WASHINGTON , 12 June 2022, (TON): SEOUL Defense ministers of South Korea and the United States condemned North Korea’s preparations for a nuclear test, saying this and a series of missile launches threaten the peace and safety of the Korean peninsula and the international community.

South Korea’s defense ministry said in a statement “South Korea and the United States plan to expand the scale of joint military exercises to maintain deterrence.”

Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met on Saturday at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an Asia security gathering in Singapore.

SINGAPORE , 12 June 2022, (TON): China’s defense minister accused the United States on Sunday of trying to hijack the support of countries in the Asia-Pacific region to turn them against Beijing, saying Washington is seeking to advance its own interests “under the guise of multilateralism.

Defense Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe lashed out at US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, rejecting his smearing accusation the day before at the Shangri-La Dialogue that China was causing instability with its claim to the self-governing island of Taiwan and its increased military activity in the area.

Austin had stressed the need for multilateral partnerships with nations in the Indo-Pacific, which Wei suggested was an attempt to back China into a corner.

He said “no country should impose its will on others or bully others under the guise of multilateralism.”

The strategy is an attempt to build an exclusive small group in the name of a free and open Indo-Pacific to hijack countries in our region and target one specific country, it is a strategy to create conflict and confrontation to contain and encircle others.

KYIV , 12 June 2022, (TON): Ukrainian and British officials warned “Russian forces are relying on weapons able to cause mass casualties as they try to make headway in capturing eastern Ukraine and fierce, prolonged fighting depletes resources on both sides.”

The UK Defense Ministry said “Russian bombers have likely been launching heavy 1960s-era anti-ship missiles in Ukraine.”

The ministry said “The Kh-22 missiles were primarily designed to destroy aircraft carriers using a nuclear warhead. When used in ground attacks with conventional warheads, they are highly inaccurate and therefore can cause severe collateral damage and casualties.”

Both sides have expended large amounts of weaponry in what has become a grinding war of attrition for the eastern region of coal mines and factories known as the Donbas, placing huge strains on their resources and stockpiles.

The British ministry said “Russia is likely using the 5.5-ton (6.1-ton) anti-ship missiles because it is running short of more precise modern missiles.”

KYIV , 12 June 2022, (TON): The European Commission will provide a clear signal next week on Ukraine’s EU candidate status bid, its chief Ursula von der Leyen said Saturday, as fighting raged in the east and south of the country.

Making a surprise visit to Kyiv, von der Leyen said “talks she held with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will enable us to finalize our assessment by the end of next week, the first time the bloc has publicly given a timing.”

Zelensky has been pressing for rapid admission into the European Union as a way of reducing Ukraine’s geopolitical vulnerability, which was brutally exposed by Russia’s February 24 invasion.

But officials and leaders in the bloc caution that, even with candidacy status, actual EU membership could take years or even decades.

MOSCOW , 12 June 2022, (TON): Russia’s foreign ministry said on Saturday that Moscow’s response to a build up of NATO forces in Poland will be proportionate, Interfax news agency reported citing a Russian diplomat.

A response, as always, will be proportionate and appropriate, intended to neutralize potential threats to the security of the Russian Federation.

TAIPEI , 12 June 2022, (TON): Premier Su Tseng-chang said “Taiwan does not want to close the door to China and is willing to engage in the spirit of goodwill, but on an equal basis and without political preconditions.”

Relations between Taipei and Beijing, which claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory, are at their lowest in decades, with China increasing political and military pressure to get the island to accept its sovereignty.

Earlier on Sunday at a security forum in Singapore, China’s defense minister said “the Chinese government sought peaceful reunification with Taiwan but reserved other options.”

Speaking to reporters after China banned the import of grouper fish from Taiwan on safety grounds, a move Taipei called politically motivated, Su said Taiwan has always had goodwill toward China.

ANKARA , 12 June 2022, (TON): Following Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ address to the US Congress last month, long-running tensions between Turkey and Greece are flaring up again.

As both countries simultaneously face an economic downturn with severe inflation, and as they near their election terms in 2023, experts say that tension between them is being increasingly used for domestic purposes.

Writing several tweets in the Greek language, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has directly threatened the Greeks to be prudent with their standpoint in the Aegean Sea, otherwise they will regret it.

Erdogan recently said that Mitsotakis “no longer exists” for him as he accused him of trying to prevent the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey.

He also warned “don’t try to dance with Turkey. You’ll get tired and stuck on the road.”

CAIRO, 12 June 2022, (TON): Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with Rashad Al-Alimi, chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council in Cairo.

The two leaders discussed the issue of freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, in light of Iran’s recent escalation of hostile activities there.

El-Sisi stressed “the need to combine efforts and intensify joint action to protect the security and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, and the Arabian Gulf, and the connection of this vital issue with regional and international security and stability.”

Al-Alimi expressed his agreement with the Egyptian president about the necessity of concerted efforts to secure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.

The two men also discussed the Safer oil vessel crisis. El-Sisi said the stricken tanker poses “a multifaceted threat” and urged the international community to solve this crisis as soon as possible by providing the necessary support and funding for the relevant UN plan.”

DHAKA, 12 June 2022, (TON): The overall number of flood-affected people climbed to an estimated 2 lakh as the onrush of water from upstream swamped all 654 chars in Rangpur division and caused the river Teesta to swell beyond its danger level at Kaunia.

At least 59 houses were washed away in six northern districts Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Rangpur and Dinajpur, displacing several dozen families.

At least 13 villages in Kaunia went under water affecting 70,000 people, according to the official estimates while three flood protection embankments collapsed at Hatibandha, Rajarhat and Dimla.

Water Development Board executive engineer in Rangpur Ahsan Habib confirmed New Age that the Teesta flowed 5cm above its danger mark at Kaunia.

At Dalia, it flowed 20cm below the danger level, added Ahsan.

NEW DELHI, 12 June 2022, (TON): Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the headquarters of the Indian Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre here, set up to promote private investment and innovation in the space sector.

He said “as in Information Technology, he hopes that Indian firms will emerge as leaders in the global space sector too.”

PM Modi said “earlier, the space sector was closed to private companies as they could only be vendors, but his government opened it up by bringing in reforms.”

He said "big ideas can only make big winners. We have removed all restrictions by bringing reforms in the space sector.”

The Prime Minister further said “IN-SPACe will support private industry and begin the process of making winners in the space sector.

He said "I am hopeful that like in the IT sector, our industry will also take the lead in the global space sector.”