Ukraine: Putin announces three-day ceasefire

01 May 2025
Vladimir Putin has announced a new three-day unilateral ceasefire, to run from 8 to 10 May, coinciding with Russia’s World War II commemorations. It follows a previous thirty-hour Easter ceasefire, which critics say Moscow repeatedly violated.…

Spain / Portugal: cause of massive power cut still not known

01 May 2025
A widespread power cut on 28 April disrupted millions across Spain and Portugal, prompting investigations and huge public concern. Portugal’s national grid operator, REN, attributed the blackout to a rare atmospheric phenomenon which caused extreme temperature…

Türkiye: ‘treat Istanbul quake as a serious warning’

01 May 2025
The recent 6.2 magnitude earthquake which struck Istanbul on 23 April is being seen as a serious warning rather than a release of seismic energy, according to Japanese earthquake expert Yoshinori Moriwaki. While the quake caused…

Ukraine: Trump’s one-sided peace proposal

24 Apr 2025
The USA has presented Ukraine with a controversial one-page peace framework, described as Donald Trump’s ‘final offer’, which would grant significant concessions to Russia, including recognition of its occupation of Crimea and of territories which it…