24 h. ago Why more women are embracing combat roles in Ukraine’s military

When Russia’s full-scale invasion began nearly four years ago, a 26-year-old soldier known as Monka did not see a combat role she could do. But that changed as technology reshaped the battlefield and opened new paths. Last year, she joined the military as a pilot of short-range, first-person view, or FPV, drones after giving up a job managing a restaurant abroad and returning home to Ukraine to serve. Her shift is part of a larger trend of more women joining Ukraine’s military in combat roles, a...

Events

3 d. ago Japan idol posts belly photo, asks fans to retouch for more flattering look, sparks debate

A Japanese pop idol has gone viral after posting a photograph online showing her belly fat. The picture has attracted responses asking women to embrace their imperfect bodies. Shirasu Ayano, from the six-member idol group Melty BeaR, posted a photo of herself on stage on November 20. In the picture, she bends slightly to one side and the fat on her belly forms a small wrinkle. The 27-year-old from Kyoto reposted the image on the next day, inviting people to retouch it to beautify her tummy. The...

Sport

4 d. ago Pope Leo urges Trump not to attempt military ousting of Venezuela’s Maduro

Pope Leo urged US President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday not to try to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro using military force. Leo, the first US pope, said it would be better to attempt dialogue or impose economic pressure on Venezuela if Washington wants to pursue change there. The Trump administration has been weighing options to combat what it has portrayed as Maduro’s role in supplying illegal drugs that have killed Americans. The socialist Venezuelan president has denied...

Events

5 d. ago North Korea’s Kim flaunts daughter, air power in hunt for Russian fighter jets

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s daughter was thrust back into the spotlight late last week at a military spectacle that analysts say was as much about succession planning and extracting concessions from Russia as it was about unveiling new missiles. Ostensibly held to mark the 80th anniversary of the North Korean air force, the ceremony on Friday seemingly served two other purposes: pressing Russia for advanced military technology in return for Pyongyang’s help in the Ukraine war, and acting...

Politics

5 d. ago Kim flaunts daughter, missiles as North Korea eyes Russian jets

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s daughter was thrust back into the spotlight late last week at a military spectacle that analysts say was as much about succession planning and extracting concessions from Russia as it was about unveiling new missiles. Ostensibly held to mark the 80th anniversary of the North Korean air force, the ceremony on Friday seemingly served two other purposes: pressing Russia for advanced military technology in return for Pyongyang’s help in the Ukraine war, and acting...

Events

5 d. ago North Korea unveils new missiles, angles for Russian jets amid Ukraine war deal

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s daughter was thrust back into the spotlight late last week at a military spectacle that analysts say was as much about succession planning and extracting concessions from Russia as it was about unveiling new missiles. Ostensibly held to mark the 80th anniversary of the North Korean air force, the ceremony on Friday seemingly served two other purposes: pressing Russia for advanced military technology in return for Pyongyang’s help in the Ukraine war, and acting...

Events

2 w. ago Japan’s export of lethal weapons to US ‘extremely dangerous’: Chinese analysts

Japan’s export of lethal weapons sent an “extremely dangerous signal” indicating expanded military capabilities, Chinese observers and media said on Thursday as relations between the two countries continued to nosedive. The assessment followed Japanese media reports on Wednesday that Japan had exported domestically produced Patriot surface-to-air missile interceptors to the United States. The US would use the missiles to replenish its own stockpile as it provided military support to Ukraine in...

Events

2 w. ago Zelensky wants to talk to Trump after receiving new US plan to end Ukraine war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has officially received a peace plan drawn up in the United States to end the war with Russia, his office said on Thursday. “As a result of today’s meeting, we have agreed to work on the points of the plan in such a way that it leads to a dignified end to the war,” Zelensky’s office wrote on Telegram after a meeting with a delegation of senior US military officials. It emphasised that Ukraine has been striving for a peaceful solution since the beginning of...

Politics

2 w. ago Zelensky says ready to work with Trump on US plan to end Ukraine war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said after talks with a top US Army official on Thursday he was ready for “honest” work with Washington on a plan to end the war in Ukraine, while European allies pushed back against punishing concessions to Russia. According to the US-backed plan, seen by Reuters, Kyiv would be required to give up the entire Donbas region and significantly downsize its military, conditions long seen by Ukraine’s allies as tantamount to capitulation. The plan says Ukraine...

Politics

3 w. ago As war strains economy, Russia faces hard choices between guns and butter

After two years of robust growth fuelled by military spending on the war in Ukraine, Russia’s economy is slowing. Oil revenues are down, the budget deficit is up and defence spending has levelled off. The Kremlin needs money to keep its finances steady – and it is clear where President Vladimir Putin intends to get it: at the cash register, from ordinary people and small businesses. An increase in value-added tax to 22 per cent from 20 per cent is expected to add as much as 1 trillion roubles...

Events

3 w. ago King Charles leads UK’s Remembrance Sunday ceremony for war dead

King Charles led Britain’s annual ceremony of remembrance for the country’s war dead on Sunday, under November sunshine and the shadow cast across Europe by the almost four-year-old war in Ukraine. As Parliament’s Big Ben bell tolled 11am, thousands of military personnel, veterans and members of the public gathered in central London fell still for two minutes of silence, broken by a single artillery blast and Royal Marines buglers sounding “The Last Post”. The 76-year-old king, dressed in the...

Events