MOSCOW/DAMASCUS (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Sunday that further Western attacks on Syria would bring chaos to world affairs, as Washington prepared to increase pressure on Russia with new economic sanctions. In a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, Putin and Rouhani agreed that the ... Read More »
Trump’s ‘mission accomplished’ tweet may come back to haunt him as another battle looms around Damascus
As Syrian troops move to another confrontation around the Syrian capital, what will the US president – and the British and French – do if more images of gassed civilians dying in agony appear? Syrian army troop reinforcements are moving up to more front lines in the suburbs of Damascus ... Read More »
‘Day zero’ water crises: Spain, Morocco, India and Iraq at risk as reservoirs shrink
A new early warning satellite system reveals countries where shrinking reservoirs could lead to the taps completely drying up Shrinking reservoirs in Morocco, India, Iraq and Spain could spark the next “day zero” water crisis, according to the developers of a satellite early warning system for the world’s 500,000 dams. ... Read More »
Algerian military plane crash kills 257 people
At least 257 people were killed on Wednesday when a military plane crashed near the Algerian capital, Algiers, state media reported. The plane crashed shortly after taking off from the Boufarik air base, between Algiers and the city of Blida. Ten of those killed were the plane crew, according to ... Read More »
Zuckerberg put on back foot as House grills Facebook CEO over user tracking
The Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, was given a rougher ride on his second day of congressional testimony on Wednesday as he faced sharp questions about the tech giant’s ability to track its users’ movements, shopping habits and browsing histories and was at one stage compared to J Edgar Hoover. During ... Read More »
Eurocontrol warns airlines of possible missile strikes into Syria
Pan-European air traffic control agency Eurocontrol on Tuesday warned airlines to exercise caution in the eastern Mediterranean due to the possible launch of air strikes into Syria in next 72 hours. Eurocontrol said that air-to-ground and/or cruise missiles could be used within that period and there was a possibility of ... Read More »
UK sends another warship to help impose North Korea sanctions
Assault ship HMS Albion will join HMS Sutherland and HMS Argyll, which is due in the region later in the year to take part in exercises with Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore. The ships will enforce the UN ban on ship-to-ship transfers of goods destined for North Korea. Several ... Read More »
UN in deadlock after US and Russia vote against each other to investigate Syria chemical weapons attack
US Ambassador Nikki Haley says the UN has ‘showed our complete failure to protect the Syrian people’ The United Nations was deadlocked as the US and Russia voted against each other over an investigation into the recent suspected chemical attack in Syria. Each country placed a resolution before the Security ... Read More »
The Issue Of Women In Combat
Women in combat Women in combat are female military personnel assigned to combat positions. This article covers the situation in major countries, provides a historical perspective, and reviews the main arguments made for and against women in combat. Some nations allow female soldiers to serve in certain combat arms positions. ... Read More »
Russia stock market crashes 11% after US imposes sanctions on oligarchs linked to Kremlin
Russia’s main share index crashed 11 per cent on Monday after the US imposed new sanctions on oligarchs and companies linked to Vladimir Putin. Aluminium giant Rusal, which is controlled by Oleg Deripaska, halved in value on the Hong Kong stock exchange on Monday, while EN+, a holding company also ... Read More »