Russia said the experimental intermediate-range ballistic missile it fired at Ukraine yesterday was in retaliation for its use of American and British-made missiles on Russian territory this week. The attack was the latest escalation of hostilities and an alarming signal to Kyiv’s Western backers. The Pentagon said Russia notified the US of the planned launch shortly before it happened through nuclear risk-reduction channels. The International Criminal Court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on accusations of committing war crimes in Gaza adds to pressure on the country’s leadership over the conduct of its military campaign against Hamas. Netanyahu today called the announcement “anti-Semitic” and said Israel will keep “defending its citizens.” A Palestinian woman and children following an Israeli strike at the Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza on Oct. 14. Photographer: Ahmad Salem/Bloomberg Iran ordered the collection of “new and advanced” centrifuges in its nuclear program in response to a censure by the UN’s nuclear watchdog, ratcheting up tensions with the West just days after it signaled a willingness to ease them. The move was in response to a rebuke from the International Atomic Energy Agency over Tehran’s failure to resolve a probe into uranium particles found at undeclared locations, Iran said. Brazil’s federal police recommended criminal charges against Jair Bolsonaro after investigating an alleged coup attempt following his 2022 election loss, the first time authorities directly linked the right-wing former president to attempts to keep his successor from assuming power. The decision relates to events on Jan. 8 last year when thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed the capital after his defeat by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s party won an overwhelming majority in parliamentary elections, paving the way for Senegal’s new leader to deliver on a reform agenda aimed at stabilizing the nation’s finances and creating jobs. His Pastef party won 130 of 165 seats in the National Assembly, according to preliminary results, giving him sufficient backing to pass legislation needed to amend the constitution. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Morocco on his way home from the Group of 20 summit in Brazil, underscoring Beijing’s push to develop ties with Africa. Thailand’s Constitutional Court dismissed a complaint against former premier Thaksin Shinawatra and his ruling party, a major reprieve for his daughter’s government. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said voters should trust him to keep Germany out of a direct conflict with Russia, highlighting a key campaign message after he was confirmed as the Social Democrats’ lead candidate for February’s snap election. Almost two out of three households in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, are going hungry, with families skipping meals because they can’t afford enough food, the country’s statistics agency said. |