Briefly

JAPAN

Defendant admits to killing ex-PM Abe

A man accused of fatally shooting former prime minister Shinzo Abe admitted to murder on Tuesday in the first hearing of the case, media said, three years after the assassination of Japan's longest-serving premier stunned the nation. Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, was arrested at the scene of the shooting in July 2022 after allegedly firing at Abe with a homemade gun while the former premier was giving a speech during an election campaign in the western city of Nara.

BOLIVIA

Bus plunges off road, at least 16 people dead

At least 16 people were killed and 36 others injured on Monday after an interprovincial bus veered off a steep mountain road and fell more than 600 meters in Bolivia's central department of Cochabamba, police said. The injured, including the 23-year-old driver, were taken to hospitals in Quillacollo, regional police commander Roger Costas confirmed. The vehicle crashed at a sharp curve along a route known for its narrow roads and poor visibility, according to Omar Zegada, Bolivia's national traffic chief.

TURKIYE

Massive Eurofighter deal inked with UK

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed an agreement to sell Eurofighter jets to NATO member Turkiye in a 10-year deal worth nearly $11 billion after talks on Monday with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Britain's defense ministry described the order, which involves 20 Eurofighter Typhoon planes, as the "biggest fighter jet deal in a generation", saying it would strengthen Turkiye's combat capabilities and bolster "NATO's strength in a key region".

Agencies - Xinhua