Policy & regulation, Consumer, War & conflict, International
823 storiesLavrov takes part in CIS foreign ministers' council meeting in Turkmenistan
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is taking part in a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the CIS countries on 7 October. The meeting is being held in Avaza, a centre on the Caspian Sea coast near the city of Turkmenbashi in…
South Korea: North Korean mines south of MDL breached armistice, minefield cleared
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff concluded that a Sept. 21 landmine explosion on the western DMZ was caused by a North Korean mine placed about 10 metres south of the Military Demarcation Line, an armistice violation, and the military re…
Army study found ICE shock gloves cause pain, compliance and fear, AP reports
A previously unreleased Army study found that shock gloves now purchased by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement caused intense pain, immediate compliance and fear of further shocks during a 2024 military exercise. Records obtained by t…
Explosions reported in Kyiv during air raid alert, Russian agencies say
Explosions were reported in Kyiv on the night of 3 October 2026, according to Russian state news agencies. TASS said the blasts came shortly after an air raid alert was declared in the Ukrainian capital, and reported a further round of expl…
Russia says no current plans for Russia-US-Ukraine trilateral meeting
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said there are currently no plans for a trilateral meeting between Russia, the United States and Ukraine, adding that further steps do not depend on Moscow. Ryabkov said no pause had occurred i…
One killed, three wounded in Luhansk region attacks, regional head says
One person was killed and three others wounded in the Luhansk People's Republic over the past day, according to the region's head, Leonid Pasechnik. Pasechnik said a drone struck a passenger car on the Antratsyt–Dolzhansky road, killing a 2…
Japan farm ministry orders Fukui seafood firm over mislabeled Echizen crab gifts
Japan's agriculture ministry issued a measures order on Oct 6 against Fukumaru Foods, a seafood processor in Echizen Town, Fukui Prefecture, for labeling products as Echizen crab while using mizugani, a crab not counted as Echizen crab. The…
Trump says a phone call with Putin is planned “very soon”
US President Donald Trump said a telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin is planned and will take place “very soon”. Trump gave no date or agenda. Russian outlets carried the announcement without reporting any Kremlin comment o…
Swedish air force plane flew radar reconnaissance over Black Sea, TASS reports
Russian state outlets reported that a Swedish Air Force aircraft carried out reconnaissance over the Black Sea, with TASS saying the flight was radar reconnaissance and that the plane took off from the Malmen military base. TASS later repor…
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan agree to activate collective defence against Houthis
Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia decided at an emergency meeting in Riyadh on 5 October to activate collective defence measures under a pact they signed in August, confirming they would deploy their forces inside Saudi territory. The three…
EU ambassadors agree 22nd sanctions package targeting over 1,500 Russian entities
EU ambassadors agreed on a 22nd sanctions package against Russia that adds more than 1,500 individuals and legal entities to the bloc's lists, according to European media cited by Interfax and TASS. Interfax said the bulk of the measures ta…
FT: EU weighs universal corporate levy to raise taxes on US tech giants
The European Commission is considering a new mechanism to raise more tax revenue from large US technology companies without singling them out as a separate category, the Financial Times reported, citing unnamed sources. Under discussion is …
Korea to factor Korean proficiency into student visas, tighten screening
South Korea’s Justice Ministry announced plans to weigh Korean-language ability across its foreign student visa system, exempting students with TOPIK level 4 or social integration programme stage 4 from proving financial capacity. Universit…
Israel marks three years since Oct. 7 attack with memorials and protests
Israelis gathered on Wednesday to mark three years since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 attack, which killed more than 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage, with ceremonies, memorials and protests at more than 400 locations. A national moment…
China holiday consumption: long trips boom, trade-in subsidies lift store sales
China's National Day holiday brought a surge in long-distance travel, small-city tourism and immersive cultural experiences, according to Xinhua's market roundup published by China News Service. Trade-in subsidy programmes also boosted stor…
Russian missile and drone attacks kill at least 21 across Ukraine, officials say
Russian missiles and drones struck Kyiv and about a dozen other Ukrainian regions overnight into Wednesday, killing at least 21 civilians, including four children, and wounding around 60, Ukrainian officials said, according to the Associate…
JCS: North Korean mines caused DMZ blast; military clears minefield south of MDL
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said a Sept. 21 explosion in the western-front Demilitarized Zone that seriously injured a soldier was caused by a North Korean plastic anti-personnel mine laid south of the Military Demarcation Line. JCS…
S. Korea farm minister says minor farmland survey violations won't be punished
Agriculture minister Song Mi-ryung told a parliamentary audit on Oct 7 that most ordinary, customary violations found in the government's full farmland survey would not be punished, and that the government has no plan or reason to confiscat…
Defense minister: arts, sports military service exemption to be cut and abolished
South Korea's defense minister said on Oct 7 that the goal is to gradually reduce the arts and sports military service exemption and ultimately abolish it, after controversy over remarks by Asian Games football gold medallists about the exe…
US delivers batch of Switchblade 600 strike drones to Lithuania
Lithuania's Ministry of National Defence said the United States has delivered a batch of Switchblade 600 strike drones, the first such shipment to reach Lithuanian army warehouses. The ministry did not disclose how many drones were received…