- US buys 81 Soviet fighter jets from Russian ally for $19K each: report Business Insider
- Why Did US Buy Old Soviet Aircraft from Kazakhstan? Kyiv Post
- Ukraine may receive over 80 Soviet combat aircraft from the US Bulgarian Military
- US buys 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Russia's ally costing on average less than $20,000 each, report say Business Insider India
- US Acquire Dozens Of MiG-27, MiG-29, Su-24 Jets From Kazakhstan To Boost Ukraine’s Capabilities – Reports EurAsian Times
Macron: Nuclear arms should be part of EU defense debate – DW (English)
- Macron: Nuclear arms should be part of EU defense debate DW (English)
- Macron Raises Defense Stakes by Suggesting Nuclear Arms Bloomberg
- Emmanuel Macron Ponders Role of France's Nuclear Arsenal in Defending Europe The Wall Street Journal
- France's nuclear weapons should be part of European defence debate, Macron says Reuters
- Macron wants to open 'debate' on European nuclear deterrent POLITICO Europe
No more 12345: devices with weak passwords to be banned in UK
Makers of phones, TVs and smart doorbells legally required to protect devices against access by cybercriminals
Tech that comes with weak passwords such as “admin” or “12345” will be banned in the UK under new laws dictating that all smart devices must meet minimum security standards.
Measures to protect consumers from hacking and cyber-attacks come into effect on Monday, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said.
Continue reading...Average cost of UK car insurance rises by one-third in a year, analysis finds
ABI reports annual jump of £157 in first quarter of 2024 but says 1% increase on previous quarter indicates rises are easing
The average price paid for comprehensive motor insurance in the UK was about a third (33%) or £157 higher in the first quarter of this year than a year earlier, according to figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI).
Based on analysis of policies sold, the typical price paid in the first quarter of 2024 was £635, marking a 1% increase on the previous quarter, the ABI said.
Continue reading...British tourist injured in shark attack is ‘aware and can communicate’
Peter Smith is in intensive care after suffering damage to an arm, leg and hand and puncture wounds to abdomen
A British tourist who was seriously injured in a shark attack off a Caribbean island is “aware of what is happening and can communicate” in intensive care, his wife has said.
Peter Smith, 64, from Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, was savaged 10 metres (33ft) off the shore near the Starfish hotel in Courland Bay on the north coast of Tobago on Friday morning.
Continue reading...David Cameron under fire for hiring £42m luxury jet for central Asia tour
Foreign secretary’s use of Embraer Lineage 1000 follows £348,000 bill for James Cleverly’s eight-day trip in similar plane in 2023
David Cameron has been criticised for hiring a luxury jet worth an estimated £42m for a recent tour of central Asia.
The foreign secretary travelled on the Embraer Lineage 1000 for a five-day visit to Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Mongolia last week, the Mirror reported.
Continue reading...Thousands of Georgians stage ‘March for Europe’ against controversial ‘foreign influence’ bill – FRANCE 24 English
- Thousands of Georgians stage 'March for Europe' against controversial 'foreign influence' bill FRANCE 24 English
- Thousands protest in Georgia against 'foreign agents' bill Reuters
- Photo Story | European March against Russian Law Civil Georgia
- Perspectives: Georgian Dream's doublethink may backfire in Tbilisi Eurasianet
- Georgians Hold Massive Rally Against Draft 'Foreign Agents' Law Ahead Of Second Reading Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Russia arrests more journalists on ‘extremism’ charges – The Hill
- Russia arrests more journalists on ‘extremism’ charges The Hill
- Russia arrests more journalists in intensifying crackdown on dissent The Washington Post
- Russia Arrests Journalist Over Videos for Late Dissident Navalny’s Team — Agency The Moscow Times
- Russian journalists held in fresh anti-Alexei Navalny case Financial Times
- AP and Reuters journalists arrested in Russia Ukrainska Pravda
Echoes of Vietnam era as pro-Palestinian student protests roil US campuses
Calls for divestment continue despite hundreds of arrests, with more demonstrations planned for Democratic national convention
Student protests on US university campuses over Israel’s war on Gaza showed little sign of letting up over the weekend, with protesters vowing to continue until their demands for US educational bodies to disentangle from companies profiting from the conflict are met.
In what is perhaps the most significant student movement since the anti-Vietnam campus protests of the late 1960s, the conflict between pro-Palestinian students and university administrators has revealed an entire subset of conflicts.
Continue reading...Palestinian leader appeals to US to stop Israel’s Rafah offensive
Mahmoud Abbas says any attack on city could see large numbers of Palestinians flee Gaza entirely.
Tory rebels plan 100-day ‘policy blitz’ if local elections are disaster for party
Worried MPs have concocted five-point plan of quick measures aimed at showing that the party cares about public’s priorities
Rishi Sunak is braced for a bruising week as Tory rebels flaunted plans for a 100-day “policy blitz” to secure quick wins if the local election results prove disastrous for the party.
The prime minister said on Sunday that he was not “distracted” by his personal ratings lingering at record lows. He refused to rule out calling a July general election amid mounting rumours that unruly MPs will attempt to oust him if the West Midlands mayor, Andy Street, and the Tees Valley mayor, Ben Houchen, are defeated on Thursday.
An attempt to end the junior doctors pay dispute with a 10-12% offer.
Further cuts to legal migration numbers, with a curb on the number of foreign students staying in the UK.
Vow to increase defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2027.
Introduce measures to jail prolific offenders and build rapid detention cells to increase prison capacity.
Cut the benefits bill, with a target to reduce payments for depression and anxiety.
Continue reading...Real terms average pay lower in most UK local authorities than in 2008, TUC finds
Union body says austerity is to blame for longest squeeze on wages since Napoleonic era with most ‘wage black spots’ in London
Pay packets are smaller than they were in 2008 in most local authority areas in the UK, according to analysis by the Trades Union Congress, which described the findings as a “damning indictment” of the Conservatives’ economic record.
The TUC, which includes 48 unions with more than five million members, said stagnating wages meant British workers were in the midst of the longest squeeze on wages since the Napoleonic era.
Continue reading...China has big plans for its space program – NPR
- China has big plans for its space program NPR
- China's Shenzhou-17 crew completes handover, return set for April 30 CGTN
- To the Moon, Mars and beyond: Could China's soaring space ambitions be hampered by earthly factors? CNA
- China sends astronauts to Chinese space station for six-month stay Reuters
- Watch China launch 3 astronauts to Tiangong space station today Space.com
Tory MP says he was deported from Djibouti due to criticisms of China
Tim Loughton had sanctions imposed on him in 2021 by Beijing, which has close ties to east African country
A former government minister who has had sanctions imposed on him by China has said he was detained and deported by Djibouti as a “direct consequence” of the east African country’s close ties with Beijing.
Tim Loughton, the Conservative MP for East Worthing and Shoreham since 1997, said he was held for more than seven hours at the airport earlier this month, barred entry to Djibouti, and told he was being removed on the next available flight.
Continue reading...Three women diagnosed with HIV after getting ‘vampire facials’ in New Mexico
CDC says incidents at unlicensed medical spa are first documented cases of virus transmitted by a cosmetic procedure using needles
Three women who were diagnosed with HIV after getting “vampire facial” procedures at an unlicensed New Mexico medical spa are believed to be the first documented cases of people contracting the virus through a cosmetic procedure using needles, federal health officials said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its Morbidity and Mortality Report last week that an investigation into the clinic from 2018 through 2023 showed it apparently reused disposable equipment intended for one-time use.
Continue reading...30 years since the end of apartheid, is South Africa still an emblem of democracy? : Consider This from NPR – NPR
- 30 years since the end of apartheid, is South Africa still an emblem of democracy? : Consider This from NPR NPR
- Opinion | Nelson Mandela legacy reassessed as South Africans prepare to vote - The Washington Post The Washington Post
- CNN 10: The big stories of the day, explained in 10 minutes CNN
- 30 Years after apartheid: Reflecting on South Africa's ongoing fight for democracy MSNBC
- Ramaphosa hails ANC record as South Africa marks 30 years of democracy Al Jazeera English
Kristi Noem defends killing dog: ‘Cricket had shown aggressive behavior’
South Dakota governor says she ‘understands why some people are upset’ about story of shooting family puppy but points to state law
Kristi Noem, the South Dakota governor and Republican vice-presidential hopeful, on Sunday again defended killing a family dog and goat on her farm, two days after the Guardian revealed how she describes those actions in a forthcoming book.
“I can understand why some people are upset about a 20-year-old story of Cricket, one of the working dogs at our ranch, in my upcoming book – No Going Back,” Noem wrote on Twitter/X.
Continue reading...Oklahoma tornadoes kill at least four people and leave dozens injured
Governor issues state of emergency for 12 counties as authorities confirm a four-month-old baby was among the dead in Holdenville
At least four people, including a baby, were killed after a series of tornadoes struck Oklahoma on Saturday, amid a weekend of extreme weather that left dozens injured and a trail of destruction across the midwest.
Local authorities confirmed that a four-month-old infant was among the two people dead in Holdenville – one of the hardest hit towns in Oklahoma, located 80 miles south-east of Oklahoma City – where about 20 tornadoes hit late Saturday, leveling buildings and ripping off roofs. The victims have not been named, but at least four others were injured as the tornado left a path of devastation through the town of around 6,000 people.
Continue reading...Ukraine pulls back from three villages in east as Russia claims gains
Update by Ukraine's top commander comes as outgunned Kyiv waits for new delivery of US weapons.
McConnell: Flipping Senate “most important” thing before leaving leadership – Axios
- McConnell: Flipping Senate "most important" thing before leaving leadership Axios
- April 28 — Sens. Mitch McConnell and Tim Kaine, plus Ruby Bridges NBC News
- McConnell: China, Russia, Terrorism, And Iran Are A "More Formidable Combination" Than World War Two Axis RealClearPolitics
- McConnell says he wants a Republican majority in the Senate Washington Times
- What Mitch McConnell had to say on national news programs Sunday Kentucky Today