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1256 articles · page 3 of 27
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has confirmed that UK and EU officials will begin discussions about future options for the relationship, including the possible return of free movement, ahead of the EU summit on 20 November. Reynolds said no assumptions had been made but that the government needed to resolve long-term uncertainties.
· 6 sourcesA new report from the Washington-based nonprofit C4ADS has documented extensive Russian assistance to China's military drone programs, including the transfer of design documents, use of Russian wind tunnels for testing, and a surge in joint academic research on autonomous swarm technology, suggesting a deepening of defense industry cooperation that goes beyond previously reported component supplies.
The US military has banned all vehicles manufactured by Chinese company BYD from Kadena airbase on the Japanese island of Okinawa, citing an “unacceptable and unmitigable risk” to personnel and operations. The restriction, which took effect this week, applies to privately owned cars, taxis and delivery vehicles.
A rare humanitarian ceasefire in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky has been expanded across the Kherson region and appeared to be holding on Tuesday, even as diplomatic efforts intensified with a rare direct call between European leaders and Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian forces revealed details of a major underground operation against Russian troops. The localized pause in fighting, aimed at delivering aid and evacuating trapped civilians, stood in stark contrast to continued Russian ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv and a successful Ukrainian raid near Kupiansk.
· 17 sourcesRomanian authorities have accused Russia of orchestrating a sabotage network responsible for a September fire near a state-owned weapons factory, describing it as part of a wider campaign of hybrid attacks aimed at undermining the defence capabilities of nations supporting Ukraine.
· 2 sourcesDefence ministers from France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Britain said on Monday that Europe must assume greater responsibility for its own security within NATO, while reaffirming the United States as an 'indispensable Ally'. The five, meeting in Paris, also committed to supporting Ukraine 'for as long as it takes'.
Ukrainian forces struck an ammunition depot in occupied Luhansk Oblast overnight on Oct. 27, using drones in an attack that took several hours near the city of Khrustalnyi, according to Ukrainian monitoring channels. The attack set off explosions at the site.
Jordan has acknowledged civilian casualties from its airstrikes in southern Syria, while families of the victims, according to Al Jazeera, have denied any links to last week's church attack. The strikes, which Jordan says killed more than 20 Islamic State fighters, were carried out in retaliation for the October 23 shooting at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak.
· 10 sourcesRussian ballistic missiles again targeted the Ukrainian capital late on Oct. 26, killing one person and injuring ten, Kyiv authorities reported. The strike hit a university campus, a park, residential buildings, and damaged two medical facilities, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko and President Volodymyr Zelensky. Most of the injured were university students, and a paramedic and a medical technician were among the casualties.
· 2 sourcesThe head of India’s Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Shatrujeet Kapur, confirmed last week that face-offs between Indian and Chinese forces are continuing “at several locations” in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, directly contradicting months of government denials and following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on September 12. Kapur said the confrontations “still continue,” but five days later the Indian government has yet to issue its own confirmation, offering only standard criticisms of China instead.
· 2 sourcesTwo British MPs and a Scottish MSP say they were detained by Israeli authorities for eight hours on Monday while attempting to enter the occupied West Bank, where they had planned to join Palestinian olive farmers and attend a congress. The delegation of 23 politicians and activists from several countries was held at the Allenby Bridge crossing from Jordan, interrogated and ultimately turned away, with the Israeli military having announced the closure of all West Bank land crossings as part of security measures for Tuesday's national elections.
· 7 sources
The Pentagon is developing a requirement for every major US military base to sustain essential operations independently for at least 90 days, just days after the British government launched a campaign urging families to stockpile three days of supplies. While neither government has signaled an imminent war, both efforts point to deepening anxiety about disruptions to power grids and supply chains from cyberattacks, sabotage and other hybrid warfare linked to Russia, China and Iran.
The future Royal Air Force will be built around “autonomy, not flesh”, Britain’s most senior air officer said on Monday, outlining plans for four AI-enabled drones to fly alongside every Typhoon fighter as the UK prepares to be ready for conflict with Russia by 2030.
The United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has concluded that Russia's systematic attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly as winter approaches. The report, submitted to the UN General Assembly on October 26, details how since 2022, waves of drone and missile strikes have targeted power plants and heating facilities, leaving millions without heat in temperatures as low as -21°C.
· 3 sourcesThe United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on 15 senior military commanders from Sudan's Rapid Support Forces and Sudanese Armed Forces, accusing them of involvement in sexual violence during the 18-month siege of El Fasher. The measures, announced on the first anniversary of the city's fall, include travel bans and asset freezes.
· 3 sourcesThe European Commission on Tuesday unveiled a sweeping overhaul of EU border agency Frontex, granting it new powers to deport irregular migrants from outside the bloc, monitor social media for migration-related content, and deploy a rapid-response force for border crises. The reform, which must be approved by EU member states and the European Parliament, aims to transform Frontex into what officials described as a fully-fledged 'European return agency' operating far beyond the EU's borders.
· 4 sourcesAn oil spill from a damaged tanker has closed beaches across the northern United Arab Emirates, threatening the region’s tourist season and highlighting the risks of attacks on commercial shipping in the ongoing regional conflict.
Russia is significantly expanding its production of guided glide bombs, a move that signals Moscow's intention to sustain high-intensity offensive operations in Ukraine for an extended period, according to a report by the Kyiv-based Center for Defense Reforms exclusively shared with the Kyiv Independent. The report reveals that in 2025, a key procurement entity obtained nearly 278,000 servo drives, enough to manufacture 139,000 of the munitions, and identifies a network of companies, most currently unsanctioned, that supply critical components.
Chinese civilian research vessels are spending more time loitering near undersea cables in the Pacific Ocean than the research ships of any other nation, according to a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a US-based think tank in Washington, DC.
Indonesia began reducing natural gas exports to Singapore on Saturday, diverting supplies to meet domestic electricity needs after a series of power outages, the country's upstream oil and gas regulator SKK Migas said. The move carries diplomatic weight, coming as the neighbours trade friction over wildfire haze and a possible downgrade of Indonesia's stock market.
Defence ministers from France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom have gathered in Paris on Monday to discuss additional military support for Ukraine, as a Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia injured four people and a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Voronezh region killed two and wounded 17.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in China on Monday for a five-day state visit, the first since 2018, as Berlin attempts to balance economic partnership with a tougher European line on competition, human rights and geopolitical tensions. The trip overlaps with Chancellor Friedrich Merz's separate tour of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, in what analysts describe as a coordinated message to Beijing.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that Kyiv has been waiting almost a month for US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to approve the transfer of Patriot and NASAMS interceptor missiles, calling out the delay publicly as Russian strikes intensify. The Pentagon said the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative 'continues unaltered' but offered no timeline for sign-off.
· 3 sourcesThe Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said Monday it carried out military operations destroying ballistic missile launchers and tunnels, while the Houthis claimed new attacks on an airport and oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia. The operations come amid a major escalation in Yemen's long-running war.
· 2 sourcesA Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian city of Voronezh has killed three people and injured 17, regional governor Alexander Gusev said, as flames engulfed apartment blocks, a business centre and industrial sites and a chemical plant was reportedly damaged. The strike came as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine was ready for talks with Russia and the United States in November.
· 3 sourcesThree Palestinians, including a seven-year-old girl, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a camp for displaced people west of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, medical sources and first responders said, as Israel's military said it was investigating the reports.
Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey and Pakistan have agreed to continue dialogue on regional peace and security after a high-level summit in Tehran aimed at defusing tensions between Tehran and Washington and halting Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure, according to a joint statement issued late Monday.
· 10 sourcesThe United States military has announced that it has helped Gulf countries export more than 1.5 billion barrels of oil over the past six months, with its forces enabling the safe passage of over 3,000 commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz despite Iranian threats. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that more than 95 percent of ships navigating the waterway have sailed through safely, and that Admiral Brad Cooper visited the region to observe operations and reaffirm the military’s commitment to freedom of navigation.
In April 2023, a North Korean-linked oil tanker sailing under a foreign flag abruptly stopped transmitting its location in the East China Sea, offering a glimpse into the operations of the country's shadow fleet that helps keep its economy afloat despite international sanctions.
Saudi Arabia reopened Riyadh's international airport for limited operations on Sunday, even as Yemen's Houthis continued attacks on the facility and vowed it would 'never be safe'. The partial resumption comes two weeks after a Houthi strike killed 13 people, the deadliest attack on the kingdom in more than a decade, and hours after the group claimed fresh strikes.
· 2 sourcesIran said it is still passing messages to the United States via intermediaries and remains open to diplomacy, as concerns rise about a return to all-out war before upcoming elections in the United States and Israel. US President Donald Trump said there would not be a strike against Iran "today," while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Iran or its proxies could attack ahead of Tuesday's close elections. The International Committee of the Red Cross has begun receiving lists of Palestinian detainees from the West Bank and Gaza again after the Israeli Supreme Court ordered the government to resume sharing them.
· 2 sourcesRussian strikes damaged or destroyed four Epicentr hypermarkets across Ukraine within 24 hours, the company said on Oct. 25, the latest wave of attacks targeting civilian infrastructure. Facilities in Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Vinnytsia, and Poltava were hit on Oct. 24-25, with one 52-year-old woman injured in Poltava.
Saudi-led coalition forces intercepted a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones fired from Yemen on Saturday evening, with shrapnel from two intercepted missiles falling in Mecca province, including near the holy city of Mecca. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) condemned the attack as a 'grave violation of the sanctity of the Holy Sites,' while the Houthi rebel group denied targeting Muslim holy places. The barrage also targeted the capital Riyadh, where a drone and ballistic missile were intercepted, and other cities across the kingdom.
Ukrainian drone strikes have damaged a Russian finance ministry data center in the suburb of Gorodets, roughly 230 miles east of Moscow and more than 600 miles from the front lines, according to a report by Data Center Dynamics (DCD). The facility is said to house state registries including the Federal Taxation Service's tax database, raising the possibility of disruptions to government information systems.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on Sunday that a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the United States and Russia will take place in November, aiming to restart stalled peace talks in the fifth year of Russia's invasion.
· 3 sourcesSaudi Arabia's coalition said it intercepted and destroyed drones and missiles fired by Iran-aligned Houthis toward several cities, including the capital Riyadh, on Sunday, while oil prices hit a six-month high amid fears of wider conflict in the Middle East.
· 2 sourcesAlgeria's parliament has approved the deployment of troops to neighbouring Niger, the country's first foreign military mission since the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, completing a process that required a two-thirds majority in both chambers. The troops are expected to protect Algerian oil installations in northern Niger, marking a significant shift in Algeria's longstanding policy of non-intervention.
· 5 sourcesUkrainian forces struck the Avisma titanium plant in Berezniki, Perm Krai, on October 25, one of the world’s largest producers of titanium sponge, according to Ukrainian monitoring channel Exilenova+. Located over 1,400 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, the facility is a key supplier of materials used in Russian military aircraft, nuclear submarines, and missile systems, and has been under US sanctions since 2023.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has prepared options for renewed military strikes against Iran, according to reports cited by Al Jazeera, raising the possibility of a major escalation in a conflict approaching its eighth month. President Donald Trump has suggested a strike could come imminently while simultaneously holding out the possibility of a negotiated agreement with Tehran.
· 2 sourcesUkraine is using drones as flying signal repeaters to extend the range of attack drones and make them more resistant to Russian electronic warfare. Companies like Twist Robotics have repurposed existing drones for this relay function, allowing operators to fly mission drones farther while maintaining a stable connection.
Bulgaria's presidential election is heading to a run-off on November 1 after no candidate secured a majority in Sunday's first round, with record low turnout. Acting President Iliana Iotova finished first with 34.8 percent of the vote, just ahead of pro-Western reformist and former caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov on 31.9 percent, the Central Election Committee said after counting 99.94 percent of ballots.
· 11 sourcesThousands of British and French troops have completed the largest joint airborne exercise between the two countries in twenty years, according to the UK Ministry of Defence. Conducted in Germany, the wargame was designed to demonstrate NATO's capacity to rapidly deploy and defend its eastern frontiers amid heightened fears over Russian aggression.
A Russian energy company under US sanctions secretly funded a multibillion-dollar American gas project in Alaska, the New York Times has reported, raising questions about enforcement as the Trump administration pursues energy deals with Moscow as part of its effort to end the war in Ukraine.
A Russian drone struck a residential building in the Synelnykove district of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on October 24, killing three civilians and injuring 12 others, Governor Oleksandr Hanzha reported.
Yemen's internationally recognised government has accused Houthi fighters of targeting Aden International Airport with two ballistic missiles, the fourth such attack this month, as Saudi Arabia reported the Houthis launched missiles toward Mecca and Medina. The Gulf Cooperation Council condemned the strikes as a 'blatant disregard for civilians' while intense ground fighting continues in Taiz and elsewhere.
· 2 sources
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that a potential resumption of war with the United States and Israel would not change Tehran's policies, as US President Donald Trump hinted at a possible new attack on Iran as soon as Sunday. The remarks come amid heightened tensions after an April ceasefire frayed and an interim deal fell apart, with each side accusing the other of violations.
· 5 sourcesMore than 3,000 Palestinians have been forced from their homes in Hebron as Israeli forces expand a sweeping military operation that has flattened neighbourhoods, seized homes and sealed off the city, four days before Israel's general election. The displacement figure, reported by municipal authorities and confirmed by the city's mayor, is nearly double the earlier estimate of about 2,000.
· 13 sourcesUkraine struck a petrochemical plant and a warehouse in the Siberian city of Omsk, roughly 2,500 kilometers from the border, in a drone attack on Oct. 24, Ukrainian monitoring channels and local Russian authorities reported. The target included the Omsky Kauchuk plant, which Ukraine says supplies rocket fuel for ballistic missiles used against Ukrainian cities.