Ukraine reportedly hits Russian bombers at airfield
Video of a laptop screen purports to show an aerial view of Tu-95 strategic bombers exploding.
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News.com.au
16 minutes ago
- News.com.au
EU ambassador warns of ‘worrying signs' from China
China is showing 'worrying signs' of deeper alignment with Russia's anti-West agenda, the EU's top diplomat in Australia has warned. The caution has come as Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin continue to step up co-operation against a backdrop of the raging war in Ukraine and simmering tensions in the Indo-Pacific. Ambassador Gabriele Visentin said on Wednesday what happens in Australia's neck of the woods is 'completely intertwined' with what happens in Europe. 'I cannot possibly comment on the choice that the Australian government has on its defence policies,' the EU's envoy told the National Press Club. 'What I can say is that there is … a clear link between the Chinese and the Russian visions of what the new international rules-based order should be. 'We have seen maybe some worrying signs of military scaling up of China.' Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said last week said China's rapidly growing nuclear arsenal is driving 'security anxiety' in Australia. As of mid-2024, China's operational nuclear warheads exceeded 600, according to the US Department of Defence. That was nearly triple what the country was estimated to have in 2020. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also earlier this month warned of an 'imminent' threat from China, saying Beijing could invade the democratically self-governing island of Taiwan as early as 2027. Such a move would deal a major blow to global supply of semiconductors – crucial components in modern tech – and massively disrupt vital trade routes. 'Let me be clear, any attempt by Communist China to conquer Taiwan by force would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world,' Mr Hegseth told the Shangri La Dialogue. 'There's no reason to sugar-coat it. The threat China poses is real and it could be imminent. 'We hope not but certainly could be.' Mr Hegseth also called on Australia to boost defence spending in a meeting with Mr Marles, who holds the defence portfolio, on the sidelines of the conference. Asked how the EU might intervene in the event of a significant escalation in the Indo-Pacific, Mr Visentin was hesitant to outline any measures but said Europe had a 'vital interest' in keeping the region 'free'. 'I definitely think that the two theatres are completely intertwined,' he said. 'Forty per cent of the global trade towards the EU comes from the Indo-Pacific. 'Therefore, we do have a vital interest that the Indo-Pacific remains free and open. 'It's a matter of our wealth and our prosperity. 'So, of course we have to be aware of what a disruption of the status quo would mean for us as well.' The bloc deployed warships to the Red Sea in early 2024 to protect cargo ships from attacks by Islamist militants in Yemen emboldened by the conflict in Gaza. Mr Visentin also expanded on EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's comments last month saying she wanted a deeper 'strategic partnership' with Australia. 'It's not a military alliance,' he said. 'It's a partnership for co-operation on defence issues, including industrial things.' He added 'there is no scope for an understanding in terms of transfer of troops or mutual help and mutual assistance', unlike NATO, which guarantees blanket mutual defence if a member state is attacked.
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
Trump orders names restored to military bases honoring Confederates
President Donald Trump said Tuesday he has ordered the restoration of the names of several US military bases that honored officers who fought for the Confederacy in the American Civil War. While the redesignations will return the facilities to their original names, they come with a twist, as the bases will ostensibly honor other military personnel who have the same names, and not those who fought to maintain slavery in the South. The Republican president made the announcement in a speech at the country's largest military base, which he had renamed to Fort Bragg in February after predecessor Joe Biden changed it to Fort Liberty in 2023. "We are also going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill and Fort Robert E. Lee," Trump told soldiers. "We won a lot of battles out of those forts. It's no time to change." The move reverses a renaming process begun in the wake of the death of George Floyd, whose murder by police in 2020 focused a spotlight on systemic racism. A naming commission ultimately recommended hundreds of locations be redesignated, among them nine US Army bases named after Confederate officers who had fought for the South in defense of slavery during the country's 1861-1865 Civil War. The Pentagon said Tuesday that the new base names, while consistent with the last names of the Confederate officers, actually honor different military veterans. For example, while the original Fort Bragg honors Confederate general Braxton Bragg, the new name commemorates Roland L. Bragg, a little-known World War II hero, officials said. Fort Robert E Lee in Virginia, which was redesignated Fort Gregg-Adams in honor of two African-American servicemembers, was changed back to Fort Lee. But the new name honors Medal of Honor recipient Private Fitz Lee who fought in the Spanish-American War, said the Pentagon, and not the Robert E Lee who was overall commander of the Confederate army.
News.com.au
5 hours ago
- News.com.au
Ukraine says Russian strikes hit Kharkiv, killing two
Fresh Russian strikes on Ukraine's northeastern city of Kharkiv killed two people and wounded 54 including children early Wednesday, authorities said, as Moscow pushed ahead with its relentless attacks after rejecting an unconditional ceasefire. "Seventeen strikes by enemy UAVs (drones) were carried out in two districts of the city tonight," Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov said on Telegram, later adding that 37 people were wounded and "several people were rescued from houses engulfed in flames". The State Emergency Service of Ukraine said eight children were wounded in the attack. Russia has escalated its bombardments of Ukraine despite US President Donald Trump urging Moscow to end its three-year invasion, with Kyiv launching retaliatory attacks deep inside Russian territory. After a previous overnight barrage of more than 300 drones and seven missiles on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Kyiv's Western allies to respond with "concrete action". "Action from America, which has the power to force Russia into peace. Action from Europe, which has no alternative but to be strong," Zelensky wrote on social media. Peace talks in Turkey last week failed to yield a breakthrough towards ending the conflict, with Russia rejecting calls for an unconditional ceasefire and demanding Ukraine give up its territory and bid to join NATO. But the two sides agreed to swap more than 1,000 prisoners of war and hand over the bodies of dead soldiers, swapping groups of captured soldiers on Monday and Tuesday. - Prisoner exchanges - Kharkhiv, which lies less than 50 kilometres (31 miles) from the Russian border, has been hit by a surge in large-scale nighttime attacks over the past week. Wednesday's strikes left a five-story building on fire in Slobidskyi district, while several houses were hit in Osnovyansky district, Mayor Terekhov said. He said "there may be people trapped under the rubble". The attack came after Russia pummelled the city on Saturday in what Terekhov called "the most powerful attack" on Kharkiv since the start of the war. Four people were killed and more than 50 wounded as homes and apartment blocks were hit overnight and guided bombs were dropped on the city on Saturday afternoon. Ukraine is also stepping up its drone attacks on Russia, targeting military production and bases. On Tuesday, one person was killed and four others wounded in a drone attack that destroyed a convenience store in the Russian region of Belgorod, according to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. Nevertheless, the two sides carried out a second prisoner of war swap on Tuesday. The deal should see the freeing of all captured soldiers under the age of 25, as well as those who are sick or severely wounded, though neither side has specified the number of soldiers involved. But Zelensky has said it is "pointless" to hold further talks with the current Russian delegation -- who he previously dismissed as "empty heads" -- since they could not agree to a ceasefire. As a condition for halting its invasion, Russia has demanded that Ukraine cede the territories Moscow says it has annexed and forswear joining NATO. It has also rejected a proposed 30-day unconditional ceasefire sought by Kyiv and the European Union, arguing that this would allow Ukrainian forces to rearm with Western deliveries. Ukraine is demanding a complete Russian withdrawal of from its territory and security guarantees from the West.
