Moscow — A Russian court on Monday convicted a French citizen of collecting military information and sentenced him to three years in prison. Laurent Vinatier, who was arrested in Moscow in June, earlier admitted guilt, setting the stage for a fast-tracked trial. His lawyers’ asked the court to sentence him to a fine. In his remarks before the verdict, Vinatier, speaking Russian, reaffirmed that he fully …
With lessons from Ukraine, Syria uses Russian suicide drones on rebels
Syrian rebels are facing a new threat: suicide drones. Rebels say the Syrian government and Russian forces have hit military and civilian targets with tactics developed largely by Russia in its war on Ukraine. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul with Moawia Atrash in Idlib, Syria. Camera: Moawia Atrash, Ahmad Fallaha …
North Korea preparing to destroy northern parts of inter-Korean roads, Seoul says
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea said Monday it has detected signs that North Korea is preparing to destroy the northern parts of inter-Korean roads no longer in use, as the rivals are embroiled in soaring tensions over North Korea’s claim that South Korea flew drones over its territory. Destroying the roads would be in line with leader Kim Jong Un’s push to cut off ties …
China launches war games around Taiwan, drawing ire from Taipei, Washington
TAIPEI — China’s military launched a new round of war games near Taiwan on Monday, saying it was a warning to the “separatist acts of Taiwan independence forces,” drawing condemnation from the Taipei and U.S. governments. Democratically governed Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, had been on alert for more war games since last week’s National Day speech by President Lai Ching-te, an address …
Eight monkeys found dead at Hong Kong zoo, government says
HONG KONG — Eight animals were found dead in a Hong Kong zoo, the city’s government said on Monday, a rare incident in the financial hub, with necropsy and laboratory tests arranged to find out the cause of deaths. The animals, a De Brazza’s monkey, one common squirrel monkey, three cotton-top tamarins and three white-faced sakis, were found dead at the city’s Zoological and Botanical Gardens …
International Wine Organization calls for ‘sustainable development’ of vines
dijon, France — The International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV), a sort of “U.N. of wine” which brings together experts from the sector, called for “sustainable development” of the vine Sunday, following a ministerial meeting in France. “The effects of climate change amplify” the challenges facing the vine, stressed 37 members out of 50 participating in the meeting at the OIV headquarters in Dijon. The …
Time with horses is helping some Ukrainian kids deal with war
Since May 2024, heavy fighting has been going on near the village of Hlyboke, some 30 kilometers from Kharkiv, and animals are the victims of active fighting just as much as locals. Volunteers recently rescued four ponies from Hlyboke, and now these horses are giving back… in their own way. Anna Kosstutschenko has the story. …
Lithuania’s center-left opposition says it will try to form government
VILNIUS/PANEVEZYS, Lithuania — Lithuania’s center-left opposition Social Democrats (SD) will attempt to form a majority coalition government together with two other parties following the country’s parliamentary election, its leader said Sunday. Early results showed SD ahead in the election, which was dominated by concerns over living costs and potential threats from neighboring Russia. “I think it will be a coalition with two left parties,” Vilija Blinkeviciute …
Sri Lanka busts Chinese cybercrime racket
Colombo, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka’s police have arrested 198 Chinese men on suspicion of operating a cybercrime ring from the South Asian nation, a police spokesperson said Sunday. Deputy Inspector-General Nihal Thalduwa said the men were taken into custody at four locations during raids carried out since October 6, with 129 arrested in one location Saturday. Thalduwa said that a large number of mobile phones …
Chinese carmaker GAC considers making EVs in Europe as tariffs loom
Paris — Chinese state-owned carmaker GAC is exploring the manufacture of EVs in Europe to avoid EU tariffs, the general manager of its international business told Reuters on Sunday, joining a growing list of Chinese companies planning local production. The company is among China’s largest automakers and is targeting 500,000 overseas sales by 2030. It does not yet sell EVs in Europe but will launch an …
Iran condemns ‘illegal, unjustified’ US sanctions on oil industry
Tehran, Iran — Iran condemned Sunday what it called an “illegal and unjustified” expansion of U.S. sanctions targeting its oil industry following Tehran’s missile attack on Israel earlier this month. In a statement, foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei defended Iran’s attack on Israel and “strongly condemned” the sanctions, saying they were “illegal and unjustified.” The United States on Friday slapped Iran with a spate …
Macron calls on Iran’s president to back Mideast ‘de-escalation’
Paris — French President Emmanuel Macron called on Iran’s leader Masoud Pezeshkian to support a “general de-escalation” in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon in a telephone conversation Sunday, his office said. Macron stressed “the responsibility of Iran to support a general de-escalation and to use its influence in this direction with the destabilizing actors that enjoy its support.” Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters are fighting Israeli troops in …
Thousands march in Spain to demand affordable housing
Madrid — Thousands protested Sunday in Madrid to demand more affordable housing amid rising anger from Spaniards who feel they are being priced out of the market. Under the slogan “Housing is a right, not a business,” residents marched in the Spanish capital to demand lower housing rental prices and better living conditions. Twelve thousand people took to the streets, according to the Spanish government. “Spaniards …
US will send an air defense battery and American troops to Israel to bolster defenses against Iran
Washington — The United States will send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery and troops to Israel, the Pentagon said Sunday, even as Iran warned Washington to keep American military forces out of Israel. Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin authorized the deployment of the THAAD battery at the direction of President Joe Biden. Ryder said …
Ukraine’s human rights envoy urges response to alleged killings of Ukrainian POWs in Kursk
Kyiv — Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman urged international organizations Sunday to respond to a claim that several Ukrainian prisoners of war were executed in Russia’s Kursk region, where Kyiv had launched an incursion in August. DeepState, a Ukrainian battlefield analysis site close to Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, said Russian troops shot and killed nine Ukrainian “drone operators and contractors” on Oct. 10 after they had surrendered. Dmytro …
China’s Premier Li talks trade in Vietnam despite differences over South China Sea
BANGKOK — China agreed Sunday to assist Vietnam on cross-border railway development and take steps to expand agricultural imports from its smaller neighbor, Vietnam’s official media said. Premier Li Qiang, on an official visit to Vietnam, pledged that China would further open its market to high-quality fruits, seafood and other Vietnamese products, a state media report said. China is Vietnam’s largest trading partner and second-largest export …
Pope urges ‘respect’ for UN peacekeepers in Lebanon
Vatican City, Holy See — Pope Francis asked Sunday for “respect” for U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon who have accused the Israeli military of deliberately firing on their positions. “I am close to all the people involved, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, where I ask that the U.N. peacekeepers be respected,” Francis said at the Vatican. The peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, has said that its forces have repeatedly come under …
Israeli tanks deepen their push into the northern Gaza Strip
CAIRO — Israeli forces widened their raid into northern Gaza, and tanks reached the north edge of Gaza City, pounding some districts of the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood and forcing many families to leave their homes, residents said. Residents said Israeli forces had effectively isolated Beit Hanoun, Jabalia, and Beit Lahiya in the far north of the enclave from Gaza City, blocking access between the two areas …
Taiwan spots Chinese carrier; China military video says ‘prepared for battle’
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan reported a Chinese aircraft carrier group sailing to the island’s south on Sunday, as China’s military put out a video saying it was “prepared for battle” amid concerns in Taipei about the possibility of a new round of Chinese war games. China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, detests its president Lai Ching-te as a “separatist,” and the Chinese …
Ukrainian move to ban Moscow-linked church stirs anger in Russia
moscow — Speaking behind the thick white walls of Moscow’s ancient Danilov Monastery, Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk is adamant: People must not be forbidden to pray in their chosen branch of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. He speaks calmly, but Yakimchuk is one of many Orthodox Christians in Russia who are angry about a law passed by Kyiv in August that targets a Russia-linked Orthodox church that long dominated …
Cambodian fishermen turn to raising eels as Tonle Sap lake runs out of fish
KAMPONG PHLUK, Cambodia — Em Phat, 53, studies his eel tanks with the intensity of a man gambling with his livelihood. For millennia, fishermen like him have relied on the bounty of the Tonle Sap in Cambodia, Southeast Asia’s largest lake and the epicenter of the world’s most productive inland fishery. But climate change, dams upstream on the Mekong River that sustains the lake, and deforestation …
Lithuanians elect new parliament amid cost of living, security worries
VILNIUS, Lithuania — Lithuanians elect a new parliament Sunday in a vote dominated by concerns over the cost of living and potential threats from neighboring Russia, with the opposition Social Democrats tipped to emerge as the largest party but well short of a majority. The outgoing center-right coalition of Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte has seen its popularity eroded by high inflation that topped 20% two years …