War

Germany has collected evidence of Russia's war crimes reaching the "three-digit range," German Prosecutor General Peter Frank warned. Frank spoke to Welt am Sonntag media outlet on Saturday saying, "Currently, for example, we are focusing on the mass killings in Bucha or attacks against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure." Frank added that Germany is "not yet investigating specific persons, but rather collecting information and evidence," and also questioning Ukrainian refugees who "may have knowledge of war crimes in Ukraine." As of January 28, Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office reported Russia has committed 66,743 "crimes of aggression and war crimes." The report also says that 459 children have been killed, and 917 have been injured since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Rajan Menon, Director of the Grand Strategy Program at Defense Priorities, told Newsweek on Saturday, "there's no doubt that the Russian army has committed war crimes: I've been to … [Read more...] about Russia’s war crimes reach “three-digit range” Germany warns

L ast week in the Commons, MPs debated a subject that rarely rears its head in the Palace of Westminster. They sang the praises of opera. It feels a world away from strikes and the cost of living crisis . But opera too is in crisis. For some unexplained reason, there is a clear campaign to diminish and quite possibly destroy some of our best-known and best-loved opera companies. I have already written about the startling and frankly appalling decision by the funding body, Arts Council England, to cease giving money to English National Opera (ENO) unless it leaves London and sets up in some unnamed city, without of course most of its company of singers and musicians (just yesterday it was given a year’s reprieve. But after that the future looks just as uncertain and bleak). … [Read more...] about Stop the war on opera

A convention aimed at eliminating landmine usage is raising concerns about the alleged application of them by Ukraine. The war-torn nation is among the 164 member states of The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction, also known as the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. If a report released this week by Human Rights Watch (HRW) is true, it would mean that Ukraine is not in full compliance with the treaty, the convention said in a Friday news release . Thomas Göbel, convention president and German ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, said the ban on these mines "must be respected" by all nations in "times of war as in peace." " We therefore take seriously a report by Human Rights Watch about the alleged use of anti-personnel mines by members of the Ukrainian armed forces," Göbel said. Ukraine has said it "has always demonstrated its readiness for cooperation" with … [Read more...] about Landmine treaty seeks answers after Ukraine’s alleged use of banned mines

As Russia's invasion of Ukraine draws closer to the one-year mark, Russian media pundits are still debating exactly what a victory for Moscow would look like. In a video shared Friday on Twitter by Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Chechen general Apti Alaudinov—who in March led troops of what Russia called volunteers from Chechnya to Ukraine—joined the host of Russia-1's "60 Minutes" to talk about the situation on the battleground in Ukraine. Alaudinov, who was awarded with the title of commander of the special Akhmat forces and "Hero of Russia" last August, joined the show after appearing in a self-shot video from a snowy Ukraine. He speaks of the war in Ukraine as one that can only end "with Russia ceasing to exist or with the NATO bloc ceasing to exist in the format it has up until now." Alaudinov adds that he doesn't believe the Russian leadership will agree to a peace that doesn't include the end of NATO as we know it. … [Read more...] about Russian state TV can’t decide what Ukraine victory would look like

Russian state TV presenter Sergey Mardan praised North Korea for threatening to use nuclear weapons against the United States during a Friday night broadcast amid the Ukraine war. After Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine last February, state TV pundits have repeatedly taunted the West, which has largely condemned Moscow's military actions, over the potential use of nuclear weapons that would greatly escalate the conflict between the two Eastern European nations. The latest nuclear remarks came Friday night when Mardan celebrated North Korea for being "independent" in global affairs, as well as for its President Kim Jong-un's nuclear threats. Video of the discussion was posted to Twitter by BBC journalist Francis Scarr on Saturday morning. "For them, independence is an absolute value for which they are prepared to do anything, including turning the whole world into dust," Mardan said. "That's to say, when King Jong-un said back when Trump was … [Read more...] about Russian propagandist praises North Korea’s nuclear threats against U.S.

WASHINGTON — Bilal al-Sudani was no stranger to American counterterrorism officials. Before joining the Islamic State affiliate in Somalia, Mr. al-Sudani was subjected to punitive sanctions by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2012 for his involvement with Al Shabab, Al Qaeda’s branch in the East African country. But it wasn’t until American officials started digging deeper into the background of another Islamic State branch, the one in Afghanistan that had carried out the deadly bombing at Kabul’s international airport in August 2021, that analysts fully realized Mr. al-Sudani oversaw a sprawling ISIS financial and logistical network across Africa, Europe and Afghanistan. Mr. al-Sudani’s newly revealed role as the financier for the ISIS branch responsible for the death of 13 U.S. service members in Kabul rocketed him to the top ranks of U.S. counterterrorism kill-or-capture lists, senior American officials said. Last week, commandos from the Navy’s SEAL Team 6 killed him in an … [Read more...] about Ties to Kabul Bombing Put ISIS Leader in Somalia in U.S. Cross Hairs

A key ally to Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested Moscow could turn to nuclear deterrence if Ukraine tries to retake control of Crimea. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who currently serves as the deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, said in an interview with a Russian journalist published to Telegram on Saturday that any Ukrainian attacks on Crimea would be met with "retaliation strikes," with no negotiations to end the conflict, which will hit its first-year anniversary later this month. His remarks come as Russia struggles to achieve substantial military victories in Ukraine, despite the large size of its military. When Putin launched the invasion on February 24, 2022, he aimed for a quick win, but Ukraine's stronger-than-expected defense effort, bolstered by Western military aid, blunted the Kremlin's military gains, allowing Kyiv to retake thousands of square miles in formerly occupied territory last fall. Now, Ukrainian victories are … [Read more...] about Russia floats nuclear deterrence if Ukraine attacks Crimea

Ukraine has confirmed fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin may be planning a February 24 'anniversary' attack on the country with half a million troops. Ukraine ’s defence minister Oleksii Reznikov has said that Moscow has amassed hundreds of thousands of troops and could “try something” on the one year anniversary of its invasion. The major new offensive would mark another phase of the ongoing war, and comes after prolonged fears Russia might utilise the anniversary date to renew their efforts to take Ukraine . The Kremlin shocked the world when, in February last year, it invaded the country and tried to seize Kyiv as apart of what it claimed was a "special military operation". Any attack would also mark Russia’s Defender of the Fatherland Day on February 23 - which celebrates the army. Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov is the latest to warn Putin might try something on the one year anniversary of the initial invasion ( Image: Getty Images) … [Read more...] about Ukraine confirms Putin planning February ‘anniversary’ attack with half a million troops

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails The Met Opera will not start a new production of Wagner's Ring Cycle in 2025 and is not sure whether it will move ahead with plans to present a staging of the tetralogy by director Richard Jones . The Met had announced in February 2021 that it would present a co-production of “Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung)" with the English National Opera directed by Jones, which began in London with “Die Walküre (The Valykrie)" that November. “Das Rheingold (Rhinegold)" is to open in London on Feb. 18 but the English opera said Tuesday it will not go ahead with “Siegfried" next season due to uncertainty in funding. “With the ENO not being in a position to continue with the production of its Ring Cycle, it obviously makes it impossible to help produce it with them," Met general manager Peter Gelb … [Read more...] about Met uncertain about producing Richard Jones’ Ring Cycle

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Today sees the most people on strike on a single day since 2011 , as teachers in England and Wales walk out for the first time in the current wave of industrial action, along with rail workers, civil servants and university lecturers. Despite the disruption the strikes cause, the government is losing its propaganda war with the trade unions because of its stubborn refusal to improve its pay offers. Public support for the strikers has not fallen as ministers had expected. The unions are winning the argument by convincing people they are striking to protect creaking services as well as for more money. People can see with their own eyes the glaring problems with recruitment and retention. So the unions’ message after 12 years of austerity and in the middle of a cost of living crisis trumps ministers’ warnings that the … [Read more...] about The government is losing the propaganda battle over industrial action