Yahoo News US congressional delegation arrives in Taiwan days after China military drills
A US congressional delegation has touched down in Taiwan days after China launched military drills around the self-governed island.
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The IndependentUkraine-Russia latest: Putin’s forces locked onto French plane as North Korea troops may ‘be dead by April’
“This aggressive Russian action is not acceptable,” the French defense minister said
- The Telegraph
SAS v SBS: The toxic rivalry that could tear our Special Forces apart
There has always been an intense rivalry between the Special Air Service and the Special Boat Service.
- Reuters
Russia says any British military role in Ukraine under new 100-year deal would be worrying
Russia said on Friday that any placement of British military assets in Ukraine under a new 100-year partnership agreement between Kyiv and London would be of concern to Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked about the possibility of Britain setting up military bases in Ukraine under the agreement announced on Thursday by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
- PA Media: UK News
Army loads hundreds of vehicles on to ships ahead of major Nato exercise
A total of 2,434 UK personnel will also be travelling by truck and plane to Romania.
- Associated Press
Mysterious airstrip appears on a Yemeni island as Houthi rebel attacks threaten region
A mysterious airstrip being built on a remote island in Yemen is nearing completion, satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show, one of several built in a nation mired in a stalemated war threatening to reignite. The airstrip on Abd al-Kuri Island, which rises out of the Indian Ocean near the mouth of the Gulf of Aden, could provide a key landing zone for military operations patrolling that waterway.
- Reuters
Ukrainian brigade pioneers remote-controlled ground assaults
Sparing soldiers for the infantry assault that came later, the unmanned device was operated at a distance by Ukraine's Khartiia Brigade in the latest advance in a conflict that has been defined by a technology race on both sides. The unit said it was the first documented machine-only ground assault in Ukraine's war with Russia. "Our task is to maximally transfer reconnaissance, clearing operations and assaults... to machines that we can afford to lose," said unit spokesperson Volodymyr Dehtiarov.
- The Telegraph
Israel conducted the worst bombardment of the 21st century. Now Iran and its proxies face a new reality
Four hundred and sixty-six days since Hamas fighters massacred over 1,000 Israelis and kidnapped hundreds more, the guns may finally be falling silent.
- The Telegraph
Disarmed, forced into ‘hibernation’ or the rise of a new insurgency: Hamas faces uncertain future
As crowds of Palestinians on Wednesday night cheered in Gaza’s shattered streets at the arrival of a long-awaited ceasefire deal, a car carrying veiled militants joined the celebrations.
- Evening Standard
Putin army explosives factory attacked deep inside Russia, says Ukraine
The armament plant is in the Tambov region hundreds of miles from the border with Ukraine
- Reuters Videos
Remote control 'kamikaze' cars aiding Ukraine on the battlefield
STORY: This unmanned device is Ukraine's latest advancement in its nearly 3-year old war with Russia.It's a machine-gun equipped vehicle operated at a distance by Ukraine's Khartiia brigade.With no crew onboard, it spares soldiers from an infantry assault that comes later.Unit spokesman Volodymyr Dehtiarov:"Our task is to maximally transfer reconnaissance, clearing operations and assaults to robots. They were usually performed by sappers, engineers, ordinary soldiers and reconnaissance units. We transfer this to machines that we can afford to lose."Units like Khartiia are embracing the innovation, seeking to save lives as Russia's full-scale invasion continues. It released footage of an attack last month in the northeastern Kharkiv region, which it says was the first documented machine-only ground assault in the war.Reuters was unable to independently verify the claim.This is platoon commander, call sign “Happy”: "We have kamikaze drones here, (TURNS TOWARDS SHELF BEHIND HIM). They were the majority of drones used during the assault, we had three of them. We mount mines on them, but others can be used too. They get as close to their (Russian) dugouts as they can, they can also ambush (troops), and then they explode."Domestic production of ground-based remote technology is expanding in Ukraine.Other Ukrainian military units are using similar technology, like remote-controlled stretchers and drones with AI-augmented systems.But Russia's military is quickly adapting, according to Khartiia spokesman Dehtiarov, meaning Ukrainian units like his have to continue to innovate - both on and off the battlefield.
- Business Insider
The UK gave Ukraine an improvised air defense system that could help solve one of its most expensive problems
Gravehawk has been retrofitted to fire air-to-air missiles that Ukraine already has, the UK MOD said. It's a possible solution to a major problem.
- Associated Press
Former CIA analyst pleads guilty to leaking info on planned Israeli attack on Iran
A former CIA analyst pleaded guilty Friday to leaking information on a planned Israeli attack on Iran. Asif Rahman, 34, was arrested by the FBI in November weeks after classified documents appeared on the Telegram messaging app. Prosecutors say Rahman, a CIA employee since 2016, abused his access to top-secret information by accessing, removing and printing out two documents related to Israel and a planned attack on Iran.
- The Guardian
‘Their human resources are unlimited’: Russia’s advances signal bleak spring for Ukrainians
If Moscow’s forces manage to take all of Donetsk oblast it would be a symbolic moment for Putin – and Kyiv
- Business Insider
A Ukrainian F-16 pilot's reported shootdown of 6 missiles in a single mission shows how its air force has evolved
Ukraine said one of its F-16 pilots shot down six missiles, which it said would be a record for the American jet.
- Business Insider
North Korea stands to lose all 12,000 of its troops in Kursk by mid-April if its casualty rate holds, analysts say
A South Korean lawmaker said Seoul's intelligence showed some 3,000 North Korean troops have been wounded or killed in Kursk.
- The Independent
North Korea troops fighting for Putin ‘could all be dead or wounded by April’ as casualties mount
North Korean troops have suffered thousands of casualties in Russia’s Kursk region, according to Ukrainian estimates
- Reuters
Putin and Iran's president deepen defence ties with 20-year pact
MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian deepened military ties between their countries on Friday by signing a 20-year strategic partnership that is likely to worry the West. Under the agreement, Russia and Iran will boost cooperation in a range of areas including their security services, military drills, warship port visits and joint officer training. But it did not include a mutual defence clause of the kind included in a treaty between Russia and North Korea, which the West says has seen North Korean troops deployed to fight in Ukraine, something Moscow has neither confirmed nor denied.
- Reuters
Finland's intelligence chief urges vigilance over planned Russian military build-up
Planned Russian military reforms that would increase Moscow's troop numbers by 30% are a threat to NATO and should be met with vigilance, the chief of Finland's military intelligence service Pekka Turunen said on Thursday. Finland, which shares the European Union's longest border with Russia, joined the Western military alliance NATO in 2023 and drew its Nordic neighbour Sweden to follow in March 2024, both in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
- Reuters
Russian gunpowder factory attacked, Ukrainian official says
KYIV (Reuters) -A major Russian gunpowder factory in the Tambov region was attacked, a Ukrainian official said on Thursday, without directly claiming Ukrainian responsibility or specifying the consequences of the attack. "The enterprise is one of the main suppliers of explosive materials for the army of the Russian Federation," Andriy Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine's Centre for Countering Disinformation, wrote on Telegram of the powder factory. "With the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, production at the plant increased significantly," he added.
- Business Insider
Cease-fire deal or not, Israel's Hamas problem probably isn't going away
Israel and Hamas are finalizing an agreement for a phased cease-fire to end 15 months of brutal fighting in Gaza.