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US and South Korea begin joint military drills as North Korea accuses them of invasion rehearsal
Latest stories
BBCIsraeli special forces 'raid missile site in Syria'
US media say the operation included special forces who rappelled down from helicopters.
- INSIDER
USS White River: How the US Navy transformed a landing vessel into a legendary rocket artillery ship
Today's US Navy is poorly equipped to support a landing force, but that wasn't the case decades ago when it had ships like USS White River.
- CNN
‘We are all in disbelief’: How the New Hampshire National Guard failed to protect female soldiers
When a military police battalion from the New Hampshire National Guard arrived at the US southern border in October 2022, the unit’s commander Lt. Col. Mark Patterson immediately began making soldiers uncomfortable.
- Reuters
Russia produces new kamikaze drone with Chinese engine, say European intel sources
Russia started producing a new long-range attack drone called the Garpiya-A1 last year using Chinese engines and parts, which it has deployed in the war in Ukraine, according to two sources from a European intelligence agency and documents seen by Reuters. The intelligence – which included a production contract for the new drone, company correspondence on the manufacturing process and financial documents - indicated that IEMZ Kupol, a subsidiary of Russian state-owned weapons maker Almaz-Antey, produced more than 2,500 Garpiyas from July 2023 to July 2024. IEMZ Kupol and Almaz-Antey did not respond to requests for comment.
- INSIDER
The US Army put on a sudden show of force out on the far edge of Alaska to send the message it can as Russia and China partner in the Pacific
The 11th Airborne Division led efforts to deploy artillery and over 130 soldiers to the far tip of Alaska as US rivals conducted massive naval drills.
- Evening Standard
Senior Russian official warns his country could reduce Kyiv to a "giant melted spot" with a massive attack
Dmitry Medvedev claims Russia now has formal grounds to deploy its nuclear arsenal as the West decides whether to allow Ukraine to launch long range missiles into Russia
- The Independent
Ukraine-Russia war latest: Moscow threatens to ‘melt’ Kyiv as hundreds freed in major prisoner exchange deal
No final decision was made during talks between Starmer and Biden on the use of British Storm Shadow missiles by Ukraine
- AFP News
Japan scrambles jets as Russia aircraft circle country
Japan scrambled fighter jets after Russian aircraft flew around the archipelago for the first time in five years, Tokyo said Friday.Japan also scrambled fighter jets in late August when a Chinese military aircraft "violated" its airspace, according to the defence ministry.
- INSIDER
Photos show a US Air Force B-2 Spirit bomber flying with Japanese F-35s for the first time
The operation focused on integrating the stealth bomber with US allies and partners over the Indo-Pacific region.
- AFP News
China defence minister calls for 'negotiation' to end Ukraine, Gaza wars
Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun said Friday that "negotiation" was the only solution to conflicts such as the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, as he addressed a global gathering of military officials in Beijing.Dong told the opening ceremony: "To resolve hotspot issues such as the crisis in Ukraine and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, promoting peace and negotiation is the only way out."
- Euronews
Starmer says Putin started Ukraine war and can 'end this conflict straight away'
Starmer's comments come a day after it emerged that the US and UK had made the decision to allow Ukraine to use partly British-made Storm Shadow missiles to strike targets deeper inside Russia.
- INSIDER
Newly released photos capture British commandos and American forces hunting down a narco-sub carrying $209 million of cocaine in the Caribbean
Newly released photos show the UK and US forces intercepting the narco-sub, a low-profile vessel used for smuggling drugs, in the Caribbean.
- The Guardian
Friday briefing: Why Biden and Starmer are preparing to let Ukraine use western missiles deep inside Russia
In today’s newsletter: A green light for the use of the Storm Shadow missile has been billed as a defining moment in the war – and Vladimir Putin has threatened that its use “would mean that Nato countries … are at war with Russia”. Is it a risk worth taking?
- Associated Press
Nearly $6 billion in funding for Ukraine will expire if Congress doesn't act by the end of the month
Nearly $6 billion in U.S. funding for aid to Ukraine will expire at the end of the month unless Congress acts to extend the Pentagon's authority to send weapons from its stockpile to Kyiv, according to U.S. officials. U.S. officials said the Biden administration has asked Congress to include the funding authority in any continuing resolution lawmakers may manage to pass before the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30 in order to fund the federal government and prevent a shutdown.
- Reuters
Russia, Ukraine exchange 206 prisoners in second swap in two days
Russia and Ukraine conducted a major exchange of prisoners on Saturday, 206 in all, in their second such swap in two days, following negotiations mediated by the United Arab Emirates, officials said. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that all 103 Ukrainians returned were from the military - 82 soldiers and privates and 21 officers. Russian Defence Ministry said that the 103 Russian soldiers exchanged had been taken prisoner in the border Kursk region where Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion in August.
- Reuters
North Korea shows first photos of banned uranium enrichment site
SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korea for the first time showed images on Friday of the centrifuges that produce fuel for its nuclear bombs, as leader Kim Jong Un visited a uranium enrichment facility and called for more weapons-grade material to boost the arsenal. The state media report on Kim's visit to the Nuclear Weapons Institute and a production base for weapon-grade nuclear materials was accompanied by the first photos of the centrifuges, providing a rare look inside North Korea's nuclear programme, which is banned under multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions.
- CNN
Israeli intelligence commander to resign after being accused of failing to prevent October 7
He was the commander of Israel’s elite 8200 intelligence unit, which critics say played a pivotal role in failing to prevent the October 7 attacks.
- The Guardian
Myanmar journalists facing ‘terror campaign’ in deadliest year for media since coup
In 2024 four journalists have been killed, with others jailed, as they report on human rights abuses by the military junta
- The Telegraph
Putin has sent a clear message, Kremlin warns the West
Vladimir Putin has delivered a “clear message” to the West about the consequences of providing Ukraine with long-range missiles to strike targets inside Russia, the Kremlin said on Friday.
- Yahoo News UK
What are Storm Shadow missiles and why does Ukraine want them?
Ukraine wants to fire UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles in Russian territory. Here, Yahoo News UK explains what they are.