President Yoon Suk Yeol boarded a visiting US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier on Tuesday ahead of joint drills between South Korea, the United States and Japan aimed at enhancing their responses against rising threats from North Korea.

Yoon visited the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), which made a port call at a naval port in the southeastern city of Busan. The carrier is set to participate in a trilateral naval drill, dubbed Freedom Edge, the first-ever trilateral multidomain exercise, which kicks off on Wednesday.

Yoon said the aircraft carrier’s visit is part of “extended deterrence” measures outlined in the Washington Declaration adopted at his summit with US President Joe Biden in April last year, reports Yonhap news agency.

Extended deterrence refers to Washington’s commitment to using the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear weapons, to defend its ally.

“It symbolises the firm US security commitment to South Korea, including strong extended deterrence,” Yoon was quoted as saying.

The aircraft carrier’s visit came amid rising concerns over evolving threats posed by North Korea after it signed a comprehensive strategic cooperation treaty with Russia, which includes a pledge for the two countries to come to each other’s aid if attacked.

Yoon stressed the importance of enhancing trilateral security cooperation with the US and Japan.

“The cooperation between South Korea, the US, and Japan, which share the values of liberal democracy, will become another powerful deterrent alongside the South Korea-US alliance,” he said.

This marks the third time an incumbent South Korean president has boarded a US aircraft carrier, following former President Park Chung-hee in 1974 and President Kim Young-sam in 1994, according to the presidential office.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt made a port call for the first time in South Korea. It also marked the first arrival of a US aircraft carrier here in seven months.

Earlier in the day, Yoon condemned the deepening military and economic cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow as “anachronistic” acts that go against the progress in history and blatantly violate UN Security Council resolutions.

On Monday, North Korea slammed the arrival of the USS Theodore Roosevelt in South Korea and warned of taking “overwhelming and fresh” deterrence measures against what it called a “provocative act.”

Pyongyang has long denounced joint military drills between Washington and Seoul and also the US dispatch of its strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula as a rehearsal for an invasion of the North. AGENCIES

South Korea and the US kicked off joint drills aimed at strengthening their combined logistics capabilities earlier this week, Seoul’s military said Tuesday.The five-day combined distribution exercise got underway on Monday in multiple locations across the country, including Pocheon, 52 km northeast of Seoul, joined by some 2,000 South Korean and US troops, Yonhap news agency reported, citing the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

The exercise is designed to train troops on procedures to distribute supplies, personnel and equipment to combat units within the peninsula. The latest drills mobilized some 500 pieces of equipment, including tanks, aircraft, warships and civilian cargo ships.

While previous combined distribution exercises took place on a limited scale in southern areas, this year’s drills will train troops in actual operational areas in an effort to maintain their combat capabilities, the JCS said. AGENCIES

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister on Tuesday expressed hope that South Korea would “calmly” accept Moscow’s new partnership treaty with North Korea, a news report said, amid condemnation over deepening military cooperation between the two countries.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said the treaty, signed by the North’s leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin after their talks in Pyongyang last week, is not directed at either South Korea or third countries, reports Yonhap news agency.

The treaty calls for, among other things, the provision of military and other assistance from one side to the other “with all means” at its disposal and “without delay” if either of the two gets invaded or put in a state of war.

Last week, South Korea said it could consider a possible supply of lethal weapons to Ukraine in response to Moscow’s commitment to military cooperation with North Korea.

South Korea also joined the United States and Japan in issuing a joint statement condemning, “in the strongest possible terms,” the expanding military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.

“We hope that Seoul will accept the new agreement with an understanding, and a sound approach will prevail there, including in relations with Russia,” Rudenko was quoted as saying by the Russian news agency Sputnik.

He stressed the deal is a “warning for those countries planning to solve regional problems using military means.”

South Korea has maintained a policy of not providing lethal aid to Ukraine. In response to Seoul’s possible policy shift, Putin earlier warned it would be a “very big mistake” if South Korea provided arms to Kyiv.

Touching on Kim’s potential visit to Russia, Rudenko said the trip could take place when “all the necessary conditions are right.”

During last week’s summit, Putin expressed his hope of holding the next summit with Kim in Moscow.

“I think as soon as all the necessary conditions for such a visit are right, and a certain base for those documents that must be signed at this level will be developed, this visit will take place,” Rudenko said.

Earlier in the day, North Korea’s state media carried Putin’s thank-you message to the North Korean leader, in which the Russian leader called Kim an “honoured guest” that Russia always waits for. AGENCIES

Russia’s western Siberia is experiencing an unprecedented heatwave, with temperatures in several regions shattering records over the past 50 years or so, local weather authorities said on Tuesday. A number of regions, specifically the Novosibirsk and Kemerovo Oblasts, along with the Altai Territory and the Republic of Altai, have experienced temperatures that surpassed records set in the 1970s and 1980s, said Natalia Kichanova, head of the weather forecasting service of the West Siberian Department for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring. Kichanova noted that the heatwave is expected to persist across western Siberia until the end of June, after which temperatures are predicted to decrease to a range of 17-25 degrees Celsius, accompanied by rainfall, reports Xinhua news agency.

The abnormally high temperatures are attributed to warm air masses moving into the macro-region from Central Asia, while “heat ridges” in the mid-troposphere contributed to the additional warming, she said. AGENCIES

 Russian President Vladimir Putin has thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for showing heartfelt hospitality during his visit to Pyongyang last week, saying bilateral ties have been boosted to an “unprecedentedly high level”, North Korea’s state media reported on Tuesday.

In a message to Kim, Putin said his trip to the North has opened ways for the two countries to achieve beneficial cooperation in various fields, Yonhap news agency reported, citing the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

“He said that his recent state visit to the DPRK was of special significance as it raised the relations between Moscow and Pyongyang to an unprecedentedly high level of comprehensive strategic partnership,” the KCNA said, using the acronym of North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Putin said the North’s leader is an “honoured guest” that Russia always waits for, wishing for Kim’s good health and success.

After summit talks on Wednesday, Putin and Kim signed a treaty of comprehensive strategic partnership that calls for providing military assistance without delay if either side comes under attack. It marked Putin’s first trip to North Korea in 24 years.

Putin also voiced hope to hold the next summit with Kim in Moscow, according to Russian media outlets.

Meanwhile, North Korea condemned Ukraine troops for “staging attacks on the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula this week with Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) missiles supplied by the United States”.

“Puppet groups in Ukraine have been clinging to reckless terrorist acts as the country has faced repeated defeats with military confrontations with Russia,” the KCNA said in a separate dispatch, calling the attack the outcome of Washington’s “madness against Russia”.

In a similar message to show solidarity with Moscow, Pak Jong-chon, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, slammed Washington’s military support for Ukraine on Monday. AGENCIES

At least nine motorists have been injured in a car crash due to a tyre blowout in Quezon province, southeast of Manila, police said.

Police said one of the passenger van’s rear tyres burst while travelling on a highway in Atimonan town before 5 p.m. local time on Monday, reports Xinhua news agency.

The driver lost control of the vehicle, causing it to crash into the gutter on the roadside, roll down a hill, and tilt on its side. One of the passengers was thrown off the vehicle and onto the pavement.

Rescuers rushed the injured passengers to a local hospital for treatment. AGENCIES

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that Israel is “committed” to the deal proposal outlined by US President Joe Biden for a ceasefire in Gaza in return for the release of hostages.

“We are committed to the Israeli proposal that President Biden endorsed,” Netanyahu said on Monday during a special plenum session of the Knesset (parliament) summoned by the opposition, noting “Our position has not changed”.

Biden first presented the deal proposal to end the ongoing conflict in late May. Netanyahu’s remarks marked the first time the Israeli side has confirmed that Israel has approved and supports the proposal, Xinhua news agency reported.

Netanyahu told the Knesset that Israel will not end the conflict “until we bring back all the hostages, all 120 of them — both the living and the fallen” and until Hamas is “eliminated” and the residents in southern and northern can safely return to their homes.

Israel has been carrying out a massive offensive in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a Hamas rampage on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and about 250 were taken hostage. AGENCIES

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Spanish King Felipe VI visited a Lithuanian air force base and met with the Spanish troops participating in the Baltic air policing mission.

Nauseda thanked the king for Spain’s contribution to the security of the Baltic region, highlighting Spain’s participation in the Baltic air policing mission for the eleventh time, according to a press release from the Lithuanian presidential office.

They were briefed on the operations of the Baltic air policing mission. During the meeting, members of the Spanish Air Force contingent leading the mission presented their tasks, activities, equipment, and fighter jets, reports Xinhua news agency, citing the release.

The NATO air policing mission in the Baltic States was launched at the end of March 2004, following Lithuania’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The mission aims to safeguard the airspace of the Baltic States, thus ensuring the integrity of NATO’s European airspace. AGENCIES

 Driven by the financial sector, the Indian stock market saw a sharp rally to close at an all-time high on Tuesday, with the Bank Nifty index breaking above the resistance of 52,000 for the first time.

The domestic market experienced a financial sector-driven rally on Tuesday, primarily led by private banks, with the Nifty Bank reaching a new high and the Sensex surpassing 78,000.

Sensex closed at 78,053 points, or 712 points up, while Nifty reached 23,721, or 183 points up.

Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Tech Mahindra and L&T were top gainers on the Sensex.

According to market watchers, the Bank Nifty is trading in a strong uptrend with higher highs and higher lows intact on the daily chart.

“The support now stands at 52,000, and intraday dips should be viewed as a buying opportunity for targets of 53,000/53,500,” said Kunal Shah from LKP Securities.

According to market experts, profit booking was evident in sectors such as realty, power, metals and midcaps.

Amid moderate consolidations and sector rotations, the market is moving upwards due to expectations from the upcoming budget.

Additionally, the progress of the monsoon is being watched for insights into the consumption outlook, said experts.

The rupee traded higher by 0.03 at 83.45 against the dollar, showing slight gains as capital markets remained positive with support from the banking and financial sectors and fund flows into these areas. AGENCIES

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged a global fight against the tyranny of algorithm-driven online media supercharged by artificial intelligence (AI) that promotes disinformation and puts “lives at stake”.

“You are the majority, and this is a fight we can win — together,” he said on Monday. “Demand accountability; demand choice; demand control.”

Releasing the UN’s Global Principles for Information Integrity, he said, “No one should be at the mercy of an algorithm they don’t control, which was not designed to safeguard their interests, and which tracks their behaviour to collect personal data and keep them hooked.”

“Opaque algorithms push people into information bubbles and reinforce prejudices including racism, misogyny, and discrimination of all kinds,” he said.

He warned that threats to information integrity are not new, “they are proliferating and expanding with unprecedented speed on digital platforms, supercharged by AI technologies” becoming vehicles for spreading hate.

“When information integrity is targeted, so is democracy — which depends on a shared, fact-based perception of reality,” he said.

He appealed to the media to “raise and enforce editorial standards” against the onslaught of disinformation and manipulation.

“Do your part to safeguard our future by providing quality journalism based on facts and reality,” he said.

Exorciating the big tech companies for “the damage your products are inflicting on people and communities”, he told them to acknowledge the harm they have done and take responsibility for it.

“You have the power to change business models that profit from disinformation and hate” and “to mitigate harm to people and societies around the world,” he said.

Turning to the role of governments, he said, “Commit to creating and maintaining a free, viable, independent, and plural media landscape.”

He urged governments to “guarantee strong protection for journalists” and ensure “regulations to uphold human rights”.

He also came out against “drastic measures, including blanket internet shutdowns”.

Guterres said that he had himself been the victim of campaigns of disinformation, citing the example of the campaign falsely claiming that he had never condemned Hamas, which carried out brutal attacks on Israel last year.

A fact check showed that he had, in fact, condemned Hamas 102 times.

The UN’s Global Principles for Information Integrity, as outlined by him, are based on five rubrics:

The principles were arrived at after broad consultations with member nations, youth leaders, academia, civil society, and the private sector including tech companies and the media, he said.

They are “based on an overriding vision of a more humane (information) ecosystem”, he said.

While Guterres unequivocally — and the principles — come out against internet shutdown and enshrine the right of everyone to “express themselves freely without fear of attack” and “to access a range of views and information sources”, they do not adequately address what can be done to limit harm in situations of civil unrest, or war. IANS