HAVANA, August 10. /TASS/: At least six people have been detained as part of an investigation into the assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, the South American country’s Prosecutor General’s Office said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).

"As of now, six people were detained during raids in the Conocoto and San Bartolo [neighborhoods] of [the capital] Quito as part of an investigation into the assassination of Fernando Villavicencio," the statement reads.

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — An Ecuadorian presidential candidate known for speaking up against cartels and corruption was shot and killed Wednesday at a political rally in the capital, amid a startling wave of gang-driven violence in the South American country.

President Guillermo Lasso confirmed the assassination of Fernando Villavicencio and suggested organized crime was behind his slaying, less than two weeks before the Aug. 20 presidential election.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China sent navy ships and a large group of fighter jets toward Taiwan, continuing its military pressure on the island, Taiwan’s defense ministry said Thursday.

China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory and has regularly sent flights toward the island in reaction to the island’s political activities. In the past year, it has also sent navy vessels as well as drones to circle the waters near the island.

NEW DELHI, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- The no-confidence motion brought by the opposition parties in India against the federal government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was defeated by a voice vote in the Indian parliament's lower house on Thursday.

The debate over the no-confidence motion lasted for three days after it was introduced by a lawmaker belonging to the main opposition party, the Indian National Congress (INC), on Tuesday.

JAKARTA, Aug 10 (NNN-ANTARA) – A 5.9-magnitude earthquake rocked Indonesia’s eastern province of Maluku today, the country’s meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency said.

The agency reported the quake happened at 09:00 a.m. Jakarta time (0200 GMT), with its epicentre being 131 km south-west of Maluku Tenggara (South-east of Maluku) district, and at a depth of 154 km under the seabed.

The earthquake did not have the potential to trigger giant waves, the agency said.

BEIJING, Aug. 10 (APP): China’s Assistant Foreign Minister Nong Rong has said that China supports Pakistan in playing a bigger role in international and regional affairs.

TEHRAN, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Iran and South Africa on Thursday convened the 15th session of the Joint Commission of Economic Cooperation in South Africa's administrative capital Pretoria, after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported.

During the meeting, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor inked a document on economic cooperation, according to the report.

HOUSTON, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Cuba has begun using its own tankers to ramp up crude imports from Mexico, which in the second quarter surpassed Russia as a key oil provider to the fuel-thirsty island, according to vessel monitoring data.

MOSCOW, August 10. /TASS/: Manufacturers will present Su-57 and Su-35 fighter jets with the latest guided missiles, artillery ammunition and Raptor sniper system at the Army-2023 forum, Rosoboronexport has told the media.

At the Army 2023 show manufacturers will show the latest selections available from the Russian defense industry: armored vehicle 3-STS Akhmat, fighters Su-57 and Su-35 with the latest guided weapons, artillery ammunition and sniper complex Raptor," the company said.

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Russian rocket attack on Wednesday killed two people and wounded at least seven others in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, which is near Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Ukrainian officials said.

Although regional governor Yuriy Malashko initially said three people died in the attack on a residential area, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko later said two people died and one other person had been resuscitated.

BUSAN, South Korea (AP) — A strong tropical storm slammed into South Korea’s southern coastal regions Thursday, bringing intense rains and winds that toppled trees, ripped off roofs and turned roads into chocolate-colored rivers as it slowly plowed north toward major urban centers near the capital.

There were no immediate reports of storm-related deaths or injuries as of 11 a.m., according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. More than 10,000 people, mostly in southern coastal areas, were forced to evacuate from their homes and the number was expected to grow.

TEL AVIV, Aug 10 (Reuters) - El Al Israel Airlines (ELAL.TA) is in "serious" talks with planemaker Airbus (AIR.PA) to buy as many as 30 A321neo jets, El Al's CEO said on Thursday, in what would be an historic change of supplier as it looks to replace its short-haul fleet.

Israel's flag carrier is also in talks with traditional supplier Boeing (BA.N) to buy 737 MAX aircraft, Dina Ben Tal Ganancia told Reuters on the sidelines of a conference after El Al issued quarterly results and as it celebrated 20 years of being traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange after privatisation.