Africa improves health defences, but it remains vulnerable to pandemics
Review of the continent’s health security finds that investments since Covid-19 have ‘paid off’ Source link
All posts tagged: defences
Africa improves health defences, but it remains vulnerable to pandemics
Review of the continent’s health security finds that investments since Covid-19 have ‘paid off’ Source link
Lightweight drones stretch Putin’s defences all the way to Siberia
Credit: @ZelenskyyUa / X The Ukrainian drones flew for more than 12 hours before they tilted their wings and smashed into the oil refinery in the Siberian city of Omsk. Their 1,500-mile journey was the longest-range strike yet by the Ukrainian army – the equivalent of three trips across the length of Great Britain. Within days, the attack had halted operations at Russia’s top petrol-producer, deepening the supply crisis, panicking citizens, and prompting the authorities to ban exports of diesel. But it also demonstrated to Moscow that sites once thought of as protected by their sheer distance from the front line, now sit in the cross-hairs of Volodymyr Zelensky. That is a problem without an immediate answer. “We have completely eliminated the very idea of Russia having a strategic rear,” said the Ukrainian president at the Nato summit in Ankara. “And this is not an exception. It’s the new reality,” he added, describing the success of the new long-range drones as part of a “revolutionary change” in warfare. With such a lengthy reach, Ukraine can …
Ukraine bolsters its northern defences amid fears Belarus is being dragged into war
Russian spy drones flying into Ukraine from Belarusian airspace have sharply increased since the beginning of the year, as senior officials in Kyiv express mounting concern over Belarus’s involvement in the war. Ukraine has stepped up by reinforcing fortifications on its northern border, including anti-tank ditches, concrete “dragons’ teeth” obstacles to block armoured vehicles and new areas of barbed wire. Troops operating along the border say they have noted a jump of about 20% in Russian intelligence drones since January. The increase in drone sightings comes in parallel with reports that Russia has constructed five new drone bases near its shared border with Belarus as part of its efforts to use Minsk’s airspace to attack Ukraine. Ukrainian officials, including the president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have spoken of “unusual activity” on the Belarus border, amid concern that Moscow is seeking to draw its ally further into the conflict, and warnings that have been given to Minsk. The claims came as Russia and Belarus on Wednesday accused Ukraine of conducting a deadly drone strike on a bus carrying …
Romania Says Allies Preparing to Bolster Air Defences After Russian Drone Strike
PARIS, June 3 (Reuters) – Romania’s foreign minister said on Wednesday several allies were preparing to reinforce air defence capabilities along NATO’s eastern flank after a drone identified by Bucharest as Russian crashed into a residential building on its territory. Oana Toiu said during a visit to Paris that the incident would accelerate efforts already underway with NATO to strengthen surveillance and response systems, focusing on radars, fighter jets and anti-drone technologies. “Our top priority is to increase capabilities,” she said, adding that Bucharest had already presented NATO with a detailed list of needs before the incident. Under those plans, allies are assessing how to supplement Romania’s existing air monitoring and air defence systems, particularly along its 650-km (400-mile) border with Ukraine. The reinforcements could include additional assets from allied countries, such as aircraft involved in NATO’s air policing mission, as well as expanded radar coverage to track low-flying drones, Toiu said. France, which leads NATO’s battlegroup in Romania with about 1,400 troops, is discussing further support on radar and air monitoring systems, while other …
Keir Starmer’s defences: Has the dam broken?
Listen on Spotify Apple Music Amazon Music Sky News Is anyone really prepared to put their head above the parapet to challenge Keir Starmer? After a disastrous set of election results, Labour backbencher Catherine West has launched a stalking-horse threat to force the prime minister out. But with rival camps in disarray and would-be successors staying silent, will the cabinet unite around a successor or fracture even further? In this special debrief edition of Politics at Sam and Anne’s, the duo reveal who’s talking to who and whether Labour can stop the chaos before it spirals out of control. And with the SNP and Plaid Cymru looking likely to lead the devolved administrations, will the state of the union be put into further question? Source link
War in the Mideast: Iranian cluster ballistic missiles test Israel’s defences
As the regional conflict between Israel and Iran enters a volatile new phase, a banned weapon of war is reappearing over civilian centers. While Israel’s defence systems remain robust, a new threat – the cluster ballistic missile – is testing the limits of safety. Unlike a single warhead, these missiles release hundreds of “bomblets,” turning neighborhoods into active minefields long after the sirens stop. FRANCE 24’s Olivia Bizot reports. Source link
The Guardian view on heavy rain: England’s flood defences are not strong enough | Editorial
With flood warnings still in place across south-west England and Wales on Monday, followed by another fortnight of wet weather forecasts, the sodden ground across swathes of the UK is not likely to dry up any time soon. Reports that Aberdonians have not seen so much as a sliver of sun since 21 January prompted an outburst of stoicism on BBC radio, with one resident commenting: “You have to get on with it, brighter days are coming”. Before then, however, north-east Scotland is braced for more heavy rain. For farmers and businesses in the affected areas, the impact goes far beyond inconvenience. Marketing consultant Sam Kirby told the Guardian that she had to work from a car park in Cornwall following Storm Goretti, because her broadband wasn’t working. And Goretti was the first of three January storms. In Somerset, where more than 600 homes were flooded in 2014, emergency pumps have been added to the permanent ones stationed at Northmoor, in an attempt to keep water at bay. But some spoke of “a losing battle” in the …