Ian McKellen Ian—famous for playing Gandalf and an openly gay advocate for LGBTQ+ rights—has spoken out strongly against Russia's anti-"gay propaganda" law. He sees such policies as a wild regression that places the country among the backward and intolerant. Ian McKellen (photo:…

A flag with the logo of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), one day before the forum opens. June 17, 2025. Anton Vaganov / Reuters / Scanpix / LETA The next St. Petersburg Economic Forum kicks off today, June 18, and runs for four days through Saturday. Before the invasion of…

One of the two vessels involved in a serious collision in the Gulf of Oman yesterday is linked to Russia's "dark fleet" of sanctions-evading tankers, according to Bloomberg. AIS data confirms that the tanker Adalynn was a regular presence on the route from Ust-Luga, Russia to Vadinar, India, where…

News Politics Kyiv hopes ethnic Ukrainians and refugees around the world will now be encouraged to obtain or retain Ukrainian citizenship. “This decision is an important step to maintaining and restoring ties with millions of Ukrainians around the world,” Oleksiy Chernyshov, minister for national…

The night of January 17, 2022, witnessed a pivotal moment in the history of missile defense, a dramatic validation of a technology often likened to “hitting a bullet with another bullet.” As Houthi ballistic missiles streaked across the Arabian sky, targeting an oil facility near Al-Dhafra Air Base…

Relations between Georgia and the European Union have become increasingly strained over the last few years, as the Georgian government has taken steps that have placed the country’s longstanding commitment to Euro-Atlantic integration in doubt. Tensions in the already polarized Georgian political…

A young female bear caused a stir after wandering out of the forest and into the leafy suburbs of the Lithuanian capital. For two days, the brown bear ambled through the neighbourhoods of Vilnius, trotted across highways and explored backyards – all while being chased by onlookers with smartphones…

Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan are respected Russian journalists. But as the Kremlin has clamped down on press freedom, many journalists have endured threats, arrests and even violence. That atmosphere of intimidation forced Soldatov and Borogan to relocate to London. Now, the duo has published a…

A Japanese company that makes glasses will donate 5,100 pairs of spectacles to people displaced by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Fuji Megane Co., which has been supporting refugees for more than 40 years, will distribute the glasses through the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. The…

LANDLOCKED Malawi has emerged as the latest haven for sanctioned tankers in search of a flag state as dark fleet* operators continue to innovate amid tightening prohibitions by Western nations. Lloyd’s List Intelligence Automatic Identification System data shows four UK- and EU-sanctioned tankers…

by Ship & Bunker News Team Thursday June 19, 2025 Follow @shipandbunker Charter deal signed before the June 13 Iran-Israel escalation may offer shipowners a firmer legal footing to reject transits through Hormuz. File Image / Pixabay The Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil trade,…

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After the tanker Front Eagle collided with the "dark fleet" tanker Adalynn in the Gulf of Oman earlier this week, operator Frontline couldn't even find a way to reach Adalynn's owner to talk about the casualty, boss Lars Barstad said at a panel at Marine Money on Wednesday. The Adalynn's anonymous…

Russian Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov has stated that, based on current business sentiment, Russia is on the verge of falling into recession. Source: Russian news agency Interfax Quote: "According to the figures, we have a cooling in the economy. But all our figures are like looking in a…

Authorities in Argentina said they have uncovered an alleged Russian spy network operating in the country to promote Moscow's interests through disinformation campaigns. Presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni said intelligence officers identified an organization called "The Company," supposedly linked…

Ukrainian authorities say they have uncovered and stopped an alleged Russian intelligence plot aimed at locating and destroying Ukraine’s Neptune coastal defense missile system — the same weapon credited with sinking the Russian cruiser Moskva in 2022. In a statement released by the Security Service…

The man, named only as 21-year-old Daniil M, went missing as the long-distance train crossed between authoritarian Belarus and Russian region of Kaliningrad, with police orchestrating searches for the alleged 'spy' Will Stewart Russia Correspondent, Liam Doyle and John O'sullivan Audience editor…

Behind the Lines brings together CEPA’s latest news and analysis on key developments in Ukraine’s temporarily occupied and recently liberated territories. The Behind the Lines Tracker delivers Ukraine watchers the most important events and updates in these regions, delving oblast by oblast into…

Transportation Nuclear-powered submarines could soon start transporting gas via Arctic for Russia The gas carriers will be equipped with three Rhythm-200 nuclear reactors. Updated: Jun 18, 2025 10:50 AM EST Prabhat Ranjan Mishra a day ago The submarine's speed will be about 17 knots, which will…

The U.S. Navy is preparing to deploy the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to the Mediterranean, placing a third carrier strike group in reach of the Mideast. USS Carl Vinson is already on station in the Arabian Sea, and USS Nimitz is currently under way westbound from the Strait of Malacca. Each carrier…

Your support helps us to tell the story Support Now From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which…

Defense News Aerospace 2025 According to information published by the Japanese newspaper, The Asahi Shimbun, on May 27, 2025, during a bilateral call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Japan officially expressed interest in acquiring C-17 Globemaster III…

June 16, 2025, 04:37 PM 239 Share: A-22 towing a glider (Photo: Illustrative graphics by The Eye of Horus community) Ukraine used a 100-kilogram-warhead glider, towed by an unmanned A-22 ‘Foxbat’ light aircraft, to attack Russia’s Shahed drone manufacturing facility in Yelabuga, Tatarstan, Ukrainian…

Imagery from June 14 showing IRINS Tonb (L513) and Lavan (L514) at anchor and IRINS Makran out of port (Sentinel-2/CJRC) Published Jun 16, 2025 1:02 PM by The Maritime Executive A number of the resident naval ships which steadfastly remained in harbor over the first two days of the conflict between…

This is according to the Ukraine Support Tracker by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Ukrinform reports. Aid flows to Ukraine shifted significantly in March and April 2025. While the United States allocated no new aid during this period, European countries increased their support. As a…

A Mi-24 type attack helicopter was set ablaze and destroyed at an airbase in Russia's Moscow Oblast, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) claimed on Nov. 11. In a post on Telegram, HUR said the aircraft was attacked at the Klin-5 airbase overnight on Nov. 9-10, and attached a video allegedly…

Russia may be spying on Western military assets and infrastructure using drones launched from passing civilian ships, and European countries cannot find a way to prove it, let alone stop it, according to a new report by investigative outlet The Dossier Center. Journalists tracked two civilian…

Доступно на русском To Comrade Sergeyev, from Frank The latest issue of Razvedchik — which translates to “intelligence officer” or “spy” — includes coded messages from SVR agents “Diaz,” “John,” “Stone,” “Marat,” and “Frank.” “Diaz,” stationed in Syria’s capital Damascus, warns Moscow that:…

In the same week that Russia experienced an unexpected drone attack on its airfields deep inside the country, explosions rocked several Russian railway tracks and the railway bridge into annexed Crimea was targeted with underwater explosives. Though these attacks lacked the novelty of Operation…

Key developments on June 12: Ukrainian forces 'gradually pushing back' Russian troops from Sumy Oblast, Zelensky saysGermany to supply new Iris-T air defense systems to Ukraine, rules out Taurus missilesUkraine, Russia carry out another exchange of POWs under Istanbul deal'Juicy target' — Ukraine…

Israel conducted a “preemptive” strike early Friday on Iran, without involvement from the U.S. Explosions in the capital Tehran were captured in images and videos. An Israeli military official told Reuters that Israel was targeting “dozens” of nuclear and military targets. Israeli Defense Minister…

Natanz nuclear facility. Source: Politico Over the past year and a half, we’ve dealt with Iran’s proxies. Now, we are dealing with the snake’s head itself. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz In the past few hours, Israel has struck a variety of targets in Iran. This comes as the International…

“Germany will participate in the financing of long-range weapons (drones and missiles). We must provide the finances for this so that the Armed Forces of Ukraine can purchase materials. We planned to provide €4B in aid to Ukraine, then increased it to €7B and now we are considering an additional…

At a time when GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) reception face growing threats from jamming and spoofing, having a navigation system that doesn’t solely rely on satellite signals has become vital for critical maritime operations. With real-world disruptions increasingly affecting shipping…

Days before Israel launched a sweeping air assault on Iran, dramatically escalating regional tensions, the US quietly diverted critical anti-drone munitions from Ukraine to its forces in the Middle East. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the US redirected proximity fuzes and other components…

Pro-Kremlin Telegram channels are reporting that another Russian Su-25 has crashed in Russian territory. It is also claimed that the pilot managed to survive. Points of attention The recent incident adds to the series of Russian aircraft losses, including a Su-35 fighter jet shot down in the Kursk…

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Ukraine has made a breakthrough in its weapons developement. The new, domestically produced Sapsan ballistic missile has completed successful tests and is now headed for mass production, says Valentin Badrak, director of the Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies, LIGA.net reports.…

Near the frontline, a Russian Su-25 ground attack aircraft crashed on 13 June under unclear circumstances in the occupied part of Donetsk Oblast, with reports and video footage suggesting multiple possible causes, including friendly fire and structural failure. In an environment saturated with air…