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Arab News
3 days ago
- General
- Arab News
Defense Ministry launches first mobile field hospital at holy sites
RIYADH: The Ministry of Defense has launched a mobile field hospital for the first time at the holy sites to boost healthcare services during the Hajj. The hospital will provide comprehensive and high-quality medical services, the ministry said on Wednesday. 'The Joint Forces Command has harnessed all facilities and health services to ensure that the guests of God perform the Hajj pilgrimage with ease (and) in good health,' the ministry added. The state-of-the-art facility comprises 29 trailers and 26 modules that house hospital components, including the main entrance, connecting corridors, emergency exits, and essential services. It includes inpatient wards with a 50-bed capacity, fully equipped pharmacy, radiology unit, medical laboratory, and specialized clinics. It also features a surgical operating room with a recovery and sterilization wing, intensive care and observation units, and an emergency department. The hospital reflects the vital role of the Ministry of Defense in serving pilgrims and boosting the health infrastructure at the holy sites, the ministry added. The ministry's General Directorate for Health Services said Tuesday it is ready to implement an integrated medical plan to support the Ministry of Health. This plan encompasses 36 health centers across the holy sites, with a combined capacity of more than 1,000 beds. There are 1,791 health and administrative personnel deployed at fixed and field hospitals, emergency centers, and specialized clinics in Mina, Arafat, and Muzdalifah.
Spectator
5 days ago
- Politics
- Spectator
There is nothing strategic about Starmer's defence review
This Strategic Defence Review has been a long time coming. Back when he was still shadow defence secretary, John Healey had promised a 'strategic defence and security review' as far back as May 2022. The process was then launched eleven days after the Labour government took office last July. There had been reviews in 2010, 2015, 2021 and 2023, but this one was different, as it would be conducted not by serving Whitehall mandarins but by external reviewers. The team was led by former Labour defence secretary and Nato secretary general Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, who had overseen the 1998 Strategic Defence Review. The other reviewers were General Sir Richard Barrons, former commander of Joint Forces Command; and County Durham-born Dr Fiona Hill, a Russia expert who had worked as an intelligence analyst in the United States, latterly as a senior director on the National Security Council. So how does this 'root and branch review of UK defence' intend to 'make Britain secure at home and strong abroad for decades to come'? Does it fulfil the Prime Minister's promise to rebuild the armed forces and provide 'the capabilities needed to ensure the UK's resilience for the long term'? Eye-catching spending has been placed front and centre of the review.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia losing battlefield edge in war against Ukraine, WP reports
Russia's military advantage against Ukraine is declining, the Washington Post (WP) reported on May 24, citing U.S., European, and Ukrainian officials and military experts. While Russia's military difficulties could be an opportunity for Ukraine's allies to mount pressure against Moscow in hopes of securing a ceasefire, U.S. President Donald Trump has backed away from international sanctions efforts and appears increasingly unwilling to challenge Russian President Vladimir Putin. Moscow faces critical shortages of weapons and manpower, making the time ripe for escalated pressure, multiple officials told the WP, many speaking on the condition of anonymity. "Russia is very gradually taking bits of territory still, but at an unsustainably high cost," said Richard Barrons, the former head of the United Kingdom's Joint Forces Command. A Ukrainian security official told the WP that Russia was not able to gain ground despite its significant personnel advantages and that the slowed advance may be partly a result of Ukraine's incursion in Kursk Oblast, which aimed to divert Russia's military resources from the front lines. "Russia is not able to take any ground, and this is the situation pretty much since the end of the Ukrainian counteroffensive," the official said, referring to Ukraine's attempt to retake Russian-occupied territories in 2023. "Despite the fact that they still have three-to-one superiority in number of troops — and maybe even bigger in terms of (weapons) systems — it's still not enough." Western experts also calculate that Russia's arsenal of tanks is likely to run out in the next few months, the WP reported. "The Russians can continue fighting, but … the force will become more and more de-mechanized over time, and that does put a timeline on how long they can sustain the current way they operate," Jack Watling, a senior research fellow for land warfare at the Royal United Services Institute in London, told the WP. Read also: Russian tank losses in Ukraine — Syrskyi claims 1,159 'hit' since start of year Barrons also said Russia was running out of opportunities to conduct major offensives in Ukraine. "It is very unlikely now that the Russian military have the equipment, the people, and the training and logistics to mount an offensive that would break the Ukrainian line and — even if they did — to exploit it immediately," he said. In light of these obstacles, coordinated pressure against Russia could be more effective now than any point since the eary days of the full-scale war, officials said. According to a May report from the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Putin still remains confident in Russia's ability to secure "ultimate victory" in Ukraine, including the full occupation of four Ukrainian regions. This confidence is reflected in Russia's strategy of dragging out peace talks while escalating deadly attacks against Ukraine. Trump even admitted, just days after holding a two-hour phone conversation with the Russian leader, that Putin is not interested in peace because he believes he is winning the war. "Putin believes that time is on his side, and Ukraine is bleeding faster than Russia," a senior European official told the WP. But some officials suggested that Putin may be basing his confidence on reports from subordinates that understate Russia's increasing difficulties. "I think they overestimate the current success of Russia," one senior European official said. President Volodymyr Zelensky called Putin's continued delays in the peace process "a mockery of the whole world" in remarks on May 23. "And it's definitely time to put more pressure on Russia," he said. Read also: Russia pushes forward in Donetsk Oblast, threatening Ukrainian pocket around Toretsk We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
