Author: staff
Nonetheless, Porter predicted: “I think what you’re going to get is a very untidy mix of recognizing changed circumstances while clinging on to the old world order.” What are the pinch points? The U.K. is heavily reliant on the U.S. for several key aspects of its defense network, including intelligence-sharing, the nuclear deterrent and F-35 fighter planes. Mike Martin, a Liberal Democrat MP and former army officer, called for a rethink of the intelligence the U.K. shares with America in the wake of the Signalgate scandal, saying: “When you share intelligence you obviously want to know if these people are…
If a student and part-time model can turn out to be behind a one-off gig for Russia, so could thousands of others in Britain, Germany, Poland, Lithuania — essentially any Western country. The gig model works well for Russia because it allows it to easily recruit freelancers, or “disposable agents” as they’re sometimes called. “The more eye-catching shift this year has been Russian state actors turning to proxies for their dirty work, including private intelligence operatives and criminals from both the U.K. and third countries,” MI5 Director General Ken McCallum said last October. The arrangement works well for the freelancers,…
WARSAW — Centrist Rafał Trzaskowski was very slightly ahead of his populist rival Karol Nawrocki in Poland’s presidential election, according to an exit poll released after voting ended Sunday evening, leading by 50.3 percent to 49.7 percent. However, that is within the exit poll’s 2 percentage point margin of error, so it is impossible to say who the winner is. A clearer picture will emerge when an updated poll by the IPSOS organization is released at 11:30 p.m. The electoral commission says final results of the vote count will be announced on Monday. If the result holds and Trzaskowski is…
In a post on X Sunday evening, the IDF called the allegations against the Israeli military “false reports” and said that an initial inquiry indicated that “the IDF did not fire at civilians while they were near or within” the aid station. The GHF denied the incident had taken place, branding the reports of casualties “untrue and fabricated.” The incident showcases persisting difficulties around delivering aid to Gaza even after Israel agreed to relax an almost three-month blockade against the enclave last month. The GHF, which is backed by the U.S. as well as Israel, has led humanitarian aid efforts…
SBU chief Vasyl Malyuk “personally curated the operation,” the official told POLITICO, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. “Thanks to Malyuk … Russia has now understood the true meaning of the word demilitarization,” the official said. The official showed a video of Russian bombers burning at one of the airfields that could not be independently verified. Russian authorities have not issued any official statements on the drone attacks. Video via SBU “Today will later be called the dark day of Russia’s long-range aviation,” Russian military aviation blogger Ilya Tumanov, known as Fighterbomber, said in a Telegram post.…
“We are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, so we must be ready to fight and win,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in an opinion piece in the Sun ahead of the strategy’s publication. The wide-ranging military review comes amid a broader push in Europe to revitalize countries’ depleted defense sectors as top generals warn that Russia could launch a large-scale conflict on the continent by the end of the decade. In Brussels, the EU has announced a plan to unlock up to €800 billion in new military spending. At the same time, NATO allies are…
The pair “solicited the procurement of U.S. defense articles, including missiles, air defense radar, drones and cryptographic devices with associated crypto ignition keys for unlawful export from the United States to the People’s Republic of China,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The case comes amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and China, as the two engage in an escalating trade war. On Sunday, Beijing warned Washington to not “play with fire” after U.S. defense chief Pete Hegseth said China could be gearing up to invade Taiwan. Both men are also accused of attempting to “harass” a Chinese-American artist and known…
Flares and fireworks were set off, bus shelters smashed and cars torched amid wild celebrations as PSG won the biggest prize in European club football for the first time in their history, according to media reports. Paris police prefect Laurent Nuñez said PSG’s Champions League trophy parade will go ahead on Sunday evening, but there will be an increased police and military presence on the ground. “The toll is lower than what we have seen in the past, but we will never get used to this kind of abuse, with people who only came to commit acts of vandalism and…
In Russia’s Bryansk region, an explosion caused a road bridge to collapse onto a railway line late Saturday, derailing a passenger train heading to Moscow, according to the Russian authorities. A separate rail bridge in the neighboring Kursk region was blown up hours later in the early hours of Sunday, derailing a freight train and injuring the driver, the authorities said. The Investigative Committee, the country’s top criminal investigation agency, said in a statement that explosions had caused the two bridges to collapse, but did not give further details. Several hours later, it edited the statement, which was posted on…
Beijing’s foreign ministry said Hegseth had “vilified China with defamatory allegations” in a statement on Sunday. The U.S. “should not play with fire” on Taiwan, it warned. Hegseth’s “remarks were filled with provocations and intended to sow division. China deplores and firmly opposes them and has protested strongly to the U.S.,” the ministry said. The war of words comes amid rising tensions between Washington and Beijing, as the two superpowers continue to face off in an escalating trade war. On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused China of violating a truce on tariffs. Though Taiwan split from China amid civil…