International

Dozens injured as truck strikes bus stop in central Israel

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Dozens of people were injured on Sunday when a truck struck a bus stop at a major intersection in central Israel, Israeli rescue workers said. “Currently, the circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation,” the police said in a statement. Israel’s Magen David Adom ambulance service said it was treating dozens of people at the site, at least four of them with serious injuries.   (Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch, Editing by William […]

Italy police arrest four over alleged illegal database access, source says

By Emilio Parodi MILAN (Reuters) – Italian police have placed four people under house arrest as part of a probe into alleged illegal access to state databases, and are investigating dozens, including Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio, son of the late billionaire founder of Luxottica, a source said on Saturday. A lawyer for Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio said he was “eagerly awaiting the completion of preliminary investigations to be able to prove he has nothing to […]

Putin: We will respond if Ukraine allowed to make long-range strikes in Russia

(Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow is coming up with various ways to respond should the United States and its NATO allies allow Ukraine to use long-range Western weapons to strike deep inside Russia, according to remarks published on Sunday. “(The Russian defence ministry) is thinking about how to respond to the possible long-range strikes on Russian territory, it will offer a range of responses,” Putin told state TV reporter Pavel Zarubin in video […]

Japan votes in election expected to punish PM Ishiba’s coalition

By Sakura Murakami and Irene Wang TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan’s voters decide the fate of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s government on Sunday in an election expected to punish his coalition over a funding scandal and inflation, potentially ending a decade of dominance for his Liberal Democratic Party. The LDP and its longtime partner Komeito will suffer a drubbing from voters, with the coalition possibly losing its parliamentary majority, opinion polls suggest, as Japan struggles with rising […]

US missile agency scales back Guam defence plans

By Gerry Doyle SINGAPORE (Reuters) – A proposed multibillion-dollar missile defence system for Guam has been reduced to 16 sites on the island from the original 22, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said in a draft environmental impact statement on Friday. The project is designed to create “360 degree” protection for the U.S. Pacific territory from missile and air attacks of all kinds, the agency said. Plans include integrating Raytheon’s SM-6, SM-3 Block IIA, Lockheed […]

Satellite photos show Israel hit Iran former nuclear weapons test building, missile facilities, researchers say

By Jonathan Landay WASHINGTON (Reuters) -An American researcher said an Israeli airstrike on Saturday hit a building that was part of Iran’s defunct nuclear weapons development program, and he and another researcher said facilities used to mix solid fuel for missiles also were struck. The assessments based on commercial satellite imagery were reached separately by David Albright, a former U.N. weapons inspector, and Decker Eveleth, an associate research analyst at CNA, a Washington think tank. […]

Israel strikes Iran military targets amid fears of a wider war

By Parisa Hafezi and Emily Rose DUBAI/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel said it struck military sites in Iran early on Saturday in retaliation for Tehran’s attacks on Israel earlier this month, the latest step in the escalating conflict between the heavily armed rivals. Iranian media reported at least two waves of multiple explosions over more than two hours in the capital and at nearby military bases, playing down the attacks in initial reports and highlighting Iran’s air […]

Zelenskiy says Russia to deploy N.Korean troops in combat zones Oct 27-28

(Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that Russia plans to deploy North Korean troops to the battlefield starting Oct. 27-28, citing intelligence reports. “According to intelligence, the first North Korean soldiers are expected to be deployed by Russia to combat zones as early as October 27-28. This is a clear escalation by Russia,” Zelenskiy said on X after receiving reports from his top commander. Zelenskiy did not say which frontline sector North […]

PM Chinh says Vietnam to work with BRICS as he meets with China, Russia leaders

By Francesco Guarascio and Phuong Nguyen HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnam is ready to work with BRICS, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said as he attended the group’s summit for the first time this week and held meetings with Chinese and Russian leaders. Chinh fell short of stating Vietnam’s explicit interest in joining the club, a move that could bring the Communist-run southeast Asian nation closer to China and Russia but might impact relations with the […]

No ‘external force’ can change our future, Taiwan president says on frontline islands

By Walid Berrazeg KINMEN, Taiwan (Reuters) – Taiwan cherishes its freedom and democracy and no “external force” can change its future, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on Friday, visiting sensitive frontline islands next to China for the 75th anniversary of a key victory over communist forces. Taiwan has controlled Kinmen, and the Matsu islands to the north, since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taipei in 1949 after losing a civil war with […]

Putin says it is our affair if Russia uses North Korean troops

MOSCOW (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that it was Russia’s business whether or not it decided to use North Korean troops and said that if Ukraine wanted to join NATO then Moscow could do what it wanted to ensure its own security. The United States said on Wednesday that it had seen evidence that North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to Russia for possible deployment in Ukraine, a move that the West […]

Fearing China’s hypersonic weapons, US Navy seeks to arm ships with Patriot missiles

By Mike Stone and Gerry Doyle WASHINGTON/SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Fearing China will deploy hypersonic weapons to sink ships in the Pacific, the U.S. Navy is moving forward with a plan to arm some of its vessels with Patriot interceptor missiles, two senior defense officials said. One industry official said putting the highly agile Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (PAC-3 MSE) interceptors, used primarily in the U.S. by the Army, aboard Navy ships anticipates advances […]