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☆ Highest-level Chinese delegation to visit North Korea since Covid restrictions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —A high-level Chinese government delegation is headed to North Korea this week, believed to be the highest-level representatives from Beijing to visit Pyongyang since the isolated country closed its borders during the Covid-19 pandemic. Li’s visit comes after an invitation from North Korea, the statement said. On Tuesday, North Korean state media said a Russian military delegation would also be visiting this week. North Korea silent on US soldierRelations have been further complicated by the decision of a US soldier to cross the border between North and South Korea last week in the demilitarized zone separating the two nations. King has not been publicly seen or heard from since he crossed into North Korea last Tuesday, and North Korea has also not said anything about the status or condition of the missing soldier.

Persons: Li Hongzhong, Hu Zhaoming, Li’s, “, ”, Leif, Eric Easley, Easley, Jang, Kang Sun Nam, Travis King, Andrew Harrison, Matt Miller, Miller, “ I’m, ” Miller, King, Travis King’s, Kim, ” Easley Organizations: South Korea CNN, Communist Party, International, Department of, Central Committee, Ewha Womans University, United Nations Command, Beijing, Aid, Jeju Naval, South, South Korean Defence Ministry New, United Nations, South Korea’s, Chiefs of Staff, US Navy, Naval Base, South Korean Defence, Jeju Naval Base, South Korean, North Korean Defense, UNC, King, CNN, US State Department, King , State, North Korean, State Department, Womans University Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, Beijing, Pyongyang, Seoul . North Korea, China, United States, Aid Korea, North Korean, Russian, Soviet Union, Korea, Annapolis, South Korean, South, Jeju, Kentucky, Busan, ” an Ohio, DPRK, North, Washington, King ,

☆ UN Command talking to North Korea about US soldier Travis King
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SEOUL, July 24 (Reuters) - The United Nations Command and North Korea have begun discussing the case of Travis King, the U.S. soldier who crossed into the North last week, the deputy commander of the U.S.-led command that oversees the Korean War truce said on Monday. King, a U.S. Army private serving in South Korea, sprinted into North Korea on July 18 while on a tour of the Demilitarized Zone on the inter-Korean border, landing Washington in a fresh diplomatic quandary with the nuclear-armed North. Last week, North Korea conducted ballistic missile tests hours after a U.S. nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine arrived at a South Korean port. North Korea is banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions from using ballistic missile technology, which Pyongyang defiantly rejects. Late last week, North Korea warned that deployment of U.S. aircraft carriers, bombers or missile submarines in South Korea could meet criteria for its use of nuclear weapons.

Persons: Travis King, General Andrew Harrison, Harrison, King, Hyunsu Yim, Jack Kim, Ed Davies, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: United Nations Command, U.S . Army, UNC, North, British Army, Korean People's Army, ., Joint Security Area, People, U.S, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, U.S, South Korea, Washington, Korean, Pyongyang, Fort Bliss , Texas

☆ UN Command talking to North Korea about U.S. soldier Travis King
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The United Nations Command and North Korea have begun discussing the case of Travis King, the U.S. soldier who crossed into the North last week, the deputy commander of the U.S.-led command that oversees the Korean War truce said on Monday. King, a U.S. Army private serving in South Korea, sprinted into North Korea on July 18 while on a tour of the Demilitarized Zone on the inter-Korean border, landing Washington in a fresh diplomatic quandary with the nuclear-armed North. Last week, North Korea conducted ballistic missile tests hours after a U.S. nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine arrived at a South Korean port. North Korea is banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions from using ballistic missile technology, which Pyongyang defiantly rejects. Late last week, North Korea warned that deployment of U.S. aircraft carriers, bombers or missile submarines in South Korea could meet the criteria for its use of nuclear weapons.

Persons: Travis King, General Andrew Harrison, Harrison, King Organizations: Army, Reuters, The United Nations Command, U.S . Army, UNC, North, British Army, Korean People's Army, ., Joint Security Area, People, U.S Locations: North Korea, U.S, South Korea, Washington, Korean, Pyongyang, Fort Bliss , Texas

☆ Wildfire on Greek island of Rhodes forces hundreds to evacuate
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Smoke rises from a wildfire in Rhodes Island, Greece, July 22, 2023 in this screengrab taken from a social media video. Tiktok/@blairsbrainiacs/via REUTERSATHENS, July 22 (Reuters) - A wildfire raged uncontrolled on the Greek island of Rhodes on Saturday, forcing hundreds of people to flee affected villages and beaches, authorities said. It damaged three hotels in the seaside village of Kiotari on Saturday, according to the Athens News Agency. Fires are common in Greece but hotter, drier and windy summers have turned the country into a wildfire hotspot in recent years. Meteorologists have warned that the current sweltering temperatures are expected to last until the end of the month.

Persons: Angeliki, Frances Kerry Organizations: REUTERS, Coastguard, coastguard, Firefighters, Athens News Agency, Thomson Locations: Rhodes Island, Greece, REUTERS ATHENS, Rhodes, Kiotari, Slovakia

☆ Rhodes wildfire forces mass evacuations
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

He said an operation was ongoing to evacuate about 600 people from beaches in Kiotari and Gennadi towards Plimmiri. Firefighters, backed by air water bombers and reinforcements by Slovakia, struggled with new outbreaks of the wildfire, which was fanned by strong winds. [1/18]A wildfire burns in a forest near Lardos, on the island of Rhodes, Greece, July 22, 2023. It damaged at least three hotels in the seaside village of Kiotari on Saturday, according to the Athens News Agency. Fires are common in Greece but hotter, drier and windy summers have turned the country into a wildfire hotspot in recent years.

Persons: Nikos Alexiou, Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, Konstantinos Taraslias, Rhodes, Taraslias, Angeliki Koutantou, Frances Kerry, Mike Harrison, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Coastguard, coastguard, Authorities, Firefighters, REUTERS, Athens News Agency, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, Rhodes, Kiotari, Plimmiri, Pefki, Slovakia, Lardos, Greece, Laerma

☆ North Korea fires cruise missiles, says South Korean military
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Joyce Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, July 22 (Reuters) - North Korea fired several cruise missiles toward the sea to the west of the Korean Peninsula, the South Korean military said on Saturday. This would be North Korea's latest missile launch since it fired two ballistic missiles on Wednesday, as Pyongyang and Washington step up displays of military force in a standoff over the isolated country's nuclear weapons and missile programmes. A number of cruise missiles launched since around 4 a.m. Saturday local time (1900 Friday GMT) were detected, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. On Wednesday, North Korea fired missiles hours after a U.S. nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) surfaced for a rare visit to South Korea. North Korea also warned on Thursday that deployment of U.S. aircraft carriers, bombers or missile submarines in South Korea could meet criteria for its use of nuclear weapons.

Persons: Joyce Lee, Diane Craft, Grant McCool Organizations: South Korean, Korea's, Chiefs, Staff, U.S, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, Pyongyang, Washington, South Korea

☆ Wildfires in Greece burn for fifth day as another heatwave hits
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Fedja Grulovic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A person walks at the yard of a burnt house following a wildfire in Mandra, Greece, July 21. REUTERS/Louiza VradiATHENS, July 21 (Reuters) - Greece struggled to contain a wildfire west of Athens that burnt forestland for a fifth day on Friday as another heatwave hit the country. Two other blazes in forests on the island of Rhodes and in the Lakonia district in southern Greece were tamed on Friday. The risk of wildfires in the coming days will remain high and further heat is forecast following on from a previous heatwave. Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas and Fedja Grulovic; Editing by Angeliki Koutantou and Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vassilis Kikilias, Lefteris Papadimas, Angeliki Koutantou, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Firefighters, Reuters, Culture Ministry, Thomson Locations: Mandra, Greece, Louiza, ATHENS, Athens, Cyprus, France, Israel, Italy, Rhodes, Lakonia

☆ Wildfires in Greece largely contained, new heatwave looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Men help a firefighter as they try to extinguish a wildfire burning near the village Vlyhada, near Athens, Greece, July 19, 2023. REUTERS/Stelios MisinasATHENS, July 20 (Reuters) - Wildfires across Greece were largely contained on Thursday after razing swathes of forest and dozens of homes for days, though a new heatwave loomed, threatening to stoke tinderbox conditions across the country. A fire west of Athens which prompted mass evacuations earlier in the week was contained, a fire brigade official said. Land and aerial firefighting forces will continue preventive patrolling in forests across Greece amid difficult conditions, authorities said late on Wednesday. Fires are common in Greece, but hotter, drier and windy summers have turned the Mediterranean into a wildfire hotspot in recent years.

Persons: Stelios Misinas, Angeliki, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Firefighters, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, Stelios Misinas ATHENS, stoke, Rhodes

☆ North Korea threatens nuclear retaliation over US displays of military force
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] U.S. and North Korean national flags are seen at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore June 12, 2018. The comments raise the stakes as each side steps up displays of military force in a standoff over the isolated country's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes. The KCNA report came after a U.S. soldier crossed the border into North Korea on Tuesday at a time of heightened tension between the two Koreas and the United States. North Korea has yet to comment on the incident involving the U.S. soldier. Last year, the reclusive state codified a new, expansive nuclear law declaring its status as a nuclear-armed state "irreversible".

Persons: Jonathan Ernst, Kang Sun Nam, Ankit, Panda, Hyunsu Yim, Josh Smith, Bernadette Baum, Mike Harrison, Tom Hogue Organizations: North Korean, Capella, REUTERS, U.S, Nuclear Consultative, DPRK, Democratic People's, South Korea's Ministry of National Defense, USS, Korean, U.S ., Carnegie Endowment, International, South, Thomson Locations: Sentosa, Singapore, SEOUL, North Korea, South Korea, United States, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Ohio, Busan, USS Kentucky, Korea, U.S, Washington

☆ North Korea threatens nuclear retaliation over U.S. displays of military force
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The comments raise the stakes as each side steps up displays of military force in a standoff over the isolated country's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes. "The ever-increasing visibility of the deployment of the strategic nuclear submarine and other strategic assets may fall under the conditions of the use of nuclear weapons specified in the DPRK law," the statement said. The report comes after a U.S. soldier crossed the border into North Korea on Tuesday at a time of heightened tension between the two Koreas and the United States. North Korea has yet to comment on the incident involving the U.S. soldier. "The utmost significance of legislating nuclear weapons policy is to draw an irretrievable line so that there can be no bargaining over our nuclear weapons," North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un was quoted as saying at that time by KCNA.

Persons: Jonathan Ernst, Kang Sun Nam, Kim Jong Un, Hyunsu Yim, Bernadette Baum, Mike Harrison Organizations: North Korean, Capella, REUTERS, DPRK, Democratic People's, U.S, U.S ., KCNA, Thomson Locations: Sentosa, Singapore, SEOUL, North Korea, U.S, South Korea, United States, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Ohio, Busan

North Korea's state media has made no mention of the incident. North Korea has been testing increasingly powerful missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, including a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile last week. Forces Korea, said the military was "working with our KPA counterparts to resolve this incident," referring to North Korea's People's Army. NORTH KOREA FIRES MISSILESThe soldier was on a tour of the Panmunjom truce village with other visitors when he crossed a Military Demarcation Line, U.S. officials say. The launch came hours after the South Korea and the United States held the first round of talks on Tuesday on upgrading coordination in the event of a nuclear war with North Korea.

Persons: Travis T, King, Lloyd Austin, Austin, Isaac Taylor, Taylor, Kim Hong, Panmunjom, Tae Yong, Josh Smith, Hyonhee Shin, hyang Choi, David Brunnstrom, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Nobuhiro Kubo, Jack Kim, Lincoln Organizations: U.S, The U.S . Army, Security Area, U.S . Defence, United Nations, U.S . Forces, Korea's People's Army, Command, UNC, North Koreans, KOREA, REUTERS, Ji, U.S ., Korea's Unification Ministry, South, United, Thomson Locations: North North Korea, Pyongyang, U.S, South Korea, WASHINGTON, American, North Korea, Washington, The, New York, U.S . Forces Korea, Paju, Ji U.S, United States, Korean, Korea's, Seoul, Tokyo

☆ EU sends water bombers to battle Greece wildfires as Rome shatters temperature record
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A Canadair CL-415 sprays water during a wildfire in the village of Pournari, near Athens, on July 18, 2023. The European Union sent four Canadair water bombers to help Greece fight wildfires that have been raging for a third day on Wednesday, while authorities warned of another extraordinary heatwave. It comes as scorching heat continues to grip southern Europe, with temperatures in Spain, France and Italy climbing to fresh record highs. Mercury levels in Girona in Spain's Catalonia region hit a record 45 degrees Celsius, while temperatures in Verdun in northeast France reached 40.6 degrees Celsius for the first time. Europe's hottest-ever recorded temperature is believed to have been 48.8 degrees Celsius, logged near the ancient city of Syracuse on the coast of Sicily in August 2021.

Organizations: Canadair CL, European Union, Canadair, Mercury, World Meteorological Organization Locations: Pournari, Athens, Greece, Europe, Spain, France, Italy, Rome, Girona, Spain's Catalonia, Verdun, Syracuse, Sicily

A global pattern of heat waves that have scorched parts of Europe, Asia and the United States this week have thrown that challenge into sharp relief. The World Meteorological Organization warned on Tuesday of increased risk of deaths linked to excessively high temperatures. In South Korea, deluges of rain have pummelled central and southern regions since last week. In recent days, temperatures in Xinjiang and other parts of Asia, as well as Europe and the United States have shattered records. On Tuesday, Beijing logged its 27th day of temperatures of more than 35C, setting a new local record for the most number of high-temperature days in a year.

Persons: Aly, Kerry, John Kerry, Hawaii's Big, Storm Calvin, Yoon Suk Yeol, Han Duck, ” Han, Han Zheng, Han, Wang Yi, Premier Li Qiang, Xie Zhenhua, Ryan Woo, Valerie Vocovici, Hyonhee, John Geddie, Stephen Coates Organizations: heatwave, REUTERS, Hawaii U.S, World Meteorological Organization, National Weather Service, Meteorological, Premier, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, South Korea, Greece, Hawaii, Beijing, BEIJING, SEOUL, Athens, U.S, Europe, Asia, United States, Cheongju, North Gyeongsang, Seoul, China's, Xinjiang, Turpan, Taiwan, Dubai

ATHENS, July 19 (Reuters) - Wildfires burned for a third day west of the Greek capital Athens on Wednesday, as authorities braced for a new heatwave stoking tinderbox conditions across the country. At first light, air water bombers resumed operations over the towns of Mandra, west of Athens, and Loutraki, close to the Corinth canal which separates mainland Greece from the Peloponnese. Firefighters worked throughout the night to keep flames at bay and away from a complex of coastal refineries. Dozens of homes were gutted and hundreds forced to flee towering flames which seared through hamlets on Tuesday. A year later, 101 people died in the seaside town of Mati, east of Athens, after a wildfire razed the town in a matter of hours.

Persons: Vassilis Varthakogiannis, Kostas Tsigas, Greece's, imploring, Andreas Theodosiadis, Michele Kambas, David Holmes Organizations: Firefighters, Traffic, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, Athens, Mandra, Corinth, Greece, Peloponnese, Italy, France, Rhodes, Dervenochoria, Mati

☆ Russia has been scrambling to find missiles to fire at Ukraine, but it's not going to run out of them
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Russia has had to dig deep into its arsenal to find missiles to fire at targets in Ukraine. ReutersBy far, most missiles fired by Russia into Ukraine have been launched from aircraft — mainly Tu-95, Tu-22M, and Tu-160 bombers and Su-24 and Su-35 fighter-bombers. Other air-to-surface missiles used by Russia include the Kh-25, Kh-29, Kh-31, Kh-58, and Kh-59. Russia has also fired interceptor missiles from S-300 and S-400 air-defense batteries at targets in Ukraine. Remnants of Russian missiles and shells at a collection site in Kharkiv in December.

Persons: Ian Williams, Kinzhal, Alexander Zemlianichenko, Oleksii, Valentyna, Williams, Yan Dobronosov, Russia's Organizations: Service, Russian, Missile Defense, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Army, Reuters, CSIS, Russia, AP, Getty, Kharkiv Regional, reallocating, Ukraine Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarus, Kyiv, Alexandra, Alexander Zemlianichenko Russian, Kharkiv, United States

[1/4] A firefighter tries to extinguish a wildfire burning near the village of Pournari, Greece, July 18, 2023. The blaze raged in the area of Dervenochoria about 30 km (18.6 miles) north of Athens. Fire fighters managed to contain other blazes southeast and west of the Greek capital but the fronts were still active. A mayor told Greek television that more than 7,000 acres of land was reduced to ashes along a coast, where many Athenians have holiday homes. Greece still has memories of a wildfire disaster in 2018, when a blaze killed 101 people in the seaside town of Mati, east of Athens.

Persons: Ioannis Artopoios, Janez Lenarcic, Kyriakos, Giorgos Nikolaou, Angeliki Koutantou, Stelios Misinas, Lefteris Papadimas, Simon Cameron, Moore, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Union, Greek Fire Service, Fire, Canadair, EU Crisis, Thomson Locations: Pournari, Greece, DERVENOCHORIA, Athens, Dervenochoria, France, Italy, Brussels, America, Kouvaras, Anavyssos, Lagonissi, Loutraki, Mati

☆ Factbox: Europe sees another year of droughts and wildfires
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Last year, heat waves resulted in over 61,600 heat-related fatalities across 35 European countries and triggered devastating wildfires. Below is a list of the most recent blazes and heat-related warnings issued in Europe. **********CROATIAA bushfire near the coastal town of Sibenik quickly spread on July 13, fuelled by strong southerly winds. Emergency services were also dealing with fires on the island of Evia, east of Athens, and Aigio, southwest of Athens. RUSSIAIn central Russia's Urals region, in the small village of Shaidurikha near Yekaterinburg, wildfires spread on July 12 and caused significant damage.

Persons: BRGM, Rhodes, El, Dina Kartit, Gaëlle Sheehan, Piotr Lipiński, Alexandra Hudson, Milla Nissi Organizations: Firefighters, Flames, El Pais, Caldera, SWITZERLAND Swiss, Swiss, TURKEY, Directorate of Forestry, Thomson Locations: Europe, Sicily, CROATIA, Sibenik, Grebastica, FRANCE, Nouvelle, Aquitaine, Occitanie, Grand Est, Bouches, Du, Rhone, Corsica, France, GREECE, Corfu, Evia, Athens, Cyprus, Israel, Italy, ITALY, Calabria, Italian, Rome, Lazio, PORTUGAL Mainland Portugal, May, RUSSIA, Russia's, Shaidurikha, Yekaterinburg, SPAIN, La Palma, Spanish, Spain, Bitsch, Valais, Turkey's, Hatay, Mersin, Canakkale, Turkish

☆ Russia's air force 'remains largely intact,' but more jets won't fix all its problems in Ukraine, NATO commanders say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

After 16 months of fighting, most of Russia's air force remains intact. And even though Russia has a vastly larger air force, other issues may keep it from operating effectively, according to two NATO air commanders. Royal Air Force Air Chief Marshal Rich Knighton at the Global Air & Space Chiefs’ Conference on July 13, 2023. Massicot and others say Russia's air force could still exploit its numerical advantage if Ukraine's air-defenses network falters, though other factors could inhibit Russian air operations going forward. "The Russians have recapitalized a fair amount of their tactical air force, and they've done a lot on the weapons front as well.

Persons: Rich Knighton, Knighton, Muhammed Enes Yildirim, James Hecker, " Hecker, Hecker, hasn't, We've, Dara Massicot, Johnny Stringer, Stringer Organizations: NATO, Service, Royal Air, Jets, Global Air & Space Chiefs, Conference, Air, British Defence Intelligence, Royal Air Force Air, Global Air & Space Chiefs ’ Conference, Space Power Association, YouTube, Ukrainian Air Force, Russian, Anadolu Agency, Getty, US Air Forces, NATO's Allied Air Command, Aircraft, Russian Ministry of Defense, Rand Corporation, British Air Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, London, Donetsk, Europe, Poland, Romania, Russian, Bakhmut, Kherson, Massicot

☆ The world's most powerful air forces in 2023, ranked
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Global Firepower ranked 145 countries based on the size of their air force fleets. Some countries overperformed, or underperformed, compared to their overall military strength. See below for the world's 25 strongest air forces in 2023. The ranking looks at how many helicopters, fighter jets, interceptors, bombers, transport jets, and other types of aircraft each country's air force has in its arsenal. Some countries found themselves in vastly different positions on the list compared to their place on Global Firepower's overall military strength ranking for the year.

Organizations: Global Firepower, Service, Global Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Chinese military’s three-day show of force increases headache for Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) activity has a range of implications, none of them positive for Taiwan or cross-strait stability, analysts say. The PLA aircraft detected this week included fighter jets, H-6 bombers, anti-submarine warning aircraft and reconnaissance drones, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said. Their response underscores the problem that increased PLA activity poses to Taiwan, said Carl Schuster, a Hawaii-based analyst and former director of operations at the US Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center. “Beijing hopes Taipei will just accept unification as inevitable and allow Chinese forces in without resistance. A Chinese fighter jet refuels during military exercises near Taiwan on April 12, 2023.

Persons: CNN —, China’s, Carl Schuster, ”, “, –, Joe Biden, ” Schuster, hasn’t, Defense Lloyd Austin Organizations: CNN, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry, Communist Party, Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center, Taiwan Relations, Washington, PLA buildups, US, AP, ” “ Forces, Times, US Navy, Fleet, United, Eastern Theater Command, Defense Locations: Taiwan, Beijing, Hawaii, Taipei, Washington, Xinhua, Taiwan Strait China, Japan, States, United States, China

REUTERS/Jason Lee/File PhotoTAIPEI, July 14 (Reuters) - China's military has been flexing its muscles this week around Taiwan practicing joint force operations far out at sea, ahead of Taipei holding its annual war games at the end of the month when Taiwan will simulate breaking a Chinese blockade. Chieh Chung, a military researcher at Taiwan's National Policy Foundation think tank, said practicing long-distance missions was important for China as they would be the "main combat mode" in any conflict. "They are expanding military deterrence actions to create a cognitive effect that Taiwan's national defences are useless," the official said. China routinely denounces U.S. military activity in the strait as provocation. "The Eastern Theatre Command are well seasoned, but it's the Southern Theatre Command that needs training for long-distance support," Su said.

Persons: Jason Lee, Chieh Chung, Han Kuang, Tsai Ing, Kevin McCarthy, Xi Jinping, Su Tzu, yun, Su, Yimou Lee, Roger Tung, Yew Lun Tian, Ben Blanchard, Robert Birsel Organizations: Chinese Air Force, REUTERS, Foundation, Taiwan, House, Eastern Theatre Command, U.S . Navy, Institute for National Defence and Security Research, Southern Theatre Command, Thomson Locations: Beijing, TAIPEI, Taiwan, Taipei, China, Philippines, Japan, Borneo, Los Angeles

☆ U.S. Navy plane flies through Taiwan Strait after Chinese drills
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, July 13 (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy patrol plane flew through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Thursday, following two days of Chinese military exercises to the south of the island Beijing views as sovereign Chinese territory. "By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations," it said in a statement. "The aircraft's transit of the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails and operates anywhere international law allows." The mission followed two days of new Chinese drills near Taiwan, involving fighters, bombers and warships flying mainly to the island's south and out into the Pacific through the Bashi Channel that separates Taiwan from the Philippines.

Persons: Ben Blanchard, Alex Richardson Organizations: U.S . Navy, U.s, United, Taiwan, NATO, Thomson Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan, Beijing, China, United States, Navy's, Pacific, Philippines

☆ North Korea says longest test launch was latest Hwasong-18 ICBM
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile is launched from an undisclosed location in North Korea in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on July 13, 2023. KCNA via REUTERSSEOUL, July 13 (Reuters) - North Korea tested its latest Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Wednesday, its state media reported, saying the weapon is the core of its nuclear strike force and a warning to the United States and other adversaries. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test, and said the country would take increasingly strong measures to protect itself until the U.S. and its allies drop their hostile policies, the report said. The Hwasong-18's 74-minute flight time was the longest ever for a North Korean missile test, KCNA said, adding the second and third stages were flown on a lofted trajectory to a high altitude for safety. North Korea said the missile flew 1,001 km (622 miles) to an altitude of 6,648 km.

Persons: KCNA, Kim Jong Un, Soo, hyang Choi, Josh Smith, Jamie Freed, David Gregorio Our Organizations: North, Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, REUTERS, U.S, Washington, Korean, Thomson Locations: North Korea, REUTERS SEOUL, United States, South Korea, Japan, Seoul, Tokyo, Republic, U.S, Japan's

☆ Storm Shadows are a threat to Russian forces in Ukraine, but busted missile remains may offer lessons for Moscow's military
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

UK-provided Storm Shadows are a new threat to Russian forces operating in Ukraine. Russian forces recently claimed to have recovered a downed missile. The recovered Storm Shadow could hold clues for the Russian military, but there's a question of whether they can learn from them. A Storm Shadow missile is prepared for loading to a Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 aircraft in the Gulf in support of Operation TELIC, March 21, 2003. Throughout the fight in Ukraine, Russian forces have had to learn lessons, but it's often a grinding and costly process.

Persons: Storm, Ben Stansall, Ian Williams, Williams, TELIC, Cpl Mark Bailey, that's, Ben Wallace, it's, there's Organizations: Service, Shadow, Storm, Farnborough, Missile Defense, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Russia, Royal Air Force Tornado, REUTERS, ASA, Su Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Zaporizhzhia, Moscow, France

☆ One officer killed in attack on police station in restive Iran province
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, July 8 (Reuters) - At least one policeman was killed as unidentified gunmen and suicide bombers attacked a police station in Iran's restive southeast on Saturday, Iranian state media reported. The official news agency IRNA quoted a prosecutor in Zahedan, capital of the Sistan-Baluchistan province, as saying that shooting continued at the police station. State television said two attackers had detonated their explosive belts entrance of the station and a third had gone inside. Alireza Marhemati, a top provincial security official, denied suicide bombers were involved. Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Kim Coghill and Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: IRNA, Alireza, Kim Coghill, Alison Williams Organizations: Dubai, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Iran's restive, Saturday, Zahedan, Sistan, Baluchistan, Pakistan, Afghanistan

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