By Steve Rosenberg Russia Editor, Moscow Russia-Ukraine war Ahead of Victory Day, Moscow was full of rumour and speculation. Was Vladimir Putin preparing a major announcement on Russia’s offensive in Ukraine? Would he declare some kind of victory? Or signal an escalation? In the end, he did neither. In his Red Square address to Russian […]
At a glance Republic of Ireland reducing public transport fares nationally for the first time since 1947 Fares on a number of services are to fall by 20% for the rest of the year Young adults aged 19-23 years can now receive a 50% reduction in fares on all subsidised public transport Published6 hours ago […]
By Calum McKay & Katie Hunter BBC Scotland The detention of a Scottish Sikh man in India has no legal basis, according to human rights investigators at the UN. Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, was arrested on alleged terror offences in 2017 and is yet to stand trial. Now the United Nation’s Working Group on […]
Russia-Ukraine war Whatever else Russia’s Victory Day parade is supposed to represent, it won’t be any sort of victory over Ukraine, regardless of the spin President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin will try to put on it, writes defence analyst Michael Clarke. This war is one that Russia cannot win in any meaningful sense. […]
Russia-Ukraine war A key ally of Russia, authoritarian Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, has defended the war in Ukraine while indicating it has not gone to plan. He told the AP news agency that the operation had “dragged on”. Belarus shares a border with Ukraine and Russia sent troops from there when it launched its […]
Swiss police say they have seized 500kg of cocaine from a shipment of coffee that was sent to a Nespresso factory. Workers at the plant in Romont alerted the authorities after finding white powder in sacks of coffee beans. Police later found more of the drug in five shipping containers. An initial investigation suggested the […]
By Paul Kirby BBC News Russia-Ukraine war The EU has proposed some of its toughest measures yet against Russia, including a total ban on oil imports and sanctions on war crimes suspects. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the package was aimed at maximising pressure on Russia while minimising damage to Europe. Russian […]
Russia-Ukraine war Russia has dismissed speculation that it will declare all-out war in Ukraine in the coming days as “nonsense”. Moscow has up until now denied it is at war, instead referring to the invasion as a “special military operation”. But Western officials have speculated that President Vladimir Putin could use the 9 May […]
French elections 2022 Four left-wing parties in France have agreed in principle to form an alliance to challenge President Emmanuel Macron at June’s parliamentary elections. The Socialists, Greens, Communists and Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s far-left France Unbowed party reached a draft agreement after all-night negotiations. Mr Mélenchon, who just failed to make the presidential run-off in […]
By Patrick Jackson BBC News Russia-Ukraine war Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the West could help end the war in Ukraine by putting more pressure on President Volodymyr Zelensky and halting arms deliveries to his forces. Mr Putin was speaking in his first telephone talks in more than a month with French President […]
