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A Korean cargo ship exploded and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump called on Seoul to join the mission | International | Central News Agency CNA
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Please agree to our privacy policy to enable news listening. (Central News Agency Seoul/Washington Comprehensive Foreign News Report on the 4th) The Seoul authorities said that a ship operated by South Korea exploded and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz (Strait of Hormuz) on the 4th. U.S. President Trump alleged that the incident was related to the Iranian attack and called on South Korea to join the U.S. in related tasks. According to reports from Reuters and Agence France-Presse, South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the ship, operated by South Korean shipping company HMM, caught fire and exploded. No casualties have been reported so far, and relevant units are investigating the cause of the fire. A spokesman for HMM also said that the cause of the fire was still unknown, and said that the fire broke out in the engine room of the Panamanian-flagged freighter. There were 24 crew members on board at the time, including 6 Koreans. However, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency quoted government sources as saying that the Seoul authorities were checking intelligence that the ship named HMM Namu may have been attacked. South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a statement: “Our government will communicate closely with relevant countries on this matter and take necessary measures to ensure the safety of our ships and crews in the Strait of Hormuz.” Not long before the incident, Trump announced that the United States would launch the “Project Freedom” operation from the morning of the 4th to free ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz. After the fire and explosion incident on the South Korean ship, Trump wrote: “Iran has launched attacks on unrelated countries targeting ship movements and ‘Project Freedom,’ including a South Korean cargo ship. Maybe it is time to let South Korea join this mission!” Trump also said that except for the South Korean ship, there have been no other losses in the passage of the strait. The South Korean government stated that there are currently 26 South Korean-flagged ships stuck in the area. (Compiled by: Cai Jiamin) 1150505 Support the Central News Agency’s choice to stand with the facts. Every donation you make is a small amount of sponsorship to protect the freedom of the press. Download the Central News Agency’s “First-hand News” APP to get the latest news in real time. The text, pictures and audio and video of this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.



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Driver plows car into people in shopping area in Germany, killing 2
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BERLIN (AP) — A driver plowed into people in a busy shopping area in the center of the German city of Leipzig on Monday afternoon, leaving two people dead, authorities said.
An additional three people were seriously injured in what officials believe was a deliberate rampage, Mayor Burkhard Jung said.
He described it as “a terrible tragedy.” An unspecified number of people sustained less serious injuries.
READ MORE: Driver plows into a labor union demonstration in Munich, injuring 30
The driver, a 33-year-old German citizen, was detained in the car. Police said he was a German-born resident of the Leipzig area.
Prosecutors said he is under investigation on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. There was no immediate word on a possible motive.
The interior minister of Saxony state, Armin Schuster, said investigators believe the man acted alone. He said that rage and “psychological instability” are often factors in such cases, but added that he wouldn’t speculate on whether that was the case here.
Police chief René Demmler said the man drove from the Augustusplatz, a major square, along the Grimmaische Strasse into the city’s central pedestrianized shopping area. He stressed that there was no longer any danger.
The driver was arrested in the vehicle and didn’t resist arrest, Demmler said.
Saxony state Gov. Michael Kretschmer expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.
“An act like this leaves us speechless — and it makes us determined,” he added, according to German news agency dpa. “We will do everything in our power to solve this case quickly and completely.”
Photos from the scene showed a car with a battered front and a shattered windshield after the incident, which happened at about 5 p.m.
Leipzig is located southwest of Berlin and has more than 630,000 inhabitants, making it one of the biggest cities in eastern Germany.

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Putin’s fears of coup ramp up amid Russia’s backslide in Ukraine
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Russian President Vladimir Putin is dialling up his personal security to unseen levels, amid rising fears of an assassination attempt or a coup, according to a European intelligence report.The report, leaked to several global media outlets including CNN, paints a picture of rising paranoia in the Kremlin, as the gruelling war in Ukraine takes an ever-greater toll on Russia.CNN, which published an examination of the report, said it claimed the Kremlin had installed surveillance systems in the homes of aides close to Putin, and also forbidden them to use public transport.Paranoia is rising around the safety of Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a leaked intelligence report. (AP)The changes were in part motivated by the death of Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, the head of the operational training directorate of the Russian armed forces’ general staff, in a car bomb attack last year.Russian setback in UkraineThe Institute for the Study of War, a US policy research organisation, has found that Russian forces suffered a “net loss of territorial control” in Ukraine in April this year.The last time Russia recorded such a loss was in August 2024, when Ukraine launched its audacious counter-attack into the Kursk region.”The rate of Russian advances has slowed in 2026 compared to 2025, but the changing character of the war, particularly Russia’s increased use of infiltration tactics over the course of 2025, makes year-on-year comparisons difficult,” the ISW said in a post on X.A portrait of a soldier from the “Taifun” unmanned aerial vehicle unit holding a new model ‘Marsianin’ attack drone in Ukraine. (Getty)”The Kremlin uses Russian infiltration tactics in part to exaggerate Russian control of terrain.”In response, ISW refined its own mapping data and etymology to find Russia had gained less territory than was previously apparent.”These changes have not affected ISW’s previously assessed trendlines of the Russian rate of advance,” the post read.”Russian (military bloggers) identified problems with the Russian air campaign and assessed that Russian forces may not be able to take advantage of reported increased bombing capabilities.”Russian casualties have reached new heights in 2026, it’s believed. (AP)How stable is Putin’s rule?The very fact that the report was leaked – by a source “close to” European intelligence, per CNN – is perhaps an indication that its ultimate target is in the Kremlin.The report says that since March, “(the) Kremlin and Vladimir Putin himself have been concerned about potential leaks of sensitive information, as well as the risk of a plot or coup attempt targeting the Russian president.”He is particularly wary of the use of drones for a possible assassination attempt by members of the Russian political elite.”Putin with then-Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu. (Getty)The report even names Sergei Shoigu, a former defence minister and current Secretary of Russia’s Security Council, as the boy-most-likely-to, after a former deputy of Shogiu’s was arrested for embezzlement, money laundering, and bribery.The report claimed without evidence that Shoigu retained significant influence among the senior brass of the Russian military.Putin’s travel around Russia has been curtailed as Ukraine displays its success with deep strikes reaching as far as Moscow, while CNN also reported none of his staff were allowed to use phones with an internet connection.A Ukrainian soldier in the trenches. (Getty)The costs of the Ukraine war are also beginning to bite the previously comfortable Russian middle class, including rising casualties hitting an estimated 30,000 a month in 2026.Hip pocket costs are also squeezing citizens, along with rolling internet outages throughout the country.But in the end, as CNN notes, some of the details and motivations in the report remain hard to confirm, while Europe has interest in drumming up division in the Russian government.NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.



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