World News Roundup: Ukrainian drones strike six Russian regions, destroy planes at airfield; Spain's acting PM rejects conservative leader's request to back premiership bid and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Exclusive-U.S military in talks to develop port in Philippines facing Taiwan

The U.S. military is in talks to develop a civilian port in the remote northernmost islands of the Philippines, the local governor and two other officials told Reuters, a move that would boost American access to strategically located islands facing Taiwan. U.S. military involvement in the proposed port in the Batanes islands, less than 200 km (125 miles) from Taiwan, could stoke tensions at a time of growing friction with China and a drive by Washington to intensify its longstanding defence treaty engagement with the Philippines.

Kremlin says Prigozhin plane may have been downed on purpose

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that investigators were considering the possibility that the plane carrying mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was downed on purpose, the first explicit acknowledgement that he may have been assassinated. "It is obvious that different versions are being considered, including the version - you know what we are talking about – let's say, a deliberate atrocity," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about the investigation.

Ukrainian drones strike six Russian regions, destroy planes at airfield

Ukrainian drones struck targets in at least six regions deep within Russia on Wednesday, including an airfield where they destroyed military transport planes, in one of the broadest volleys yet of Kyiv's campaign to turn the tables on Moscow. Russian officials described attacks on targets in the Pskov, Bryansk, Kaluga, Orlov, Ryazan and Moscow regions. The Russian foreign ministry said the attacks would "not go unpunished" and the drones could not have reached so far into Russian territory without Western help.

Spain's acting PM rejects conservative leader's request to back premiership bid

Spain's acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday rejected a request from Alberto Nunez Feijoo, leader of the conservatives, to support him in a vote to form a government and will instead seek a new term himself, his Socialist Party said.

Feijoo's People's Party won the most seats in the July 23 elections, but came short of a working majority and is trying to garner enough support in the lower house.

Two killed in biggest Russian air strike on Ukrainian capital for months - Kyiv

Russia's largest air strike on Kyiv since spring killed two people early on Wednesday, with the debris of downed missiles falling on buildings, a park and a school, Ukrainian officials said. Reuters captured footage of a fireball that fell out of the night sky into a part of the Ukrainian capital close to a supermarket, detonating in a huge explosion that bathed nearby residential tower blocks in light.

One killed in rare clash between Palestinian security forces and gunmen

A man was killed on Wednesday in a clash in a town in the occupied West Bank that broke out after Palestinian security forces tried to remove barricades set up by gunmen. The rare internal violence followed months of intensifying Israeli military raids on West Bank areas where Palestinian gunmen have been been increasingly assertive, in a challenge to the internationally-backed Palestinian Authority (PA).

U.S. Space Force looks to boost allied tracking of North Korea missiles

The U.S. and South Korean militaries want to more closely integrate their systems for tracking North Korean missile launches, an effort that may soon see more cooperation with Japan as well, U.S. Space Force officials said on Wednesday. Led by a small contingent of U.S. Space Force personnel - the branch's first official component set up overseas - the allies see closer space integration as key to better tracking North Korean threats and responding to a conflict.

Stimulus measures should not spur inflation -Germany's Scholz

Germany's government must be careful that its economic stimulus measures do not spur inflation, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday, shortly after his cabinet approved 32 billion euros ($35 billion) of corporate tax cuts to boost flagging growth. German consumer price inflation, harmonised to compare with other European Union countries, rose by an annual 6.4% in August, preliminary data showed on Wednesday, edging lower from 6.5% in July but more than the 6.3% forecast in a Reuters poll.

Gabon officers declare military coup, President Ali Bongo detained

Military officers in oil-producing Gabon said they had seized power on Wednesday and had put President Ali Bongo under house arrest, stepping in minutes after the Central African state's election body announced he had won a third term. The officers who said they represented the armed forces declared on television that the election results were cancelled, borders were closed and state institutions were dissolved, after a tense vote without international observers that was set to extend the Bongo family's more than half century in power.

China, Britain make tentative steps to repair ties

China and Britain made tentative steps to repair relations on Wednesday, with Beijing promising better ties if both showed "mutual respect" and London saying it wants to keep lines of communication open, including between the countries' leaders. Foreign minister James Cleverly is the first senior British minister in five years to visit China, a trip he hopes will reset ties between the two countries after years of tension over security, investment and human rights.

(With inputs from agencies.)