decade. China held more than 500 operational nuclear warheads as of 2023 and will probably have over 1,000 warheads by 2030, the Pentagon said in its annual report on Beijing’s military last year. The PLA’s Rocket Force was roiled by a sweeping corruption crackdown last year that saw a string of senior generals purged. By conducting the high-profile ICBM test, “Beijing may be attempting to show that recent corruption scandals have not diminished the military’s readiness or reach,” said Easley at Ewha University. Military vehicles carrying DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missiles roll during a parade to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 2019, in Beijing. (Photo: The Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images/File)

(CNN) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on five federal charges related to bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy and soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals, according to a 57-page indictment unsealed Thursday morning. The indictment alleges illegal actions stretching back to 2014, from when he was Brooklyn Borough President. “For nearly a decade, Adams sought and accepted improper valuable benefits, such as luxury international travel, including from wealthy foreign businesspeople and at least one Turkish government official seeking to gain influence over him,” the indictment reads. Specifically, he received luxury travel and other benefits from a Turkish official and later pressured the NYC Fire Department to open a Turkish consular building without a fire inspection in exchange, the indictment says. The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, is set to discuss the indictment at a news conference today. Adams said Thursday morning he was not surprised by the charges and encouraged the public to “wait to hear our defense before making any judgments,” adding that he would not be changing his day-to-day responsibilities in light of the indictment. “I look forward to defending myself and defending the people of this city as I’ve done throughout my entire professional career,” Adams said. The indictment stems from a federal investigation by the US Attorney’s Office in Manhattan scrutinizing his connection to Turkish officials and businessmen and campaign donations he received. The indictment represents a dramatic fall from grace for the mayor of America’s largest city and a stunning accusation against one of the nation’s most high-profile offices. Adams, a former NYPD captain, took office in January 2022 and presented himself as the new face of the Democratic Party, promising a tough-on-crime approach and a commitment to revitalizing the city after the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet he has struggled to resolve the city’s key challenges, such as the migrant crisis and concerns about subway safety, and has faced criticism for his late-night partying and clashes over city spending, particularly on education. He once described himself as “the Biden of Brooklyn,” but he has increasingly criticized the Biden administration and the federal government over its handling of immigration issues. Now, nearly three years into his first term, Adams’ political career is in jeopardy, and several prominent New York political figures, including US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have already called for his resignation. If he were to resign, the job of America’s most high-profile mayor would go to the city’s public advocate, Jumaane Williams, until a special election occurred. What the indictment alleges The indictment alleges Adams received gifts and accepted illegal contributions to his campaign. In 2018, when Adams had announced his plans to run for New York City mayor, he allegedly accepted and sought illegal campaign contributions to his upcoming mayoral campaign, the indictment says. Businesses also circumvented the city’s ban on corporate contributions “by funneling their donations through multiple employees,” according to the indictment. A senior in the Turkish diplomatic establishment, who “facilitated many straw donations” to the mayor, also arranged for him and his posse to receive free or discounted travel on Turkey’s national airline, which is owned “in significant part” by the Turkish government, according to the indictment. Adams and his companions also received free rooms at “opulent hotels,” free meals at high-end restaurants, and free “luxurious entertainment” while in Turkey, court documents say. Adams did not disclose the travel benefits, as required of New York City employees, the indictment alleges. In September 2021, the Turkish official told Adams “it was his turn to repay” him by pressuring the NYC Fire Department to “facilitate the opening of a new Turkish consular building” without a fire inspection, the indictment alleges. Adams then pressured the FDNY to approve the building, the indictment alleges. Further, the indictment states that Adams and co-conspirators tried to conceal their conduct, including by deleting messages and changing his phone password. Investigators search his official residence The New York Times was first to report the news of the indictment on Wednesday night. Adams was at Gracie Mansion when word of the indictment broke. Adams had not been formally informed of the indictment when the news broke, multiple sources told CNN. In the immediate, the mayor is expected to have several days to turn himself in, according to sources familiar with the case. He’s not expected to appear in court Thursday. Prosecutors previously informed his attorneys that if charged, he would be summoned to surrender at a future date, multiple sources told CNN. On Thursday morning, federal investigators went to Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s official residence, and are believed to have executed a search warrant and served the mayor with a summons, according to a law enforcement official. They spent more than 3 hours inside, according to a source. Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Adams, criticized the search, saying it was “an effort to create a spectacle” and take the mayor’s phone “when he would have happily turned it in.” “He has not been arrested and looks forward to his day in court,” Spiro said. Lawyers for Adams met with senior officials of the Justice Department last week in a bid to stave off federal criminal charges, multiple sources familiar with the meeting told CNN. The meeting between Adams lawyers Boyd Johnson and Brendan MacGuire came after they met with the US Attorney’s Office in Manhattan and were told prosecutors planned to seek an indictment of the mayor, the sources said. Prosecutors in Washington informed the mayor’s attorneys that their appeal was denied, the sources said. The US Attorney’s Office is conducting the investigation, but because Adams is a sitting politician, the Justice Department would be involved in any decision to file charges. Legal troubles escalated in September The mayor’s legal troubles began last year but escalated earlier this month when top members of his staff at City Hall, including two deputy mayors, a senior adviser, and the school’s chancellor, received search warrants and had their phones seized by federal investigators. The first sign of trouble for Adams came in November 2023 when federal investigators zeroed in on his chief campaign fundraiser, Brianna Suggs, and executed a search warrant at her home, multiple law enforcement officials previously told CNN. Suggs has not been charged with any crimes. Investigators from the FBI’s public corruption squad seized phones, computers, tablets, and files from Suggs, according to sources. Agents also executed numerous search warrants at other homes and businesses throughout the New York area in connection with the investigation, officials said. One of the companies searched in November 2023 was KSK Construction Group in Brooklyn, law enforcement officials said. The construction and development company has built apartments and condos throughout the city. A CNN review of campaign finance records identified at least 11 employees at KSK Construction Group who donated a total of $13,950, with individual contributions ranging from $1,200 to $1,500, all on the same day, to Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign. CNN has reached out to the donors for comment. CNN has also reached out to Erden Arkan, who is listed as the owner of KSK Construction Group, and also listed as a donor to the Adams campaign. New York City campaign finance records show Arkan donated $1,500. As part of their investigation, FBI agents seized Adams’ cell phones days after the raid on Suggs’ home. After Adams gave a speech in Manhattan, FBI agents “walked right up to him,” asked his NYPD security detail to step aside, and then climbed into Adams’ city-issued SUV, sources previously told CNN. There, agents presented him with a warrant to seize his electronic devices, the sources said. The investigations accelerated earlier this month. Edward Caban, the New York Police Department commissioner, had his phone seized as part of a separate federal investigation and was forced to resign. Days later, Lisa Zornberg, City Hall’s top lawyer and one of Adams’ staunchest defenders, abruptly resigned. In a brief two-sentence resignation letter, Zornberg stated that she had concluded she could “no longer serve effectively” in her position. A week later, Schools Chancellor David Banks’ home was searched by federal investigators who seized his cell phones during the execution of a search warrant. He then announced he would retire from his position leading the nation’s largest public school system at the end of the year. The mayor has touted his ties to the city’s Turkish American community and said he had visited the country at least six or seven times. Adams travelled to Turkey at least twice as Brooklyn borough president. The Turkish Consulate paid for an August 2015 trip during which he signed a sister city agreement with Istanbul’s Üsküdar district.

Friday will be observed as ‘Sneaker Day’ a day the NCD Commission is using to raise awareness about the importance of physical activity among workers. Barbadians are being encouraged to step into wellness by wearing their sneakers to work on the day. They can post selfies or videos with #bbsneakerday2024 for the opportunity to win prizes. Chair of the NCD Commission, Sulieman Bulbulia reminded the public of the importance of physical activity, stating society has become less active. Health and Wellness Advocate, Celia Collymore further revealed the NCD Commission will be working with the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the launch of its ‘Get Moving Initiative’.