Why japan needs more forceful defence

RUSSIA has threatened to nuke Britain with its Satan-2 hypersonic missile in 200 seconds and obliterate Finland in just ten. The chilling warning has came from a senior politician and was made as the Nordic country has said it wants to join NATO in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Aleksey Zhuravlyov, 59, deputy chairman of the Russian parliament’s defence committee, said in an interview it was “absolutely legitimate” for Russia to “question the existence” of Finland. He was asked if Russia now needed to station its nuclear missiles including the Sarmat – known in the West as the Satan-2 – on the border with its neighbour. “What for? We don't need to,” he replied. “We can hit with a Sarmat from Siberia, and even reach the UK. And if we strike from Kaliningrad the hypersonic's reaching time is 200 seconds - so go ahead, guys.” READ MORE ON RUSSIA VLAD YOUR DAY Coup to oust Putin underway & he'll be removed by year's … [Read more...] about Russia threatens to NUKE Britain in 200 seconds and Finland in just 10 seconds as Nordic nation applies to join NATO

Live Updates Today is Day 34 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Delegations from Ukraine and Russia met in Istanbul for peace talks Tuesday. Kyiv's priority is to negotiate a ceasefire. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba advised anyone in the negotiations "not to eat or drink anything." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told PBS Russia is not considering the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine . Shelling ripped a hole through the regional government building of Mykolayiv early Tuesday, the region's governor said at least 12 people died. U.S. and U.K. intelligence confirm Russia has stopped its advance on Kyiv. The Pentagon warns that Russian troops are likely repositioning, not withdrawing, as Russia claims. The Red Cross warns that "time is running out for civilians in Mariupol" who are in desperate need of humanitarian aid. Russian forces continue blocking the city, Zelensky says nearly every building in Mariupol is destroyed. Live Updates For … [Read more...] about Ukraine News: Sherman says civilians in Mariupol dying of starvation

“All changed, changed utterly: a terrible beauty is born.” Whether or not the Easter 1916 rebels merited Yeats’s grim tribute, the awe-inspiring courage of the Ukrainians certainly does. It has changed the world situation and Britain’s role. What if the Ukrainians had been swiftly defeated , as Putin (and many in the West) expected? What if “gallant little Belgium” had acquiesced in German armies crossing their territory in August 1914 to defeat France? In both cases Britain, crucially, encouraged resistance. If Jeremy Hunt, Rishi Sunak or Jeremy Corbyn had been prime minister, or if Asquith had followed his instinct in 1914 that “there seems no reason why we should be anything more than spectators”, the future is likely to have been very different. Perhaps better, or less bad: people subjugated, but fewer killed. But alternative pasts are as unknowable as alternative futures. And now we have taken the audacious step of offering defence guarantees to Finland and Sweden. This is a … [Read more...] about Britain’s future is to be Europe’s only great power, not a satellite of Macron’s continental empire

Paul Baines is a Professor of Political Marketing at the University of Leicester. OPINION: As well as success on the battlefield, wars are often won or lost through information advantage. In the Russia-Ukraine conflict, we might have expected Russia – an old hand at propaganda – to have bested Ukraine early on . Russia’s deception operations have had a long history of global influence, most recently the troll farms that influenced the 2016 US presidential election in favour of Donald Trump. In the current conflict, Russia’s propaganda efforts have consisted largely of censorship within Russia to maintain the fiction of the conflict being a “special military operation” rather than an invasion. Russia has created the narrative that this military operation is about ridding Ukraine of Nazis and fascists. But propaganda does not have to be solely through media and speech. Russian threats of nuclear deterrence – test-firing a nuclear missile and issuing vague threats … [Read more...] about How is Volodymyr Zelenskyy winning the information war against Russia?

Australia’s embattled prime minister on Sunday officially launched his conservative party’s campaign less than a week before elections, highlighting the nation’s early success in containing the pandemic and its strong economic recovery. Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s coalition trails the centre-left Labor Party opposition in most opinion polls as the administration seeks a rare fourth three-year term in elections on Saturday. Morrison focused the party launch on economic management, which has traditionally been regarded as the strength of his conservative Liberal Party. He described the election as “a choice between a strong economy or a weaker one that only makes your life harder, not better”. READ MORE: Centre-left parties worldwide have struggled to reinvent themselves – what's going on? Labor leader Anthony Albanese tests positive for Covid, Australian election campaign plans on hold An alleged Chinese interference plot stirs fears – and smears – ahead of … [Read more...] about Australia’s Morrison launches campaign days before election, as Liberals trail Labor in polls

Putin threatens ‘response’ if Nato deployed in Nordic nations Russia 'willing to evacuate' Ukrainians from Mariupol siege The Turkish drones that changed the game in Ukraine Comment: Putin cannot afford another defeat like Kharkiv B elarus will deploy special operations troops along its border with Ukraine and send air defence, artillery and missile units to training ranges in the west of the country, Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said. The MoD announced the development on Monday morning, saying: "The presence of Belarusian forces near the border will likely fix Ukrainian troops, so they cannot deploy in support of operations in the Donbas". Belarusia's forces have not been directly involved in the conflict, though its territory was used as a staging post for Russia's initial advance on Ukraine’s capital and Chernihiv. Russia has also launched air sorties and missile strikes from Belarus. "Belarusian President Lukashenko is likely balancing … [Read more...] about Russia-Ukraine latest news: Belarus deploys troops along border with Ukraine, says MoD

Lord Frost gives update on UK’s participation in Horizon Europe Sign up for FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Britain was supposed to contribute £15billion over a seven-year period so it could take part in Horizon Europe, as agreed in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU (TCA). This would have let it access the EU’s huge pool of funding and let UK scientists and institutions collaborate with European partners. Related articles Switzerland ready to strike deal with 'key partner' UK after EU snub Meet the agency behind the UK’s defensive nuclear capacity But this opportunity is now close to being “snatched away”, according to Tim … [Read more...] about EU ‘on the brink’ of losing UK’s £15bn cash injection as time to strike deal ‘running out’

Europe ‘too dependent’ on Russian gas says von der Leyen Sign up for our news briefing, including a daily special Russia-Ukraine edition SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info The European Commission is set to signal the warning in an adopted policy document today . Proposed measures will likely include a temporary cap on prices in the event of a full-scale "supply shock” from Russia . It comes after Moscow had previously slashed supplies and sent prices soaring to record highs, forcing EU states to adopt measures to cope with the skyrocketing costs. Related articles Russia furious with NATO and threatens 'full-scale nuclear war' Meet the agency behind the UK’s defensive nuclear capacity But the … [Read more...] about Putin to spark ‘full disruption of gas supplies’ – EU readies for ‘unbearably high prices’

Rishi Sunak vows to cut business taxes How the Bank of England’s money printing spree paved the way for inflation crisis FTSE 100 drops 1.8pc after Wall Street rout Ben Marlow: Britain is drifting towards economic oblivion Sign up here for our daily business briefing newsletter ​ £40bn has been wiped off the UK's biggest listed companies as a sell-off across global markets intensified. T he FTSE 100 crashed 1.8pc, extending its losses after yesterday’s red-hot inflation figures fuelled fears the UK could be tipped into recession. The domestically-focused FTSE 250 dropped 1.3pc, taking combined market losses to £40bn. It comes after the benchmark S&P 500 plunged 4pc overnight – its biggest drop since June 2020 – after soaring costs dented profits at retail giant Target and sparked fears of a slowdown in consumer spending. The tech-heavy Nasdaq tumbled 5pc, with investors also rattled by comments from top Federal Reserve officials hinting at … [Read more...] about £40bn wiped off UK stocks as global market rout continues

US Senate backs $40 billion Ukraine aid package US and Russian chiefs of staff speak for first time since Ukraine war began Zelenskyy warns of a long war Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Putin will only talk when it's clear Russia cannot break Ukraine's defenses This article was last updated at 23:16 UTC/GMT Video evidence shows eight men executed in Bucha The New York Times obtained video and surveillance images of Russian paratroopers executing at least eight men in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha on March 4. The videos show the eight men in the custody of Russian forces just prior to their deaths. Neighbors on Yablonska Street, where the men were shot, heard gunfire and the men held captive did not return. Bodies of the men in a courtyard on Yablunska street were filmed the next day and garnered international attention in early April. Watch video 02:41 Ukraine: Can Russia be held accountable for war crimes? According to The New York Times , … [Read more...] about US Senate approves $40 billion Ukraine aid package — as it happened