World News Roundup: N.Korea says missile tests simulate striking South with nuclear weapons; Taiwan says war with China 'absolutely' not an option, but bolstering defences and more

The missiles tore into busy intersections, parks and tourist sites in the centre of downtown Kyiv with an intensity not seen since Russian forces tried to capture the capital early in the war. 'I don't want to shoot anybody': war-averse Russians seek sanctuary in Georgia Igor Tikhiy, a 49-year-old marketing professional, has a simple answer to the question of why he fled to Georgia last week, crossing the border in the dead of night on his bicycle.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

N.Korea says missile tests simulate striking South with nuclear weapons

North Korea's recent flurry of missile tests were designed to simulate showering the South with tactical nuclear weapons as a warning after large-scale navy drills by South Korean and U.S. forces, state news agency KCNA said on Monday. North Korea fired two ballistic missiles early on Sunday, officials in Seoul and Tokyo said, the seventh such launch since Sept. 25.

Taiwan says war with China 'absolutely' not an option, but bolstering defences

War between Taiwan and China is "absolutely not an option", Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said on Monday, as she reiterated her willingness to talk to Beijing and also pledged to boost the island's defences including with precision missiles. China again rejected her latest overture, saying the island was an inseparable part of its territory.

Iran intensifies crackdown in Kurdish cities as unrest persists

Iranian security forces intensified a crackdown on anti-government protests in several Kurdish cities on Monday, social media posts and videos showed, pressing efforts to quell unrest ignited by the death of a woman in morality police custody. Protests have swept Iran since Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old from Iran's Kurdish region, died on Sept. 16 while being held for "inappropriate attire", marking one of the boldest challenges to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution.

Russia's defence ministry: All targets hit in massive missile strikes on Ukraine

Russia's defence ministry said it hit "all designated targets" in a massive missile attack on Ukrainian military, communications and energy infrastructure on Monday. Russia said the goals of the missile strikes had been achieved, in one of the largest coordinated Russian attacks against Ukraine since the first weeks of the war. Ukraine said the rush-hour attacks in eight regions appeared to have been deliberately timed to kill people, accusing Russia of terrorism.

Kyiv, other Ukraine cities hit as Putin orders revenge for Crimea bridge

Russia fired cruise missiles at cities across Ukraine during rush hour on Monday morning, killing civilians and knocking out power and heat, in what President Vladimir Putin declared to be revenge for Ukrainian attacks including on a bridge to Crimea. The missiles tore into busy intersections, parks and tourist sites in the centre of downtown Kyiv with an intensity not seen since Russian forces tried to capture the capital early in the war.

'I don't want to shoot anybody': war-averse Russians seek sanctuary in Georgia

Igor Tikhiy, a 49-year-old marketing professional, has a simple answer to the question of why he fled to Georgia last week, crossing the border in the dead of night on his bicycle. "I don't want to shoot anybody. That's why I'm here."

Thai PM orders tighter gun control, drugs crackdown after mass killing

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Monday ordered law enforcement agencies to tighten gun ownership rules and crack down on drug use following a mass killing by an ex-policeman at a daycare centre that left has the nation in shock. A total of 36 people including 24 children were killed in a knife and gun rampage last week by an ex-cop who later killed himself in Uthai Sawan, a town 500 km (310 miles) northeast of Bangkok. It was one of the worst child death tolls in a massacre by a single killer in recent history.

Banking crisis breakthroughs win Nobel economics prize for Bernanke, Diamond, Dybvig

A trio of U.S. economists including Former Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke won this year's Nobel Economics Prize on Monday for laying the foundation of how world powers now tackle global crises like the recent pandemic or the Great Recession of 2008. The trio, who also include Douglas Diamond and Philip Dybvig, won for their research on how regulating banks and propping up failing lenders with public cash can stave off an even deeper economic crisis, such as the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Malaysian PM calls for early polls as ruling party seeks to rise above graft cases

Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Monday called an early election, aiming to win a stronger mandate and end political instability since the multi-billion dollar 1MDB scandal and COVID crisis. The ruling United Malays National Organisation's rush to hold polls that had been due by September next year comes as some of its leaders face the prospect of long jail terms over graft charges.

Spain rights group seeks probe of civil war lyrics at far-right rally

A group representing victims of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco's regime has asked prosecutors to investigate a song performed at a rally by the far-right Vox party for allegedly calling for a return to civil war. The song, written by youtuber Isaac Parejo and performed with the band Los Meconios, starts with the line "We're going back to '36", a reference to the year Spain's civil war began and a suggestion Spain's Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory said could be akin to a hate crime.