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Skip next section Belarus includes nuclear deterrence in new military doctrine — report01/19/2024January 19, 2024Belarus includes nuclear deterrence in new military doctrine — reportThe Belarusian Defense Ministry said that it had updated its military doctrine to include the deployment of nuclear weapons as a means of strategic deterrence, according to the Russian state-owned TASS news agency. The new military doctrine also laid out how Belarus would respond if its allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) — which include both Belarus and Russia among others — were attacked. At the same time, Minsk says it is ready to resume dialogue with NATO countries…

“We are surprised that you have failed to answer a simple question that we have been asking for three years: when will you tax extreme wealth?” begins the open letter by an initiative called Proud to Pay More. Directed at “global leaders gathering in Davos,” it was handed over on Wednesday to world leaders gathered at the Swiss ski resort for the World Economic Forum (WEF). The signatories are demanding higher taxes be levied on the super-rich.   Notably, many of the signatories are among the wealthiest people in the world. Proud to Pay More comprises at least 260 billionaires and…

One of the top leaders of a notorious Mexican drug cartel, which kidnapped four Americans and killed two of them last year, has been captured by marines.Jose Alberto Garcia Vilano, known by the nicknames La Kena and Cyclone 19, was seized at a shopping centre in an upmarket area on the outskirts of Monterrey. He headed the Cyclones – one of the most powerful and violent factions of the now-divided Gulf cartel.While not naming him, Mexico’s navy department said in a statement marines had detained a suspect it called “one of the key leaders of one of the most powerful…

Thousands of Russians have been affected by heating systems failing across the country, including Moscow and its outskirts, the Moscow Oblast, as they face one of the harshest winters in decades. The wave of breakdowns started in December and shows no sign of stopping. This week, at least 16 people suffered burns in the city of Nizhny Novgorod when a large-bore heating pipe exploded, spouting boiling water into the street. The pipe failure also left more than 3,000 people without heat, according to a local news channel on Telegram. The messaging service is one of the few remaining platforms Russians…

South Africa has taken Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing it of violating the UN’s 1948 Genocide Convention, in reference to Israel’s current war against Hamas in Gaza. The Israeli military launched a massive operation against Hamas after the militant Islamist group carried out a series of attacks on Israel on October 7 that killed 1,200 people and saw 240 taken hostage. Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by the European Union, Germany, and the United States, among other nations. Over the coming weeks, the court will have to decide whether to issue the provisional measures…

Dog owners in an Italian province are being forced to provide a sample of their pets’ DNA as officials try to tackle the scourge of dog mess on the streets.The provincial government of Bolzano city and surrounding towns in the picturesque Dolomites region is setting up a database for the almost 40,000 dogs in the area, veterinary department director Paolo Zambotto said. Around 10,000 have already been registered and, once up and running, it means abandoned poop can be genetically tested and traced back to a dog and its owner fined anywhere between 50 to 500 euros (£42-£430). Image: Bolzano…

A lawmaker from Germany’s environmentalist Green Party and a journalist were injured on the sidelines of a protest by the climate activist group Last Generation on Monday, according to media reports. The incident took place in the city of Halle in the central state of Saxony-Anhalt during what police said was an “unannounced protest” which resulted in “significant traffic disruptions.” Green lawmaker hit by car — report German news agency DPA reported that member of state parliament Sebastian Striegel and a journalist were monitoring a demonstration when a motorist allegedly mounted a footpath, in an apparent attempt to get around the blockade.…

Three people have died from electrocution after slipping on ice into a power line that fell on a car during a storm in Portland, Oregon.Devastated father Ronald Briggs said his 15-year-old son Ta’Ron, and his 21-year-old daughter – who he did not name – died after slipping into the live wire while trying to save her nine-month-old baby boy from the crushed SUV. The daughter’s boyfriend also died after he slipped and his foot touched exposed wire while also trying to save the child.Mr Brigg’s daughter, who was also six months pregnant, screamed to her boyfriend to get the baby…

France’s highest court ruled on Tuesday that cement maker Lafarge could be held liable for complicity in crimes against humanity in Syria. The company previously acknowledged that it paid nearly €13 million ($14.2 million) to middlemen to keep its Syrian cement factory running in 2013 and 2014, long after other French firms had pulled out of the country. Lafarge was being investigated in France until an appeal was lodged by its Swiss parent company, Holcim. The ruling on Tuesday was a procedural hearing that upheld a decision by a lower court to throw out this appeal. It now clears the way…

North Korea said on Friday that it had conducted tests of an underwater nuclear weapons system. State-run agency KCNA reported that the test of the “Haeil-5-23” drone system was conducted off its east coast without specifying when the tests took place. The reported weapons test could not be independently verified, but analysts have questioned whether Pyongyang does indeed have such a weapon. Test claim come amid US, South Korea, Japan naval exercise “Haeil” means tsunami and the system was designed, according to state media, to make surprise attacks targeting naval strike groups and major ports by creating a large radioactive wave from a sub-aquatic explosion.…