MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a decree to increase the number of Russian armed forces to 2,389,130 units, including 1.5 million military personnel.

The new decree, published on the official website for legal information, will take effect from Dec. 1, 2024. (Russia-Military Personnel)

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HELSINKI -- Sweden has announced its readiness to take command of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)'s multinational forward land forces to be stationed in Finland, sources said on Monday.

Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson made the announcement at a joint press conference in Stockholm with visiting Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen. (Finland-Sweden-NATO)

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JERUSALEM -- Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday told his American counterpart that time was running out for a diplomatic solution to prevent a full-scale war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

In a telephone call, Gallant told U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that "the possibility for an agreed framework is running out," according to a statement released by his office.

"The trajectory is clear" as long as Hezbollah "continues to tie itself to Hamas," Gallant said. (Israel-Hezbollah-US)

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TOKYO -- Water-related accidents left 242 people dead or missing in Japan in July and August, marking a third consecutive year-on-year increase, police data showed.

The National Police Agency (NPA) said in a preliminary report that the number of accidents at sea, in rivers and other bodies of water during the two months rose to 488 nationwide, up 35 from a year ago. (Japan-Water Accidents-Death) Enditem

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