Putin praises progress on new nuclear-capable missile
Moscow — Russia has tested a new nuclear-capable, nuclear-powered cruise missile named the Burevestnik, Russia’s top general told President Vladimir Putin in remarks released on Sunday.
The missile travelled 14,000km and was in the air for about 15 hours, General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff of Russia’s armed forces, told Putin.
Putin has said the 9M730 Burevestnik (Storm Petrel) — dubbed the SSC-X-9 Skyfall by Nato — is “invincible” to current and future missile defences, with an almost unlimited range and unpredictable flight path.
In his remarks on Sunday, Putin, dressed in camouflage fatigues, told Gerasimov that the crucial Burevestnik tests have now been completed and that work should start on the final stage before deploying the missiles. Reuters
Ex-Madagascan aide detained for money laundering
Port Louis — Mauritius has detained Maminiaina Ravatomanga, aide to ex-Madagascan President Andry Rajoelina, for alleged money laundering, according to a Financial Crimes Commission official. Ravatomanga, who fled to Mauritius amid Madagascar’s political unrest, was apprehended at a Port Louis clinic. He faces accusations of laundering 7.3-billion Mauritian rupees ($163m) through local assets.
Meanwhile, Madagascar’s new regime has revoked the citizenship of former President Andry Rajoelina, ousted in last week’s coup. Prime Minister Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo cited laws mandating the loss of Malagasy nationality for those who obtain foreign citizenship. Reuters
Sudan’s RSF claims army HQ in Darfur stronghold
Cairo — Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces said on Sunday they had captured the army headquarters in the city of al-Fashir, the Sudanese army’s last stronghold in the Darfur region in the west of the country.
The army did not immediately give a statement on its current position.
The RSF has besieged the city, the capital of North Darfur state, for the past 18 months as it fights the army and allied former rebels and local fighters. It has targeted civilians in frequent drone and artillery strikes, while the siege has spread starvation among the city where 250,000 people remain.
Al-Fashir would be a significant political victory for the RSF and could hasten a physical split of the country by enabling the paramilitary group to consolidate its control over the vast Darfur region, which it has identified as the base for a parallel government established this summer. Reuters
Zelensky urges sanctions after Russian drone kills three
Melbourne — Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky called for strong new sanctions against Russia and its allies after Russian drones killed three and injured 31, including six children, in an overnight air attack on Kyiv.
The attack destroyed two high-rise apartment buildings, and Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said on the Telegram messaging app that seven of the injured, including two children, were taken to city hospitals.
Debris from destroyed Russian air weapons fell onto a nine-storey apartment building in Kyiv’s leafy Desnianskyi district, sparking a fire that engulfed several storeys, the mayor said. Reuters
Israel targets Gaza militant amid ceasefire tensions
Jerusalem — Israeli forces carried out a “targeted strike” on an individual in central Gaza who was planning to attack Israeli troops, Israel’s military said on Saturday. A US-backed ceasefire is in force between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas more than two years after the war in the Gaza Strip began, but each side has accused the other of violations.
Israel said it had targeted a member of Islamic Jihad. The Palestinian militant group did not immediately comment on the assertion.
Witnesses told Reuters they had seen a drone strike a car and set it ablaze. Local medics said four people had been wounded, but there were no immediate reports of deaths.
Witnesses said separately that Israeli tanks had shelled eastern areas of Gaza City, the Gaza Strip’s biggest urban area. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reuters
Trade talks set stage for Trump-Xi Jinping meeting
Kuala Lumpur — US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said trade talks held with China in Malaysia over the weekend have set the stage for a meeting between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping later this week.
“I think we have a very successful framework for the leaders to discuss on Thursday,” Bessent told reporters on Sunday. Reuters
Billon concedes defeat to Ouattara in Ivory Coast poll
Abidjan— Former Ivory Coast commerce minister Jean-Louis Billon on Sunday conceded defeat to incumbent Alassane Ouattara in the presidential election, as partial results showed Ouattara with a large lead.
Billon was one of four opposition candidates challenging Ouattara, a former deputy MD of the IMF who is seeking re-election to a fourth term. Provisional results are expected within five days. Reuters
Lithuania shuts main airport in new airspace incident
Nato member Lithuania closed Vilnius Airport and Belarus border crossings on Sunday after several objects, identified as suspected helium balloons, entered its airspace, the National Crisis Management Centre said, the fourth such incident this month.
Lithuania has said balloons are sent by smugglers transporting contraband cigarettes, but it also blames Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, for not stopping the practice. The airport also closed on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday of last week, as well as on October 5, each time due to balloons entering the capital’s airspace, authorities have said. Reuters
