Pyongyang described the US-South Korea military exercises as a "threat that would be met with the appropriate response." Seoul had said the drills were expanded in a bid to neutralize North Korean nuclear threats. North Korea's Defense Ministry on Tuesday warned South Korea and the US against their joint military drills. The remarks came a day after Seoul and Washington announced the launch of their joint annual military exercise dubbed "Freedom Shield Exercise." What did North Korea say? The ministry said in a statement carried by state media that it viewed the drills as "rehearsals of war." A spokesperson of Pyongyang's Defense Ministry said it strongly denounced what it called "frantic, reckless" military drills, urging South Korea and the US to stop such trainings. "The exercises can never be defensive but are an attempt to invade the North," the spokesperson claimed.  The ministry warned that the joint drill is a "threat that would be met with the appropriate response." What is the 'Freedom Shield' exercise? The 11-day, large-scale joint military training by the US and South Korean forces began on March 4, 2024. In their announcement on Monday, the US and South Korea boasted of having "twice the number of troops joining compared to last year." South Korea's military said the exercise is meant to counter North Korean threats.  Last week, Seoul said that it would conduct 48 field exercises with US forces this spring, twice the number conducted last year, and that they would involve live-firing, bombing, air assault and missile interception drills. The exercise comes as North Korea pushes to develop its nuclear capabilities with missile and other weapons tests.  

Iran threatened Wednesday to “decisively respond” to any U.S. attack on the Islamic Republic following President Joe Biden's linking of Tehran to the killing of three U.S. soldiers at a military base in Jordan. The U.S. has signaled it is preparing for retaliatory strikes in the Mideast in the wake of the Sunday drone attack that also injured at least 40 troops at Tower 22, a secretive base in northeastern Jordan that's been crucial to the American presence in neighboring Syria. However, concerns remain that any additional American strikes could further inflame a region already roiled by Israel's ongoing war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the ongoing attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on shipping in the Red Sea. A U.S. Navy destroyer in the waterway shot down an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the Houthis late Tuesday, the latest attack targeting American forces patrolling the key maritime trade route, officials said. The Iranian warnings first came from Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran's ambassador to the United Nations in New York. He gave a briefing to Iranian journalists late Tuesday, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. “The Islamic Republic would decisively respond to any attack on the county, its interests and nationals under any pretexts,” IRNA quoted Iravani as saying. He described any possible Iranian retaliation as a “strong response,” without elaborating. The Iranian mission to the U.N. did not respond to requests for comment or elaboration Wednesday on Iravani's remarks. Iravani also denied that Iran and the U.S. had exchanged any messages over the last few days, either through intermediaries or directly. The pan-Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera, which is based in and funded by Qatar, reported earlier that such communication had taken place. Qatar often serves as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran. “Such messages have not been exchanged," Iravani said. But Iran's government has taken note of the U.S. threats of retaliation for the attack on the base in Jordan. “Sometime, our enemies raise the threat and nowadays we hear some threats in between words by American officials," Revolutionary Guard commander Gen. Hossein Salami, who answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said at an event Wednesday. "We tell them that you have experienced us and we know each other. We do not leave any threat without an answer.” “We are not after war, but we have no fear of war,” he added, according to IRNA. On Saturday, a general in charge of Iran's air defenses described them as being at their “highest defensive readiness.” That raises concerns for commercial aviation traveling through and over Iran as well. After a U.S. drone strike killed a top general in 2020, Iranian air defenses mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane, killing all 176 people on board. Meanwhile, attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels continue in the Red Sea, most recently targeting a U.S. warship. The missile launched Tuesday night targeted the USS Gravely, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, the U.S. military’s Central Command said in a statement. “There were no injuries or damage reported,” the statement said. A Houthi military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, claimed the attack in a statement Wednesday morning, calling it “a victory for the oppression of the Palestinian people and a response to the American-British aggression against our country.” Saree claimed the Houthis fired “several” missiles. something not acknowledged by the U.S. Navy. Houthi claims have been exaggerated in the past, and their missiles sometimes crash on land and fail to reach their targets. The Houthis claimed without evidence on Monday to have targeted the USS Lewis B. Puller, a floating landing base used by the Navy SEALs and others. The U.S. said there had been no attack. Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea over Israel’s offensive against Hamas in Gaza. But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for global trade between Asia, the Mideast and Europe. The Houthis hit a commercial vessel with a missile on Friday, sparking a fire that burned for hours. The U.S. and the United Kingdom have launched multiple rounds of airstrikes targeting the Houthis as allied warships patrol the waterways affected by the attacks. The European Union also plans to launch a naval mission in the Red Sea within three weeks to help defend cargo ships against the Houthi attacks, the bloc’s top diplomat said Wednesday.   Source: Time

North Korea on Monday accused the United States of trespassing its airspace by flying spy aircrafts and slammed US plans of deploying a nuclear missile submarine close to the Korean peninsula.   Alleging repeated provocation by the US, North Korea warned that, while Pyongyang is exercising restraint, it will shoot down such surveillance flights. In a statement, a spokesperson for the North's Ministry of National Defence said "provocative" military actions conducted by the US "several times" were bringing the Korean peninsula closer to a nuclear conflict. "There is no guarantee that such a shocking accident as the downing of the US Air Force strategic reconnaissance planes will not happen in the East Sea of Korea," the spokesperson added in the statement cited by official news agency KCNA. There was no immediate response from the US military, while South Korea dismissed North's claim of airspace violation as false. It said the US conducts routine reconnaissance flights around the peninsula. Escalation through 'nuclear blackmail' Condemning US plans to deploy strategic nuclear assets around the Korean peninsula, Pyongyang said it is "the most undisguised nuclear blackmail" against North Korea that poses serious threat to peace and security in the region. In April, the US announced its plan to send a US Navy nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine to a South Korean port for the first time since the 1980s. It, however, did not share the timeline for the visit. "Whether the extreme situation, desired by nobody, is created or not on the Korean peninsula depends on the future action of the US, and if any sudden situation happens ... the US will be held totally accountable for it," KCNA said. Pyongyang cited past incidents when it shot down US planes and warned the US will pay for its "frantically staged" air espionage.  

Russian President Vladimir Putin has responded to the Wagner Group and its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in a speech to the nation. He said the actions of the rebels was a "betrayal" that will be punished.  Wagner leader hits back at Putin Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has responded to President Vladimir Putin's "betrayal" comments, suggesting in fact that the mercenary group's soldiers are Russian "patriots." Prigozhin also said that Wagner forces would not be turning themselves in on the orders of Putin. Earlier on Saturday, Putin said Wagner fighters were traitors who must be punished. Wagner assault 'unprecedented' in Russia Correspondent Roman Goncharenko said the reports of a Wagner Group mutiny could be a turning point for Russia. "We’ve never seen anything like this in recent Russian history," he said. "Taking control of Rostov-on-Don, or at the least part of Rostov-on-Don where the headquarters of the Russian army is, is an unprecedented move and it shows how weak the Russian military is," he added. The Wagner Group has taken on semi-official military responsibilities since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, but in recent months Yevgeny Prigozhin has turned against Putin and blamed Russia’s armed forces for losses on the battlefield. "It is a gigantic experiment that (Putin) started by invading Ukraine, and now things are developing in a very bad direction for him," Goncharenko said. In an address early on Saturday, Putin made comparisons to how World War I led to revolution and civil war inside Russia in 1917. "Putin is absolutely right to draw comparisons," Roman Goncharenko said.  "This is where Russia is heading now, but we are not there yet." Russia fighting for 'its future,' says Putin Russian President Vladimir Putin has responded to the Wagner Group's rebellion, telling the nation it was facing its "toughest battle for its future." In an address to the country, Putin described Yevgeny Prigozhin's actions — in calling for an uprising against the Kremlin — an "armed mutiny" and told the rebels they will face "inevitable punishment" for their "betrayal." Putin did admit the situation in Rostov-on-Don was "difficult" following Wagner's claims it had seized control of the airport and army headquarters in the city near the Ukrainian border. "There will be decisive measures taken on stabilizing the situation in Rostov-on-Don," Putin told the nation. Russian military hit back: Voronezh official The governor of Russia's southern region of Voronezh, Alexander Gusev, said Saturday that the Russian army were "carrying out necessary operational and combat measures" to fend off the Wagner Group's efforts to topple the country's senior military leadership. Poland 'monitors' while UK says Russia facing 'most significant challenge in recent times' Britain's Ministery of Defence (MOD) said in an intelligence update that "the coming hours" may be decisive as "to how this crisis plays out" as Russian security forces face a test of "loyalty" to the Kremlin over the "feud" between Wagner and Moscow's military. The MOD said that Wagner units were heading north through Vorenezh Oblast and were "aiming to get to Moscow."  Meanwhile, on Saturday morning, Poland's president held "consultations" with the prime minister and defense ministry about "the situation in Russia." "The course of events beyond our eastern border is monitored on an ongoing basis," Andrzej Duda wrote on Twitter. Russia will 'guarantee safety' of Wagner fighters who stop rebelling The Russian army on Saturday said it would "guarantee the safety" of Wagner mercenaries who stop rebelling against the Russian government and its military.   "We are appealing to the fighters of assault squads of PMC Wagner. You were deceived into (Wagner chief's Yevgeny) Prigozhin's criminal venture and participation in an armed rebellion," the army said in a statement. It called on the fighters to ask for help to return to "places of permanent deployment."  "We ask you to show reason and get in touch with representatives of Russia's defense ministry or law enforcement. We guarantee safety for all."  Moscow declares state of emergency The city of Moscow the capital's region has declared a counterterrorism state of emergency against the backdrop of the armed uprising by Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. "In order to prevent possible terrorist attacks in the city and Moscow region, a regime of counterterrorism operations has been established," Russia's National Antiterrorism Committee said on Saturday morning.  Armored vehicles in front of parliament in Moscow Armored vehicles have appeared in the center of Moscow in the wake of the power struggle between Wagner and the Kremlin.  "Security measures have been increased in Moscow, all important objects, such as organs of state power and objects of transport infrastructure, have been put under heightened guard," the state news agency TASS reported. Putin to 'address' nation 'soon' Russian President Vladimir Putin will "soon" address the nation, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Saturday. Russia is in the midst of a rebellion from the Wagner mercenary group, led by its chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has vowed to topple Moscow's military.  Wagner chief claims he's seized Rostov army HQ and airport The head of the Wagner mercenary group says his troops have occupied key military objects in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, as Yevgeny Prigozhin ramps up his challenge to the Kremlin. "Under our control are military objects of Rostov, including the airport," Prigozhin said in a video released on Saturday morning.  He also claimed to have seized control of the army's headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city with a population of over 1 million near the border with Ukraine. Prigozhin's claims, however, could not be independently verified. Unverified videos show soldiers in Rostov-on-Don Following claims by Prigozhin that his Wagner forces had crossed from Ukraine into Russia and were on their way to the city of Rostov-on-Don, numerous videos began to appear on social media showing soldiers and tanks moving around inside the city. Reuters was able to verify that the footage was of the police headquarters building, but could not say when it was taken. Local news site 161.ru said that their correspondent has seen tanks and armored vehicles in the center of the city. Rostov is the headquarters of the Russian Southern Military District, a key hub for Russian forces and close to the Ukrainian border. The footage could not be verified and it was also not possible to determine whether the forces shown were Russian military or Wagner mercenaries. Russia: Moscow mayor says 'anti-terror' measures in place in capital city Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said they were taking "anti-terrorist" measures to secure the Russian capital. "In connection with the incoming information in Moscow, anti-terrorist measures aimed at strengthening security are being taken," Sobyanin said on Telegram. The feud between the Wagner Group and the Russian defense leadership escalated into a confrontation after the mercenary group called on members to support an armed rebellion against the military leadership. Prigozhin: Russian helicopter that fired on 'civilian column' shot down Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Wagner Group, said in his latest audio message that: "A helicopter just now opened fire at a civilian column. It has been shot down by units of [private military company] Wagner." Prigozhin's short message was not independently confirmed by other sources. It was also unclear what he meant by a civilian column. If true, fighting between Wagner mercenary forces and Russian military troops would mark a serious escalation in the clash between Prigozhin and the Kremlin. Russia: Putin briefed on situation 'around the clock' Russian President Vladimir Putin is receiving regular updates on the situation, the Kremlin said. "Security services, law enforcement agencies, namely, the Defense Ministry, the FSB, the Interior Ministry, the National Guard are reporting to the president constantly, around the clock," Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for Putin, was quoted as saying by Russian media outlets. Putin has not yet made any comments on Prigozhin's rant against high-level Russian officials and the progress of the war in Ukraine. White House: Monitoring situation in Russia US National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge said they were "monitoring the situation and will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments." Hodge added that US President Joe Biden had been briefed about the fast-moving situation in Russia. Prigozhin: Ready to 'go all the way' as mercenary forces cross from Ukraine into Russia Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin said his forces had crossed the border from Ukraine into Russia and that they were ready to go "all the way" in their challenge to the Russian military. The Wagner chief said his forces had crossed the border into the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and added his men would destroy anyone who stood in their way.  Prigozhin's claims have not been independently verified, nor has there been any video footage of Wagner troops crossing into Russia.  DW analyst: Russian forces may face off against Wagner troops DW's Russia analyst Konstantin Eggert said that "it's a possibility" that Russian troops may end up facing off against Wagner mercenary forces. Eggert said that the Kremlin has ordered the mobilization of the special police forces as well as the FSB state security agency. "There will be forces that will, I think, eventually confront the Wagner group if they decide to go into battle," he said. "But it still remains to be seen." Unverified reports on Telegram said that Prigozhin's Wagner forces had crossed into Russia from Ukraine without any resistance from Russian border guards. If Russian President Vladimir Putin does not appear on television soon to address the situation, "it will look really strange, it will look like weakness and I think that it will have a lasting effect on Putin's regime no matter what the outcome of this particular crisis is," Eggert said.  Russia: Ukraine taking advantage of spat to ready troops near Bakhmut The Russian Defense Ministry accused Ukrainian troops of taking advantage of the infighting between the Wagner group and the Russian military to prepare its troops for an assault on Bakhmut. "Taking advantage of Prigozhin's provocation to disorganize the situation, the Kyiv regime near the Bakhmut front is concentrating units... for offensive actions," the ministry was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.   Russian forces declared control of Bakhmut in May, but Ukrainian forces have made it difficult for Russia to hold on to the city as they shape up a counteroffensive to take back territories. Russia: Prigozhin could face up to 20 years in prison The Russian Prosecutor General's Office said on Telegram that Prigozhin's actions could see him sentenced to 12 to 20 years behind bars. The office said Prigozhin was charged under Article 279 of the Russian Criminal Code for organizing an armed insurrection. "His actions will be given a proper legal assessment," it added.  Security has been reportedly tightened in Moscow  Security was boosted around government buildings, transport facilities and other key locations in Moscow, Russia state media TASS reported. The new measures came after the head of Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, unleashed a challenge to Russia's military leadership, calling for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia’s defense minister. How has Ukraine reacted? Ukraine has said it is monitoring the infighting between Prigozhin and the Russian military leadership. "We are watching," the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said. Russia: Prigozhin's claims not based in fact The Russian National Anti-Terrorism Committee has criticized claims by Prigozhin regarding the alleged attack on Wagner forces. "The allegations spread in the name of Yevgeny Prigozhin have no basis in fact. That is why the FSB has initiated criminal proceedings on the basis of these statements for calling for an armed coup," the committee said. Prigozhin, the outspoken leader of the Wagner Group, has feuded publicly with Russia's defense heads for months, accusing them of battlefield failures in the war in Ukraine. On Friday, the Wagner chief accused Russia's military forces of striking and killing his mercenary forces. Russia's defense ministry has denied the claim.   Russia: FSB urges Wagner troops to ignore Prigozhin's orders The Russian Federal Security Service or the FSB has urged Wagner troops to ignore Prigozhin's calls for resistance and urged them to detain the Wagner leader. "Prigozhin's statements and actions are in fact a call to start an armed civil conflict on the territory of the Russian Federation and a stab in the back to Russian servicemen fighting pro-fascist Ukrainian forces," the FSB said. Russian commander urges Wagner forces to obey military leadership A deputy commander of Russia's war on Ukraine, General Sergei Surovikin, called on Wagner members to not oppose military leadership. "I urge you to stop," Surovikin said in a video. "The enemy is waiting for the internal political situation to worsen in our country."  "Before it is too late, it is necessary and it is needed to obey the will and order of the popularly elected President of the Russian Federation," Surovikin added. Putin aware of Prigozhin situation Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed of the situation regarding Prigozhin, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. Peskov said "all necessary measures were being taken" after Prigozhin urged Russians to join him in resistance against Russian military leaders. Prigozhin was a close friend of the Russian president and was once known as "Putin's chef." Although Prigozhin has been critical of the Russian military and its handling of the war in Ukraine, he has refrained from criticizing Putin by name. Russia launches criminal probe into Wagner chief Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) launched a criminal probe into Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin on Friday, accusing him of attempting a "mutiny." Earlier on Friday, Prigozhin accused the Russian military of attacking his forces in Ukraine.  "We were ready to make concessions to the defense ministry, surrender our weapons," Prigozhin said in an audio message. "Today, seeing that we have not been broken, they conducted missile strikes at our rear camps. A huge number of our fighters, our comrades died." Russia has denied it attacked Prigozhin's forces. Prigozhin has called on volunteers to join him after the alleged Russian attack. "This is not a military coup. This is a march for justice," Prigozhin said. 

The discussion about organizing the Asia Cup in Pakistan does not stop. India has objected to playing the Asia Cup in Pakistan due to political animosity. India has also not responded to Pakistan's offer to host the Asia Cup in a hybrid model at a neutral venue.  So, this time Pakistan has threatened to boycott the upcoming ODI World Cup in India. On Monday, May 15, according to Reuters, Pakistan will not be able to play in the World Cup-2023 in India if India does not participate in the Asia Cup.  In an interview given to Reuters, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Najam Sethi said, "India wants all matches at neutral venues. BCCI should take logical decision. India should not create a situation where we have to boycott the Asia Cup and World Cup. It will make the situation worse." Sethi is worried about the security of pakistani players on Indian soil. In this context, he said, "There is concern about the security to our team in India as well. So, let Pakistan play in Dhaka, UAE or Sri Lanka. Now this is the solution, until India agrees to play a bilateral series with Pakistan in or outside Pakistan's soil." Although the ICC has intervened in this issue at various times, it has not been able to find any practical solution.

Rohingyas living in Cox's Bazar are among those evacuated to safe shelters as the powerful storm crosses the eastern Bay of Bengal. The most powerful cyclone in nearly two decades is barreling toward the coasts of eastern  Bangladesh and Myanmar, forecasters warned Saturday. After brewing in the Bay of Bengal for days, Cyclone Mocha was packing winds of up to 220 kilometers per hour (136 miles) — equivalent to a category four hurricane — as it approached the two Asian countries. Mocha is expected to weaken before making landfall on Sunday between Cox's Bazar, a southeastern border district of Bangladesh, and Sittwe on Myanmar's western Rakhine coast, Bangladesh's Meteorological Department said in a bulletin. Rohingya refugees face more misery Cox's Bazar is where more than a million Rohingya refugees live in flimsy shelters — most having fled a military-led crackdown in Myanmar in 2017. Bangladeshi authorities have banned the Rohingya from constructing permanent concrete homes, fearing it may incentivize them to settle permanently rather than return to Myanmar. "All the Rohingyas in the camps are at risk," Bangladesh's deputy refugee commissioner Shamsud Douza told Agence France-Presse. Authorities in Bangladesh began evacuating refugees from "risky areas" to community centers, while hundreds fled a nearby island. "We are focusing on saving lives," said Mohammad Shamsud Douza, a Bangladesh government official responsible for refugees. "People who are at risk of landslides will be evacuated." According to the United Nations, more than six million people need humanitarian assistance in the storm's path in Myanmar alone. The World Food Programme said it was preparing food and relief supplies that could help more than 400,000 people in Rakhine state and surrounding areas for a month. Some people in Rakhine's capital Sittwe were either leaving their homes to seek shelter on higher ground or moving further inland, a resident said. Myanmar has been in chaos since the military seized power two years ago. A resistance movement is fighting the junta on multiple fronts after a bloody crackdown on protests. Strongest storm in decades Meteorologists said Mocha was the most powerful storm since Cyclone Sidr, which hit Bangladesh's southern coast in November 2007, killing more than 3,000 people and causing billions of dollars in damage. Another storm in 2008, Cyclone Nargis, killed more than 100,000 people after hitting southern Myanmar. Forecasters expect the cyclone to bring a deluge of rain, which can trigger landslides. The storm is also predicted to unleash a storm surge up to four meters (13 feet) high, which can inundate low-lying coastal and river villages. Panic has also gripped some 8,000 people in Bangladesh's southernmost island of Saint Martin's with the tiny coral outcrop — one of the country's top resort districts — right in the storm's path. Officials said around 1,000 Saint Martin's islanders have left, moving 250 boats to Teknaf to try to prevent them from being washed away. Operations were suspended at the country's largest seaport, Chittagong, with boat transport and fishing activities also halted.

The Shiveluch volcano in Russia's Far East has blown an ash column about 10 kilometers high, threatening aviation. Shiveluch last had a major eruption in 2007. The Shiveluch volcano in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula erupted early on Tuesday and sent up an ash plume 10 kilometers (six miles) high into the air, posing an increased threat to air traffic, the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) said. The team issued a code red Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation, noting that ash explosions 15 kilometers (9.32 miles) high could occur at any time.  "Ongoing activity could affect international and low-flying aircraft," it said. The ash cloud following the eruption drifted to the west and south and measured 400 by 270 kilometers, the Kamchatka branch of the Geophysical Survey of the Russian Academy of Sciences said on Telegram. Russian media reports indicated the ash cloud was continuing to spread. Kamchatka has about 160 volcanoes Local authorities closed schools and ordered residents in nearby villages to stay indoors, head of the Ust-Kamchatsky municipal region Oleg Bondarenko said in a Telegram post. The peninsula in the north Pacific Ocean has about 160 volcanoes, but only about two dozen of them are active. UNESCO lists the Volcanoes of Kamchatka as a World Heritage Site. One of Kamchatka's largest and most active volcanoes, Shiveluch has had an estimated 60 substantial eruptions in the past 10,000 years, the last major one being in 2007.

China and the US are once again in a standoff over the question of sovereignty in the South China Sea. The US says its ship was asserting its maritime rights in the area. China warned the US on Friday that there would be "serious consequences" after a US warship entered waters claimed by Beijing, ramping up already heightened tensions. The US Navy destroyer USS Milius sailed around the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea for the second day in a row, in a move that Beijing described as violating China's sovereignty. What Beijing said "We sternly demand the US to immediately stop such provocative acts, otherwise it will bear the serious consequences of unforeseen incidents," Chinese Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Tan Kefei said. "The act of the US military seriously violated China's sovereignty and security, severely breached international laws, and is more ironclad evidence of the US pursuing navigation hegemony and militarizing the South China Sea," he added. China said that it chased off the USS Milius, a claim that the US Navy denies. Why was the US warship near the Paracel Islands? The guided-missile destroyer was asserting navigational rights and freedoms in the contested area, according to the US Navy. "Unlawful and sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to the freedom of the seas, including the freedoms of navigation and overflight, free trade and unimpeded commerce, and freedom of economic opportunity for South China Sea littoral nations," the US Navy 7th fleet said in a statement. The US Navy has a regular presence in the South China Sea, although Washington has no territorial claims there. The strategic waterway is a path of transit for around $5 billion (€4.62 billion) every year, as well as being highly valued for its fish stock and mineral resources. The question of sovereignty over numerous small islands in the South China Sea has been one of the main sources of tension between the two superpowers, along with the fate of Taiwan. China has laid claim to large maritime regions that overlap the exclusive economic zones of other countries in the region — including US allies such as the Philippines. A recent series of events have ramped up tensions between Washington and Beijing, including the shooting down of an alleged Chinese spy balloon in US airspace, China's support for Russia amid the war in Ukraine and visits by leading US figures to Taiwan — another island Beijing considers part of its territory.

An engine problem threatened to delay the launch on Monday of NASA's most powerful rocket yet on an uncrewed test flight to take humans back to the Moon and eventually to Mars. Blastoff, which had been planned for 8:33 am (1233 GMT), was put on hold because of a temperature issue with one of the four engines on the 322-foot (98-meter) Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the US space agency said. Tens of thousands of people -- including US Vice President Kamala Harris -- have gathered along the beach near the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to watch the launch, which comes 50 years after Apollo 17 astronauts last set foot on the Moon. The goal of the flight, dubbed Artemis 1, is to test the SLS and the Orion crew capsule that sits atop the rocket. Mannequins equipped with sensors are standing in for a crew for the mission. Overnight operations to fill the rocket with more than three million liters of ultra-cold liquid hydrogen and oxygen were briefly delayed by a high risk of lightning, though it was a "go" after an hour.  Around 3:00 am, another hiccup emerged: a potential leak was detected during the filling of the main stage with hydrogen, causing a pause.  After tests, the flow resumed. "The leak is at an acceptable level and we have returned to fast fill operations," NASA tweeted.  But NASA engineers later detected a problem with the temperature in one of the four engines and put a hold on the countdown. NASA has a two-hour window Monday in which to carry out the launch. The massive orange-and-white rocket, which has been sitting on the space center's Launch Complex 39B for more than a week, is not able to take off in case of rains and storms.  If Monday's launch is scrubbed, September 2 and 5 have been penciled in as alternative flight dates. The rocket's Orion capsule is set to orbit the Moon to see if the vessel is safe for people in the near future. At some point, Artemis aims to put a woman and a person of color on the Moon for the first time. "This mission goes with a lot of hopes and dreams of a lot of people. And we now are the Artemis generation," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. In another first, a woman -- Charlie Blackwell-Thompson -- will give the final green light for liftoff.  Women now account for 30 percent of the control room staff, compared to one for the Apollo 11 mission -- the first time astronauts landed on the moon in 1969. - Extreme temperatures - During the 42-day trip, the Orion capsule will orbit the Moon, coming within 60 miles (100 kilometers) at its closest approach, and then fire its engines to shoot out 40,000 miles -- a record for a spacecraft rated to carry humans. One of the mission's primary objectives is to test the capsule's heat shield, which at 16 feet in diameter is the largest ever built. On its return to Earth's atmosphere, the heat shield will have to withstand a speed of 25,000 miles per hour and a temperature of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 degrees Celsius) -- or half as hot as the Sun. The dummies aboard the spacecraft will record acceleration, vibration and radiation levels. The craft will deploy small satellites to study the lunar surface. A complete failure would be devastating for a program costing $4.1 billion per launch that is already years behind schedule. - Life on the Moon - Monday's launch is "not a near-term sprint, but a long-term marathon to bring the solar system and beyond into our sphere," said Bhavya Lal, NASA associate administrator for technology, policy and strategy. The next mission, Artemis 2, will take astronauts into orbit around the Moon without landing on its surface. The crew of Artemis 3 is to land on the Moon in 2025 at the earliest. And since humans have already visited the Moon, Artemis has its sights set on another lofty goal: a crewed mission to Mars. The Artemis program is to establish a lasting human presence on the Moon with an orbiting space station known as Gateway and a base on the surface. Gateway would serve as a staging and refueling station for a voyage to Mars that would take a minimum of several months. Source: AFP/BSS AH

The United States and Britain announced new sanctions against Russia Wednesday after Ukraine said hundreds of civilians were found dead around its capital, as Kyiv warned residents in the east to get out "now" ahead of a feared assault. The White House unveiled measures targeting Russia's top banks and two daughters of President Vladimir Putin, while Britain sanctioned two banks -- and vowed to eliminate all Russian oil and gas imports by year-end. Their actions followed an international outcry as Ukraine said its forces found hundreds of civilians dead around Kyiv, including the town of Bucha, after the pullout of Russian troops. "They burned families. Families. Yesterday we found again a new family: father, mother, two children. Little, little children, two. One was a little hand, you know," Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday. In Washington, US President Joe Biden joined in describing the horrors in Bucha. "Civilians executed in cold blood, bodies dumped into mass graves, the sense of brutality and inhumanity left for all the world to see, unapologetically," Biden said. "There's nothing less happening than major war crimes," he added, urging the world to hold the killers accountable. The Kremlin denies responsibility and has claimed Kyiv staged civilian deaths -- with Putin on Wednesday accusing Ukrainian authorities of "crude and cynical provocations" in Bucha. The Russian withdrawal from areas around Kyiv and the north is part of a shift towards Ukraine's southeast, in a bid to create a land bridge between occupied Crimea and Moscow-backed separatist statelets in the Donbas region. Ukraine Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk on Wednesday warned residents in the eastern Kharkiv, Lugansk and Donetsk regions to leave immediately ahead of a feared Russian attack. "It has to be done now because later people will be under fire and face the threat of death," she wrote on Telegram. The threat was already very real in the industrial city of Severodonetsk, the easternmost city held by Ukrainian forces, where shells and rockets were landing at regular intervals on Wednesday. "We have nowhere to go, it's been like this for days," one of them, 38-year-old Volodymyr, told AFP standing opposite a burning building. Elsewhere, preparations for the feared attack were hard under way, such as on a two-lane highway through the rolling eastern plains connecting Kharkiv and Donetsk. Trench positions were being dug, and the road was littered with anti-tank obstacles. Nearby water reservoirs had been opened and bridges were being destroyed, all in an effort to slow any Russian advance. "We're waiting for them!" said a lieutenant tasked with reinforcing the positions, giving a thumbs up. - 'Leaving forever' - Thousands of people have been killed and more than 11 million displaced since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. In Bucha, where Ukrainian officials blame Russian forces for carrying out a "massacre," residents were desperate to know the fate of their loved ones. But Tetiana Ustymenko knows the conclusion to her story. Her son and his two friends were gunned down in the street, and she buried them in the garden of the family home.   "How can I live now?" she said. Meanwhile efforts to evacuate civilians continued Wednesday, with a Red Cross convoy arriving in the southern city of Zaporzhzhia. It was carrying hundreds of evacuees from Russian-occupied areas, but had failed to reach the besieged port of Mariupol. One of the evacuees, Iryna Nikolaienko, told how she had been able to make her way out of Mariupol during a pause in the fighting. "The Mariupol that I knew and loved, it does not exist anymore," she said. "I understood that I was leaving forever." - EU 'indecisiveness' - Western powers have already pummelled Russia with debilitating economic sanctions, which forced Moscow on Wednesday to make foreign debt payments on dollar-denominated bonds in rubles, raising the prospect of a potential default. Washington's new sanctions targeted Maria Vorontsova and Katerina Tikhonova, two adult daughters of Putin, plus the wife and daughter of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and members of Russia's Security Council. The White House also declared "full blocking" sanctions on Russia's largest public and private financial institutions, Sberbank and Alfa Bank, and said all new US investment in Russia was now prohibited. Britain meanwhile froze the overseas assets of both Sberbank and Credit Bank of Moscow.   The EU is also poised to implement a fifth round of sanctions cutting off Russian coal imports -- and European Council chief Charles Michel said that "sooner or later", it must also impose oil and gas sanctions. And rich countries will tap an additional 120 million barrels of oil from emergency reserves in a bid to calm crude prices that have soared following the invasion. But addressing the Irish parliament Wednesday, Ukraine's Zelensky condemned the "indecisiveness" of European nations dependent on Russian energy. In other moves to isolate Moscow, the US and Britain have pressed to have Russia excluded from the UN Human Rights Council, with a vote in the General Assembly scheduled for Thursday. But US Secretary of State Antony Blinken admitted there was little anyone could do about Russia's position on the UN Security Council, where it has a veto. "There's a pretty fundamental problem there," he said, a day after Zelensky called for Russia to be expelled from the council. - 'Unbelievable' morale - Peace talks between the sides have so far gone nowhere. Moscow says it is "ready" to continue -- however NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said there was no sign Putin had dropped "his ambition to control the whole of Ukraine". Spirits are high yet in Kyiv, however, said American veteran Steven Straub, who has been training with the national guard in the capital. Straub, 73, fought during the Vietnam war, and said Ukraine was "much different." "What surprised me here is the morale... It's unbelievable," he told AFP. Source: AFP/BSS AH