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Taiwan Spotted Chinese Warplanes as Xi Met Opposition Leader in Beijing

A man uses his smartphone as a giant screen broadcasts news showing Chinese President Xi Jinping shaking hands with Cheng Li-wun, chairperson of the Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan's largest opposition party at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, April 10, 2026. (Reuters)
A man uses his smartphone as a giant screen broadcasts news showing Chinese President Xi Jinping shaking hands with Cheng Li-wun, chairperson of the Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan's largest opposition party at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, April 10, 2026. (Reuters)
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Taiwan Spotted Chinese Warplanes as Xi Met Opposition Leader in Beijing

A man uses his smartphone as a giant screen broadcasts news showing Chinese President Xi Jinping shaking hands with Cheng Li-wun, chairperson of the Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan's largest opposition party at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, April 10, 2026. (Reuters)
A man uses his smartphone as a giant screen broadcasts news showing Chinese President Xi Jinping shaking hands with Cheng Li-wun, chairperson of the Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan's largest opposition party at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, April 10, 2026. (Reuters)

Taiwan's defense ministry said on ‌Saturday that it spotted 16 Chinese warplanes operating near the island the previous day, around the same time China's president was meeting the Taiwanese opposition leader.

Late on Friday morning, Chinese President Xi Jinping met Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of Taiwan's largest opposition party the Kuomintang (KMT) in Beijing, where Xi said he "absolutely would not tolerate" independence for Taiwan, which China views as its own territory.

Cheng has portrayed her visit as a reconciliation mission to lessen tensions, and told Xi ‌she looked forward ‌to the KMT and Communist Party advancing ‌the "institutionalization" ⁠of peace across the ⁠Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan's defense ministry, in its daily report on Chinese military activity in the previous 24 hours, said that 16 Chinese warplanes flew near the island from mid-morning to mid-afternoon on Friday. Xi and Cheng met at 11 am (0300GMT).

Shen Yu-chung, a deputy minister at Taiwan's China-policy-making Mainland Affairs ⁠Council, told reporters in Taipei on Saturday that ‌using military coercion against Taiwan as ‌a means of applying pressure for political negotiations has always ‌been China's "go-to tactic".

"So on one hand we see them ‌sending out messages of peace, while on the other hand they continue to use military force to pressure Taiwan without letup," he added.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to a ‌request for comment.

In Beijing, KMT Vice Chairman Chang Jung-kung said that the key to promoting peace ⁠lies ⁠in offering Taiwan's people a choice between peace and reconciliation, or war.

Engaging with China and promoting cross-strait peace yields "peace with dignity," not the bowing of one's head to "shake hands" like Taiwan President Lai Ching-te has said, Chang added, according to a KMT statement.

Lai's office said on Friday night that what the Xi-Cheng meeting sought to highlight was that "Taiwan is part of the People's Republic of China" and to advance "the annexation of Taiwan".

"Taiwan's future can only be decided by the Taiwanese people themselves," Lai's spokesperson Karen Kuo said in a statement.

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World

Russia Says Downed 419 Ukrainian Drones

A woman walks past Russian security personnel standing guard in central Moscow, Russia June 29, 2026. (Reuters)
A woman walks past Russian security personnel standing guard in central Moscow, Russia June 29, 2026. (Reuters)
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Russia Says Downed 419 Ukrainian Drones

A woman walks past Russian security personnel standing guard in central Moscow, Russia June 29, 2026. (Reuters)
A woman walks past Russian security personnel standing guard in central Moscow, Russia June 29, 2026. (Reuters)

Russia shot down 419 Ukrainian drones across the country overnight, the defense ministry said Tuesday.

Kyiv has stepped up its long-range drone strike campaign against Russia in recent months, particularly against energy infrastructure to target a vital source of the Kremlin's revenue to fund its war effort, now in its fifth year.

Air defense systems "intercepted and destroyed 419 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles" around the country, the defense ministry posted on the state-run Max platform.

It did not say if there were any deaths or injuries.

Moscow's Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said earlier that air defense forces had shot down 50 "enemy drones" overnight headed for the capital.

The swarm came days after Russia shot down 660 Ukrainian drones between Thursday and Friday, one of the highest figures since the start of the conflict.

A Ukrainian attack also caused a fire last week at a refinery in the southeast of Moscow.

World

Two Revolutionary Guards Killed in Attack by Unknown Gunmen in Western Iran

A handout photo made available by Sepahnews shows members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) during a military drill around the capital city of Tehran, Iran, 12 May 2026. (EPA/Handout)
A handout photo made available by Sepahnews shows members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) during a military drill around the capital city of Tehran, Iran, 12 May 2026. (EPA/Handout)
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Two Revolutionary Guards Killed in Attack by Unknown Gunmen in Western Iran

A handout photo made available by Sepahnews shows members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) during a military drill around the capital city of Tehran, Iran, 12 May 2026. (EPA/Handout)
A handout photo made available by Sepahnews shows members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) during a military drill around the capital city of Tehran, Iran, 12 May 2026. (EPA/Handout)

Two members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards were killed and two ‌others wounded ‌in what the ‌Guards ⁠described as a "terrorist" ⁠shooting in the western province of ⁠Kermanshah on ‌Monday ‌evening, state ‌media ‌reported on Tuesday.

The attackers opened fire outside ‌the Guards members' home and ⁠authorities ⁠were investigating to identify those responsible, state media reported.

World

Satellite Data: Over 58,000 Buildings Likely Damaged or Destroyed in Venezuela

Rescue workers search for survivors among the rubble following two earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 in Catia La Mar, La Guaira state, Venezuela, 29 June 2026. EPA/Henry Chirinos
Rescue workers search for survivors among the rubble following two earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 in Catia La Mar, La Guaira state, Venezuela, 29 June 2026. EPA/Henry Chirinos
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Satellite Data: Over 58,000 Buildings Likely Damaged or Destroyed in Venezuela

Rescue workers search for survivors among the rubble following two earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 in Catia La Mar, La Guaira state, Venezuela, 29 June 2026. EPA/Henry Chirinos
Rescue workers search for survivors among the rubble following two earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 in Catia La Mar, La Guaira state, Venezuela, 29 June 2026. EPA/Henry Chirinos

The powerful twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela last week damaged or destroyed more than 58,000 buildings, according to a preliminary assessment of satellite data published by US space agency NASA.

Some 1,700 people were killed and thousands remain missing following the quakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 -- the strongest to hit the South American nation in more than a century.

"Approximately 58,870 buildings were likely damaged or destroyed across the affected region" based on satellite radar data gathered on June 25, the day after the earthquakes, according to researchers Corey Scher and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University.

The duo were citing data from the European Space Agency's high-resolution radar imagery satellite Sentinel-1, AFP reported.

"This is a preliminary, rapid assessment. It reflects abrupt surface change consistent with damage," the researchers wrote, adding that the figure should only be read as an indicator and was not verified on the ground.

National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez reported on Monday that 855 buildings have been damaged, including 189 "total collapses."

NASA said that its satellites were "providing critical support, capturing imagery and data to help teams on the ground assess impacts and guide response efforts."