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China has warned the US that any attempt to make Taiwan independent from China will trigger military action by Beijing's forces, BBC reported.

Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe met his US counterpart Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of an Asian security summit in Singapore.

Splitting Taiwan from China would leave the Chinese military with no choice but to "fight at any cost", Mr Wei said.

Mr Austin later called Chinese military activity "provocative, destabilising".

He said there were record numbers of Chinese aircraft flying near the island on a near-daily basis, which "undermine peace and stability in the region".

China views self-ruled Taiwan as an integral part of China's territory, a stance that prompted Mr Wei to condemn US arms sales to Taiwan, according to BBC.

A spokesman quoted him as saying: "If anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) will have no choice but fight at any cost and crush any attempt of 'Taiwan independence' and safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Mr Austin said the US was committed to maintaining the status quo - recognising Beijing as the sole government of China and opposing Taiwanese independence.

He insisted there must be no attempt to resolve tensions through force.

It was the first meeting of the US and Chinese defence chiefs and lasted nearly an hour, at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit.

Mr Wei said the talks "went smoothly", and both sides described them as cordial.

Mr Austin spoke of the importance of maintaining fully open lines of communications with China's military, to avoid any misunderstanding, BBC reported.

In late May Taiwan said it had deployed fighter jets to warn off 30 warplanes sent by China into its air defence zone. The incident marked the biggest Chinese incursion since January.

The incident involved 22 Taiwanese fighters, as well as electronic warfare, early warning and anti-submarine aircraft, Taiwan's defence ministry said, according to BBC.

Ukrainian and British officials warned Saturday that 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, Associated Press reported.

Russian bombers have likely been launching heavy 1960s-era anti-ship missiles in Ukraine, the UK Defense 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,” the ministry said.

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.

Russia is likely using the 5.5-tonne (6.1-ton) anti-ship missiles because it is running short of more precise modern missiles, the British ministry said. It gave no details of where exactly such missiles are thought to have been deployed, according to Associated Press.

As Russia also sought to consolidate its hold over territory seized so far in the 108-day war, the US defense secretary said Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine “is what happens when oppressors trample the rules that protect us all.”

“It’s what happens when big powers decide that their imperial appetites matter more than the rights of their peaceful neighbors,” Lloyd Austin said during a visit to Asia. “And it’s a preview of a possible world of chaos and turmoil that none of us would want to live in.”

US Army’s Pacific Commanding General Charles Flynn  paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba at the latter’s residence in Baluwatar on Friday.

During the meeting, the duo discussed humanitarian assistance and disaster management among others, the US Embassy in Kathmandu said.

Flynn lauded the continued contribution of Nepal to the UN peacekeeping missions, the Embassy said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Flynn is also scheduled to meet President Bidya Devi Bhandari.

During his stay in Nepal, the US Army top official is scheduled to discuss bilateral interests with Chief of Army Staff Prabhu Ram Sharma.

Sri Lanka’s former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa on June 9 said he was resigning from Parliament, even as he sought to deflect blame for Sri Lanka’s economic grave crisis, The Hindu reported.

Mr. Basil stepped down from his ministerial post early in April amid furious public protests demanding that the Rajapaksa clan quit office, taking responsibility for the downturn that has left citizens struggling amid record inflation and acute shortages of essentials. In May, former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa stepped down, but remains a legislator.

Although he was resigning as a legislator, Mr. Basil said he would continue to be politically active in the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP, or People’s Front) that he built from scratch after former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s poll defeat in 2015.

His family was “better at politics than governance,” the resigning MP told reporters, adding: “India’s RSS has been around for years, but they do not govern directly. The BJP has taken on that role.” This is not the first time Mr. Basil has likened his party’s politics to that of India’s ruling party. He has in the past vowed to model the SLPP on the Chinese Communist Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party that he called “the best two” examples.

In July 2021, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed Mr. Basil, the youngest of the Rajapaksa brothers, as Finance Minister. He became the fourth Rajapaksa brother to enter cabinet at that time. Until then, Mr. Mahinda who was Prime Minister at that time also helmed the Finance Ministry. As it faced wide public criticism owing to the economic meltdown, the ruling party projected Mr. Basil – who was Economic Development Minister in the former Rajapaksa administration – as the man who would bring much-needed pragmatic solutions to the raging crisis. Except, power cuts, shortages, and price rise worsened in the following months, leading to greater citizens’ mobilization from the beginning of this year, according to The Hindu.