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Evening Brief: Putin Orders Plans for Nuclear Testing, Satellite Images Show Mass Graves in Sudan, Japan Deploys Troops Over Deadly Bear Attacks

UPS crash kills nine, Putin eyes nuclear tests, Japan battles deadly bear surge. Here’s what’s making headlines this Wednesday evening.

What you need to know tonight – Wednesday, November 5, 2025.

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Investigators Say UPS Plane Lost Engine, Wing Caught Fire Before Deadly Kentucky Crash

Federal investigators said on Wednesday that a UPS cargo plane’s left wing caught fire and its engine detached moments before the aircraft crashed and exploded after takeoff from Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport, killing at least nine people.

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member Todd Inman said airport security video showed the left engine falling off during takeoff before the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 cleared the runway fence and crashed, igniting a half-mile-wide debris field that engulfed nearby businesses. The cockpit voice and flight data recorders have been recovered.

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The plane was bound for Honolulu from UPS’s Worldport hub, which handles 300 daily flights. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said the death toll could rise as search crews continue to sift through wreckage. Eighteen people were treated for injuries, and two remain in critical condition.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, though experts said the failure resembled a 1979 Chicago air disaster in which a similar engine type detached during takeoff.

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U-Haul Driver Charged with Assault After Allegedly Targeting Coast Guard Officers During Oakland Protest

Federal prosecutors charged a 26-year-old U-Haul driver on Tuesday with assaulting US Coast Guard officers using a deadly weapon after allegedly trying to ram a truck into them during an October 23 protest near Oakland, California.

According to an Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) complaint, the driver reversed the truck at high speed toward a group of officers stationed at Coast Guard Island in Alameda, ignoring commands to stop. Fearing for their lives and suspecting a potential car bomb, officers fired at the vehicle.

The driver fled the scene, later receiving treatment for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound at a nearby hospital.

The Department of Justice said the driver faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.

A court appearance is scheduled for November 10.

 

US Air Force Successfully Tests Minuteman III Missile From California Base

The US Air Force launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile early Wednesday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, as part of routine testing to assess the reliability and accuracy of the nation’s land-based nuclear deterrent.

The missile traveled about 4,200 miles before landing at the Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site in the Marshall Islands.

The launch, designated GT 254, was controlled remotely by a team aboard a US Navy E-6B Mercury aircraft.

Air Force Global Strike Command said the test validated the Minuteman III system’s operational readiness as the military prepares to replace it with the new LGM-35A Sentinel missile starting in 2029.

The Minuteman III, first deployed in the 1970s, remains a core component of the US nuclear triad alongside submarine- and bomber-based systems. The US maintains about 400 Minuteman III missiles in underground silos across five states.

The US Air Force plans to extend their service life until the Sentinel enters full deployment.

 

US Seeks UN Approval to Lift Sanctions on Syrian Leader Ahead of Historic White House Visit

The United States has proposed a United Nations Security Council resolution to lift sanctions on Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Hasan Khattab ahead of al-Sharaa’s scheduled Monday visit to the White House, according to a draft obtained by The Associated Press.

If adopted, the measure would mark the first time sanctions on Syria’s top leadership are lifted since the country descended into civil war in 2011.

The resolution requires at least nine affirmative votes and no vetoes from the Security Council’s permanent members.

The move aligns with President Donald Trump’s plan to normalize relations with Damascus following the ouster of former President Bashar Assad in December.

Al-Sharaa, a former rebel commander once linked to al-Qaeda affiliates, is expected to formally join the US-led coalition against the Islamic State during his Washington visit.

While Trump has already eased some sanctions through executive action, the strictest penalties imposed by Congress in 2019 remain in effect and would need legislative approval to be fully lifted.

Syria remains in a deep humanitarian crisis, with 90 percent of its population living in poverty and millions dependent on aid.

 

Putin Orders Officials to Draft Plans for Possible Nuclear Tests

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday directed senior officials to prepare proposals for potential nuclear weapons tests, responding to US President Donald Trump’s announcement that Washington would resume testing for the first time in more than three decades.

Putin’s order, issued during a televised Security Council meeting, instructed Russia’s Foreign and Defense Ministries, intelligence agencies, and civilian bodies to gather information and present coordinated recommendations.

Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and General Valery Gerasimov urged immediate preparation, saying the country’s Arctic site at Novaya Zemlya could host tests quickly.

The move marks a sharp escalation in US-Russia tensions, already strained by renewed US sanctions and Trump’s cancellation of a planned summit with Putin.

No nation other than North Korea has conducted a nuclear explosion this century. Analysts warn that testing by Russia or the US could trigger a global chain reaction, destabilizing decades of nuclear restraint.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said no deadline had been set for the proposals, noting Moscow would first assess Washington’s intentions.

 

Satellite Images Reveal Mass Graves in Sudan’s El-Fasher After Paramilitary Seizure

Satellite images analyzed by Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab show what appear to be mass burials in El-Fasher, Sudan, following the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) capture of the city.

The images, verified and reported by The Associated Press on Wednesday, indicate graves at two sites near a mosque and a former children’s hospital used by the RSF as a prison.

The findings come amid reports of widespread killings and destruction during the RSF assault, with witnesses describing corpses and blood stains visible from space. The RSF denies responsibility for the massacre, but footage and testimonies from residents show evidence of executions and burned-out vehicles.

The violence in El-Fasher, part of Sudan’s two-year war between the RSF and the national military, has intensified humanitarian concerns as famine spreads and more than 14 million people are displaced.

Separately, a drone strike in El-Obeid killed at least 40 people, with local media blaming the RSF.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for accountability, warning that mass burials could hinder future investigations into war crimes.

 

Japan Deploys Troops to Help Contain Surge in Deadly Bear Attacks in Akita

Japan deployed troops on Wednesday to assist local authorities in responding to a spike in bear attacks across Akita Prefecture, where more than 100 people have been injured and at least 12 killed nationwide since April.

The country’s Defense Ministry said soldiers will help set traps, transport hunters, and dispose of dead bears but will not use firearms.

The move follows near-daily bear encounters as the animals forage before hibernation, appearing near schools, farms, and even resorts. In Akita alone, bears have attacked over 50 people and killed four since May.

Officials attribute the rise in incidents to Japan’s growing bear population—now estimated at over 54,000—and the shrinking number of hunters in aging rural communities.

The Japanese government has launched a task force to craft a nationwide bear control plan by mid-November, including population surveys, hunting reforms, and better warning systems.

 

Sources: News Agencies

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