NATO is set to hold its regular annual nuclear deterrence exercises next week amid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s repeated threats to use nuclear weapons. “This is routine training which happens every year to keep our deterrence safe, secure and effective,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Tuesday (11 October). …
Read More »Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant loses external power
Ukraine’s biggest nuclear plant, which is surrounded by Russian troops, has lost all external power needed for vital safety systems for the second time in five days, the head of the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog said Wednesday, calling it a “deeply worrying development.” The warning from International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General …
Read More »Nuclear deterrence drill, talks on restocking arsenals next up on NATO’s agenda
The U.S.-led NATO alliance will agree this week to a plan for ramping up munitions and weapons production to replenish stockpiles after months of arms shipments to Ukraine, NATO’s top official said Tuesday. Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, speaking on the eve of a two-day defense ministers conference in Brussels, also said …
Read More »How Far Will Xi Go to Help a Desperate Putin?
Cracks have emerged in their marriage of convenience, but the two autocrats are in it for the long haul. Anyone who has been in a relationship knows there are good days and not so good days. While trust and respect are the bedrock of healthy partnerships, transactional and even toxic …
Read More »US commits $1.1bn in long-term assistance for Ukraine
18 HIMARS systems and 150 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles are part of the package. The US Department of Defense (DoD) has confirmed additional security assistance worth $1.1bn to cater to Ukraine’s defence requirements in the mid and long term. The aid package under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) …
Read More »France to scale up military aid for Ukrainian armed forces
Macron will stay in close contact with Zelenskiy and European and G7 members to extend support. French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to augment military assistance to strengthen Ukrainian armed forces as Russian attacks intensify. The announcement comes close after attacks by Russia across Ukrainian cities that reportedly claimed several …
Read More »Biden Promises Zelensky Further Advanced Air Defense Systems After Attacks
Immediately upon Monday’s major wave of airstrikes on dozens of cities and towns across Ukraine, the Zelensky government renewed its appeal for Washington to urgently send more anti-air defense systems to help “close the skies” – as President Zelensky had earlier in the war said to Congress. President Biden in …
Read More »Putin may meet Erdogan to discuss idea of Russia-West talks, Kremlin says
President Vladimir Putin may meet Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan this week to discuss a Turkish proposal to host talks between Russia and the West on Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Monday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia had not received any signals about the prospect of negotiations with …
Read More »Iran’s crackdown on protests intensifies in Kurdish region
Iran intensified its crackdown Tuesday on Kurdish areas in the country’s west amid protests sparked by the death of a 22-year-old woman detained by the morality police as oil workers demonstrated at a key refinery, activists said. Riot police fired into residential neighborhoods in Sanandaj, the capital of Iran’s Kurdistan …
Read More »Protests In Iran Spread To Oil And Gas Sector
Protests in Iran over the death of a 22-year-old woman have spread to workers in the oil and gas sector, online videos appear to show. Videos posted on social media Monday show demonstrations taking place at Asaluyeh, Iran’s large offshore natural gas field on the Persian Gulf. Workers can be …
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