Russia Launches 68 Drones, Four Missiles at Ukraine

This photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service Saturday, April 20, 2024, shows unmanned aerial vehicles in the sky during Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu's visit to the training ground of the Moscow Military District. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
This photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service Saturday, April 20, 2024, shows unmanned aerial vehicles in the sky during Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu's visit to the training ground of the Moscow Military District. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
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Russia Launches 68 Drones, Four Missiles at Ukraine

This photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service Saturday, April 20, 2024, shows unmanned aerial vehicles in the sky during Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu's visit to the training ground of the Moscow Military District. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
This photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service Saturday, April 20, 2024, shows unmanned aerial vehicles in the sky during Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu's visit to the training ground of the Moscow Military District. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

Russia launched 68 drones and four missiles targeting Ukrainian territory overnight, Ukraine's air force said on Sunday.
Two Iskander-M ballistic missiles struck Poltava and Odesa regions and two Kh-59 guided air missiles targeted the Chernihiv and Sumy regions, the air forces said on the Telegram messaging app.
Ukraine's air defense units destroyed 31 of the drones, while 36 were unaccounted for, most likely intercepted by Ukraine's electronic warfare, the air force said. The remaining drone was still in the air, it said.



Vietnam, China Hold Talks on Calming South China Sea Tensions

 Chinese Premier Li Qiang, left, and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh shake hands before a meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (Duong Van Giang/VNA via AP)
Chinese Premier Li Qiang, left, and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh shake hands before a meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (Duong Van Giang/VNA via AP)
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Vietnam, China Hold Talks on Calming South China Sea Tensions

 Chinese Premier Li Qiang, left, and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh shake hands before a meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (Duong Van Giang/VNA via AP)
Chinese Premier Li Qiang, left, and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh shake hands before a meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (Duong Van Giang/VNA via AP)

Vietnam and China agreed to calm tensions in their South China Sea dispute, Vietnamese state media reported on Sunday, days after Hanoi accused Beijing of a "brutal" attack on its fishermen.

China is Vietnam's biggest trade partner, but the two countries share historic tensions including in the South China Sea, a waterway through which trillions of dollars of trade pass each year.

Beijing has for years sought to expand its presence in contested areas of the sea, brushing aside an international ruling that its claim to most of the waterway has no legal basis.

Last week Hanoi protested a "brutal" attack by Chinese vessels, in which it said 10 Vietnamese fishermen were beaten with iron bars and robbed of thousands of dollars' worth of fish and equipment.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and visiting Chinese Premier Li Qiang "exchanged sincere and frank opinions on maritime issues" at a meeting in Hanoi, Vietnamese state media said.

"They committed to adequately controlling differences... avoiding actions that complicate the situation, and jointly maintaining stability at sea," the Bao Chinh Phu newspaper said.

The two countries also signed 10 agreements on Sunday, including on expanding cross-border railway links, payments and economic cooperation.

They agreed to work on a technical plan for a rail link between Lao Cai in northern Vietnam and Hekou in China's Yunnan province.

They also signed a memorandum of understanding on the implementation of cross-border payment services via QR codes and an agreement to study a model for an "economic cooperation zone" across their border.

Vietnam's top leader To Lam and Li agreed on Saturday to boost defense and economic cooperation, Vietnamese state media reported.

Hanoi would facilitate more high-tech Chinese investment in Vietnam and Beijing would strengthen market access for Vietnamese agricultural products, the Nhan Dan newspaper said.

At Saturday's meeting, Lam "urged both parties to... better manage and resolve differences" in maritime issues, the newspaper said.

Lam took office in early August as general secretary following the death of his predecessor, Nguyen Phu Trong.

He later met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing during his first overseas trip.