RUSSIA
Nuclear doctrine updated
President Vladimir Putin yesterday approved an updated nuclear doctrine, saying that Moscow could consider using nuclear weapons if it was subject to a conventional missile assault on it supported by a nuclear power. The change follows a decision by US President Joe Biden’s administration to allow Ukraine to fire US long-range missiles deep into Russia. The updated doctrine, which outlines the threats which would make Russia’s leadership consider a nuclear strike, said an attack with conventional missiles, drones or other aircraft could be considered to meet these criteria. It also said any aggression against Russia by a state which was a member of a coalition would be considered by Moscow to be aggression against it by the whole coalition.
? SWITZERLAND
Over 200 children killed: UN/
More than 200 children have been killed and 1,100 injured in Lebanon in the past two months, a spokesperson for the UN children’s agency (UNICEF) said yesterday. “The number of over 200 [children killed] is just in the last two months. It’s at least 231 since the start of the war last year,” James Elder told a Geneva press briefing in response to a reporter’s question about casualties. He did not comment on who was responsible for the killings, saying that it was clear to anyone who follows the media. “Medical facilities are being attacked and health workers are being killed at an increasing speed,” he added.
UNITED STATES
Judge rejects abortion ban
A Wyoming judge on Monday ruled that two anti-abortion laws passed by the state legislature contravene Wyoming’s constitution, keeping abortion legal in the state for now, local media reported. Teton County District Court Judge Melissa Owens granted a permanent injunction against the “Life is a Human Right Act” and a medical abortion ban passed last year, the Jackson Hole News & Guide reported. Owens said the laws contravene a section of the constitution that states, “Each competent adult shall have the right to make his or her own health care decisions,” KCWY television reported. “The restriction begins even at the earliest stages of embryonic development, makes no distinction between a zygote and a fetus, and makes no distinction between a pre-viable and viable fetus,” the judge said. Owens said that defendants, including Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon and Attorney General Bridget Hill, failed to establish a “compelling governmental interest to exclude pregnant women from fully realizing the protections afforded by the Wyoming Constitution during the entire term of pregnancies,” News & Guide reported.
UNITED KINGDOM
Windsor burglary probed
Police are investigating a burglary on the Windsor Castle estate, fueling concerns about security at the royal residence west of London. The suspects stole a pickup truck and a quad bike from a farm building on the estate just before midnight on Oct. 13, Thames Valley Police said in a statement. Police provided a general location for the property, which suggests that the burglary took place more than 1.6km from Windsor Castle. The Sun, which first reported the burglary, said two masked men scaled a 1.8m fence before taking the vehicles and driving through a security barrier to make their escape. King Charles III and Queen Camilla were not at the castle at the time. It suggested that Prince William and his family were at Adelaide Cottage, which is about a five-minute drive from the site of the burglary. No arrests have been made.
Seven people sustained mostly minor injuries in an airplane fire in South Korea, authorities said yesterday, with local media suggesting the blaze might have been caused by a portable battery stored in the overhead bin. The Air Busan plane, an Airbus A321, was set to fly to Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport in southeastern Busan, but caught fire in the rear section on Tuesday night, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. A total of 169 passengers and seven flight attendants and staff were evacuated down inflatable slides, it said. Authorities initially reported three injuries, but revised the number
‘BALD-FACED LIE’: The woman is accused of administering non-prescribed drugs to the one-year-old and filmed the toddler’s distress to solicit donations online A social media influencer accused of filming the torture of her baby to gain money allegedly manufactured symptoms causing the toddler to have brain surgery, a magistrate has heard. The 34-year-old Queensland woman is charged with torturing an infant and posting videos of the little girl online to build a social media following and solicit donations. A decision on her bail application in a Brisbane court was yesterday postponed after the magistrate opted to take more time before making a decision in an effort “not to be overwhelmed” by the nature of allegations “so offensive to right-thinking people.” The Sunshine Coast woman —
BORDER SERVICES: With the US-funded International Rescue Committee telling clinics to shut by tomorrow, Burmese refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals Healthcare centers serving tens of thousands of refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border have been ordered shut after US President Donald Trump froze most foreign aid last week, forcing Thai officials to transport the sickest patients to other facilities. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which funds the clinics with US support, told the facilities to shut by tomorrow, a local official and two camp committee members said. The IRC did not respond to a request for comment. Trump last week paused development assistance from the US Agency for International Development for 90 days to assess compatibility with his “America First” policy. The freeze has thrown
TESTING BAN: Satellite photos show a facility in the Chinese city of Mianyang that could aid nuclear weapons design and power generation, a US researcher said China appears to be building a large laser-ignited fusion research center in the southwestern city of Mianyang, experts at two analytical organizations said, a development that could aid nuclear weapons design and work exploring power generation. Satellite photos show four outlying “arms” that would house laser bays, and a central experiment bay that would hold a target chamber containing hydrogen isotopes the powerful lasers would fuse together, producing energy, said Decker Eveleth, a researcher at US-based independent research organization CNA Corp. It is a similar layout to the US$3.5 billion US National Ignition Facility (NIF) in northern California, which in 2022 generated
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