VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The European Union expressed concern on Monday over Chinese military drills around Taiwan, saying the island's status should not be changed by force as any escalation, accident or use of force there would have huge global implications.

China's military carried out aerial and naval blockade drills around Taiwan on Monday, its last scheduled day of exercises, with a Chinese aircraft carrier joining in combat patrols as Taipei reported another surge of warplanes near the island. read more

"We are concerned by the intensification of military activities of the People's Liberation Army in the Taiwan Strait and around Taiwan, with incursions in Taiwanese Air Defence Identification Zone and crossing of the median line," EU Commission spokeswoman for foreign affairs Nabila Massrali said.

"The status quo should not be changed unilaterally or by force. Any instability in the Strait resulting from escalation, accident or use of force would have huge economic and security implications for the region and globally," she said.

"It is key to exercise restraint. Tensions should be resolved through a meaningful and open dialogue. The EU and its Member States will continue supporting efforts aiming to preserve peace and stability in the region," she said. (Reuters)

A merchant ship has supplied fuel and water to a boat with around 400 migrants on board which is in distress between Greece and Malta but Maltese authorities have ordered it not to conduct a rescue, German NGO Sea-Watch International said on Monday.

The vessel, which departed from Tobruk in Libya amid a sharp rise of migrant boats crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa, was reported to be adrift and taking on water by support service Alarm Phone early on Sunday.

Alarm Phone said the boat was in the Maltese Search and Rescue area (SAR).

Sea-Watch International, which located the boat with one of its two planes, on Monday accused Malta of not wanting to rescue the people on board despite them being in serious danger and the vessel struggling with 1.5 meter waves.

"If the boat keeps moving, it might reach Italy and Malta does not have to accept the people," it said on its Twitter account.

Maltese authorities did not respond to several requests for comment.

In a separate episode, at least 23 Africans were missing and four died on Saturday after their two boats sank off Tunisia as they tried to reach Italy.

Last week 440 migrants were rescued off Malta after a complex 11-hour operation in stormy seas by the Geo Barents vessel of the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity.

According to press agency ANSA, on Sunday almost 1,000 migrants arrived in the Italian island of Lampedusa, south of Sicily. (Reuters)

Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, told Russia's defence minister on Monday that he wanted guarantees that Moscow would defend his country if it was attacked, the state-owned BelTA news agency reported.

BelTA cited Lukashenko as making the remarks to Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu during a meeting in the Belarusian capital Minsk.

Lukashenko was cited as saying that he had previously discussed the matter with Russian President Vladimir Putin who he said had agreed with him that such security guarantees were necessary and needed to be formalised.

"In general, it sounded at the talks (with Putin) that in the case of aggression against Belarus, the Russian Federation would protect Belarus as its own territory. These are the kind of security (guarantees) we need," Lukashenko was quoted as saying.

Belarus, which currently hosts a contingent of Russian forces, has offered assistance to Moscow during its military campaign in Ukraine which Russia calls "a special military operation."

In the war's earliest days, Minsk allowed Moscow to use its territory to launch an ultimately unsuccessful assault on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

Since late last year, a flurry of military drills and visits from high-level Russian officials have sparked speculation that Belarus may formally join a new attack on Ukraine.

Lukashenko has consistently denied such intentions, but has said that Belarus will respond to any incursions onto its territory or attempts to foment unrest. (Reuters)

A senior Ukrainian commander said on Monday that Russian troops were using "scorched earth" tactics in the embattled city of Bakhmut and destroying buildings and positions with air strikes and artillery.

Ukrainian forces have hung on for months in Bakhmut, a small city in eastern Donetsk region, where the fiercest fighting of Moscow's full-scale Feb. 2022 invasion has killed thousands of soldiers and been dubbed the "meat-grinder".

"The enemy switched to so-called scorched earth tactics from Syria. It is destroying buildings and positions with air strikes and artillery fire," said Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine's ground forces.

But the defence of the city of Bakhmut continued, he said.

Syrskyi, who is overseeing the operation in the east, on Sunday visited front line areas with the fiercest fighting around Bakhmut, Ukraine's Military Media Centre said.

"The situation is difficult but controllable," he said.

Ukraine also accused Russia of using "scorched earth" tactics last summer in its assault on Sievierodonetsk, a city in the eastern Luhansk region. Kyiv's forces were forced to withdraw from there in July after a Russian onslaught.

Ukraine has said its defence of Bakhmut is buying time for it to build up and reconstitute forces for a much-vaunted spring offensive and that it is inflicting huge losses on Russian forces trying to seize control.

But Russian forces have gained ground on the flanks of Bakhmut in recent weeks, threatening key supply lines for Kyiv's defenders and have also made advances inside the city.

The capture of Bakhmut would be Moscow's first major gain since it took the similarly-sized cities of Sievierodonetsk and neighbouring settlement Lysychansk.

Syrskyi said Russia was bringing in special forces and airborne assault units to help their attack on the city as members of Russia's private Wagner military group had become "exhausted".

Wagner militia fighters have been spearheading the assault on Bakhmut.

Reuters could not verify the battlefield accounts. (Reuters)