Germany has confirmed that it will send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and approve their re-export from other countries, in a move that was hailed by Kyiv’s Western allies and decried by Russia as a dangerous escalation. Fourteen of the German-made tanks from Berlin’s military stocks will be sent initially as part of Berlin’s historic … Read moreGermany to send battle tanks to Ukraine, angering Russia
On the night of January 4, a section of tracks along the Trans-Siberian Railway in Russia’s Krasnoyarsk region was blown up. The rail line was used by the Russian army to transport supplies to Ukraine. A photo and video clip of an explosion ripping through a railway bridge were posted on Telegram by an organisation … Read moreRussian saboteurs seek to hamper Putin’s war machine
In July 2022, the Home Office of the United Kingdom published a white paper titled Swift, Certain, Tough: New Consequences for Drug Possession, outlining a new three-tiered punishment system for drug possession. Aimed at targeting middle-class people who use drugs recreationally, who the government blames for fuelling crime in the country, the white paper proposes … Read moreThe UK is still waging an unwinnable war on drugs
Turkey has indefinitely postponed a new round of talks with Sweden and Finland on the Nordic neighbours’ NATO membership bids in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last February, according to Turkish state TV. The meeting scheduled to take place in Brussels was postponed at Ankara’s request, the state broadcaster said on Tuesday. NATO … Read moreTurkey postpones NATO meeting with Sweden, Finland: State TV
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he is willing to discuss pay rises for nurses ahead of a meeting with public sector trade union leaders in an effort to end the biggest wave of industrial disputes in decades. The United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS), long treasured and funded by taxpayers, delivers free care … Read moreUK PM Sunak signals he is open to discussing pay rises for nurses
Sweden is confident that Turkey will approve its application to join the NATO military alliance, but it will not meet all the conditions that Ankara has set for its support, Sweden’s prime minister has said. “Turkey both confirms that we have done what we said we would do, but they also say that they want … Read moreSweden says cannot fulfil Turkey’s demands for NATO application
NATO’s mission in Kosovo has turned down a Serbian government request to send up to 1,000 Serbian police and army personnel to Kosovo after a spate of clashes between Serbs and Kosovo authorities. Serbia’s former province of Kosovo declared independence in 2008 following the 1998-1999 war during which NATO bombed the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, … Read moreNATO turns down Serbia’s request to deploy troops in Kosovo
Portugal’s footballing superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has arrived in Riyadh ahead of his grand unveiling before thousands of fans at Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr club. After sealing a deal estimated at more than 200 million euros ($213m), the 37-year-old touched down in the Saudi Arabian capital late on Monday, according to Al Ekhbariya state-run TV. The … Read moreRonaldo arrives in Saudi Arabia ahead of unveiling by Al Nassr
German opposition politicians are calling for Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht’s resignation over what they say is a series of blunders, the latest of which was a New Year’s Eve speech they describe as an embarrassment. Lambrecht drew heavy criticism for a video address released on social media and filmed on the streets of Berlin during … Read moreGermany’s defence minister in hot water over New Year’s video
Russia has said that 63 of its troops were killed during a Ukrainian New Year’s Eve attack on a makeshift barracks in the partly-occupied Donetsk region. The ministry said in a statement on Monday that Ukraine’s military had launched six projectiles at the “provisional base” in the eastern city of Makiivka using the HIMARS guided … Read moreRussia says 63 troops killed in Ukrainian attack on Makiivka