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☆ North Korea says its latest satellite launch exploded in flight
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

North Korean technicians check the Unha-3 rocket at the Sohae Satellite Launch Station in Tongchang-Ri on April 8, 2012. North Korea said its attempt to launch a new military reconnaissance satellite ended in failure on Monday when a newly developed rocket engine exploded in flight. North Korea fired the projectile on a southern path off its west coast at around 10:44 p.m. (1344 GMT), the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The launch appeared to originate from Dongchang-ri, a northwestern area of the country where North Korea's main space flight centre is based, JCS said. Japan said over its J-Alert broadcasting system that North Korea appeared to have fired a missile, sending out the warning to residents in southern prefecture of Okinawa.

Persons: Yoshimasa Hayashi, Hayashi Organizations: North Korea's National Aerospace Technology Administration, South's, Chiefs, Staff, North, NHK Locations: Tongchang, North Korea, Pyongyang, North, South Korea, Japan, China, Dongchang, Korean, Korea, Okinawa

☆ Japan asks US military to ground Osprey aircraft after fatal crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Kantaro Komiya | Thomson Reuters | Kantaro Writes About Everything Japan'S Economic Indicators To North Korea'S Missiles To Global Regulation On Ai Companies. His Previous Stories Have Been Published In The Associated Press | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A Japan Coast Guard vessel and a helicopter conduct a search and rescue operation at the site where a U.S. military aircraft V-22 Osprey crashed into the sea off Yakushima Island, Kagoshima prefecture, Japan November 30, 2023, in this photo taken by Kyodo. The Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF), which also operates Ospreys, will suspend flights of the transport aircraft until the circumstances of the incident are clarified, another senior defence ministry official said in parliament. A spokesperson for U.S. military forces in Japan did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The deployment of the aircraft in Japan has been controversial, with critics of the U.S. military presence in the southwest islands saying it is prone to accidents. The last fatal U.S. military aircraft crash in Japan was 2018, when a mid-air collision during a training exercise killed six people, according to the defence ministry.

Persons: Minoru Kihara, Witnesses, Chang, Ran Kim, Kantaro Komiya, Tim Kelly, John Geddie, Kim Coghill, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Japan Coast Guard, Kyodo, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, U.S . Air Force, U.S, Ospreys, Japan Self - Defense Forces, Boeing, Bell Helicopter, Marines, Navy, U.S . Marine Corps, Osprey, Thomson Locations: Kagoshima prefecture, Japan, U.S, Australia, Okinawa

Details of how Japan is paring back military procurement due to currency fluctuations have not been previously reported. China, which has not ruled out using military force to bring Taiwan under its control, has expressed concern about Japan's military spending plans, accusing it of displaying a "Cold War mentality." In December, defence ministry officials discussed an order for 34 twin-rotor Chinook transport helicopters at roughly 15 billion yen per aircraft, two of the sources said. She declined to comment on whether the defence ministry had dropped an order for the seaplane. A ministry spokesperson confirmed the companies delivered a letter on Oct 25 to Defence Minister Minoru Kihara urging the government to proceed with the defence procurement as planned.

Persons: Tomohiro, Fumio Kishida, Christopher Johnstone, Johnstone, Biden, Kishida, outlays, spender, Nancy Pelosi's, Yoji Koda, Lockheed Martin, Minoru Kihara, Kevin Maher, Nobuhiro Kubo, Takaya Yamaguchi, Tim Kelly, Yoshifumi Takemoto, Katerina Ang Organizations: Defense Force, East Fuji Maneuver, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Reuters, Bank of Japan, Center for Strategic, International Studies, National Security, East, Japan's Ministry of Defence, Embassy, Pentagon, Russian, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Boeing Co, Kawasaki, Industries, Maritime Self Defense Force, Raytheon, Lockheed, Japan Business Federation, NMV Consulting, U.S . State Department's Office, Japan Affairs, Thomson Locations: Japan, Gotemba, Shizuoka, Taiwan, Tokyo, Washington, Beijing, East Asia, U.S, East China, Ukraine, China, U.S .

☆ Militaries of S.Korea, Japan and US to hold first joint aerial drill
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The three countries are likely to conduct the exercise on Sunday and are coordinating the locations, South Korea's Dong-a Ilbo newspaper reported, citing a government source. A South Korean defence ministry official declined to confirm or comment on the details of the aerial exercise. General Kim Seung-kyum, who chairs the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a parliamentary hearing last week that the three countries were planning to stage joint aerial drills, local media reported. The U.S. nuclear-capable B-52 bomber, which is currently deployed in South Korea, made a rare flyover at a South Korean defence exhibition on Tuesday. In a further sign of growing trilateral security cooperation, South Korea, the United States and Japan have completed work on a three-way communications hotline, Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday, citing a senior Seoul official.

Persons: Se Jong, Yul Gog Yi, Navy's Arleigh Burke, John Finn, David, Kim Seung, Hyunsu Yim, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Republic of Korea Navy, Self, Defense Force, U.S, Navy's, Ilbo, Chiefs of Staff, Seoul, Thomson Locations: Republic, SEOUL, South Korea, United States, Japan, U.S, Korean, North Korea

☆ Militaries of S.Korea, Japan and US to Hold First Joint Aerial Drill
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold a joint aerial exercise near the Korean peninsula, which would be the first time the three countries are conducting such a drill, media reports said on Wednesday. A South Korean defence ministry official declined to confirm or comment on the details of the aerial exercise. But the three countries are "expanding" three-way joint military exercises on the basis of an agreement by their leaders in August at the Camp David summit to bolster cooperation against North Korea's threats, the official said. General Kim Seung-kyum, who chairs the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a parliamentary hearing last week that the three countries were planning to stage joint aerial drills, local media reported. The U.S. nuclear-capable B-52 bomber, which is currently deployed in South Korea, made a rare flyover at a South Korean defence exhibition on Tuesday.

Persons: David, Kim Seung, Hyunsu Yim, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Ilbo, Chiefs of Staff, Seoul Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, United States, Japan, U.S, Korean, North Korea

☆ What is the Syrian Kurdish YPG?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 5 (Reuters) - U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish forces said on Thursday that Turkish attacks had killed eight people in an escalation prompted by a bomb attack in Ankara claimed by Kurdish militants. A Turkish defence ministry official said a ground operation into Syria was one option for Turkey, which has previously mounted several incursions into northern Syria against the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia. BORN IN SYRIAN WARThe YPG, or the People's Protection Units, emerged as a powerful armed group during the Syrian civil war, which began in 2011. It is affiliated to the main Syrian Kurdish faction, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), and has a female counterpart, the YPJ. YPG control was initially concentrated in three predominantly Kurdish regions of northern Syria - known in Kurdish as Rojava.

Persons: Khalil Ashawi, Bashar al, Assad, Abdullah Ocalan, Tom Perry, Jon Boyle Organizations: REUTERS, Kurdish, Syrian Kurdish, Islamic State, Kurdistan Workers Party, Democratic Union Party, U.S, Syrian Democratic Forces, Islamic, AS, European Union, NATO, DAMASCUS, Kurdish Regional Government, Thomson Locations: Tal Abyad, Syria, Syrian Kurdish, Ankara, Turkey, Syrian, United States, France, Kurdish, U.S, TURKEY, Damascus, Qamishli, Iraq

☆ U.S.-led forces reportedly down drone in Syria as Turkey strikes area
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A Turkish defence ministry official said the drone shot down by the coalition did not belong to the Turkish armed forces, without saying whose property it was. A Turkish defence ministry official said on Thursday a ground operation into Syria was one option Turkey could consider. Turkey has mounted several previous incursions into northern Syria against the Syrian Kurdish YPG group. In a statement, the security forces said Turkish attacks killed six members of the internal security forces in northeastern Syria, and two civilians in two separate strikes. Turkey has warned forces of third countries to stay away from facilities controlled by the PKK and YPG.

Persons: Huseyin Hayatsever, Tom Perry, Jonathan Spicer, Alex Richardson, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Kurdish, Syrian Observatory, Human Rights, NATO, Kurdistan Workers ' Party, Syrian Democratic Forces, Security, Islamic State, Thomson Locations: ANKARA, Syria, Syrian Kurdish, Ankara, U.S, Turkish, Turkey, Kurdistan, Kurdish, United States, Iraq, France

☆ Turkish official says ground operation into Syria an option after bombing
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ANKARA, Oct 5 (Reuters) - A ground operation into Syria is one option Turkey could consider, a defence ministry official said on Thursday after Ankara found that two attackers who had set off a bomb near government buildings at the weekend had come from Syria. "Our only goal is to eliminate the terrorist organisations that pose a threat to Turkey. A ground operation is one of the options to eliminate this threat, but it is not the only option for us," the official said. Turkey conducted operations whenever and wherever necessary in the past, and these operations will continue if needed again," the defence ministry official said. "These operations are being conducted under self-defence rights arising from international law to eliminate terrorist attacks on Turkish territory and to ensure border security."

Persons: Huseyin Hayatsever, Jonathan Spicer, Alex Richardson Organizations: Kurdistan Workers ' Party, Syrian, Islamic State, Thomson Locations: ANKARA, Syria, Turkey, Ankara, Kurdistan, Iraq, U.S, United States, France

☆ A video appearing to show a Russian Lancet drone striking a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter at its base suggests the small drones can now hit targets far further away
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A video appears to show a Russian Lancet drone striking a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter at an air base. It was launched from around 50 miles away, but Lancet drones previously only reached up to 25 miles. The development poses a new challenge for the Ukrainian air force, whose main air bases were previously out of reach for Russia's small attack drones. AdvertisementAdvertisementRussia has ramped up its use of Lancet drones in Ukraine in recent months, using the cheap drones to try and strike high-value targets, Reuters reported. An image of what appears to be a Lancet drone in Ukraine, in a handout image on January 22, 2023.

Persons: Forbes Organizations: Service, Aero, RIA Novosti Locations: Russian, Ukrainian, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Kryvyi Rih

☆ Turkey says it played no direct role in Karabakh operation
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Azerbaijan mounted a lightning offensive to retake control of its breakaway Karabakh region on Tuesday. On Wednesday, NATO ally Turkey publicly threw its support behind Baku's "steps to preserve its territorial integrity" but it had been unclear whether Ankara played any active role in the 24-hour military operation. "It was Azerbaijan army's own operation, there was no direct involvement of Turkey," a Turkish defence ministry official told reporters on Thursday. The move was condemned by Azerbaijan, Turkey and Ukraine. In a phone call with his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev late on Wednesday, Erdogan reiterated Turkey's "heartfelt support" of Azerbaijan, his office said.

Persons: Siranush Sargsyan, Tayyip Erdogan, Baku's, Nikol, Pashinyan, Ilham Aliyev, Erdogan, Turkey's, Huseyin Hayatsever, Gareth Jones, Alex Richardson Organizations: Rights, NATO, United Nations General Assembly, Ece Toksabay, Thomson Locations: Stepanakert, Nagorno, Karabakh, Rights ANKARA, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Turkish, Ankara, Azerbaijani, Russian, Baku, Yerevan, New York, Ukraine

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy moves to replace wartime defence minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov attend a meeting with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 7, 2023. Press Service of the Defence Ministry of Ukraine/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday he had decided to dismiss Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov from his post and would ask parliament this week to replace him with Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine's main privatisation fund. The announcement, made in his nightly video address to the nation, sets the stage for the biggest shakeup of Ukraine's defence establishment during the war launched by Russia in February 2022. Oleksii Reznikov has been through more than 550 days of full-scale war," Zelenskiy said. The change of defence minister must be approved by parliament, but is likely to be supported by a majority of lawmakers in the Verkhovna Rada.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Oleksii Reznikov, Boris Pistorius, Rustem Umerov, Reznikov, I've, Zelenskiy, Umerov, Tom Balmforth, Anna Pruchnicka, Diane Craft Organizations: Defence, German, Press Service, Defence Ministry of, REUTERS, Rights, Defense, Verkhovna Rada, Property Fund, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Defence Ministry of Ukraine, Handout, Russia, Verkhovna, Crimean

Analysts said it tests President Tayyip Erdogan's resolve to maintain good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he has invited to Turkey this month to discuss resuming the UN-brokered deal that had protected grain exports from Ukraine. "Ankara's silence is strange but shows it is still counting on Putin to visit and return to the grain deal." It wants the West to accept some Russian demands, and for Russia to drop others, to restart Ukraine grain exports under UN and Turkish oversight. A Turkish defence ministry official, requesting anonymity, said Ankara was looking into the Black Sea raid but gave no more details. "Therefore Erdogan should negotiate and try to convince Western countries, not Putin, for the reinstatement of the grain deal," he said.

Persons: Mehmet Bey, Umit, Erdogan, Putin, NATO's, Tayyip Erdogan's, Vladimir Putin, Yoruk Isik, Grynspan, Sezer, Huseyin Hayatsever, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Coordination Centre, REUTERS, Ankara, Analysts, UN, Bosphorus Observer, United Nations Conference, Trade, Development, Thomson Locations: Yenikapi, Istanbul, Turkey, ISTANBUL, Ukraine, NATO, Moscow, Russia, Ankara, Odesa, Turkish, Palau, Russian

☆ A newly surfaced image of Prigozhin hints at where the Wagner boss may have finally ended up after his failed mutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But a new photo of the mercenary boss offers a hint that he may be at a military camp in Belarus. A Skyfi satellite image of the training base at Tsel outside Asipovichy in Belarus where Wagner forces are training Belarusian troops. But the new image of Prigozhin suggests that he may be at the same military camp where his Wagner mercenaries are training Belarusian soldiers. The windows in the photo appear to match those on tents at the military camp being used by Wagner and Belarusian soldiers. Although the rebellion left questions about where Wagner fighters would end up, US officials have since said that they aren't fighting in Ukraine anymore.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Jens Stoltenberg, Adam Berry, ALEXANDER NEMENOV, Belta, Wagner's, Alexander Lukashenko, — Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Prigozin, —, Prigozhin, It's Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Belarussian, NATO, Belarusian Defence Ministry, Getty, PMC Wagner, Kremlin, Twitter, Ukrainian, Pentagon, Bakhmut, Russian Armed Forces Locations: Belarus, Minsk, Wall, Silicon, Belarusian, Moscow, Tsel, Asipovichy district, Asipovichy, Asipovichy District, Mogilev Region, AFP, Russian, St . Petersburg, Ukraine

Those export controls, which "were imposed for important reasons," remain in place, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office said in statement. "The Prime Minister discussed Sweden's accession to NATO with our partners in Vilnius, including with President Erdogan," the statement said. Ahead of the NATO summit, Turkey, already seeking assurances over the F-16s in talks with Washington, asked that Canada's export controls also be rolled in to the final discussion, the person familiar with the talks said. At Vilnius, Canada outlined its position to Turkey on rules regarding uses of any exported technologies, and was awaiting a response. This means the talks on export controls are no longer frozen, a move that helped play a role sealing Erdogan's pledge over Sweden, the person said.

Persons: Erdogan, Tayyip Erdogan's greenlight, Justin Trudeau's, Joe Biden, Devlet Bahceli, We've, Huseyin Hayatsever, Jonathan Spicer, Steve Scherer, John Irish, Tom Perry, Jamie Freed Organizations: NATO, Atlantic, Organization, Canada, Canadian, Washington, U.S, Kurdistan Workers Party, European Union, Nationalist Movement Party, Erdogan's, Thomson Locations: Turkey, Erdogan, ANKARA, Canada, Ankara, Sweden, Stockholm, Vilnius, Washington, United States, Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Finland, Turkish, Ukraine, Turkey's, Helsinki, European, Istanbul, Ottawa

☆ Wagner fighters preparing to move to Belarus, commander says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A view of a tent camp site that, according to Belarusian Defence Ministry officials, could be offered as one of the spots to house Wagner fighters, in the military settlement of Tsel in the Asipovichy District of the Mogilev Region in Belarus on July 7, 2023. Mercenary fighters of Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner Group are preparing to move to Belarus under the terms of a deal that defused their mutiny against Russia's military leadership, a senior commander of the group was quoted as saying. Since the June 23-24 mutiny, which saw Wagner fighters briefly seize a southern Russian city and march towards Moscow, the exact whereabouts of Prigozhin and his mercenaries have been unclear. However, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday that Prigozhin and thousands of his fighters were still in Russia, raising questions about the deal's implementation. He has not posted on his previously preferred Telegram channel — Yevgeny Prigozhin Press Service — since June 26, when he defended his fighters' mutinous actions.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Anton Yelizarov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Yevgeny Organizations: Belarusian Defence Ministry, Mercenary, Yevgeny Prigozhin Press Locations: Tsel, Asipovichy District, Mogilev Region, Belarus, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Cheap Russian drone a menace to Ukrainian troops and equipment
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/5] View of what appears to be a Lancet drone, in this handout still image released on January 22, 2023. Bendett said that, according to publicly available Russian sources, a Lancet drone costs approximately 3 million roubles (around $35,000). DRONE WARSUkraine has also developed strong capabilities in drones - also known as UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) - as a cost-effective way to hit Russian targets. Having fired on a Russian target, Voron said his Grad was immediately targeted by a Russian S-300 missile, which missed by about 150 metres. However, a Lancet drone then appeared in the sky and chased the Ukrainian rocket system.

Persons: Caesar, Bohdan, Samuel Bendett, Bendett, Yuriy Sak, Lancets, it's, Sak, Voron, Grad, Max Hunder, Mike Collett, White, Alex Richardson Organizations: Defence, REUTERS, Reuters, Center, New, New American Security, MISS, Drones, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Handout, DONETSK, Moscow, Ukrainian, Russian, Avdiivka, Donetsk, frontlines, New American, Russia, Iran, Soviet

☆ Russia's Shoigu: Ukraine's counter-offensive has been thwarted
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Unusually, Sergei Shoigu read a statement himself rather than leaving it to the ministry's regular spokesman. Ukraine has maintained deliberate ambiguity about whether its long-expected counter-offensive is under way, and Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield claims. "In the past three days, the Ukrainian regime launched a long-promised offensive in different sectors of the front," Shoigu said. In its daily briefings, Russia's Defence Ministry often enumerates the losses of men and material that it says Ukraine has suffered, without providing evidence. On Monday, Russia's Defence Ministry said Ukraine had begun its counter-offensive by attacking Russian lines at different points in the south of the Donetsk region, and that all the attacks had been repelled.

Persons: Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russian Wagner, Guy Faulconbridge, Kevin Liffey, William Maclean Organizations: Reuters, Russia's Defence, Ukraine's Defence Ministry, Russia's Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, MOSCOW, Ukrainian, Russia, Donetsk, Russian, Moscow, Dnipro, Kyiv, Crimea

☆ Russian forces tried to blow up my men, says mercenary boss Prigozhin
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 2 (Reuters) - Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has been arguing with top military brass for months, on Friday escalated the feud by accusing pro-Moscow forces of trying to blow up his men. Prigozhin, writing on Telegram, said his men had discovered a dozen locations in rear areas where defence ministry officials had planted various explosive devices, including hundreds of anti-tank mines. When asked why the charges had been set, the officials indicated it was an order from their superiors. Russia's defence ministry was not immediately available for comment. Prigozhin, who regularly complained his men were not given enough ammunition for the assault on Bakhmut, said on Wednesday that he had asked prosecutors to investigate whether senior Russian defence officials had committed any "crime" before or during the war in Ukraine.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin's Wagner, Wagner, Prigozhin, David Ljunggren, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Prigozhin's Wagner Group, Thomson Locations: Russian, Moscow, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Ukraine

☆ Russia's Prigozhin renews appeal for more ammunition to seize city of Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 1 (Reuters) - The head of the Wagner private militia on Monday renewed his appeal to Russia's defence ministry to increase ammunition shipments to his fighters trying to seize the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. Yevgeny Prigozhin has frequently clashed with Moscow's defence establishment over the conduct of Russia's campaign in Ukraine and what he says is insufficient support being provided to his Wagner soldiers. Prigozhin claimed on April 11 his forces, which are leading the assault, controlled more than 80% of the city. Wagner is not part of Russia's official armed forces, and Prigozhin has previously accused the defence ministry of "betraying" his fighters - and Russia's overall war aims - by not providing sufficient ammunition. There was no immediate response from Russia's defence ministry to Prigozhin's statements.

☆ Iraq calls on Turkey to apologize for attack on Sulaymaniyah airport
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Erbil, April 8 (Reuters) - Iraq called on Turkey on Saturday to apologize for what it said was an attack on Sulaymaniyah airport in Iraq's north, saying the Turkish government must cease hostilities on Iraqi soil. A Turkish defence ministry official told Reuters that no Turkish Armed Forces operation took place in that region on Friday. Turkey has conducted several large-scale military operations including air strikes over the decades in northern Iraq and northern Syria against the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, Islamic State and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Claims of an attack came days after Turkey closed its airspace to aircraft travelling to and from Sulaymaniyah due to what it said was intensified activity there by PKK militants. The outlawed PKK, which has led an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

☆ Factbox: What's on the table for the Kishida-Yoon summit?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks at an interview with Reuters in Seoul, South Korea, November 28, 2022. Kishida is considering visiting South Korea as early as this summer, Kyodo has reported. G7 INVITATIONKishida may extend an invitation to Yoon to attend the G7 summit set to take place in Hiroshima in May, several media reported. EXPORT CURBSThe two leaders could confirm their countries' intention to resolve Japan's high-tech material export curbs against South Korea. Japan tightened restrictions on the export of high-tech semiconductor materials to South Korea in 2019 as a row over how to compensate wartime labourers flared.

The summit is the same week as major South Korea-U.S. military drills that routinely anger Pyongyang, and North Korea has already staged multiple missile launches - a backdrop for the message that Japan, South Korea and the United States need to close ranks. In November South Korea and Japan agreed to exchange real-time intelligence on North Korea's missile launches, which experts say will help both countries better track potential threats. "South Korea is already taking a side and entering the Cold War," said Kim Joon-hyung, a former chancellor of the Korean National Diplomatic Academy. Yoon said high-tech cooperation on supply chains between Japan and South Korea would contribute significantly to economic security. 'SHARED INTERESTS'Washington had pressed for reconciliation, but a State Department spokesperson said the recent arrangements were the result of bilateral discussions between Japan and South Korea.

[1/8] A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone sits in a hanger at Amari Air Base, Estonia, July 1, 2020. On the diplomatic and economic fronts, talks continued to extend a deal to allow grain shipments from Ukraine's Black Sea ports that is due to expire this week, the United Nations and Turkey said. DRONE CRASHTwo Russian Su-27 jets carried out what the U.S. military described as a reckless intercept of the American spy drone while flying in international air space. The accounts of the incident in the Black Sea, which is bordered by Russia and Ukraine among other countries, could not be independently verified. RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR SUMMONEDRussia's Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov was summoned by the U.S. State Department to discuss what happened over the Black Sea, said spokesperson Ned Price.

[1/5] An employee works at the Chisinau-1 gas distribution plant of Moldovatransgaz energy company in Chisinau, Moldova March 4, 2023. REUTERS/Vladislav CuliomzaCHISINAU, March 10 (Reuters) - A coup attempt, bomb hoaxes, internet hacks, fake conscription call-ups, mass protests: Moldova says it's had them all in the past year. Moldova hosts the breakaway statelet of Transnistria - a sliver of land running along its eastern border with Ukraine that's controlled by pro-Russian separatists and garrisoned by Russian troops. FAKE CONSCRIPTION NOTICESMounting tensions between Moscow and the West over Ukraine have raised the temperature in Moldova. RUSSIAN TROOPS IN TRANSNISTRIAAn estimated 1,500 Russian troops are stationed in Transnistria, most of them recruited locally from Transnistrians with Russian passports.

☆ Biden, Putin display their alliances with Ukraine war backdrop
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Washington is concerned Beijing could provide material support for Moscow's war in Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24 last year and has become the biggest land conflict in Europe since World War Two. Not just for Ukraine, but for the freedom of democracies throughout Europe and around the world," Biden said. In two speeches last September Putin indicated that he would, if needed, use nuclear weapons to defend Russia. "We have heard implicit threats to use nuclear weapons. The so-called tactical use of nuclear weapons is utterly unacceptable.

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