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Donald Trump today said the US is "locked and loaded" for military strikes against North Korea as tensions between the two countries escalated further.

Mr Trump threatened to react if Kim Jong Un goes ahead with the launch of a salvo of ballistic missiles towards the US Pacific territory of Guam.

The president tweeted: "Military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely. Hopefully Kim Jong Un will find another path."

North Korea says it has a detailed plan to fire missiles over Japan and into the sea a short distance from Guam, a US military hub that is home to 162,000 people as well as a fleet of US bombers.

On Friday, the island’s homeland security agency issued a fact sheet for residents to prepare for a missile strike.

The sheet states: "Do not look at the flash or fireball - it can blind you."

"Lie flat on the ground and cover your head. If the explosion is some distance away, it could take 30 seconds or more for the blast wave to hit."

If carried out, the salvo would be North Korea’s most provocative move to date.

President Trump said this week that the US would unleash "fire and fury" on North Korea if it continued with its threats.

His comments today came as Jeremy Corbyn urged the US president and Kim Jong Un to "calm down" and said you "cannot play fast and loose with nuclear weapons".

He added that Britain had a role to play in bringing the two leaders "back from the brink".

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she does not see a military solution to rising tensions between the United States and North Korea, and called for a de-escalation of the rhetoric.

Asked about President Trump's latest statements, Ms Merkel declined to say whether Germany would stand with the US in case of a military conflict with North Korea.

She said, "I don't see a military solution and I don't think it's called for."