King Charles 'Greatly Relieved' Trumps Unharmed after Washington Shooting

Britain's King Charles looks on as he meets with frontline workers and members from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Services and Police Scotland who assisted in managing the fire at Glasgow Central Station, in March this year, at Dumfries House, Ayrshire. Picture date: Wednesday April 22, 2026.    Jane Barlow/Pool via REUTERS
Britain's King Charles looks on as he meets with frontline workers and members from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Services and Police Scotland who assisted in managing the fire at Glasgow Central Station, in March this year, at Dumfries House, Ayrshire. Picture date: Wednesday April 22, 2026. Jane Barlow/Pool via REUTERS
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King Charles 'Greatly Relieved' Trumps Unharmed after Washington Shooting

Britain's King Charles looks on as he meets with frontline workers and members from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Services and Police Scotland who assisted in managing the fire at Glasgow Central Station, in March this year, at Dumfries House, Ayrshire. Picture date: Wednesday April 22, 2026.    Jane Barlow/Pool via REUTERS
Britain's King Charles looks on as he meets with frontline workers and members from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Services and Police Scotland who assisted in managing the fire at Glasgow Central Station, in March this year, at Dumfries House, Ayrshire. Picture date: Wednesday April 22, 2026. Jane Barlow/Pool via REUTERS

Britain's King Charles III was "greatly relieved" US President Donald Trump, his wife Melania and other guests were unharmed after a shooting at a Washington media gala, Buckingham Palace said Sunday.

The incident late Saturday at the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents' Association came less than 48 hours before Charles and Queen Camilla begin a four-day state visit to the United States.

The British monarch was being "kept fully informed of developments", the palace added.

"A number of discussions will be taking place throughout the day to discuss with US colleagues and our respective teams to what degree the events of Saturday evening may or may not impact on the operational planning for the visit."

Earlier, senior UK minister Darren Jones told British broadcasters during a round of interviews that security teams in Britain and the US were "working closely to ensure the security arrangements are put appropriately in place" for the state visit.

It is understood the king and queen reached out privately to the Trumps to express their sympathies with those impacted Saturday night, and to share their gratitude to the security services who prevented further injury.

Trump has said one law enforcement officer was shot at close range but appeared to not be critically injured.

During the four-day state visit -- organized to honor the historic relationship between Britain and the US as America marks 250 years of independence -- Charles and Camilla will visit Washington and New York.

Charles will become the first British monarch to address Congress since his mother, the late queen Elizabeth II, in 1991, while the royal couple will have tea with Trump and Melania and attend a state dinner.

It comes as transatlantic tensions over the Iran war and the Epstein scandal's long shadow threaten to intrude on the landmark visit.

Trump has repeatedly lambasted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his war opposition, as well as his government's immigration and energy policies.

The pair spoke by phone Sunday, when Starmer "extended his best wishes... following the shocking scenes at last night's White House Correspondents Dinner," Downing Street said.

"He expressed his relief that the President and First Lady were safe and wished a speedy recovery to the officer injured," it added.

They also discussed "the urgent need to get shipping moving again in the Strait of Hormuz, given the severe consequences for the global economy and cost of living for people in the UK and globally," Starmer's office noted.



Russia Wants AI, Digital Cooperation with China, Putin Tells Xi

FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, gestures while speaking to Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16, 2022. (Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, gestures while speaking to Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16, 2022. (Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
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Russia Wants AI, Digital Cooperation with China, Putin Tells Xi

FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, gestures while speaking to Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16, 2022. (Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, gestures while speaking to Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16, 2022. (Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

Moscow aims to cooperate with Beijing in the field of artificial intelligence and digital innovation, Russian President Vladimir Putin told China's Xi Jinping on Monday as the leaders met in Kyrgyzstan.

They arrived in the central Asian country for a two-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a regional bloc that seeks to serve as a counter-balance to the West.

Russia, with its troops bogged down in Ukraine, has deepened ties with its main oil customer China, which has never condemned Moscow for its four-and-a-half-year invasion.

"Cooperation is successfully developing on all fronts," Putin told Xi ahead of their talks.

They last met in May in Beijing.

"Digital innovations, including in artificial intelligence technologies, are also opening up new opportunities for the economic development of our countries," Putin said.

The Kremlin has in the past months sought to tighten its control over the online sphere, imposing intermittent mass internet shutdowns and restrictions on popular messaging apps.

Moscow is pushing Russians to embrace the state-backed Max messenger platform -- an unencrypted super-app similar to China's WeChat that critics say raises privacy and snooping concerns.

It has repeatedly threatened foreign-owned sites with bans, part of what rights advocates say is a broader attempt by authorities to control and monitor internet use.


Pentagon Signs 7-year Deals to Increase Missile Production

FILE - The Pentagon is seen from the air, July 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
FILE - The Pentagon is seen from the air, July 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
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Pentagon Signs 7-year Deals to Increase Missile Production

FILE - The Pentagon is seen from the air, July 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
FILE - The Pentagon is seen from the air, July 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

The Pentagon said on Monday it secured seven-year agreements with General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GD-OTS) and Lockheed Martin to increase missile production.

The agreements are designed to "increase production quantities and accelerate delivery schedules for critical missile subcomponents supporting the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (PAC-3 MSE) interceptor programs," the Pentagon said.


Israel Signs Three-billion-euro Arms Export Deal with Greece

Greece to buy a defense system from Israel (Reuters)
Greece to buy a defense system from Israel (Reuters)
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Israel Signs Three-billion-euro Arms Export Deal with Greece

Greece to buy a defense system from Israel (Reuters)
Greece to buy a defense system from Israel (Reuters)

Israel's defense ministry announced Monday it had signed a deal with Athens worth approximately three billion euros (almost $3.5 billion) to set up the "Achilles Shield" aerial defense system for Greece. 

"Under the deal, Israel will build Greece a comprehensive, multi-layered air defense array, drawing entirely on Israeli-made systems and on the extensive operational experience Israel's defense establishment has gained during the war," the ministry said in a statement. 

"This is the largest defense export deal in the history of Israel-Greece relations, and one of the largest in the history of the State of Israel," it added. 

The deal was signed by the Israeli defense ministry's director general, Major General (Res.) Amir Baram, and his Greek counterpart, Ioannis Bouras, in Tel Aviv. 

A Greek defense ministry source had told AFP in late July about an upcoming purchase of Israeli-made anti-missile, anti-aircraft and anti-drone systems, part of a broader defense investment for the Achilles Shield of 4.2 billion euro ($4.8 billion). 

In a statement, the Greek Defense Ministry said the multi-billion euro purchase was part of "the greatest reform of its armed forces in its history". 

Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias was quoted in the statement as saying that recent technological developments "have long rendered existing defense doctrines completely obsolete". 

"Greece is the first country in the European Union to adopt" a multi-layered air defense system such as the Israeli one, he added. 

According to the Israeli Defense Ministry, the export deal includes the David's Sling, Barak MX and SPYDER interception systems, air surveillance radars, and "a new national command and control system". 

All the equipment is manufactured by Israeli defense contractors Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries and its subsidiary ELTA Systems. 

A supplementary 26 million euro deal was also signed to provide Greece with Rafael's defense systems against drones, the ministry said. 

"Israel and Greece share common strategic interests and face shared regional challenges," said Defense Minister Israel Katz, quoted in the statement. 

"At a time when actors with hegemonic ambitions are seeking to expand their influence and undermine stability in the region, Israel and Greece will continue to deepen their defense and strategic cooperation," he said, in a likely reference to Türkiye. 

Greece is now one of only four European NATO members to spend at least three percent of GDP on its military, amid decades of tensions with neighboring Türkiye. 

Israel has also increasingly locked horns with Türkiye, having struck a disused military base in northwest Syria, claiming it wanted to avert Turkish troops deploying to the facility. 

In 2023, Israel signed a deal with Germany to provide the Arrow 3 anti-ballistic missile defense system, which was expanded in December for a total value of $6.5 billion, the country's largest-ever military export contract.