Author: Justin M. Larson

Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag, has voted to introduce voluntary military service, in a move aimed at boosting national defences after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.It marks a significant shift in Germany’s approach to its military and follows Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s push to create Europe’s strongest conventional army.The change means that all 18-year-olds in Germany will be sent a questionnaire from January 2026 asking if they are interested and willing to join the armed forces. The form will be mandatory for men and voluntary for women.Students at schools across Germany have said they will join strikes in as many as 90…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Holiday shopping creates a perfect storm for cybercriminals. The FBI says scammers target Gmail, Outlook and nearly every other inbox this time of year as they push fake messages that trick you into giving up money or sensitive information.These schemes move fast, and victims often do not realize what happened until their bank accounts show charges they never made.Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy ReportGet my best tech tips, urgent security alerts and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide — free…

Some are forced to deliver alone. Others rely on neighbours with no medical training. For many, childbirth has become a matter of survival.Before the fragile ceasefire got underway in October, the UN reproductive health agency, UNFPA, estimated that 55,000 pregnant women were trapped in “a spiral of displacement, bombardment and acute hunger”, with no reliable access to care.Matter of life and deathThe impact has been devastating: premature births have risen sharply, along with miscarriages and stillbirths linked to severe malnutrition, exhaustion and constant fear.I used the knife to cut the umbilical cord and wet wipes as bandagesAround 130 babies are…

The South American country increasingly at odds with the Trump administration has the world’s largest oil reserves. Source link

Patrick JacksonandEmma BrancatisanoReutersRecruits on live-fire exercises in Ahlen, Germany, last monthSome of Europe’s biggest Nato members are moving to strengthen their professional armies through voluntary national service schemes.Large conscripted armies were a feature of Nato states during the Cold War but they dwindled in size after the collapse of the Soviet Union.However, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the ongoing war there have kindled fears of a possible future Russian attack on Nato.Here we look at how this new recruitment drive is playing out among Nato’s 30 European member states, many of whom still have conscript armies.Who conscripts?Conscription…

OHCHR is calling for more action to end the violence and achieve justice.“While the interim authorities have taken encouraging steps towards addressing past violations, these steps are only the beginning of what needs to be done,” spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheethan told journalists in Geneva. Summary executions and arbitrary killingSince last December, Syria’s interim authorities have established national commissions for transitional justice and missing persons, among other measures.  A draft law on transitional justice has been announced, and trials have begun into deadly violence that occurred in coastal areas in March.“Yet, we continue to see distressing accounts of summary executions, arbitrary killings and abductions, mainly targeting members of certain communities and individuals accused of affiliation with the former government,” he said.Minorities affectedHundreds have been killed over the past year by the security…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Heading home for the holidays gives you a great chance to help older parents with their tech. The visit often comes with questions about phones, computers, smart TVs and the new artificial intelligence tools they hear about. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, you can use this time to set them up for a safer and smoother tech year.You may guide them through FaceTime or phone calls during the rest of the year, yet working with them in person makes everything easier. You can update devices, adjust settings, improve security and prevent many of…

Elon Musk’s social media platform X, formerly Twitter, has been fined €120m (£105m) by the EU after it found rule breaches had left users vulnerable to scams and manipulation.The European Commission started investigating X under the Digital Services Act (DSA) two years ago and has now issued its first non-compliance decision against the site. In a decision that could anger the US President Donald Trump the commission censured Elon Musk’s platform for three different breaches of DSA transparency requirements. Image: Elon Musk with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Pic: Reuters The Trump administration has previously criticised Brussels’…

According to the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, 107,000 people have fled their homes in recent weeks, pushing total displacement in just the past four months to 330,000.“They barely had time to recover when they again had to leave, due to attacks or fear of attacks,” said Paola Emerson, OCHA Head of Office in Mozambique.The veteran humanitarian explained that violence has often uprooted families multiple times as they endure weeks of attacks. This is an unusual pattern, compared to previous hit-and-run tactics characteristic of violence erupted in northern Cabo Delgado province in in 2017.  This conflict and climate shocks have now…

Several senior Venezuelan officials and opposition politicians would have a claim to power in a transition, but all would face difficulties. Source link

When the call came in to the duty officer at MI6 headquarters on the evening of 4 March 2018, it was met with surprise and alarm. One of their agents was lying in a hospital bed, apparently poisoned.The realisation that Sergei Skripal had been targeted within the UK sent shockwaves through the world of British spies and raised important but difficult questions.Some of these questions have been answered by this latest report, which found Russian President Vladimir Putin “morally responsible” for the death of Dawn Sturgess.She unwittingly sprayed herself with the same nerve agent, concealed in a perfume bottle and…

Senior members of the Irish government have been briefed on drone presence in Irish skies on the night Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Ireland, BBC News NI understands.Zelensky flew into Dublin late on Monday night for a one-day official visit with his wife, First Lady Olena Zelenksa.The Irish Defence Forces said it had no comment on “the specifics of any alleged incidents”.”Defence Forces support to the security operation, led by An Garda Síochána was successfully deployed in multiple means ultimately leading to a safe and successful visit by the President Zelensky to Ireland,” said a spokesperson.In response to questions…

The Ukrainian Diving Federation wants diver Sofiia Lyskun to be stripped of all awards after the European champion switched her international allegiance to Russia.Lyskun, 23, who won the 10m synchro title at last year’s European Aquatics Championships, chose to change her citizenship earlier this week.The federation said Lyskun did not inform it, the coaching staff or Ukraine’s ministry of youth and sports of her intention, and “expresses deep indignation and strongly condemns” her actions.In a statement,, external the federation said: “Such steps are categorically unacceptable, as they discredit not only an individual athlete, but also the entire Ukrainian team, which…

The parliament of the Faroe Islands voted on Thursday to legalise abortion until the end of the 12th week of pregnancy, overturning a decades-old law that prohibited abortions in most cases.Previous legislation allowed abortions only in certain circumstances – such as rape, incest or risk to the health of the pregnant woman – and meant the self-governing Danish territory had among the most restrictive abortion policies in Europe. Following a heated parliamentary debate, the decision came down to the wire, with MPs narrowly voting in favour of the reform, by 17 to 16.”This is truly an historic day in the…

Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia will boycott next year’s Eurovision Song Contest after it was decided Israel could compete. Source link

Several websites, including Linkedin, Zoom and Canva, went down after new issues with internet provider Cloudflare.The web infrastructure company said at around 9am that it was “investigating issues with Cloudflare Dashboard and related APIs (application programming interfaces)” after reports of “a large number of empty pages”. Shortly after the announcement, Cloudflare said it had implemented a fix and was monitoring to see if it had worked, but several websites remained blank throughout the morning. DownDetector, a site used to monitor online service issues, also went down as a result of the issue. When it came back online, it recorded more…

IndiGo, which controls nearly two-thirds of the domestic market, blamed the disruption on weather, tech systems and rules about rest for crew members. Pilots said the company was cutting corners. Source link

Skyscrapers in the Canary Wharf financial, business and shopping district in London, UK.Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesVisa is moving its European headquarters to London’s financial district, hot on the heels of an announcement by JPMorgan that it will build a landmark tower in an area considered to be the city’s answer to Wall Street.Visa, whose European headquarters is currently at Paddington in the west of London, has signed a 15-year, 300,000 square foot lease at One Canada Square in Canary Wharf, according to Canary Wharf Group. The firm will move in summer of 2028.  It follows news that JPMorgan intends to build a new 3 million square foot tower…

Russian President Vladimir Putin smiles while visiting the We Are Together Fourm and Awards Ceremony, on December 3, 2025 in Moscow, Russia. Contributor | Getty ImagesRussian President Vladimir Putin has warned Moscow will take Ukrainian territory by force if Kyiv’s troops do not withdraw, signaling rigidity over a key sticking point in peace talks. “Either we liberate these territories by force of arms, or Ukrainian troops leave these territories,” Putin, who is currently on a state visit to India, said in an interview with India Today. The comments, published by Russian state-controlled media, were translated by news agency Reuters and…

Russian President Vladimir Putin is welcomed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi upon arrival at the Palam Air Base in New Delhi, India December 4, 2025. Grigory Sysoev | Via ReutersRussian President Vladimir Putin has underlined Moscow’s willingness to provide “uninterrupted shipments of fuel” to India, as the U.S. pressures New Delhi to give up importing their oil. Putin made the offer during a joint address with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, part of his first visit to the country since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which triggered widespread sanctions.The sanctions forced Russia to seek new…

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, underlining the close personal relationship between the leaders and their countries’ longtime friendship. Source link

The logo of multinational tech company Foxconn (also known as Hon Hai), which is a major manufacturer for Apple products, in Taipei, Taiwan, on April 16, 2025.Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty ImagesFoxconn, a key Nvidia partner in its artificial intelligence buildout, saw its revenue spike 26% year-on-year in November, as demand for servers continued to ramp up amid the AI boom.The Taiwanese company, also known as Hon Hai, is the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer and makes the servers that hold chips in data centers, as well as assembling Apple’s iPhone. Foxconn on Friday reported “strong growth” year-on-year for its cloud…

An early grid battery was installed in the Atacama Desert in Chile 15 years ago. Now, as prices have tumbled, they are increasingly being used around the world. Source link

Across Latin America, there has been a surge in cocaine trafficking as Washington prioritized combating fentanyl. Times reporters traveled to Ecuador to see how criminal groups are wreaking havoc. Source link