BEIJING (Xinhua) - The U.S. littoral combat ship USS Charleston intruded into waters near Xianbin Reef in China’s Nansha Islands without the permission of the Chinese government in the early hours of Tuesday. This prompted the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command Navy to deploy forces to track and monitor the vessel in accordance with the law and regulations, the theater command said on Tuesday. Yin Gang, a spokesman for the PLA Southern Theater Command Navy, stated that China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and their adjacent waters. “The U.S. action infringed on China’s sovereign rights and interests, threatened maritime security, and undermined regional peace and stability. The U.S. should immediately cease such activities,” Yin said.

 

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WASHINGTON (The Hill) - A Kansas man allegedly vowed to shoot U.S. President Donald Trump and researched nearby rooftops last week ahead of his Wichita-area rally. Jaden J. Read, 24, was charged for making threats against the president. “Let’s shoot Trump honestly, where’s our shooter? I’m tired of living this money life,” he wrote on Facebook in response to a KAKE News article outlining Trump’s visit, according to the Justice Department.  He then posted a second comment, “I just got a 308 and 305 round and I’m killing this pedo.” The president visited Kansas to stump for Sen. Roger Marshall, whose reelection bid against Democratic candidate Adam Hamilton has been tighter than expected in the solid red state.

 

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SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea has decided to withdraw some diplomatic staff from its embassy in Ukraine amid a dispute over the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers, local media reported Tuesday. The decision followed the Oct. 8 recall of South Korean Ambassador to Ukraine Park Ki-chang, according to The Chosun Daily. The diplomatic dispute began after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky disclosed during his Sept. 23 address to the UN General Assembly that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea. Seoul accused Kyiv of violating a confidentiality agreement intended to prevent disclosure of the transfer and protect the prisoners and their families in North Korea. Ukrainian officials, however, denied that such an agreement existed, a claim disputed by South Korea.

 

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BELFAST (AP) - Hundreds of schools in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Hungary and Serbia were sent bomb threats on Monday with some evacuated as the authorities said the warnings appeared to be a hoax. It is not yet known whether the incidents were connected to each other. “Police investigating the circumstances of threatening emails sent to schools across Northern Ireland this morning ... are treating the matter as a hoax,” police said. Northern Ireland police said up to 300 schools had received “the same emailed message which contained a generalized threat” which was also received by “some schools across the UK”.

 

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SYDNEY (AP) - Threats against New Zealand lawmakers have risen “astronomically” in recent years, prompting tighter security measures and closer police cooperation, Parliament Speaker Gerry Brownlee warned Tuesday. Parliament’s Security Information, Risk and Advisory Service handled 216 requests for assistance between Sept. 28 and Oct. 18, including 81 operational deployments, according to Radio New Zealand. Parliamentary Service Chief Executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said the unit supported lawmakers attending public events, traveling and responding to protests and threatening behavior. He said the service has expanded ahead of the election amid growing security concerns.