A massive nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier has begun military drills with ally South Korea in a show of force that North Korea has threatened could lead to "sacred war."
The aircraft carrier USS George Washington near the port of Busan, South Korea
The drills, code-named "Invincible Spirit," are to run through till Wednesday with about 8,000 American and South Korean troops.
They involve 20 ships and submarines and 200 aircraft.
The Nimitz-class USS George Washington, with several thousand sailors and dozens of fighter planes aboard, was deployed from Japan.
The North routinely threatens attacks whenever South Korea and the US hold joint military drills, which Pyongyang sees as a rehearsal for an invasion.
The USS George Washington carries several thousand sailors
The US keeps 28,500 troops in South Korea and another 50,000 in Japan, but says it has no intention of invading the North.
However, the North's latest rhetoric threatening "nuclear deterrence" and "sacred war" carries extra weight following the sinking of a South Korean warship.
Seoul and Washington say a North Korean torpedo was responsible for the sinking of the Cheonan in March, leaving 46 sailors dead.
It is considered the worst military attack on the South since the 1950-53 Korean War.
The American and South Korean defence chiefs said the military drills will send a clear message to North Korea to stop its "aggressive" behavior.
The exercises will be the first in a series of US-South Korea operations to be conducted in the Sea of Japan off Korea's east coast.
South Korea has been closely monitoring North Korea's military, but no unusual activity was observed on Saturday.
Fidel Castro mightn't be so far of the mark after all?
Fidel Castro Appears Again in Public, Warns of War
Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro on Friday warned the nation's diplomats of the possibility of a nuclear war. It was his fifth public appearance in 10 days.
Castro visited the Foreign Ministry in Havana and predicted that a nuclear war was at hand if the United States and Israel continue to push for sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programs.
He also predicted that the United States would attack North Korea.
The former president took questions for more than 90 minutes from the ambassador corps.
Castro disappeared from public view following emergency intestinal surgery in July 2006 and ceded power to his younger brother, now President Raul Castro.
It is unclear why the man who ruled Cuba for 49 years after taking power in a 1959 revolution has returned to public view.
Castro's other recent appearances include a meeting with workers at a science think tank and taking in a dolphin show at the national aquarium. :leaving:
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The aircraft carrier USS George Washington near the port of Busan, South Korea
The drills, code-named "Invincible Spirit," are to run through till Wednesday with about 8,000 American and South Korean troops.
They involve 20 ships and submarines and 200 aircraft.
The Nimitz-class USS George Washington, with several thousand sailors and dozens of fighter planes aboard, was deployed from Japan.
The North routinely threatens attacks whenever South Korea and the US hold joint military drills, which Pyongyang sees as a rehearsal for an invasion.
The USS George Washington carries several thousand sailors
The US keeps 28,500 troops in South Korea and another 50,000 in Japan, but says it has no intention of invading the North.
However, the North's latest rhetoric threatening "nuclear deterrence" and "sacred war" carries extra weight following the sinking of a South Korean warship.
Seoul and Washington say a North Korean torpedo was responsible for the sinking of the Cheonan in March, leaving 46 sailors dead.
It is considered the worst military attack on the South since the 1950-53 Korean War.
The American and South Korean defence chiefs said the military drills will send a clear message to North Korea to stop its "aggressive" behavior.
The exercises will be the first in a series of US-South Korea operations to be conducted in the Sea of Japan off Korea's east coast.
South Korea has been closely monitoring North Korea's military, but no unusual activity was observed on Saturday.
Fidel Castro mightn't be so far of the mark after all?
Fidel Castro Appears Again in Public, Warns of War
Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro on Friday warned the nation's diplomats of the possibility of a nuclear war. It was his fifth public appearance in 10 days.
Castro visited the Foreign Ministry in Havana and predicted that a nuclear war was at hand if the United States and Israel continue to push for sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programs.
He also predicted that the United States would attack North Korea.
The former president took questions for more than 90 minutes from the ambassador corps.
Castro disappeared from public view following emergency intestinal surgery in July 2006 and ceded power to his younger brother, now President Raul Castro.
It is unclear why the man who ruled Cuba for 49 years after taking power in a 1959 revolution has returned to public view.
Castro's other recent appearances include a meeting with workers at a science think tank and taking in a dolphin show at the national aquarium. :leaving:
-