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King Charles’ Visit to US to Proceed After Washington Shooting

President Donald Trump and Britain's King Charles III review the Guard of Honor after the arrival at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025.(AP)
President Donald Trump and Britain's King Charles III review the Guard of Honor after the arrival at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025.(AP)
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King Charles’ Visit to US to Proceed After Washington Shooting

President Donald Trump and Britain's King Charles III review the Guard of Honor after the arrival at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025.(AP)
President Donald Trump and Britain's King Charles III review the Guard of Honor after the arrival at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025.(AP)

King Charles' state visit to the US will go ahead as planned on Monday despite a shooting at a White House dinner attended by President Donald Trump, Buckingham Palace said after discussions with US officials.

Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, are due to arrive on Monday for a four-day state visit, but questions arose after a man opened fire on security personnel near the White House Correspondents' Association dinner on Saturday, prompting Secret Service agents to rush Trump from the venue.

"I think it's great; he'll be very safe," Trump said in an interview on ‌CBS News' "60 Minutes.The ‌White House grounds are really safe."

Trump also said there ‌was ⁠no indication from ⁠authorities that there were additional threats to himself or other officials.

US authorities believe the shooting likely targeted the president and administration officials, acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche said.

Blanche also said he was confident Charles would be safe during this week's visit to the US.

The four-day trip - which is to include a private meeting with Trump and an address to Congress marking 250 ⁠years since US independence — is intended to reinforce the strained US-British ‌relationship amid differences over the Iran ‌war.

KING AND QUEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO VISIT

"Following discussions on both sides of ‌the Atlantic through the day, and acting on advice of government, we ‌can confirm the state visit by their majesties will proceed as planned," a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.

"The king and queen are most grateful to all those who have worked at pace to ensure this remains the case and are looking forward ‌to the visit getting underway tomorrow."

A palace source said there might be small operational changes to one or ⁠two engagements.

Earlier, ⁠the spokesperson said Charles was being kept fully informed of developments and was relieved that Trump, his wife and all guests had been unharmed.

Charles and Camilla have also privately reached out to Trump and his wife - first lady Melania Trump - to express their sympathies, a palace source said.

British senior minister Darren Jones said earlier on Sunday that the government would continue to cooperate closely with US security services ahead of Charles' visit and that extensive discussions already under way would continue in the coming days.

"In respect of His Majesty's visit to the United States next week ... our security services obviously remain in close cooperation in advance of that," Jones told Sky News.

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World

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.

World

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.

World

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.