Top World News
Production of French-German fighter jet threatened by rivalries, chief executive says
Relations between French company Dassault and the German unit of Airbus are reportedly ‘very strained’The leaders of France and Germany have a “strong willingness” to build a new fighter jet together despite bitter internal rivalries, according to the chief executive of engine manufacturer Safran.A row over who should lead between French aerospace company Dassault and the German unit of Airbus has threatened to break apart the countries’ efforts to make a next-generation fighter jet. Continue reading...
Trump frees ex-Honduran president from prison as country awaits knife-edge election result
Release of convicted cocaine trafficker Juan Orlando Hernández is latest US interference in election and comes despite Trump’s apparent ‘war on drugs’Analysis: Trump’s pardon of Honduras’s ex-president shows counter-drug effort is ‘based on lies and hypocrisy’A former president of Honduras who was convicted of drug trafficking has walked free from a US prison after receiving a pardon from Donald Trump, as the country’s presidential election remained on a knife edge with the US-backed candidate leading by 515 votes.Juan Orlando Hernández, who was sentenced to 45 years in prison for allegedly creating “a cocaine superhighway to the United States”, was released from a West Virginia prison after Trump’s intervention, Hernández’s wife confirmed on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Hillsborough families decry ‘bitter injustice’ that no officers will face disciplinary proceedings
None of the former officers named by the IOPC will face disciplinary proceedings because they have all retiredTimeline: decades seeking justice and changeThe families of those who died in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster have said it is a “bitter injustice” that no police officer will ever be held accountable for a catalogue of failings set out in the final report of the police watchdog after a 14-year investigation.The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found that 12 police officers, most of them senior, would have faced disciplinary cases of gross misconduct if they were still serving. Continue reading...
Hillsborough families say ‘we’ll never get justice’ as police escape punishment despite report’s findings – as it happened
This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereMargaret Aspinall, whose 18-year-old son James was one of the 97 people unlawfully killed, has criticised the lack of accountability.I cannot accept or understand how 97 people can be unlawfully killed, the police can lie, and nobody is held accountable,” she says.“I recognise that the IOPC and Operation Resolve have worked hard and some of these findings are strong. But it’s absolutely ridiculous that so few people have been accused of gross misconduct for the lies and cover-up we’ve had to fight for 36 years.” Continue reading...
UK government delays decision on China’s super-embassy until January
New date to approve site near Tower Bridge in London aligns with Keir Starmer’s planned visit to BeijingThe government has delayed its decision on whether to approve China’s super-embassy in London until January, when Keir Starmer is expected to visit Beijing.Ministers are expected to greenlight the controversial plans after formal submissions by the Home Office and Foreign Office raised no objections on security grounds. Continue reading...
Quarter of police forces missing basic policies on sexual offences, says Sarah Everard report
Official report says forces in England and Wales yet to implement recommendations for investigationsA quarter of police forces in England and Wales are yet to implement “basic policies for investigating sexual offences”, an official report has found, with women still being failed despite promises of change after the murder of Sarah Everard four years ago.The report by Dame Elish Angiolini follows an inquiry set up after Everard was murdered by a serving police officer, Wayne Couzens, in March 2021. She was abducted off a London street while walking home. Continue reading...
Publisher condemns ‘violent’ use of Franklin the Turtle after Hegseth’s boat strike post
US defense secretary posted meme depicting beloved children’s character aiming rocket launcher at set of boatsPete Hegseth told US soldiers in Iraq to ignore legal advice on rules of engagementA post on social media by US defense secretary Pete Hegseth, depicting a beloved children’s character aiming a rocket launcher at a cluster of boats, has elicited condemnation from the book’s Canadian publisher.Hegseth’s post of the mocked cover of a Franklin the Turtle book titled Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists prompted disbelief and outrage. The image shows a smiling anthropomorphic turtle in military helmet and vest, with a US flag on his arm and a drug-laden boat exploding in the background. “For your Christmas wish list,” Hegseth wrote as the caption. Continue reading...
Former EU top diplomat among three held in fraud investigation
Belgian police raid EU foreign service HQ and College of Europe and arrest Federica Mogherini and two othersBelgian police have arrested three people including the EU’s former top diplomat Federica Mogherini and raided the headquarters of the EU foreign service and the elite College of Europe as part of an investigation into suspected fraud.The three were detained “as part of a probe into suspected fraud related to EU-funded training for junior diplomats”, the European public prosecutor’s office said in a statement, without naming individuals. Continue reading...
Beijing 'out for blood,' aims to punish Japan for public comments on Taiwan, scholars say
Beijing is "out for blood" and wants to exact a toll on Japan for recent signals that Tokyo would view a Chinese attack on Taiwan as a threat to Japan's security, according to a leading scholar on China's foreign policy.
Exclusive: Pakistan Constructs New Buildings, Removes Destroyed Hangar At Bases Struck By Air Force
New high-resolution satellite imagery with NDTV indicates that Pakistan has cleared out debris of a hangar at its airbase in Sukkur, struck by the Indian Air Force during Operation Sindoor on May 10 this year.
Iran President Warns Of Potential 'Evacuation' As Tehran's Taps Run Dry
For a city of around 15 million people, the idea of taps running dry has created deep anxiety.
What Makes Russia's S-500 Different From Its Predecessor S-400
Easily one of the biggest weaponry success stories of Operation Sindoor is the Russian-built S-400 air defence missile system, five regiments of which were ordered from Moscow in 2018.
