Attacks on King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh have killed 17 people and injured more than 330 others since Oct. 1, with the airport coming under 20 attacks during the two-week period, the Saudi-led coalition said Thursday, amid continued threats posed by Yemen's Houthi group against Saudi Arabia.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores on Thursday pleaded not guilty to new U.S. charges of torture. The couple was brought to a Manhattan federal court to face a rewritten indictment, which accuses them of overseeing a violent system that committed torture against victims, including U.S. citizens held in Venezuelan detention.

A team of Russian scientists has charted water-rich deposits on Mars in unprecedented detail, uncovering around 30 "water oases" after analyzing eight years of data from the FREND neutron detector aboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter.

The IT sector's share of Russia's GDP has more than doubled over the past six years. This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Chief of the Government Secretariat Dmitry Grigorenko. His remarks are quoted on the government's website.

The UAE space economy recorded a 27.1 percent growth in total spending, reaching AE$5.52 billion, according to the latest Space Economic Survey released by the UAE Space Agency in collaboration with the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre. The results of the 2025 survey, which measures 2024 activity, also highlight the role of commercial investment and a growing workforce in developing a competitive, knowledge-based economy.

Fighting between the Saudi-led coalition and Yemen's Houthi group continued on Wednesday, with both sides carrying out fresh attacks and the Houthis vowing to continue targeting airports and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia in the coming days.

Loud explosions were heard in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Wednesday morning.

European leaders on Monday questioned whether Russia would honor an "energy ceasefire" announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, while saying a real halt to attacks on energy infrastructure could offer relief if implemented.

Letter from Mideast: Still waiting for peace near Gaza

The U.S. State Department on Sunday urged "extreme caution" at all major airports in Saudi Arabia, following attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh the day before. The U.S. Mission strongly recommends all U.S. citizens avoid the airport in the Saudi capital and surrounding areas, according to a security alert.

The Hairatan-Mazar-i-Sharif Railway, locally known as the "Hairatan railway," has emerged as an important trade center connecting landlocked Afghanistan with Central Asian countries and other overseas markets. The 75-km single-track freight railway connects Afghanistan with Uzbekistan, facilitating the movement of goods from regional markets to the country and providing access to broader trade networks extending to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, China and Europe.

At least 11 people were killed and 27 others injured on Sunday in a traffic accident involving a tour bus and a tow truck in Türkiye's western Manisa province, local authorities said. The Manisa Governor's Office said the collision occurred at 11:11 a.m. local time (0811 GMT) near the Akhisar highway entrance.

The 14th ministerial meeting of the African Committee of Ten (C-10) on UN Security Council reform opened here on Sunday, with participants discussing ways to strengthen Africa's representation in the international body. In his opening remarks, El-Taher El-Baour, acting Libyan minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, said Libya's hosting of the meeting reflected its commitment to supporting the continent's common position on international issues, according to a statement issued by the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

A serious security incident arose on Sunday when a passenger's personal electronic device, reportedly a power bank, suddenly caught fire midair on a domestic flight operated by private airline IndiGo, local media reported. The fire was doused with the help of a fire extinguisher, and the flight was diverted to the nearest airport. The power bank was said to have been kept inside a bag stored in an overhead bin.

Britain does not support U.S. President Donald Trump's deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to purchase millions of tons of diesel from Russia, British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said on Sunday. "We don't support that decision. As the prime minister set out, we are strengthening sanctions against Russia," Streeting said in an interview broadcast by the BBC.

Fighting between Yemen's Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition showed no sign of easing on Sunday as fresh attacks hit major airports in Saudi Arabia, while the Houthi group claimed new missile and drone operations against Saudi airports and energy facilities and the coalition vowed a firm response.

Blasts were heard Sunday afternoon near Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, with smoke briefly seen rising, according to a Xinhua correspondent.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned Saturday's attack by Yemen's Houthi group on King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.

Panama declared a state of emergency on Saturday to coordinate relief efforts and assist communities affected by a powerful earthquake that struck the country Friday.

An attack targeting King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Saturday afternoon has killed 12 people and injured 309 others, the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation said, as Yemen's Houthi group and Saudi Arabia continued exchanging strikes on major airports.

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Panama on Friday, with its epicenter 39 kilometers northwest of Tonosi, a town in Los Santos province, according to a revised report from the University of Panama's Institute of Geosciences.

U.S. universities on Wednesday saw pro-Palestinian protesters gather at campus gates for demonstrations marking three years since the war in Gaza began. Dozens of protesters gathered Wednesday at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), chanting slogans including "Stop the genocide" and "Free Palestine."

Türkiye will not deploy troops to another country's territory to launch an attack, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday, stressing the defensive nature of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement. Fidan said in a televised address that the pact is a defense agreement, "not an attack agreement."

The number of dwellings commenced in Australia rose 7.0 percent in the June quarter of 2026, official data showed on Wednesday. In seasonally adjusted terms, a total of 52,201 dwellings were commenced during the quarter, up 14.4 percent from the same period last year, according to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The Israeli military said Thursday it had killed two members of Hamas' armed wing in separate airstrikes in the Gaza Strip earlier this week, accusing them of planning attacks. The military said one of the dead, identified as Ibrahim Alam, was a Hamas commander who participated in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Alam was killed Monday in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, the military said.

The ministerial preparatory meeting held ahead of the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, known as the Pre-COP31, concluded Thursday in Nadi, Fiji, with various commitments on practical climate action. The Pre-COP31 brought together Pacific and international leaders, ministers and senior officials to discuss issues such as climate action, resilience, energy security and climate finance.

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States would not attack Iran before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, even as a US blockade remained in place, while describing ongoing talks with Tehran as productive. "We will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) said on Thursday that global merchandise trade is expected to grow by 3.9 percent in 2026, up from its March forecast of 1.9 percent, driven by supply chain adaptation and strong investment in artificial intelligence (AI). While raising the forecast for merchandise trade growth, the WTO's latest Global Trade Outlook and Statistics report lowered the outlook for commercial services trade in 2026 due to the impact of the Middle East conflict.

US stocks closed lower on Wednesday as benchmark Treasury yields touched multi-year highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 341.41 points, or 0.66 percent, to 51,179.87. The S&P 500 lost 17.16 points, or 0.22 percent, to 7,801.77. The Nasdaq Composite Index shed 61.20 points, or 0.22 percent, to 27,538.69.

Murat Kurum, president-designate of the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, on Tuesday called on the international community to accelerate climate action and curb the rise in global temperatures. Speaking at a ministerial preparatory meeting ahead of COP31 (Pre-COP31) in Nadi, Fiji, Kurum said COP31 should mark a turning point at which climate discussions give way to concrete action, and should help establish long-term, implementable mechanisms for climate action.

Yemen's Houthi group claimed it launched a ballistic missile attack on King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, media reported Thursday. There was no immediate confirmation of the attack from Saudi authorities.

In 1972, Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing arrived in the US following then US president Richard Nixon's visit to China, beginning one of the most recognizable chapters in people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, according to the Xinhua News Agency. Over the decades, giant panda cooperation has grown beyond public fascination with the animals. China has carried out giant panda conservation and research cooperation with zoos around the world, covering breeding, disease prevention, scientific research, personnel training, and the protection of wild populations and habitats.

Buried deep beneath the Antarctic ice, thousands of light sensors wait for flashes left by neutrinos, elusive particles that can travel across the universe almost undisturbed.

Belgian scientist Francis Halzen has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics 2026 for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced Tuesday.

Three scientists have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel won the prize on Monday for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics, the Nobel Assembly at Sweden's Karolinska Institute announced.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Monday that Spain will hold an early general election on Nov. 29.

Brazil will hold a presidential runoff on Oct. 25 as official results showed Sunday that no candidate secured a majority of valid votes in the first round.

The Pentagon is sending a third aircraft carrier strike group and additional Marine Corps ships to the Middle East, adding 9,000 to 10,000 more U.S. troops to the region, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The ships, jet fighters, Marines and sailors will arrive in the region by the end of November, the report cited U.S. officials as saying.

The actual toll of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is likely higher than the officially reported figures due to gaps in surveillance and case detection, international medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) warned Thursday, as worsening insecurity further disrupts efforts to contain the epidemic. Since the outbreak began, more than 8,000 confirmed cases and about 4,000 deaths have been reported, MSF said in a statement, describing it as the largest and deadliest Ebola outbreak ever recorded in the DRC.

NASA and SpaceX launched a new crew rotation mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday, sending four astronauts into orbit aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that a pilot aboard a Flydubai flight carrying mostly Israeli passengers stabbed the other pilot and apparently tried to crash the plane before passengers and crew subdued him. The aircraft landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Brazil and the United States have agreed to form a working group to discuss US tariffs on Brazilian goods and other bilateral trade issues, Brazil's Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services said Wednesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed on Monday that he visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) a day earlier at the invitation of President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, saying their talks focused on relations between the two countries. "The visit focused on bilateral ties and regional challenges," a statement from Netanyahu's office said, adding that his wife, Sara, joined him during the visit.

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Monday opened its 11th annual meeting of the Board of Governors in Doha, Qatar, bringing together governors, senior officials, clients, partners and stakeholders under the theme "Tomorrow's Infrastructure: Impact and Innovation." In her opening remarks, AIIB President Zou Jiayi set out the bank's priorities for its next stage of growth, emphasizing that infrastructure remains central to development, resilience and opportunity in an increasingly uncertain global environment.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic ‌announced his resignation on Sunday, ending his second and final five-year term, according to media reports. Vucic also wrote on social media previously that being president of Serbia was the greatest honor for him.

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that he expects talks with Iran to resume in the coming week, despite rejecting Tehran's proposal for a seven-day truce followed by the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which was put forward by Tehran at the UN General Assembly in New York, media reported on Monday.

Uganda is positioning digital innovation and artificial intelligence (AI) as drivers of tourism growth, President Yoweri Museveni said Sunday as the country marked World Tourism Day. Museveni made the remarks while presiding over a national World Tourism Day commemoration held in the eastern district of Mbale.

Jordan regards China as an important partner in its efforts to modernize the energy sector, given China's advanced expertise and broad technical and industrial capabilities in renewable energy, energy storage and smart grids, Jordanian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Al-Kharabsheh has said. Al-Kharabsheh, who accompanied Jordan's King Abdullah II during his visit to China in August, said in a recent interview with Xinhua that the visit provided an opportunity to see China's advances in technology, innovation and the energy sector, particularly in renewable energy, energy storage, smart grids and mining.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic signed and submitted his resignation on Sunday, stepping down as president. "I am now signing the text that reads as follows: 'Pursuant to Article 116, paragraph 5 of the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia, I submit my resignation from the office of President of the Republic.'...Ana, this goes to the Parliament, and tomorrow you go to the handover," said Vucic.

Türkiye aims to produce 5 million unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) within five years and 10 million UAVs within 10 years, Türkiye Today reported Thursday, citing the country's Chief of General Staff Selcuk Bayraktaroglu.

A ceremony was held here in the capital of Kyrgyzstan on Thursday to mark the "C909 Airplane Hospital" charity project.

Rwanda and China have launched the groundbreaking of the Giseke Irrigation Project, a major investment aimed at transforming agriculture, strengthening climate resilience and improving farmers' access to reliable water.

South Africa marked National Heritage Day on Thursday, with President Cyril Ramaphosa calling on citizens to strengthen national unity and uphold the values of ubuntu and human dignity.

Highlights of Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Barbecue festival held at Loftus Stadium of Pretoria, South Africa

The contribution of the creative industries to Russia's gross domestic product (GDP) is set to rise to 7.7 percent by 2036 (it currently stands at 4.2 percent). This is set out in the strategy for the sector's development up to 2036, approved by the Russian government, according to the Cabinet of Ministers' website.

Scientists from the Tyumen State Medical University (TyumSMU) of Russia's Ministry of Health have developed a new method for assessing potential metabolic disorder risks by analyzing daily fluctuations in wrist temperature.

A UAE-developed smart wildlife feeder is using artificial intelligence (AI) to identify animals, monitor their numbers and consumption, and automatically adjust feed quantities based on real-time data.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday urged efforts to increase financial support and strengthen cooperation in global climate action.

Mid-Autumn Festival lantern display lights up in Singapore

World leaders called for stronger international safeguards and oversight on artificial intelligence (AI) on Tuesday during the general debate of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, while also highlighting the need to balance innovation, security and cooperation. United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for stronger global coordination to manage AI risks, including work toward a multilateral AI Risk Management Framework backed by independent oversight.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Tuesday that the country possesses the technological infrastructure to make missiles with significantly longer ranges. IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi made the announcement in an interview with the official news agency IRNA, stressing that a political decision needs to be made within the country regarding the production of such missiles.

UN humanitarians said Tuesday they were concerned about escalating violence, growing displacement and worsening food insecurity in Sudan. Clashes in Sudan's East and South Darfur states killed 13 people, hobbled markets and triggered further displacement, while bread prices spiked in North Darfur, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

The General Debate of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly opened at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday. Khalilur Rahman, president of the 81st session of the General Assembly, presided over the opening of the debate, which is themed "Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all." In his opening speech, Rahman stressed the importance of rebuilding trust.

German Chancellor and Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader Friedrich Merz on Monday called his party's state election defeat in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern a "heavy blow," while ruling out any internal leadership challenge. Speaking at a press conference in Berlin, Merz admitted that the CDU failed to provide satisfactory answers to public concerns.

Preliminary results show the ruling United Russia party won 57.83 percent of the votes in the election for the 9th State Duma, the lower house of parliament, Russian Central Election Commission Chairperson Ella Pamfilova told a press conference Monday. According to CEC data, after 95.18 percent of the ballots were counted, United Russia led with 57.83 percent of the vote, followed by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation with 13.81 percent and the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia with 8.98 percent. New People and A Just Russia garnered 7.96 percent and 4.96 percent of the vote, respectively.

High above the thick bushland of South Africa's Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, a drone glided through the sky. On a handheld monitor below, footage revealed several massive rhinos resting close together among the bushes. The operator called the drone an "eye in the sky." At night, it can scan areas beyond the view of rangers on the ground, while during the day, it can help conservation teams locate rhinos for monitoring and veterinary work.

Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health on Monday launched a nationwide polio vaccination campaign aimed at immunizing more than 12.7 million children under the age of five against the poliovirus.

Scientists from St. Petersburg State University (SPbU) together with specialists from the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute and the Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, have tested how accurately modern language models can predict a person's psychological characteristics based on a standard interview. This was reported on the SPbU website.

Researchers in Russia have developed a new method for creating flexible luminescent materials by growing perovskite quantum dots directly inside polymer fibers — protecting them from degradation and simplifying industrial production.

The world economy faces risks from stubborn inflation, higher debt service cost and artificial intelligence (AI) investment though it has proven to be more resilient than many feared, according to Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Speaking in a dialogue at a special edition of the Qatar Economic Forum in New York City on Sunday, Georgieva said, "Inflation is stubborn. We are not anticipating a quick resolution. And that means that many central banks have to tighten."

U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that he is forming an "AI Force" and will announce an "AI Czar" in the near future.

A senior Iranian security official said Iran has not yet decided whether to withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), adding that any decision on the issue will depend on Washington's behavior.

Explosions were heard early Saturday, with local residents receiving alerts via a mobile app. The Saudi Civil Defense said on the social platform X that the national early warning platform had issued an alert warning of danger in Riyadh. It announced 10 minutes later on X that the danger had passed.

The UN Security Council on Friday held its third straw poll on the candidates for the next UN secretary-general. The candidates will be informed of the results through the respective permanent representatives of their nominating member states, Jerome Bonnafont, the UN ambassador of France, told reporters after the conclusion of the secret vote. France holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council for the month of September.

US President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States has reached an agreement with Denmark and Greenland giving the United States "permanent control" over security and other needs in Greenland.

This summer was the third-warmest recorded in Slovakia since 1931, the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMU) said on Friday. According to SHMU, June was the fourth-warmest on record for that month, while August was the second-warmest.

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has made Australians poorer and is driving upside risks to inflation, the head of the nation's central bank said on Friday. Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Governor Michele Bullock told a parliamentary hearing in Canberra that upside risks to inflation appear to be materializing, with a spike in oil prices due to the conflict in the Middle East expected to add directly to inflation.

At least 16 people were killed and over 50 others injured in a twin suicide attack inside a residential compound of police in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday, police and rescue officials said. The incident happened in Kohat district, where one of the bombers rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a mosque adjacent to the gate of the compound before detonating it, Inspector General of Police of the province Zulfiqar Hameed told the media. Another bomber blew himself up near a building housing offices of the special branch of police, he added.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Thursday that China's development has not only created opportunities and improved the well-being for the Chinese people, but also played an important role in driving economic growth and development in the region and the world. He made the remarks at a reception hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Thailand at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok to celebrate the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

U.S. approves sale of 48 F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia A U.S. statement said the proposed sale, with an estimated value of 24.3 bln USD, "will improve Saudi Arabia's capability to deter current and future threats," but "will not alter the military balance in the region." Israel is reportedly the only country in the Middle East to currently operate these jets.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is approaching a critical juncture in the Iran war over whether to resume massive attacks to bring the conflict to a close, U.S. online news outlet Axios reported.

Japan, which continues to ramp up its military buildup, is reportedly considering introducing around 52,000 unmanned assets for long-range strikes and intelligence gathering over the five-year period beginning in fiscal 2027. Going further down the path of militarism, Chinese analysts questioned whether Tokyo can secure funding for such a massive defense outlay, while warning that expanded defense spending could ultimately leave the Japanese public bearing the consequences.

Days after Washington made its most direct acknowledgment yet that it had deployed weapons in orbit, a senior US military official claimed that American forces must prepare to fight around the Moon, indicating an accelerating shift toward space warfare. Chinese experts noted that these actions reflected Washington's attempt to seek unilateral space hegemony and risked fueling an arms race, strategic miscalculations and a widening deficit in global space governance, ultimately undermining humanity's shared interest in the peaceful and secure use of outer space.

India and Pakistan traded blame on Wednesday for a collision at sea between two vessels operated by their navies, summoning each other's top diplomats to lodge “strong” protests. A Chinese expert said that the maritime collision is likely to further strain already tense relations between the two countries, though it is unlikely to escalate into a major confrontation.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reshuffled her cabinet on Thursday, retaining many key ministers while bringing in a newcomer from the Japan Innovation Party, the junior coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

Ministers of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's cabinet submitted letters of resignation en masse at an extraordinary cabinet meeting on Thursday, ahead of a planned cabinet reshuffle. The new cabinet lineup is scheduled to be announced later in the day.

The death toll from the collapse of a residential building in western Gaza City rose to 21, including 11 children and six women, with more than 25 injured, local officials and residents said Wednesday. The six-story Al-Saada building, previously damaged by Israeli bombardment, collapsed in the early hours of Wednesday near the headquarters of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), according to civil defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called for de-escalation in the Middle East and Ukraine. He made the appeal at a press conference ahead of this year's high-level week of the UN General Assembly.

The US Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised its target federal funds rate by 25 basis points to a range of 3.75 percent to 4 percent to address persistent inflation, marking its first interest rate hike since July 2023.

A helicopter crashed between two commercial buildings in suburban Los Angeles on Tuesday night, killing at least three people, local authorities said. Four people were assessed, with three pronounced dead at the scene, while another was taken to a local hospital in unknown condition, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) warned Tuesday that failure to modernize the global trading system could leave global GDP as much as 10 percent lower than under a strengthened multilateral system, as trade policy faces its most serious and sustained disruption in decades. The warning came in the WTO's annual flagship publication, World Trade Report 2026: A Critical Juncture for the World Trading System, which examines the achievements of the multilateral trading system over the past 80 years and the challenges it now faces.

The 4th Global Forum on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI) opened in Riyadh on Tuesday, where delegates discussed aligning AI development with safety and responsibility requirements. Co-hosted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Saudi Arabia, the forum runs until Thursday, bringing together government officials, representatives of technology firms as well as experts and researchers.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year US Treasury note rose to 5.04 percent in early trading on Tuesday, the highest level since July 2007, signaling higher borrowing costs across the broader US economy.

US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink's disclosure that the Space Force has operational “space control weapons” in orbit marks Washington's most direct acknowledgment yet of deployed orbital weaponry, underscoring its drive to maintain military dominance in space amid growing speculation about its declining military strength. Having long cited the so-called anti-space threats posed by China and Russia to justify its militarization of space, Washington's open deployment exposes its pursuit of space hegemony and its deliberate push to fuel a global space arms race, said a Chinese analyst on military affairs.

Three people were killed and 15 others wounded during a shooting incident before midnight Sunday at a polling center in Cotabato City, Maguindanao del Norte province in southern Philippines.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Monday she hoped Denmark and the United States could find a way forward through peaceful cooperation on issues concerning the Arctic and Greenland.

The Navy of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Monday that a super oil tanker seeking to cross the Strait of Hormuz via the "forbidden" route south of the waterway exploded and caught fire after hitting naval mines. In a statement on the IRGC's official news outlet Sepah News, the navy said efforts to contain the fire on the tanker, identified as "EL GAIA," were futile, and the entire vessel was engulfed in flames.

A ground vehicle collided with a parked passenger plane at Fukuoka Airport in southwestern Japan on Monday, with no injuries reported so far, local media said.

Genta Koja, the candidate backed by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), won Sunday's gubernatorial election in the prefecture of Okinawa, Japanese media reported. The election result may boost Tokyo's efforts to expand defense deployments in Okinawa and further erode Japan's traditional exclusively defense-oriented posture, Chinese experts said. This could also deepen local divisions over US military presence there, while Japan's accelerating military buildup across the southwestern islands warrants vigilance from neighboring countries.