Morning brief: North Korea launches multiple cruise missiles off its west coast, & more

North Korea launched multiple cruise missiles off its west coast on Saturday (September 2). According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the multiple missile launches took place around 4 am local time towards the Yellow Sea.

As Russia's war in Ukraine rages on, the Russian defence ministry said on Saturday that it shot down three Ukrainian naval drones that were targeting the Crimea bridge. The ministry said that one drone was shot down on Friday and two others were destroyed early on Saturday.

In other news, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is reportedly planning a visit to China in October, on Friday called Chinese President Xi Jinping his friend and said he will meet him soon.

Click on the headlines to read more:

Continuing its recent string of military actions, North Korea on Saturday (September 2) launched multiple cruise missiles off its west coast, informed Seoul's military.The multiple missile launch took place around 4 am local time towards the Yellow Sea, according to theJoint Chiefs of Staff (JCS)

Russia claimed to have shot down three Ukrainian naval drones that were targeting the Crimea bridge early on Saturday (September 2), said Moscow. "On September 2, at about 02.20 am Moscow time (2320 GMT Friday), the third Ukrainian semi-submersible unmanned boat, sent by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack on the Crimean bridge, was destroyed in the Black Sea," said Russia's Ministry of Defence on Telegram.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has termed his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping a 'friend' and said he will meet him soon, following reports that the Kremlin leader was planning to visit Beijing in October.

As India's inaugural solar mission, Aditya-L1, begins its countdown towards the Sun, former International Space Station Commander Chris Hadfield praised India's rising stature in the space sciences.

Watch | Poland denies military helicopter breached Belarus' airspace