World News Roundup: North Korea says missile launches helped train for missions at any time; Putin says Nord Stream blasts carried out on 'state level' and more

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week approved a bill to repeal the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force, or AUMFs, against Iraq, the latest attempt to reassert Congress' role in deciding whether to send troops into combat. Moscow sees drone incident as provocation -Russia's ambassador to U.S Moscow views the incident involving a Russian Su-27 fighter jet and a U.S. military drone over the Black Sea as provocation, Russia's RIA state news agency cited Anatoly Antonov, the Russian ambassador to the United States, as saying on Tuesday.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

North Korea says missile launches helped train for missions at any time

North Korea's latest missile launches were a military drill designed to train crews to carry out their mission at any time and "annihilate the enemy" if necessary, the country's state media KCNA said on Wednesday. North Korea fired the two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast on Tuesday, South Korea's military said at the time, the latest of several weapons tests as the South and the United States conduct their largest joint military drills in years.

Putin says Nord Stream blasts carried out on 'state level'

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that last year's blasts on the Nord Stream gas pipelines had been carried out on a "state level", dismissing the idea an autonomous pro-Ukraine group was responsible as "complete nonsense". The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines connecting Russia and Germany under the Baltic Sea were hit by a series of unexplained explosions last September, in what Moscow has called an act of "international terrorism".

Putin says Germany remains "occupied"

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Germany's response to the explosion on North Sea pipelines showed that the country remained "occupied" and unable to act independently decades after its surrender at the end of World War Two. Putin, interviewed on Russian television, also said European leaders had been browbeaten into losing their sense of sovereignty and independence.

US Senate moves closer to vote on repealing past Iraq war authorizations -Schumer

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he would take the first procedural steps later on Tuesday toward a vote on repealing two authorizations for past wars in Iraq, days before the 20th anniversary of the last invasion by American troops. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week approved a bill to repeal the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force, or AUMFs, against Iraq, the latest attempt to reassert Congress' role in deciding whether to send troops into combat.

Moscow sees drone incident as provocation -Russia's ambassador to U.S

Moscow views the incident involving a Russian Su-27 fighter jet and a U.S. military drone over the Black Sea as provocation, Russia's RIA state news agency cited Anatoly Antonov, the Russian ambassador to the United States, as saying on Tuesday. "We view this incident as a provocation," Antonov said after being summoned by the U.S. State Department.

Cyclone Freddy kills 190 in Malawi as rain complicates rescue efforts

Cyclone Freddy, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the southern hemisphere, has killed 190 people in Malawi after ripping through southern Africa for the second time in a month, Malawi's government said on Tuesday. The district around the commercial hub of Blantyre was among the hardest-hit. Severe flooding and rain damaged roads and bridges, hampering relief operations.

Honduras president says govt to seek official relations with China

Honduras President Xiomara Castro said on Tuesday she had instructed the country's foreign minister to bring about the opening of official relations with China. Castro made the statement on Twitter.

US says Russian jet caused spy drone crash over Black Sea, Moscow denies collision

The U.S. military said a Russian fighter plane clipped the propeller of one its spy drones and made it crash into the Black Sea on Tuesday in the first such direct encounter between the two world powers since Russia invaded Ukraine over a year ago. The Russian defence ministry offered a different account and Moscow's ambassador to Washington said his country "views this incident as a provocation" involving a U.S. MQ-9 drone and Russian Su-27 fighter jet.

Islamic State claims responsibility for east Congo attack that killed 19

Islamic State claimed responsibility for an east Congo village attack that killed 19 people on Sunday, according to the group's Amaq news agency. Officials said on Sunday that suspected Islamist militants killed at least 19 people and burned a medical facility in a raid on Kirindera village in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ecuador lawmakers declassify documents in bid to impeach Lasso

Ecuador's national assembly on Tuesday voted to declassify documents tied to investigations into allegations of corruption at public companies, in a bid to shore up impeachment charges against President Guillermo Lasso. Earlier this month a majority of lawmakers in the assembly, whose members have repeatedly clashed with conservative Lasso, backed a report accusing him of connections to possible crimes against state security and public administration, assertions rejected by the government.

(With inputs from agencies.)