International
Patriot missiles, key anti-missile systems for the defense of the Ukrainian sky
The Patriot missiles, whose shipment to Ukraine has been announced in recent hours by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, who specified that his European allies “will pay for it”, are one of the main anti-ballistic defense systems of the United States Army and serve to intercept attacks launched by adversaries by land and air.
The Patriot missile, designed in the late 1970s by Raytheon originally as an anti-aircraft defense weapon, was modified in the late 1980s to counter short-range ballistic missiles.
They were not tested in combat until 1991, during the Gulf War, when they achieved fame by becoming an almost infallible weapon to now intercept and destroy the Scud missiles used by Iraq, of Soviet manufacture and much slower.
His first operation, on February 18, 1991, was the shooting down at about 5,000 meters high of a Scud missile launched from Iraq against the Saudi base in Dahran.
The Patriot system is a 2.25-meter-long missile, powered by a single-stage rocket, which weighs almost a ton and operates at three times the speed of sound (Mach 3) with a range of 70 kilometers.
The Patriot that was used in the Gulf War was carrying a 90-kilogram explosive charge that exploded by a proximity detonator with such force that the explosion and splinters destroyed the missile against which it was fired.
Since then, the system has undergone modifications that have given it greater precision and that have allowed it to increase its effectiveness not only against ballistic missiles but also against the so-called “cruise”, which have their own navigation means and change course during the flight.
Currently, the Patriot ground-to-air guided weapons system can “eliminate aircraft, helicopters and high-speed ballistic and cruise missiles,” which is possible up to “a height of 20 kilometers and a distance of 60 kilometers.”
A Patriot missile costs about 3 million dollars – three times more than a NASAMS missile (Advanced National Ground-to-Air Missile System), another of the systems that Ukraine has been using.
The Patriot system comprises a radar station, a control system and the missile launchers.
In December 2022, the United States Government, under the presidency of Joe Biden, authorized the dispatch of the Patriot missile system to Ukraine.
The supply only included an anti-aircraft battery, which includes a radar that detects and follows the target, computers, generators and a control station, in addition to eight mini-shing with four missiles ready to fire.
The North American shipment was joined by two other Patriot systems from Germany and the Netherlands, which arrived in Ukraine in April 2023.
A month later, Russia claimed to have destroyed a Patriot anti-aircraft battery in Kiev, which, however, was operational again a few days later, according to the Pentagon.
In their first month of activity alone, Patriot systems sent to Ukraine shot down more than 80 targets, including seven Russian Kinzhal supersonic missiles, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
The first Patriots shipments have been followed by others throughout the war, including those supplied by Spain and Romania to Ukraine.
With the arrival of Donald Trump to the US presidency last January, military aid from the United States was suspended, and although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky showed his interest in buying ten Patriot systems, Trump disdained the possibility.
However, at the end of June Trump changed his mind and opened up to the possibility of supplying these missiles to Ukraine, and finally last Sunday he announced that he will send them, but that his European allies “will pay for it.”
International
Rubio rules out 2028 presidential bid if Vance runs
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would not seek the presidency in 2028 if current Vice President JD Vancedecides to run as the Republican nominee to succeed President Donald Trump.
“If JD Vance runs for president, he will be our candidate, and I will be one of the first people to support him,” Rubio said in an interview with Vanity Fair, in which he appeared alongside other senior members of the presidential cabinet.
Rubio, 54, and Vance, 41, are widely viewed as two of the leading Republican figures who could headline the party’s ticket in the 2028 election. Under the U.S. Constitution, Trump is barred from seeking another term after completing two presidential mandates.
In a lighthearted moment during the interview, Vance jokingly offered photographers $1,000 if they managed to make him look better than Rubio in the photos. Both leaders have received public backing from Trump, who last October floated the idea of a joint ticket featuring Rubio and Vance, without clarifying who would lead it.
“I think that if they ever teamed up, they would be unstoppable. I don’t think anyone would run against us,” Trump said at the time.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who also took part in the interview, confirmed that Trump does not intend to violate the 22nd Amendment, which prohibits a third presidential term, though she acknowledged that the president is “having fun” with speculation about a possible return to office.
Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, served as a Republican senator from 2010 to 2025. He sought the party’s presidential nomination in 2016 but was defeated by Trump after a bruising primary contest. His name was floated as a potential vice presidential pick in 2024, but Vance ultimately secured the spot. After taking office, Trump appointed Rubio as secretary of state, making him the first Latino to hold the position.
International
Authorities search for armed and dangerous suspect in fatal Brown University attack
According to the statement, investigators are “seeking the public’s help to identify and speak with an individual” who was seen “near” the suspect at the time of the attack.
The Providence Police Department in Rhode Island released three photos of the person of interest, whose face has been blurred. In the images, the individual is wearing navy blue clothing, what appears to be a green hood, and carrying a light-colored backpack.
Earlier, authorities had released several photos and videos of a suspect described as “approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall, with a stocky build,” dressed in dark clothing, with their face covered by a surgical mask and wearing a beanie. The suspect’s identity remains unknown.
Authorities are offering a $50,000 reward for any information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the person responsible for the killings, who is considered armed and dangerous.
The gunman opened fire on Saturday at Brown University’s engineering and physics building, where exams were being held, killing students Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov. The names of the nine people injured have not been released.
International
Police investigate deaths of Rob Reiner and wife as apparent homicide
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is investigating the deaths of Hollywood actor and filmmaker Rob Reinerand his wife as an “apparent homicide,” amid a wave of tributes to the director of classics such as When Harry Met Sally.
According to U.S. media reports on Sunday, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were found dead at their Los Angeles mansion with what appeared to be stab wounds.
Several political figures shared messages of condolence following the reported deaths of the director of A Few Good Menand his wife.
While the LAPD did not officially confirm the identities of the victims, it stated that homicide detectives were dispatched to the Reiner residence.
“At this time, no additional details are available and the investigation into an apparent homicide is ongoing,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement posted on social media.
LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told reporters that no arrests have been made and that no individuals are currently being questioned as suspects.
“I’m not going to confirm whether anyone is being questioned at this moment or not. We are going to try to speak with as many family members as we can,” Hamilton said.
CNN reported that a family spokesperson confirmed the deaths of Reiner and his wife.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, former U.S. President Barack Obama, and former Vice President Kamala Harrisissued statements expressing their condolences.
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