Armenia: bitter dispute escalates between PM and the church

10 Jul 2025
A deepening rift between prime minister Nikol Pashinyan and the Apostolic Church, is threatening to polarise the nation of three million. Tensions erupted after Pashinyan accused Catholicos Karekin II, the Church’s spiritual head, of fathering a…

Ukraine: USA pauses munitions shipment, Russia launches huge aerial assault

03 Jul 2025
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has paused a planned shipment of advanced munitions to Ukraine amid growing concern over the country’s depleted stockpiles of weapons. The delay, stemming from a defence department review, affects key systems…

Europe: severe heatwave, record temperatures, wildfires

03 Jul 2025
A severe early-summer heatwave is scorching much of Europe, triggering wildfires, evacuations, and health alerts across multiple countries. In Turkey, over 50,000 people have been evacuated due to wildfires, especially near Izmir. France has faced peak…

NATO summit reaffirms collective defence, omits criticism of Russia

26 Jun 2025
NATO allies, including the USA, have reaffirmed their ‘ironclad commitment’ to collective defence at a brief summit in The Hague. The final five‑paragraph communiqué emphasised unity, describing Russia as a ‘long‑term threat’ but stopping short of…