Beijing has accused Washington of “unwarranted suppression” after it designated dozens of companies, including Alibaba and Baidu, as aiding the Chinese army The US Department of War has added dozens of Chinese companies, including tech giant Alibaba, search engine Baidu, and electric vehicle maker BYD, to a blacklist of entities it claims are aiding Beijing’s military. China has condemned the move, accusing Washington of targeting Chinese businesses. The Pentagon’s so-called 1260H list, updated on Monday, includes 188 Chinese firms, up from around 130 last year. The list identifies companies that Washington claims are linked or contribute to the Chinese military under Beijing’s “military-civil fusion” strategy. The designation does not impose full sanctions, but bars listed firms from future US defense contracts and is widely seen as a warning to investors and American compa...
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Reform UK’s decision to remove foreign symbols from public buildings in Britain could “break a big friendship,” the Ukrainian leader has said Vladimir Zelensky has criticized British political party Reform UK for removing Ukrainian flags from public buildings in Britain, warning that such actions can ruin a “big friendship.” The Ukrainian leader made the comments in an interview with The Guardian during a visit to London on Sunday, where he met Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Asked about the decision by Reform-controlled councils – 24 out of over 350 in the UK – to remove foreign symbols outside British public buildings in the UK, including the Ukrainian flag, Zelensky urged the party to “put it back.” “Sometimes little, small mistakes can break a big friendship or huge contacts,” Zelensky...
British commanders reportedly fear the navy looks “toothless” in the face of a supposed Russian threat Britain’s entire available fleet of nuclear-powered attack submarines is stuck in port awaiting maintenance and repairs, leaving the Royal Navy without a deployable hunter-killer boat, UK media have reported. All five of the Royal Navy’s operational Astute-class attack submarines are currently unavailable, while a sixth boat, although commissioned into the fleet, is not yet ready for deployment, The Telegraph and Daily Mail said over the weekend, citing naval sources. The Astute-class submarines are designed to track and deter enemy submarines, and escort the UK’s aircraft carriers and Vanguard-class vessels carrying Trident nuclear missiles. The boats are nuclear-powered and armed with Spearfish torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles. Former nuclear submarine captain Commander Ryan Ram...
As Poland and Lithuania seek more US troops and bases, the debate is no longer about defense alone but about sovereignty and dependence Recent history offers one very simple lesson: the most reliable way for a ruling elite to protect itself from accountability is to hand over its country’s sovereignty to a powerful foreign patron. In Europe, many have decided that the United States is the only patron worth having. We are now watching a race among Eastern European states to secure new American military bases on their territory. Poland is openly pressing for US troops and equipment withdrawn from Germany to be moved east and Lithuania has gone further, with officials floating the idea of hosting American nuclear weapons. It would be naïve to think this is mainly about national security and nor is it simply about money, although hosting US bases has often been seen by client regimes as a useful sou...
The US president earlier called the UK’s plan to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius “an act of great stupidity” The US is weighing a plan to purchase the Chagos Islands directly from Mauritius in a bid to sideline the UK over the future of a crucial military base in the Indian Ocean, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The Chagos Islands are home to Diego Garcia, a joint UK-US military base regarded as one of the most important American installations outside the continental US. The facility hosts roughly 2,500 US military personnel and supports B-2 bomber deployments, operations against Houthi targets in Yemen, and has been used in strikes on Iran. While the Chagos Islands are currently controlled by the UK, London last year approved a plan to hand them over to Mauritius while signing a 99-year lease on the base. The UK’s hand was essentially forced by a decades-long colonial sovereignty dispute...
Oak processionary moth caterpillars can trigger rashes, respiratory problems and, in rare cases, allergic shock An insect infestation is spreading across Berlin, forcing closures and health warnings in parks, sports grounds, and residential areas, German media has reported. The culprit is the oak processionary moth caterpillar, a tree-killing pest covered in toxic stinging hairs. The insect, scientifically known as Thaumetopoea processionea, is a moth species whose caterpillars emerge between May and July. While the moth itself is harmless, the caterpillars develop hundreds of thousands of microscopic toxic hairs that can travel up to 200 meters on the wind and cause rashes, eye irritation, and respiratory problems. In severe cases, exposure can trigger allergic reactions and even anaphylactic shock. The infestation has been spreading across Berlin for years, but officials say several districts are seeing...